By John Addison (7/21/11).

Popular Smart Car with Tesla Lithium Batteries

The Smart Fortwo is popular with city drivers that need to avoid $25 daily parking fees by fitting in spots to small for others. In 2010, 250 battery electric Smart EDs will be put on the streets of U.S. cities. Early in 2012, Smart plans to make over 10,000 Smart Electric Drives for sales globally and be a major player in urban electric cars. The new Smart Electrics deliver an 80-mile range per charge with a 16.5kWh lithium ion battery pack that consists of 18,650 Tesla format cells. Daimler owns Smart, Mercedes, and about 5 percent of Tesla.

This week, I talked with Derek Kaufman, Vice President with smart USA and Doug Gold, Director Northwest Operations, and looked at the new Smart Fortwo Electric Drive. Battery range varies with driving conditions, so Smart estimates the range of this pure battery-electric at 84 miles per charge. In Portland, however, Derek drove the car 110 miles on one-charge, demonstrating that he has good driving skills. Both gave me details of the new car included in this report.

With only 16.5 kWh of lithium batteries, the Smart ED has about the same range as the Nissan Leaf with 24 kWh because the Smart weighs only about 2,000 pounds. With 50 percent less weight than Nissan, the car needs less batteries. This gives room for Smart to under price Nissan. Smart ED pricing has not been announced.

2010 United States Demonstration

This year, 250 smart electric cars will be put on the road in these U.S. geographies:

• Portland
• San Francisco
• Indianapolis
• Orlando / Tampa
• Washington DC / Boston

The pilot may be implemented as a 4-year lease, primarily to fleets, for about $600 per month. The pilot program will include electric utility partnerships, such as Duke Energy  in Indianapolis. The 250 electric cars for the U.S. in 2010, is part of a 1,000 to 1,500 electric car pilot globally.

In 2012 Smart Electric Drive to be Leased and Sold in Volume

In 2012, Smart will start making over 10,000 electric cars annually. If it succeeds as expected, the numbers could grow substantially in future years.

In a battle for urban parking spaces, the Smart Electric Drive will face serious competition from Toyota and Mitsubishi with their micro-compact electric cars. Market share will be fought with price and lease options.

The 2012 Toyota FT-EV will be commercially available before the 2013 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive, but the FT-EV  will have less range at about 50 miles per charge. Toyota will have a 70 mile per hour speed maximum, higher than advertised 62 mph for the Smart.

Electric Car Sharing

Daimler is now competing with Zipcar for long-term leadership in car sharing. In Austin, Texas, 500 Smart Fortwo gasoline cars are used by the day, the hour, or the minute. Uniquely, car share members can drive the car from one point and leave it at another. Daimler plans to expand the service nationwide and to include the new Smart Fortwo Electric Drive in the program. In Europe, Car2Go has piloted the Smart ED. In future years, the Electric will be included for U.S. Car2Go members. Daimler Car2Go Report

Electric Drive Specs

• 16.5 kWh Lithium Ion Battery Pack
  • 2010 18,650 Tesla Cells
  • 2013 could use Evonic (Daimler JV) Li-Tech Lithium Nickel Cells
• Energy Density 110 Wh/kg (could improve to 160 Wh/kg in future years)
• Zytek Permanent Magnet Motor 20kW constant / 30kW peak
• Single speed transmission 3.3 kW onboard charger / 13 amp
• J1772 Connector
• Level 2 charge 20-80% SOC 3 hours
• Level 1 charge 0-100% SOC 8 hours

Top 10 Electric Car Makers for United States Market

2010 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

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By 2016, car sharing will be a $6 billion annual business according to forecasts by Frost & Sullivan, with half the revenue in the United States. Zipcar’s IPO filing shows its market leadership with 400,000 members. Zipcar has already acquired Flexcar in the U.S. in 2007 and Streetcar in the U.K. in 2009.

An IPO would enable faster growth, other acquisitions, and debt repayment. The firm plans to expand into 100 major metropolitan areas in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia, from its current 13 markets. The firm will also expand its fleet which already includes hybrid cars and plug-in hybrids. The SEC filing shows that organic growth was only moderate in 2009 and that the firm is not yet making profits.

“The future of transportation will be a blend of things like Zipcar, public transportation, and private car ownership.” – Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford

S-1 Filing on June 1, 2010, Reveals High Growth for Car Sharing

Zipcar operates the world’s leading car sharing network. Founded in 2000, Zipcar provides the freedom of “wheels when you want them” to members in major metropolitan areas and on university campuses. We provide over 400,000 members, also known as “Zipsters”, with self-service vehicles that are conveniently located in reserved parking spaces throughout the neighborhoods where they live and work. Our vehicles are available for use by the hour or by the day through our easy-to-use reservation system, which is available by phone, internet or wireless mobile devices. Once the vehicle is reserved, a Zipster simply unlocks the vehicle with his or her keyless entry card (called a “Zipcard”), and drives away. Our all-inclusive rates include gas and insurance so Zipsters can easily estimate the total cost of their trips. Zipsters choose the make, model, type and even the color of the Zipcar they want based on their specific needs and desires for each trip. Upon returning the Zipcar, the member locks the vehicle and walks away, free from the costs and hassles of car ownership. Zipcar provides its members a convenient, cost-effective and enjoyable alternative to car ownership.

