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2005 Tour de Sol skirts 100 mpg
Over 60 hybrid, electric and biofuel vehicles from throughout the U.S.
and Canada demonstrated that we have the technology today to power our
transportation system with zero oil consumption and zero climate-change
emissions.
Adapted by Pure Energy Systems News
Sampling of Vehicles at 2005 Tour de Sol
more
ITAQ Smart Biodiesel
more
Western Washington University's entrants: Viking 23
more
Bassi Scientific Entries in the NEV Category
more
West Philadelphia High School, "Hybrid Attack" |
GREENFIELD, MA, USA – During the National 2005 Tour de Sol – the 17th
annual sustainable energy and transportation festival and competition held May
13-16 in Saratoga Springs and Albany, NY – over 60 hybrid, electric and
biofuel vehicles from throughout the U.S. and Canada demonstrated that we have
the technology today to power our transportation system with zero oil
consumption and zero climate-change emissions. Each vehicle showed new ways to
reduce our dependence on foreign oil while reducing harmful pollutants.
A modified hybrid vehicle, a Honda Insight driven by
Brian Hardegen of Pepperell, MA, neared the
100-mile-per-gallon barrier over a 150-mile range. Two student teams, from Western
Washington
University
in Bellingham, WA, and West PhiladelphiaHigh
School
in
Philadelphia,PA, took top honors with their
purpose-built hybrid vehicles, which use biodiesel instead of gasoline and
produce 85% less climate-change emissions compared to a conventional 27 MPG gas
car.
“Each year, the Tour de Sol highlights the largest
innovations in alternative energy technology and advanced-fuel vehicles,
showcasing the future of the clean energy and transportation industry,” said
New York State Gov. George E. Pataki. “Over the last 10 years, we’ve
invested unprecedented funding into the research and development of clean fuel
technology and currently deploy more than 4,300 clean-fuel vehicles in our
state-operated fleets. I’m proud that many of the cars and components featured
in this year’s Tour de Sol are being developed right here in
New YorkState, creating new markets and jobs
for the 21st century while helping to clean our air and reduce our dependence on
foreign oil.”
“The students, businesses, New York State government
officials, auto companies producing advanced vehicles, and people using new
hybrid and biofuel vehicles in the Tour de Sol are the new American heroes of
the 21st century,” said Nancy Hazard, executive director of
the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association in Greenfield, MA, organizer of the
Tour de Sol. “Every American is a winner because of their efforts to design,
build and use advanced vehicles that aim to reduce imported oil and
climate-change emissions today - offering an alternative solution to the energy
and climate-change crises that threaten life as we know it.”
Thousands of people came to see the vehicles and talk
with the people participating in the three competitions held during the National
2005 Tour de Sol. There were 41 entrants in the new Monte Carlo-style Rally,
with several participating in the Rally’s 100 MPG Challenge.
The top-placing production
vehicles in the Monte Carlo-style Rally, over a minimum 150 mile range, were: 2
Honda Insights, one driven by Charles Sullivan, of Hanover NH, achieving 82 mpg,
and one driven by Mike Lewis of Portland, ME, averaging 79 MPG; a biodiesel
Volkswagen Passat driven by Jonathan Bartlett of Sterling, MA, delivering 77
MPG; and a Toyota Prius driven by Morgan Bardall with 64.3 MPG.
Unfortunately, no one achieved over 100 mpg on a 500 mi. range for the
$5,000 award.
“We were very pleased by the performance of the various
production vehicles entered in the Monte Carlo-style Rally and 100 MPG
Challenge,” said James Dunn, CEO of the Center for Technology
Commercialization in
Westboro
,MA., event Co-sponsor. The overall average performance of
the 29Toyota
and Honda hybrid sedans exceeded 60 MPG, with a modified Honda Insight from
Brian Hardegen of Pepperell, MA, delivering almost 95 MPG
and a “plug-in” Toyota Prius from Valence Technology Inc. in Austin, TX,
averaging 102 MPG over a 150-mile range, using both Gasoline and Grid power. The
average of the 5 biodiesel vehicles was nearly 53 MPG, including the 20 MPG
average of the Ford F250 pickup truck entered by Vogelbilt Corp. in
West Babylon,NY. Two remarkable production vehicles were
new Ford Escape hybrid SUVs from the New York State Energy Research and
Development Authority as well as Rad Air in
Parma,OH, achieving 35 and 43 MPG, respectively.
The most interesting overall vehicle was the novel “plug-in”
hybrid demonstrated by Valence Technology as well as Energy Control Systems
Engineering Inc. (doing business as Energy CS LLC) in
Monrovia,CA. This is a modified Toyota Prius with a much
larger battery pack than the normal Prius, and charged with external grid power.
