Thought I would share something neat I came across this morning: there is a network of electric vehicle charging stations and infrastructure going up in the northeastern part of the US. This effort seems to be largely funded by a $994,000 grant from the Department of Energy. An effort like this is especially important in a state like New Jersey where 40% of greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation sector.

I can definitely see this working well in a compact region like the northwest. It would be much more difficult to do something similar in an environment like the midwest, where the population concentration is much more diffuse. However, I can envision region-centric networks in Peoria, Chicago, Rockford, etc.

For more information on the NEVN click here.

A few weeks ago I wrote about the electric car coming to Chicagoland. Now it’s coming to Central Illinois! The PJStar reports that the vehicle has arrived at Uftring Chevrolet, located in Peoria. Who wants to take it for a test drive with me?

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses an Air Quality Index (AQI) that ranges from 0-500. The lower your AQI, the better off you are. A “good” rating is considered anything less than, or equal to, 50. To find out the AQI of the day and for a forecast you can visit airnow.gov.

An interesting tool is the Air Compare tool, which allows the user to compare AQI data between counties. Here is a comparison between Illinois and California. Check out how many unhealthy days Tazewell County has per year. More than Cook County! Seems surprising given the differences in population.

In July of this year, President Obama announced new mileage standards for cars and light trucks. By 2025 cars and light trucks must average 54.5 mpg and reduce tailpipe carbon emissions to 163 grams per mile. Here are some interesting figures to think about:

Analysis projects that the proposed federal standards:

- will save Americans $33 billion by 2030
- will cut oil use by 23 billion gallons
- will reduce carbon pollution by 280 metric tons
- will save the average Illinois household $240 a year

For more information and data click here.

New research from the University of California indicates that emissions produced from road traffic can raise the risk of premature birth.

“Pollutants from diesel fumes such as benzene and fine particulate matter were also found to increase the possibility of an early birth by ten per cent, while ammonium nitrate pushed it up by 21 per cent. The impact was also said to be worse in winter months.”

Yet another very important reason to be cognizant of the importance of clean air.

Read the full article here.

This article from the Chicago Sun Times talks about the buzz around electric cars (specifically the Chevy Volt) in Illinois. The article lists a few locations in the Chicagoland area that will have electric charging stations. Walgreens will have stations at 30 Chicagoland locations. These charging stations will have the ability to provide 30 miles of range in about 10 minutes. What’s really interesting is that the City of Peoria is investigating the possibility of installing electric charging stations as part of it’s master plan for the Warehouse District. Now that’s something I’d like to see!

My commute to the office is about 5 miles each way, Monday – Friday. That’s 10 miles a day, which is 50 miles a week, or 200 miles a month. Those 200 miles don’t only hit my gas tank, but it also hits my tires, my brakes, my suspension, my timing belt, my oil, and every other single part of my car that requires regular maintenance.

If I take the bus twice a week that saves 80 miles a month worth of gas and wear and tear on my car. For my car, that’s a little less than 3 gallons of gas, which is going to cost me $10.00. Over the course of a year, that’s 1,000 less miles I’ve put on my car, and my brakes, and my tires, etc. And it only costs $2.00 a day to ride the bus round-trip to work.

So, even if we don’t look at air quality, we are saving a whole heck of a lot of money by taking the bus a few times a week. Give it a shot a few times while the weather is still nice. I bet you’ll get hooked on the savings.