We operate our membership-based business in 13 major metropolitan areas and on more than 150 college campuses in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. We target large, densely populated markets with high parking costs and strong public transportation systems. Based on these criteria, we initially focused our operations in three metropolitan areas: Boston, New York and Washington, D.C. These metropolitan areas have since developed into large-scale car sharing markets that continue to grow. We then applied our knowledge and experience to develop and grow additional markets, such as San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto, Vancouver and London as well as to university campuses. We further increased our geographic footprint to include Seattle, Portland, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh through a merger with Flexcar, Inc. in 2007. Our revenue has grown from $13.7 million in 2005 to $131.2 million in 2009. In April 2010, we acquired Streetcar Limited, a car sharing service in the United Kingdom. Our presence in London will also help support our expansion into other European markets. Streetcar’s revenue was $23.1 million in 2009.

We believe we have several significant advantages over our competitors. First, we offer our members the largest fleet of car sharing vehicles in nearly all the major markets in which we operate. Second, because our business is solely focused on car sharing, we are committed to ensuring the highest quality member experience. Third, we have a proprietary and scalable technology platform specifically designed for car sharing. Fourth, Zipcar is one of the most recognized brands in car sharing. Lastly, we have accumulated ten years of car sharing data, which we can leverage to drive loyalty and growth by continually enhancing our member experience.

Zipcar Solutions

The benefits we offer through our solutions are simple and compelling: 

• A cost saving alternative to car ownership.
• Convenient neighborhood access to a varied fleet of makes and models.
• Freedom and flexibility beyond other alternatives such as taxis, public transportation and traditional car rental.
• A smart, socially responsible and sustainable lifestyle.

According to recent studies by the Urban Land Institute, transportation in major metropolitan areas represents a significant cost burden. In regional studies performed in the Greater Boston, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco Bay areas, transportation costs represent between 17% and 20% of household income, which translates to $11,927 to $13,375 in average annual transportation costs. According to Frost & Sullivan, depending on total distance driven, a car sharing program can save up to 70% of the total transit costs for its members.

Individual Membership. We offer a solution for individuals seeking an alternative to the high cost of urban car ownership. In a member survey we conducted, the majority of respondents report selling a car or electing not to buy a car when they join Zipcar. As a result, we estimate that the percentage of Zipster household income spent on transportation is substantially less than the national average, making urban life more affordable.

Zipcar for Universities. We provide college students, faculty, staff and local residents living on or near campuses with access to Zipcars while helping university administrators maximize the use of limited on-campus parking and reduce campus congestion.

Zipcar for Business and Zipcar for Government. We help businesses and local governments save money, meet environmental sustainability goals and reduce parking requirements by providing their employees with access to Zipcars. We have also partnered with residential property managers and developers who provide their commercial and residential tenants with access to Zipcar memberships and Zipcars.

FastFleet. We offer a fleet management solution, called FastFleet, on a software-as-a-service, or SaaS, basis to organizations that manage their own fleets of vehicles. FastFleet enables these organizations to maximize efficiency and reduce the administrative costs of managing their own fleets by monitoring and improving per-vehicle utilization levels.

Market Forecast

Estimates of the car sharing market opportunity vary based on a variety of factors. According to Frost & Sullivan, revenue from car sharing programs in North America will increase to $3.3 billion in 2016, up from $253 million in 2009. Frost & Sullivan expects revenue from car sharing programs in Europe to increase to €2.6 billion in 2016, up from €220 million in 2009. We believe the Frost & Sullivan market forecasts are more likely achievable by 2020.

See the latest SEC filings for a complete discussion of Zipcar’s business, financials, and risk.

Competition

In addition to their traditional rental car businesses, Hertz, Enterprise and UHaul have launched separately branded car sharing operations. Connect by Hertz reports having more than 650 car sharing vehicles in select geographic areas such as New York, London and Paris. Enterprise has announced its WeCar brand, principally at universities and on some corporate campuses. UHaul has launched UCarShare in Portland, Oregon. All of these companies have long histories operating their core car rental businesses, but none of them has been specifically designed and built as a car sharing network. Therefore, they may have difficulty adapting to a member based service rather than a transaction based service.

Our car sharing competitors also include a growing number of for-profit and not-for-profit operators in certain metropolitan areas, such as Chicago, Toronto, Philadelphia, San Francisco and London. Most of these competitors operate in only one city, and many lack a critical mass of vehicles to provide a member experience competitive with that of Zipcar. As a result, they do not benefit from the same operational efficiencies and economies of scale and may be less likely to invest in infrastructure to the degree we believe necessary to remain competitive.

