Big changes are on the horizon
LONDON, July 14 (Reuters) - The European Union on Wednesday proposed an effective ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2035, aiming to speed up the switch to zero-emission electric vehicles (EVs) as part of a broad package of measures to combat global warming.
SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom has announced that he will aggressively move the state further away from its reliance on climate change-causing fossil fuels while retaining and creating jobs and spurring economic growth. He issued an executive order requiring sales of all new passenger vehicles to be zero-emission by 2035 and additional measures to eliminate harmful emissions from the transportation sector.
The regional Brussels government announced on June 25 a new ban on fossil fuel-powered cars in the region that will come into effect over the next 14 years. New sales of diesel cars will be prohibited 2030, and new gasoline car sales will be illegal in 2035.Jul 7, 2021.
Over 30 countries and states have now issued orders of banning new gasoline powered cars. Click to see list.
Biden administration announced a new target for 2030 to "achieve a 50-52 percent reduction from 2005 levels in economy-wide net greenhouse gas pollution in 2030." While policy is being made and targets are being set around the world, we still do not have a realistic path forward to start immediately lowering emissions significantly. Climate scientists are now ringing the alarm bells as loud as they can. Their message is, "we're out of time." We cannot afford to wait decades while emissions are slowly lowered.
Here in the US, theUntil now, however, there has not been an economically feasible "fast solution" available. What has been available for decision makers are a whole lot of assumptions based on dubious math and unrealistic projections. These first-round of assumptions need to be addressed so real-world planning can take place. As a global species facing unparalleled climate change and pollution, we need absolute clear data and viable, real-world options in order to make effective and immediate change on a global scale. In other words, we need to do things differently.
What are we waiting for?
DOT data). There are 1.4 Billion cars worldwide. There is no magic wand that will suddenly sweep these vehicles into the shadows and out of sight to make room for zero-emission vehicles on the world's roadways. It will take many decades to transition over to clean burning, low and zero-emission vehicles. And we do not have decades to wait.
In the US alone, there are over 276,000,000 automobiles and trucks registered on the roadways of America in 2019 - (Collectively, cars and trucks account for nearly one-fifth of all US emissions, emitting around 24 pounds of carbon dioxide and other global-warming gases for every gallon of gas consumed. In 2019, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation accounted for about 29 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, making it the largest contributor of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Transport is responsible for nearly 30% of the EU's total CO2 emissions, of which 72% comes from road transportation. The U.S. transportation sector — which includes cars, trucks, planes, trains, and boats — now emits 1.9 Billion tons of CO2 annually. (3.8 trillion lbs).
These high levels of emissions, generated by the transportation industry, can have a dramatic effect on the environment. We see this effect in extreme weather patterns, wild fires, flooding, increased pollution, environmental destruction, and ecosystem die-offs. Multiply these effects by the amount of vehicles around the world (1.4 billion), and that number becomes even more staggering. The surge in natural disasters around the globe are increasing each year. According to Yale Environment 360, in the past 20 years, natural disasters cost almost 3 Trillion dollars in global economic losses. The previous 20-year period accounted for $1.63 trillion in economic loses. The data is crystal-clear: ride ahead is going to be a bumpy one.
Floods, torrential rains, unprecedented snow fall in unique areas, annual "wild fires season" (what a profound title) - increasing number hurricanes along with intensity, rising numbers of tornadoes, earthquakes and extreme droughts has proven we don't have multiple decades to phase into a zero emission vehicle society. We have to act now!
HyFuels: We no longer have to wait to significantly lower emissions
Element One Technologies has developed two types of hydrogen based liquid fuels we call, "HyFuels" - Hythanol® and HythanolPLUS. Hythanol® is a clean burning, high octane, zero sulfur displacement fuel that can be used in spark ignition engines that run on conventional gasoline or petrol.
HythanolPLUS is a hydrogen based biodiesel type fuel that is a clean burning fuel that performs like diesel (on hydrogen steroids). These fuels can be used in all ICE vehicles and power generating applications such as piston driven or Brayton Cycle (jet turbine engines).
In order to make immediate and significant changes in reducing the emissions and pollution being pumped into the atmosphere via fossil based fuels with high carbon and sulfur content, we need to address the problem head-on with real-world solutions that can be implemented quickly. HyFuels - being liquid - can displace ALL conventional fuels we use today in ICEs, whether that be for the transportation sector, aviation, marine or commercial industries.
12:1 compression ratio gasoline engine at 1500 rpm would have a flame speed of about 16.5 m/s, and a similar hydrogen engine yields 48.3 m/s, but such engine flame speeds are also very dependent on stoichiometry. Since these HyFuels are developed for ICEs and hydrogen based - we limit the flame speed to avoid predetonation by structure of the fuels themselves. But with Hythanol®, with such low freezing temperatures (-140º F), the aviation HyFuel can easily displace kerosene based aviation fuels with very little modifications to aircraft and its fuel delivery system.