On a 150-mile run, this vehicle achieved 102 MPG on the gasoline used, but
also used 9 kilowatt-hours of electricity required to charge the special
lithium-ion batteries, which cost less than $1 to recharge. Although this
vehicle would be relatively expensive to buy if available today (due to extra
battery cost) plug-in hybrids may become a viable future technology. A
1996 Saturn SL1 equipped with a Hydrogen Boost system achieved a calculated
99.53 mpg. on a 150 mile course, but the driving practices were deemed unsafe by
the judges.
In
the Tour de Sol Championship, which showcases concept vehicles built by students
and entrepreneurs as well as some production vehicles, all but two of the
entrants approached zero oil use by powering their vehicles with biodiesel,
electricity, solar or natural gas. Of these, St. Mark’s High School in
Southboro, MA, and North Haven Community School, North Haven, ME, demonstrated
true zero-oil consumption and true zero climate-change emissions with their
modified electric Ford pick-up and Volkswagen bus, respectively, At home, they
recharge their vehicles from wind and solar – demonstrating what can be done
when electric vehicles are recharged by “clean electricity”, which can be
purchased throughout the U.S.
Three top-placing teams -- West Philadelphia High School,
Quebec Advanced Transportation Institute (ITAQ) in Saint-Jerome,Quebec,Canada,
and WesternWashingtonUniversity
in
Bellingham,WA-- demonstrated incredibly low
greenhouse-gas emissions by running their vehicles on biodiesel. The ITAQ entry
got 67 MPG in a Mercedes SMART diesel vehicle.
The E-bike and NEV Competition attracted over a dozen
vehicles ranging from recumbent electric tricycles, to stand-up scooters,
electric bicycles, and 4-wheeled /4-passenger NEVs (neighborhood electric
vehicles). What all these vehicles have in common is that they run on
electricity and are designed to meet our needs for local “around town”
trips. The incredible efficiency of these lightweight vehicles truly
demonstrates what can be achieved in the field of fuel efficiency. Opti-Bike LLC
in
Boulder,CO, took first place with its pedal-assisted
electric bike.
In addition to the vehicles participating in the National
2005 Tour de Sol, there were over 30 displays from auto, bus and NEV
manufacturers, and business and government leaders, all working together to
produce clean transportation solutions for the U.S.,
Canadaand beyond. Displays included: Toyota’s hybrid Prius,
Highlander SUV and Lexus RX 400h; Honda’s three hybrid sedans -- Insight,
Civic, and Accord -- its natural-gas Civic GX, and the FCX, one of its 30
hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles; natural-gas, propane and hybrid buses and trucks;
emission-reduction technologies for new ceramic brakes; biodiesel suppliers; and
lithium-battery manufacturers.
Monte Carlo-style
Rally & 100 MPG Challenge
The Monte Carlo-style Rally was created this year to
offer advanced-vehicle owners the opportunity to demonstrate what their vehicles
(production-line or modified) can deliver as well as to compete for up to
$10,000 in prizes. To compete for the 100 MPG Challenge (no entrant achieved
that goal this year) entrants began at one of the 11 official stating sites
around the U.S. and Canada and were required to drive a minimum of 500 miles to
Stewart’s Shops in Saratoga Springs, NY. Other entrants traveled a minimum of
150 miles to
Saratoga Springs, for other prizes. Key Monte Carlo-style Rally
organizers are the
AutomotiveCareerDevelopmentCenterand
the Center for Technology Commercialization, with Stewart’s Shops and
biodiesel supplier Environmental Alternatives providing the fuel for all the
entries.
E-Bike and
NEV
Competition
The E-bike and NEV
(neighborhood electric vehicle) competition was created last year by Run About
Cycles in
Sunderland,MA. E-bike and
NEV
manufacturers, distributors, entrepreneurs, hobbyists and students are invited
to participate in this two-day event. This year, over a dozen entrants went
through technical specification checks, displayed their vehicles and
participated in a range events of one, two or three hours.
Tour de Sol & Tour
de Sol Championship
Over a half million consumers have visited the Tour de
Sol since its creation in 1989 by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association
and over 40 million print- and electronic-media exposures accrue annually from
the Tour. The Tour de Sol provides a key platform for vehicle manufacturers,
students and entrepreneurs to demonstrate future designs and current products
that aim to reduce oil and carbon emissions to zero. The event provides news
media the opportunity to provide timely and topical updates on the status of
sustainable energy and its role in mobility. This year, over a dozen teams
participated in the Tour de Sol Championship, which began in 1989. This event
aims to inspire students and businesses to design, build, showcase and use
concept vehicles that push the envelope and work toward the ultimate goal of the
Tour de Sol.