Clean Fleet Report about Zipcar Competition from Hertz and Enterprise

Clean Fleet Report about Daimler’s Entry into Car Sharing

Zipcar Files IPO with Car Sharing Forecasted for $6 Billion is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

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• Car2Go Gives Car Sharing a Point-to-Point Solution (1)

By John Addison (updated 7/16/10; original 5/20/10)

Zipcar Now Faces Major Competition from Auto Giant Daimler

Car Sharing has exploded in popularity in the U.S. with college students, one-car households, and with fleets. Until now, the car had to be returned to where it was picked-up. A new service – car2go – allows people in Austin, Texas to pick-up a car in one place and leave it in another, paying by the minute. The drop-offs are within a defined area.

During a 6 month pilot in Austin, 3,000 early members enjoyed the convenience of going from the Capitol to city center or university, saving time, money, and parking hassles. The pilot fleet started with 200 Smart Fortwo vehicles located throughout the greater downtown Austin area, accessible on-demand. Members check for the location of available cars using smartphones and web browsers. Due to the success of the pilot, the program is now expanded to 500 Smart Fortwos.

Members can take off at by-the-minute rates whenever they want without worrying about fuel, insurance, maintenance or even parking. Rentals can be completed in any available public parking space within the greater downtown Austin area or at one of the specially marked car2go spaces. A member survey showed that 95% of early users would recommend car2go and that 80% are very satisfied. Great numbers for a pilot.

Daimler, of course, makes and sells and leases Mercedes cars, Smart cars, buses, and trucks. Now it expands into car sharing with its subsidiary car2go. Daimler is positioning the Smart fortwo as the perfect vehicle for such a program. On May 21, 2010, car2go opened the program to all residents of Austin, Texas.

Can car2go catch Zipcar?

Zipcar is the world’s leading car-sharing service with more than 400,000 members and 7,000 vehicles in urban areas and college campuses throughout 28 North American states and provinces as well as in the United Kingdom. Nicholas Cole, CEO of car2go plans to expand into many U.S. cities and secure hundreds of thousands of members. Daimler sees the long-term possibility of millions of members. Imagine the potential of such a program to solve first mile /last mile connections between employers and major transportation centers such as rail and bus rapid transit stations. The success in over a dozen European cities of point-to-point bicycle sharing shows the potential of mobility on-demand.

For the convenience of drop-off freedom and per-minute pricing, car2go will price higher on an hourly basis than competitors such as Zipcar and Austin Car Share. Car2go offers a standard price of just 35 cents per minute plus tax which includes the costs of fuel, insurance, parking, maintenance, and mileage. With added time, the price drops. One hour costs a maximum of $12.99 plus tax and one day (24 hours) no more than $65.99 plus tax. There is no security deposit, monthly fees, or reservation costs. Per mile after 150 mile per rental 45 cents, plus tax.

The City of Austin and was recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on May 20th for their outstanding efforts in reducing emissions. The Honorable Lee Leffingwell, Mayor of the City of Austin, praised car2go program for congestion relief in the city center and capital areas. 1,200 City of Austin employees have already joined the program. The Austin pilot was “jump started” with the City trading free parking spaces of a pool of free minutes in the car2go program.

The new car sharing program will be popular with government employees, corporate fleet managers, people living car free or sharing one car, and with college students. Car2go has a program for college and university students that has already helped University of Texas at Austin students live car free, using car sharing, transit, bicycling and walking.

The first pilot of car2go was in Ulm, Germany which now has 19,000 members. In Europe, Daimler also offers a battery electric Smart electric car which has been tested in a car2go pilot. They plan to include electric cars in the U.S. program in a few years. Cities will need an extensive public charging infrastructure to support such a program.

Car2Go Gives Car Sharing a Point-to-Point Solution is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

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By John Addison (5/4/10)

National Tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico

Two hundred thousand gallons of oil spill daily into the Gulf of Mexico, destroying the beaches of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas as a result of the BP oil platform explosion of April 20. News viewers witness oil explosions, fires, and destruction. Containment chemicals are dumped where fish were caught for our dinner tables. Billions of dollars of damage is done. Major ports of our nation’s commerce are threatened. We are again reminded of the damage that oil can do to our environment. United States Response to Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

Oil addiction also hurts our economy. In 2008, oil prices dipped to $32 per barrel. Now oil prices are over $80 per barrel, on the way to being triple the 2008 low. While oil companies argue that we are not running out of oil, they should be admitting that we can no longer find cheap oil. Instead, it is now billion-dollar deep-drilling ocean platforms, the highly destructive strip mining of Canada for tar sands, and unconventional sources with high greenhouse gas emissions that brings us our incremental oil that we convert into gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and asphalt to widen roads for more cars.

And we continue sending trillions of dollars to parts of the world where people want to do us harm. With rising oil prices we are sending more money for less oil.

To the rescue, since 2005, Americans have used less oil by riding clean, riding together, and riding less. In 2005, we consumed 20,802,000 barrels per day; by 2008, 19,498,000 daily barrels (EIA Data). Consumption continues to drop.

Ten Solutions to Save at the Pump

1. Employer Commute and Flexwork Programs. Major employers are saving employees billions in travel costs. Employers sponsor ride sharing, last mile shuttles from transit, and guaranteed ride homes. Some employers have web sites and lunch-and-learns to help employees in the same zip codes match-up for car pooling. 57 million Americans work at home, at least part-time, with the help of flexwork programs. Employer programs have helped with reduced car ownership.

2. Public Transit. Americans made 11 billion trips on U.S. transit in 2008, a 50-year record. Use has dropped some due to transit operators being forced to cut some routes and remove buses as the recession drove down local sales tax revenues needed for public transit. Americans are eager for more and better transit.

3. Walk. On an average we take 4 car trips daily, compared to 2 in Europe. Sometimes 1 of those 4 trips can be a pleasant walk to market, neighbors, or school event.

4. Safe Routes. Thousands of communities across the nation are showing us how to safely walk to school, community centers, and to public transit. Route maps go on line, pot holes get fixed, sidewalks repaired, danger spots eliminated, and signs displayed. Walk to School Days are on the increase.

5. One Car Households. The average suburban U.S. household has two vehicles. Some more. The average urban U.S. household has one vehicle. More American families and roommates are going from three cars to two cars to one car.

6. Sharing the Gas Miser. Households with 2 or more vehicles increasingly share cars, putting the most miles on the fuel miser as the gas guzzler stays parked more often. My wife and I share the hybrid, when not using transit, and leave the other car parked 6 days per week.

7. Make your next Car a Fuel Miser. You now have a wide-range of car choices that get over 30 miles per gallon. There is no reason to settle for less when you buy or lease a fuel-efficient sedan, hatchback, even SUV, turbo diesel, CNG, or hybrid car. Top 10 Cars With Lowest Carbon Footprint

8. Order an Electric Car which is ideal for many who live in a city where 100-mile range is rarely an issue, and where transit, car sharing, and car rental are also available. The average U.S. suburban household has two vehicles, so the EV could be ideal as one of those two. Top 10 Electric Car Makers

9. Car Sharing. In 600 global cities, cars can be used by the hour. Car sharing is popular with individuals and fleets. At many university and colleges, students with good grades can participate at age 18. Add transit and bicycling and many students live car free.

10. Smart Apps for Smart Travel. Internet savvy people now use Google Maps, 511, car share apps, and smart phone GPS apps to compare car directions and time with public transit directions and time. With a few clicks on a social network a shared ride is arranged, or a shared car reserved. In the old millennium we got everywhere by solo driving in gridlock. In the new millennium we plan and use a mix of car driving, transit, and other modes to save time and money.

There are hundreds of ways to save at the pump, or avoid it all together. The above are a just a few as people shift from their only choice being driving a gas guzzler, to options that include ride sharing, car sharing, walking, bicycling, buses, and rail for some of their trips.

Waiting for Responsible Government

We can all make a big difference without waiting for responsible government action, but it would help. The cheapest way to end highway gridlock is to invest in public transportation. Instead government cuts funds for transit and spends billions widening highways. For oil companies, we allow them to drill off our invaluable shores, fight wars to protect their oil, and then put oil companies on welfare. As Forbes Magazine discussed on April 5, the most profitable company in the United States, Exxon, paid zero U.S. income tax in 2009.

At a time when the average U.S. tax payer is hurting, we need to end oil tax loopholes and ensure that the 4 million vehicles in government fleets are gas misers or electric. While a minority in Congress block all attempts at progress, local communities are taking action across the nation by making cities vibrant, with work, services, and play close at hand. Portland, Oregon, is a role model in creating urban density and great public transportation. California with SB375 is requiring regional plans that integrate development, transportation, and greenhouse gas reduction.

In the United States, we embarrassingly have more vehicles than people with driver’s licenses. We have 246 million vehicles. AAA estimates that it costs $8,000 per year for each car owned, which creates a financial burden on cash-strapped Americans. You can help your pocketbook and help the nation by riding clean, riding together, and riding less.

Oil Spill Leads to Transportation Action Plan is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

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By John Addison (4/15/10)

Ride sharing has long been a popular way to commute to work; people save money, have some company, and travel faster in high-occupancy lanes. At colleges, universities, and major events, people are using social networks to hook-up and ride together. More recently, sharing cars by the hour has allowed hundreds of thousands to free themselves from the $8,000 per year cost of owning a car.

In the last year, due to trends such as ride share and car share growth, Americans reduced their ownership of 3.5 million cars.  Now car sharing and ride sharing are offered together.

Zipcar, the world’s largest car sharing provider announced a partnership with Zimride, the world’s leading social online ride sharing community. The partnership will integrate car sharing and ride sharing services and make it possible for Zipcar 275,000 members to seek, offer and share Zipcar rides with friends and others in or outside of their social network. It also will enable Zimride 300,000 ride sharers to use Zipcar as their vehicle, removing the need to own a car. The joint service is offered to colleges and universities; Stanford University has starting using the program.

“Zipcar is the perfect partner, given that they are operating car sharing programs on over 120 colleges and universities across the country,” said John Zimmer, co-founder and COO of Zimride. “Both companies aim to decrease emissions, reduce vehicle miles traveled and save people money. Sharing a Zipcar and ride sharing with your friends magnifies the benefit all the way around – it’s a 1+1=5 kind of impact.”

Zipcar leverages Web and wireless to make reserving and using a car by the hour easy. I am a member, with Zipcars only two blocks away. Zipcar is the world’s leading car-sharing service with 6,000 vehicles in urban areas and college campuses throughout 26 North American states and provinces as well as in London, England. As a leader in urban transportation, Zipcar offers more than 30 makes and models including a few plug-in hybrids.

“The market for our services on campuses across the country is huge. According to the U.S. Department of Education, there are nearly 13 million faculty, staff and students on more than 2,500 campuses, many of whom don’t have convenient access to transportation,” said Scott Griffith, CEO of Zipcar. “We chose to partner with Zimride because their innovative and scalable platform is a great foundation for building a national network of rides. Zipcar fills the car ownership gap for the Zimride model, since people most likely to ride share are those that are least likely to own a car.”

Given the parking constraints, socially-oriented populations, and high demand for ad-hoc transportation at universities, Zimride and Zipcar have created a customized version of their application specifically designed to allow students, faculty and staff direct access to the system.

The integrated service will allow Zipcar members to share a ride by automatically posting the date, time and destination of the Zipcar trip to the Zimride campus community. Once posted, Zimride’s route matching algorithm finds and notifies users looking for a ride. Additionally, Zimride members may find a local Zipcar to share at anytime. This is done seamlessly through a customized campus Zimride website or Facebook application.

Zipcar’s low hourly rates already include gas, insurance, parking, maintenance and 24/7 service: sharing that ride with others can lower the cost even more. This practice will also further reduce carbon emissions. Zipcar members already reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by 40 percent compared to owning a car. Now, with ride sharing in a Zipcar, VMT’s are reduced even further.

Car Sharing + Ride Sharing = Saves Thousands per Person is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

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By Katie Alvord

Abridged from Divorce Your Car: Ending the Love Affair with the Automobile
(New Society Publishers)

Let Someone Else Take You for a Ride

Buses, trains, car-sharing, carpools – whatever form it takes, shared transportation can give a big assist to car-free or car-lite living. Worldwide, transit plays a huge role in moving the human race. Even in car-dependent countries like the U.S., millions of people ride transit. All this travel has a range of advantages over using cars.

• Transit cuts congestion, pollution, and energy use. During World War II, when saving energy meant survival, governments encouraged use of transit and carpools as a way to conserve. “Fill those empty seats!” exhorted Uncle Sam posters. “Car sharing is a MUST!” Transit’s energy-saving potential is indeed high. In general, transit uses fewer British thermal units (BTUs) per passenger mile than do cars and light trucks. While a single-occupant car uses over 5,000 BTUs per passenger mile, a train car carrying 19 people uses about 2,300 and a bus carrying the same number only about 1,000.

Transit can also cut emissions. While some transit may be more polluting – diesel buses, for example, emit high levels of particulate matter – growing numbers of cleaner transit vehicles are far better. Buses powered by compressed natural gas (CNG), for instance, produce almost no particulate pollution. And putting more trains and buses in congested urban corridors cuts traffic and increases travel speeds for both transit riders and motorists. One full 40-foot bus will take 58 cars off the road; a six-car rail train can take 900 cars off the road.

• Transit saves land. Unlike freeways, which disperse development as sprawl, transit – especially rail – encourages compact development. This also saves money and energy and cuts pollution, since less sprawl requires less infrastructure. Where cities introduce rail, “an immediate process of urban consolidation begins,” write Australian transport experts Peter Newman and Jeff Kenworthy.

• Transit helps jobs and the economy. A study by Bates College economist David Aschauer showed that transit investments improve productivity possibly twice as much as road building. Aschauer’s conclusion: “Public transportation spending carries more potential to stimulate long-run economic growth than does highway spending.” Labor-intensive transit creates local jobs, and more of them. Spending a billion dollars on transit creates 7,000 more jobs than spending a billion on roads.

• Transit saves money.In 2007, transit users spent an average of about 21 cents per mile for travel, much less than the usual cost of a car; the American Automobile Association’s composite national average cost of driving in 2007 was 52.2 cents per mile, and this does not include parking or tolls. It’s possible to compare gasoline costs to transit fares and not see much difference, but that ignores the fixed costs of driving. With fixed costs included, transit comes out cheaper, and can even cost less than out-of-pocket driving expenses alone.

• Transit saves time, hassle – and lives. Leaving the driving to someone else might mean a longer trip overall, but you can spend the time doing something else: reading, writing a letter, catching up on work, having quality time with your kids. Sometimes, too, transit can be faster than driving by car. In 1993, Santa Barbara’s Metropolitan Transit District established an express bus route between Isla Vista (near the University of California) and Santa Barbara City College. The bus trip takes 30 minutes, reportedly less than driving. As word got out, the number of people taking this bus increased by 255% in two years.

Using transit frees you from responsibility for a car at either end of your journey. This means no time wasted hunting for parking, no concerns about feeding meters or getting parking tickets. Using transit can also mean traveling in a less tense, more serene atmosphere. Especially on trains, you can get up and move around as much as you want, a feature especially appreciated by children. And according to the National Safety Council, transit is one of the safest ways to travel. Where the average death rate per 100 million passenger miles is about 0.71 for autos, it drops to 0.05 for trains and 0.02 for buses.

• Transit restores community and equity.Transit can help restore community by bringing people out of metal-box isolation and into more contact with one another. Transit gives a wider range of people safe, independent mobility, helping integrate young, old, poor, disabled, and other non-drivers more fully into community life. And because of the way transit influences land use, it can help communities be more cohesive by nature of their compactness.

Overall, shared transportation is the most equitable way a society can provide mobility to people, regardless of income, age, and ability. It makes sense to advocate better transit service, not just for yourself but for the one-third of people – among them the old, young, and disabled – who don’t or can’t drive. The most important way you can advocate transit is to use it yourself. More people riding transit can help encourage more transit – and that means more opportunity to let someone else take you for a ride.

Six Good Reasons to Use Transit is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

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By John Addison (1/9/10)

U.S. Car Ownership Drops by 3.5 Million in 2009

In the United States, we embarrassingly have more vehicles than people with driver’s licenses. We have 246 million vehicles. AAA estimates that it costs $8,000 per year for each car owned, which creates a financial burden on cash-strapped Americans.

To the rescue are 10 positive trends that helped Americans scrap 14 million cars in 2009, while only buying 10.5 million new ones. The 2009 drop was the only large decline in the past 50 years shows the U.S. Department of Transportation.

1.    Urban Density. For the first time, most Americans live in urban areas where they need fewer cars, have better public transit, can share cars, and accomplish more trips with walking.

2.   Public Transit. Americans made 11 billion trips on U.S. transit in 2008, a 50-year record. Use dropped only slightly despite transit operators being forced to cut some routes and remove buses as the recession drove down local sales tax revenues needed for public transit.

3.    Smart Growth. Community and regional planners are making cities vibrant, with work, services, and play close at hand. Portland, Oregon, is a role model in creating urban density and great public transportation. California with SB375 is requiring regional plans that integrate development, transportation, and greenhouse gas reduction. Join me on May 11 at the American Planning Association in Chicago when I present “More Smiles, Less Miles.”

4.    One Car Households. The average suburban U.S. household has two vehicles. Some more. The average urban U.S. household has one vehicle. More American families and roommates are going from three cars to two cars to one car.

5.    Employer Commute and Flexwork Programs. Major employers are saving employees billions in travel costs. Employers sponsor ride sharing, last mile shuttles from transit, and guaranteed ride homes. Some employers have web sites and lunch-and-learns to help employees in the same zip codes match-up for car pooling. 57 million Americans work at home, at least part-time, with the help of flexwork programs. Employer programs have helped with reduced car ownership.

6.    Recession. The recession dispelled the myth that demand for cars and gasoline is price inelastic. When consumers are stretched, demand is elastic. About 20 percent of a U.S. carowner’s disposable income is spent on the car, maintenance, insurance, and fuel. Oil prices have more than doubled since their bottom in March 2009. The era of cheap gasoline is over as producers go to more expensive techniques such as deep oil drilling and strip mining Canada for tar sands.

7.    Cash for Clunkers removed 700,000 vehicles from the U.S. roads.

8.    Rail Connected. City transit is enhanced with regional commuter rail and with rail connected cities. Our latest World Series was dubbed the “Amtrak Series” as fans easily whisked between New York and Philadelphia. Rail connects the transit systems of cities into effective regional transportation. Fewer cars are needed. Yes, the United States lags behind Europe and Japan. Even China is implementing 5,000 miles of high speed rail. Given small hope, suburban rail and rail connected cities are on the rise in parts of the United States. APTA Center for High-Speed Rail

9.    Car Sharing. In 600 global cities, cars can be used by the hour.  Car sharing is popular with individuals and fleets. At many university and colleges, students with good grades can participate at age 18. Add transit and bicycling and many students live car free. Zipcar’s  350,000 members each take over 15 personally owned vehicles off the road. Members of Zipcar and car sharing programs report a 47% increase in public transit trips, a 10% increase in bicycling trips, and a 26% increase in walking trips. The success of car sharing has lead to success of bicycle sharing in Europe, giving millions last mile solutions between transit stations and employers and other city destinations.

