Mitsubishi today debuted a solar-powered charging station for electric vehicles at the MMNA headquarters in Cypress, California.

The charging station is powered by 96, 175W photovoltaic modules. This charging station will help support CHAdeMO compatible electric vehicles such as the Mitsubishi i, which will arrive in showrooms in November of this year.

Able to charge up to four vehicles at once, the station features three types of chargers with different voltages: standard level 1 voltage (110v) will deliver a 100 percent charge in 22 hours on the new Mitsubishi i; level 2 (220v) which can charge the vehicle in six hours; and level 3 CHAdeMO Quick Charger, which can charge to 80 percent battery capacity in 25 minutes.

The DC Quick Charger used for the Cypress charging station is manufactured by the Eaton Corporation, and is the first-of-its-kind CHAdeMO Quick Charger certified for U.S. sale and public utility. The actual installation of the charging equipment and the supporting electrical infrastructure was handled by Rogers Electric. The twin-arch structure for the charging station was designed by California Green Designs.

The charging station is the first such collaboration between the two similarly named companies, whose headquarters are just a few blocks apart in northern Orange County. Situated near the junction of the 405 and 605 freeways, the hope is that the Cypress charging station, with its Quick Charge capability, can serve as a gateway charging pad for Mitsubishi i users commuting between Los Angeles and Orange counties.

BAE Systems’ HybriDrive series hybrid electric propulsion system is operating in more cities and available from more bus manufacturers than ever before with more than 3,500 delivered or ordered worldwide.

Buses powered by HybriDrive currently transport nearly two million passengers a day in cities across North America and the UK including Houston, London, Manchester, New York, Ottawa, Oxford, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, and many more.

Atlanta, Ga. and Everett, Wash., recently took delivery of the first New Flyer Xcelsior hybrids powered by BAE Systems and will be followed later this year by Washington, D.C. and Santa Rosa, Calif. Seattle and Houston are taking delivery of HybriDrive-powered buses built by Daimler as will Baltimore City, Md., and suburban Chicago by the end of 2011. Additionally, Red Rose Transit Authority of Lancaster, Pa., has selected BAE Systems’ HybriDrive to power its new fleet of Gillig Low Floor hybrid buses.

“The fact that HybriDrive is being selected by large and small cities for their transit needs, demonstrates the value and versatility of our product and support,” said Steve Trichka, general manager of power and energy management for BAE Systems.

The Lancaster buses will come equipped with BAE Systems’ Accessory Power System (APS), which eliminates the need for a bulky, standard alternator and provides the necessary power to electrically drive vehicle accessories such as air conditioning, engine cooling fans, air compressors, and 208-volt AC/28-volt DC vehicle systems. Electric accessories are expected to further increase fuel economy by reducing and managing accessory losses, especially engine cooling and HVAC.

Gillig is the latest in a growing number of bus manufacturers that are offering BAE Systems’ HybriDrive propulsion system. BAE Systems holds similar relationships in the transit bus market for its HybriDrive series product, with companies such as Daimler Bus North America and New Flyer Industries in the United States and Alexander Dennis and Irisbus Iveco in Europe.

“Progressive transit authorities recognize the environmental and cost advantages of our HybriDrive system and now have more bus options to utilize HybriDrive than ever before,” said Trichka.

The HybriDrive series hybrid electric system dramatically reduces emissions and increases fuel economy while meeting the durability requirements of demanding urban transit operations. It consists of a generator, an electric motor, and an energy storage system managed by computerized controls. A diesel engine turns the generator and operates independent of the electric drive motor, allowing it to run at the optimum engine speed for fuel efficiency. The system also uses no mechanical transmission, a significant maintenance item on conventional diesel buses. Buses equipped with HybriDrive series have travelled over 300 million miles, prevented over 280,000 tons of CO2 emissions and have saved over 25 million gallons of diesel fuel.

The City of Stockholm is cooperating with Fortum AB, the energy company as part of an initiative called ‘Stockholm: Electric City 2030′ designed to make Stockholm one of the world’s cleanest cities. Electric cars are an important part of this plan and will be discussed during the Eurocities 2009 conference being held in Stockholm from November 25-28. The conference will bring together political leaders and experts to present ways in which sustainable solutions can serve as a source for economic growth. Fortum AB and the City of Stockholm are working together to develop and test the infrastructure for charging electric cars as well as increasing the use of renewable fuels for heat and power production units in Stockholm.

Modern diesels are cleaner than ever before. To show how efficient they are, the latest generation made its debut recently on the racetrack proving that even in full race driving conditions diesel vehicles can remain clean and green … and highly fuel- efficient!

Thirty new VW Jetta Diesel TDIs, powered by 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engines that produce 170 hp and 258 lb.-ft. of torque, tackled some of the top road racing courses in North America during the Volkswagen Jetta Diesel TDI Cup, a multi-race series of basically stock Jetta ‘clean diesels’ racing at major road tracks from Lime Rock to Road Atlanta.

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