The real beauty of these environmentally friendly clean burning, low emission, zero-sulfur HyFuels is the across-the-board flexibility of adaptation to the mechanical application - be it spark-ignition or non-spark ignition engines. You cannot use conventional gasoline as regular fuel for a jet engine due to its inherent chemical composition. In aWe do not need to reinvent the wheel, nor do we have the luxury of time to slowly lower
global pollution and GHG emissions over many decades. These HyFuels are the immediate solution to accelerate the deployment of a national "Moon Race" like initiative to drastically reduce vehicular CO2, NOx, CO and sulfur emissions today, NOT 20 YEARS FROM NOW.With very little to no modifications needed to the existing national fleet of cars and trucks, planes, boats and trains - conventional fuel or diesel - we can implement a national strategy to distribute these HyFuels immediately. This would be like removing 1.9 billion tons of CO2 starting tomorrow without having to fabricate new tankers for transportation NOR do we even need a new dispenser type for these HyFuels. This also relieves the issues of delays in policy for new developments of distribution at existing fuel stations as the equipment servicing conventional cars and trucks - both gasoline and diesel vehicles - need not be replaced with new equipment that hasn't already been approved by fuel regulators. This drastically reduces the time from submission for the new fuel to distribution to station owners.
As of 2020, nearly 1.8 million EVs were registered in the U.S., more than three times as many as in 2016, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA), but Europe is years ahead of the US in EV deployment by nearly 2:1.
In 1996, in response to a California mandate that required automakers to have zero-emissions vehicles ready for market by 1998, GM rolled out the EV1, the first mass-produced electric vehicle of the modern era. Then came the likes of Toyota, Tesla, Honda, Hyundai, BMW, Kia, and others.
BUT - these 1.8 million zero emission vehicles (grid connect for charging is another discussion) do not even represent 0.65% of the entire car population in the US. (276,000,000). After 25 years and all the push for EVs, all the mandates, all the subsidies and $Billions invested - 1,000s of charging stations deployed around the US and the costs incurred for construction, land purchases and leases, countless hours of policy and legislation meetings for approval - the BEV market in its entirety of only 1.8 million vehicles (0.65% total US vehicles) has not even begun to put a dent in the CO2 levels in the US.
If we look at the average annual driving range of 14,300 - considering the average mpg: 24.7 - multiplied by 1,800,000 vehicles - we conclude 1.042 Billion gallons saved in one year combining ALL the EVs on the roadways in the US.
Considering one gallon of gasoline emits 19 lbs of CO2, this means each car, on average, produces 4.7 metric tons (2205 lbs) of CO2 each year. The total BEV market reduces 18,654,300,000 lbs CO2 per year. That sounds like a lot from the bottom up. But if we take a realistic out-of-the-atmosphere look at the entire US and the 276,000,000 conventional gasoline and diesel vehicles registered on the roadways of America - we're looking at CO2 emissions upwards to 2.8 TRILLION lbs being pumped into our US atmosphere each year by conventional baseline vehicles. That's 150 TIMES the CO2 levels being saved by the 1.8 million BEVs in the US. When we consider that BEV charging stations often use grid-power to charge, the emission-savings becomes hazy at best.
To even think about replacing nearly 300 million vehicles with zero-emission cars, or converting over 150,000 service stations throughout the entire US to renewable charging stations is an arduous, expensive, long-term , and ultimately unrealistic plan.
Where will ALL that money come from? How long will it take county by county - state by state to get permitting and policy in place to streamline charging stations and power grid connect for the chargers. Let alone - if an average sized charging station has 4 - 8 units - and each vehicle requires ONLY 30 minutes each per day (very conservative) - that station alone can only handle 96 to 192 cars per day. A conventional filling station "has a theoretical potential of 1700 vehicles per day."
A study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that 3.4 DCFC, and 40 Level 2 charging ports are needed per 1,000 EVs. Assuming 35 million EVs by 2030, the U.S. will need to build about 50,000 DCFCs (DC Fast Charging Station) and 1.2 million Level 2 ports. We simply do not have time nor the resources to realistically travel down this magical-road. If we consider the increase of electricity just to charge 60% of the BEVs by 2050 - our national grid capacity would have to DOUBLE!
The key to drastically cutting emissions as quickly as possible are these unique, hydrogen-based liquid Hy-fuels that can replace gasoline and diesel immediately in existing piston (SI and non-SI) and Brayton cycle engines with little to no engine modifications needed. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel - let us use the wheel already in place and put better spokes on it. It's cheaper, faster and keeps the existing infrastructure in place, WHILE making an enormous reductions in emissions and pollution levels.