10.    Intermodal Intelligence. Internet savvy people now use Google Maps, 511, car share apps, and smart phone GPS apps to compare car directions and time with public transit directions and time. With a few clicks on a social network a shared ride is arranged, or a shared car reserved. In the old millennium we got everywhere by solo driving in gridlock. In the new millennium we plan and use a mix of car driving, transit, and other modes to save time and money.

Ten Reasons for drop in Car Ownership is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

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By John Addison (12/16/09)

Your heart sinks as you watch your missed plane fly away while you are trapped in gridlock. Parking lots are full. More parking lots attract more cars. Streets jam and more gridlock. Public transit, airport buses, shuttles, and taxis can all help.

The best ground transportation solution that I encountered was when I attended a meeting in Chicago. We landed at O’Hare International Airport, walked to our meeting at the Airport Hilton, and then flew back to our homes after the meeting. The next best solution was at Atlanta’s Hartsfield Airport where I took the escalator up from baggage claim, boarded the Marta rail system, and returned to my home in the suburbs. Actually, the best solution was the web conference and collaboration that eliminated the need to fly.

London Heathrow Podcar PRT

People are continuing to fly in record numbers so better ground transportation is a necessity. As London readies for record travelers during the 2012 Olympic Games, Heathrow airport is installing a personal rapid transit in the form of six seat cars that take you from terminal to parking garage on dedicated pathways. Heathrow’s podcars are like horizontal elevators – no driver needed; just push the button.

David Holdcroft, BAA’s (formerly British Airports Authority) PRT Manager states, “This innovative system forms part of BAA’s plan to transform Heathrow, improve the passenger experience and reduce the environmental impact of our operation through the development of cutting edge, green transport solutions.” The Heathrow system is scheduled to start running in spring 2010 and expand to 18 pod cars with 3 stops over a 2.4 mile path.

San Jose Personal Rapid Transit

By 2015, San Jose plans to have a more extensive PRT system (map) that connects major hubs within two miles of the airport including connections to VTA bus rapid transit, Caltrain rail that connects to the cities within Silicon Valley and terminates in downtown San Francisco, Santa Clara University, major hotels, major employers, and the Kiss N Ride lot. By the end of the decade, also important will be nearby connection to BART and the new 800 mile California High-Speed Rail system.

Yesterday, I shared an hour discussing transportation with San Jose’s Acting Director of Transportation, Hans Larsen. San Jose is the nation’s tenth largest city. With a million people, it has four times the space of nearby San Francisco. With less urban density, get high numbers of people to walk, bike, and use transit. Yet, San Jose plans major increases in all those areas as it plans for a population expansion of 400,000 people by 2040. PRT will be important to connecting people at the airport and major regional transportation systems. San Jose Transportation

Back for the International PRT Conference in Sweden, Mr. Larsen is impressed with the feedback from other PRT implementers and with a test ride of one system. Conference Videos

Mr. Larsen now has a budget of $4 million to assemble a team of PRT experts, start plans, and evaluate alternative systems.  Half the money will be for matching funds for the public and private partnerships necessary to get the first phase of San Jose Airport’s PRT system up and running. The $4 million funding allocation is from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), the transit agency, and countywide transportation planning agency for the San Jose Metro area (the 15-city area within Santa Clara County).

Global PRT Projects

A 2010 personal rapid transit conference is being discussed. San Jose would like to host it. Presenters are likely to include early implementers of PRT such as London, Masdar, Suncheon, South Korea, and Sweden where four cities are competing to be the first selected.

Globally PRT is under consideration in a number of areas where high numbers of people can be moved within a few miles such as airports, university campuses, corporate campuses, industrial parks, and city centers.

Different cities require different solutions. Some are best elevated; others can be kept on the ground. Some will use dedicated roadways designed for self-guided vehicles. Others will use tracks under the pods, or elevated guideways above. Some will use battery electric vehicles; others will always be connected to the electric grid – back to that horizontal elevator comparison.

No doubt that some will dismiss PRT as a short-term waste of money rather than a long-term investment to accommodate San Jose’s 40 percent population growth. Nearby are some innovators that were initially dismissed for having solutions that were limited, buggy, or expensive compared to the incumbent. Their names include Intel, Google, Cisco, Adobe, and EBay.

Innovation is a key to better transportation. We need intermodal choices. The modes need to be connected.

Today, many feel that the car is their only choice. In the future, we will have many choices, especially if we make connections fast and convenient.