Coverage and Photos
The competition results are tabulated here:
http://www.bestrateofclimb.com/montecarlo-results.htm
An index of event coverage is posted here, with numerous
links to photos:
http://www.autoauditorium.com/TdS_Reports_2005/
See the
main page of Tour de Sol 2005 Photos at http://www.AutoAuditorium.com/TdS_Reports_2005/photos.html
See especially: http://www.autoauditorium.com/TdS_Reports_2005/photos_006.html
Also the primary PR firm has one:
http://www.BestRateOfClimb.com/releases-collateral-businessbeat.htm
You will find all the main press releases there and some
good pic’s.
The Boston Globe also has a site done by Meg Herbert,
Automotive Producer at the www.Boston.com/cars
website, participated in the Monte Carlo Rally and wrote four stories about the
Tour. The first is at
http://www.boston.com/cars/news/2005/may/0518_tourdesol.html
with links to the others. Below are the first pages from
the other three.
On the road
hybrid-style
Many people may not know about the Tour de Sol, but for
the people involved, it is a chance to showcase a true love of their hybrid
vehicles and to be a part of an event to raise awareness of the modern marvel
that is the hybrid car.
Here is a glimpse into what its like to drive in a car
and event such as this.
http://www.boston.com/cars/galleries/hybridevent/driveout/1.htm
Tour de Sol
Students, individuals and corporations attended the Tour
de Sol over the weekend to showcase their efforts to design vehicles that
approach zero carbon emissions and use renewable fuels.
Viking 23 is a student-built biodiesel/electric AWD
hybrid sports coupe currently being designed and tested by students.
http://www.boston.com/cars/galleries/hybridevent/alt/1.htm
Monte-Carlo Rally
Hybrid and other low-emission vehicles lined-up recently
for the Monte-Carlo Rally - an event in which participants drive a minimum of
150 miles to see who can get the best gas mileage en route to Saratoga Springs,
NY.
Hybrid and alternative fuel vehicle owners participated
in the event. Here are a few at the finish line.
http://www.boston.com/cars/galleries/hybridevent/tourdesol/1.htm
Sponsors
The New York State Energy Research and Development
Authority and the Center for Technology Commercialization are the event's
Premier Sponsors. Key Sponsors are the U.S. Department of Energy, the New York
Power Authority, Toyota Motor Corp., the New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation, New York State Parks, American Honda Motor Co.,
Environmental Alternatives, and the Federal Highway Administration. The
AutomotiveCareerDevelopmentCenter
in
Worcester,MA, was a key organizer of the Monte
Carlo-style Rally.
Northeast Sustainable Energy Association
The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, the
nation's leading regional education and advocacy association, is a
not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. NESEA aims to accelerate the deployment
and use of renewable energy and energy efficiency by producing major
sustainable-energy events that inspire and motivate large numbers of people to
get involved and make a difference.
# # #
SOURCE:
Adapted from press release by Nancy Hazard
and James Dunn.
CONTACT:
For more information on all of the winners in the
National 2005 Tour de Sol, visit www.TourDeSol.org or contact NESEA at
413.774.6051.
Contact:Nancy
Hazard, <email
>, 413.774.6051 x18
James Dunn, <email
>, 508.870.0042 x108
News Coverage
According to Google
News > Tour de Sol as of 11:00 pm May 21, 2005
Local
Students Win Tour de Sol
WPVI, PA - May
17, 2005
A one-of-a-kind sports car was put together using
donated parts and enough ingenuity to create the winner of this years Tour
de Sol competition, a racing meet ...
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Prius
PHEV to Run in Tour de Sol Rally
Green Car Congress - May
12, 2005
The prototype Prius Plug-in Hybrid developed by EnergyCS
and Valence Technology (earlier post) will participate in the Tour
de Sol Championship Race and Monte ...
|
2005
Tour de Sol
Autoblog, CA - May
13, 2005
... Another car is built entirely of carbon fiber
panels to reduce weight. The Tour de Sol will be
held May 13-16 in Saratoga and Albany, NY. ...
|
Auto
academy is spared cut
Philadelphia Daily
News, PA - May 19, 2005
... said that West Philadelphia High School's
Automotive Academy, fresh off a weekend victory at the eco-friendly
vehicle competition, the Tour de Sol, will remain ...
|
MSNBC |
Green
grease monkeys show off cars
MSNBC - May 18,
2005
... The cars converged in upstate New York
recently for the 17th annual Tour de Sol, a
competition and car show that brought together green-minded grease
monkeys ...
|
NFA
solar team takes first place
Mid-Hudson News, NY -
May 18, 2005
The Newburgh Free Academy Solar Racing Team took their
newest vehicle, a solar bike, and there ebike(electric bike) to the Tour
De Sol in Saratoga this past ...
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See also
Page posted by Sterling
D. Allan May 18, 2005
Last updated July 16, 2005
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