What's New
Electric Vehicles in Downtown Chicago
On Wednesday July 28, 2010 Chicago Area Clean Cities, I-Go, and Tesla Motors showcased and provided rides in two new electric vehicles. Tesla Motors provided a Tesla Roadster Sport, and I-Go provided a Mitsubishi I-MiEV. Both vehicles were out in front of City Hall on Randolph between La Salle and Clark Streets.
City officials were given the opportunity to examine the vehicles up close as well as take a short ride around the downtown area. For many this was a new experience hearing an electric car that makes no noise compared to a regular gasoline vehicle.
Both of the vehicles are powered completely by electricity and can be charged from a standard wall outlet.
The Tesla achieves 245 miles per charge, and with the charging equipment can fully charge in three hours with the proper outlet.
The Mitsubishi can be charged from an outlet as well and takes seven to 14 hours to fully recharge, depending if the power supplied is 100v or 200v. A Quick Charge system can charge the car in 30 minutes using a 3 phase 200V-50kW system.
For more information on these vehicles visit
http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com/special/ev/index.html
http://www.teslamotors.com/roadster
CACC Selected for Recovery Act Grant Award
Nearly $15 million dollars awarded for alternative-fuel vehicles and infrastructure
Details at US DOE Recovery-Act website
Energy Secretary Steven Chu with Vice President Joe Biden on August 26, 2009, announced a number of awards under the US Department of Energy 2009 Clean Cities Petroleum Reduction Technologies grant program. The City of Chicago, in collaboration with Chicago Area Clean Cities Coalition and Gas Technology Institute, was selected for an award of $14,999,658 -- equal to the entire amount of its proposal. The Recovery-Act-funded program includes 16 projects in the Chicago area.
The combined benefits of these projects will reduce harmful vehicle emissions by 448 metric tons per year, reduce CO2 equivalent emissions by 7,647 metric tons per year, displace 3.08 million gasoline gallon equivalents of petroleum per year, and result in 77 created and/or retained jobs. Petroleum displacement by this project over the course of the ownership period of the proposed vehicles, and fuel sales from the infrastructure, over a reasonably assumed lifecycle, exceed 21 million gas gallon equivalents.
Marketing and outreach activities disseminating information and benefits of the project will catalyze similar efforts by public and private fleets throughout the region. The collective, practical experience of the project partners’ in the deployment of alternative-fuel projects and advanced vehicle technologies ensures the achievement of the following goals:
(1) to generate local jobs through the installation of alternative-fueling infrastructure;(2) to increase the number of alternatively fueled vehicles in the Chicago region;
(3) to develop fueling stations and charging infrastructure which will support the exponential growth of alternative-fuel use;
(4) to reduce the amount of traditional petroleum utilized by the transportation sector; and
(5) to enhance regional air quality.
This project proposes to deploy 554 alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles and install 149 alternative-fuel fueling and electric vehicle charging stations throughout the Chicago region.
More information on the awards announced under this grant program nationally, along with brief descriptions of each project and a map of awardee locations can be found on the US DOE website at www.energy.gov/recovery/cleancities.htm.