Our transportation future will be increasingly intermodal. Each day our web or smartphone app will suggest the best way to meet our preferences. One day it could suggest car pooling to work, the next using the plug-in minivan to take the kids to a game, the next a connection of transit to PRT to rail.

San Jose’s Personal Rapid Transit is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

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Carsharing SF Plugs-in

Car-sharing services are turning toward alternative-fuel vehicles as the technology improves and customers clamor to drive them. In San Luis Obispo, Calif., a service gets underway offering hourly rentals of electric, biodiesel, natural gas and ethanol-powered cars.

In August, Baltimoreans will be able to rent a four-passenger electric car that can go 120 miles between battery charges.

Zipcar, the nation’s largest car-sharing service, has added more alternative-fuel vehicles — now 15% of its 6,500 car fleet — and offers plug-in hybrids in San Francisco, which had three charging stations at City Hall.

“There will be more cities this year with electric vehicles,” Zipcar CEO Scott Griffith says. He says 80% of Zipcar members, who pay an annual fee to be able to pick up cars from neighborhood spots for by-the-hour rentals, say they want to drive an electric car.

The number of people joining such services grew to 309,437 this year. USA Today

Car-sharing grows and Plugs-in is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

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By John Addison (7/27/09). The transportation industry is beginning the biggest transformation since Henry Ford started making cars affordable for the mass market. Hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles point to a long-term transition from inefficient mechanical drive systems to efficient electrical systems. Engines powered by petroleum fuels are being replaced with electric motors powered by renewable energy. A growing amount of goods movement is by rail and moving people by high-speed rail.

A portfolio of companies that participate in these long-term trends comprise the portfolio of Invesco PowerShares Global Transportation (PTRP) – an electronically tradable fund (ETF). The fund is based on the Wilder NASDAQ OMX Global Energy Efficient Transport Index(sm). The Index includes global companies engaged in businesses that are likely to benefit from a transition toward using cleaner, less costly and more efficient means of transportation.

The fund attempts to rebalance quarterly with 25 percent holdings in each of four sectors which it defines: alternative vehicles, rail and subway systems, intermodal, and transportation innovation. The clean transportation companies are headquartered in many countries and participate in many sectors:

Country
United States     37.10%
Japan     12.61%
United Kingdom     8.02%
Taiwan     7.99%
Italy     5.81%
France     5.55%
Germany     5.42%
Canada     4.80%
China     4.41%
Chile     2.91%
*as of 7/24/09

Top Holdings
BYD Co. Ltd.             4.41%
Giant Manufacturing Co. Ltd.           4.03%
Merida Industry Co. Ltd.           3.95%
GS Yuasa Corp.           3.85%
Shimano Inc.           3.74%
Maxwell Technologies Inc.           3.71%
Wabco Holdings Inc.           3.45%
Fuel Systems Solutions Inc.           3.29%
Alstom S.A.           3.16%
Piaggio & C.S.p.A.           3.05%

The fund is likely to gain from the growing success of high-speed rail which provides hundreds of millions of annual rides in Japan, France, and Spain, and is destined from major growth in other countries such as China and the United States. Holdings include Alstom, Kinki Sharyo, and Bombardier. Other holdings will benefit from the shift of goods movement from truck and plane to more efficient rail: CSX, Norfolk Southern, Union Pacific, Burlington Northern, and Canadian National Railway.

Over a billion people own bicycles or scooters – e-bikes and e-scooters are high-growth segments of this industry. The fund includes major players such as Giant, Piaggo, Merida, and Shimano.

Lithium batteries and ultracapacitors are integral to hybrids and electric vehicles. The fund includes BYD, GS Yuasa, Maxwell, Ener1, and Saft. Energy storage dominates the business models of these companies. Missing from the fund are electronic giants, where batteries are only part of their business such as Panasonic, Sanyo, Hitachi, NEC, and several others.

Disclosure: I own shares in this fund, as well as Alstom and Giant. Investing in this fund has a number of risks. It is concentrated. Most holdings are international. Illiquidity is a concern with few shares trading daily. Automobile manufacturers, except for BYD, are notably absent from the fund. Nevertheless, its 34 holdings provide some diversified global exposure into key players in the future of transportation.

Fidelity Select Automotive (FSAVX), representing a more traditional automotive portfolio, is up 86% year-to-date. iShares Dow Jones Transportation (IYT), with diversified goods movement and transportation services holdings, is up about 2% year-to-date. PowerShares Global Transportation (PRTP) is up about 27% year-to-date. As we transition to more efficient transportation with a smaller carbon footprint, PRTP may have long-term potential.

John Addison publishes the Clean Fleet Report. A number of his articles have also appeared in Cleantech Blog and Seeking Alpha. On August 22 he will present Cleantech ETF Investing at the SF Money Show.

PowerShares Global Transportation is a post from: Clean Fleet Report

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