Will NGVs Get The Hybrid Treatment?
When you’re already powering one of the greenest cars in recent memory along with reducing the emissions of 200,000+ cars, trucks and heavy duty vehicles on North American roads, what can natural gas do for an encore? According to a recent release by the California Energy Commission (CEC), how about going hybrid?
Earlier this week the CEC released a competitive grant solicitation to look into ways to further improve natural gas vehicle efficiency by incorporating hybrid technology:
The purpose of this solicitation is to accelerate research and development of advanced natural gas engine-hybrid electric concepts for application in light heavy-duty to heavy-duty vehicles that are operated in fleets throughout California.
This solicitation will target research and development opportunities for hybrid systems and power management strategies that are optimal for a given application or duty cycle, and target modes where the vehicle is least efficient.
NGVs can already reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30 percent over conventional gasoline powered vehicles, not to mention drastic reductions in nitrous oxides, black soot, and other vehicular emissions. It will be interesting to see what sort of efficiency boost could come from hybrid technology’s helping hand.
Here’s some more information on the proposal:
Energy Commission staff will hold one Pre-Application Workshop to discuss the solicitation with applicants. Participation is optional but encouraged. Applicants may attend the workshop in-person, via the internet, or via conference call.
Friday, March 14, 2014
10 a.m.
California Energy Commission
Hearing Room B
1516 9th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
WebEx Instructions:
To join the WebEx meeting, visit https://energy.webex.com and enter the meeting number and password below:
Meeting Number: 927 778 231
Meeting Password: meeting@10
Telephone Access Only:
Call 1-866-469-3239 (toll-free in the U.S. and Canada). When prompted, enter the meeting number above. International callers may select their number from https://energy.webex.com/energy/globalcallin.php.
For more information: