Green Star Products has prepared a second advanced technology vehicle to participate in the 2003 Challenge Bibendum organized and hosted by the Michelin Group.
GSPI implements simple and effective technologies for use in current commercial vehicles that are certified for regular commercial use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in regular highway use.
GSPI's second advanced technology vehicle, a 2001 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Diesel, is running on B-100, a pure 100% biodiesel fuel.
Green Star has identified a 311-page comprehensive government study (NREL/SR-580-24089 UC Category 1503 "Life Cycle Inventory of Biodiesel and Petroleum Diesel for Use in an Urban Bus," sponsored by USDA & USDOE May 1998, which clearly indicates that the use of biodiesel can reduce CO2 emissions by 78.45% on a life cycle basis. This means that the use of renewable biodiesel fuel produced by our American soybean farmers will reduce CO2 emissions by 78.45% versus the use of conventional "out of the ground" diesel fuel.
CO2 emissions contribute to the ecological life cycle, which causes the green house effect that is melting our polar caps and is drastically changing our weather conditions.
Recently Arnold Schwarzenegger, candidate for Governor of the State of California, has been criticized by the news media because he drives a Hummer vehicle, which is considered by some people to be environmentally unfriendly. Arnold stated that he will convert his vehicle to hydrogen-fuel -- an option few Americans can afford. If he changed his diesel Hummer to biodiesel, which requires no cost, just "put-it-in-your-tank-and-drive", he might capture the farmers' and environmentalists' vote.
The U.S. Senate clearly recognizes the need to increase the use of environmentally friendly renewable resources and clean burning fuels produced in the United States, and passed the 2002 version of the Energy Bill with a vote of 84 to 14 on July 30, 2003 to provide a tax incentive for biodiesel and increase biofuel production in the U.S. to five billion gallons per year by 2012.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released a comprehensive technical report of biodiesel emissions data that shows the exhaust emissions of particulate matter from pure biodiesel are about 47 percent lower than overall particulate matter emissions from petroleum diesel. Breathing particulates has been shown to be a human health hazard. Biodiesel emissions also reduce by 80 to 90 percent potential cancer-causing compounds called Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) and nitrated PAH. Emissions of total unburned hydrocarbons, a contributing factor to smog and ozone, are reduced by 68 percent. Carbon monoxide is reduced by 48 percent.
GSPI strategy is to demonstrate that green technologies available today are more effective at alleviating the current ills of our environment and economy than other more expensive technologies that will not be available to the general public for many years to come. Biodiesel, a fuel created from renewable resource living plants, is a practical fuel that is currently available.
The 2003 Challenge Bibendum, an annual international event hosted by the Michelin Group, is designed to provide a real world competition of advanced technology vehicles with participation from automakers, technology providers and energy developers with coverage by the global press.
The vehicles are subjected to a battery of tests to demonstrate that the "vehicles of the future" can be clean, safe, reliable and fun to drive. The tests include exhaust emissions, noise, fuel economy, well-to-wheel CO2 emissions, acceleration and braking and slalom testing.
Yesterday completed the second day of testing started in Sonoma, Calif. just north of San Francisco. The competition is taking place at the Infineon Raceway, which is a NASCAR road racetrack 1.94 miles in length known to be a very aggressive track for its many right turns, square corners and significant changes in elevation that emphasize turning ability and handling.
The American Biofuels second entry vehicle, a 2001 Volkswagen Jetta TDI turbo diesel running on 100% biodiesel clearly did very well yesterday in the fuel efficiency test.
At the Bibendum event there is a performance category called, "Life Cycle CO2 Emissions Well-to-Wheel Award" (meaning oil-well-to-tire-on-road CO2 emissions). Except in the case of biodiesel, it may be called Farm-to-Wheel Award to include the definition of CO2 life cycle defined in the U.S. government study. GSPI is very interested in this Bibendum Challenge CO2 category and believes that yesterday's fuel efficiency performance of its #2 entry vehicle running on 100% biodiesel will be a contender in this category even against advanced fuel cell car entries. Today's testing, Wednesday Sept. 24, 2003, will include acceleration, braking and slalom tests.