Number of the Day: More Than Half of All Vehicles Trips to Work in US are 11 Miles or Less

March 5, 2009 at 5:35 pm

(Source: Treehugger)

driving to work photo

11 Miles — According to the 2001 Nationwide Household Travel Survey (NHTS), 58%of all vehicle trips to work are less than 11 miles (17.7 kilometers).

37% — Vehicle trips to work that are 5 miles (8 kilometers) and less represent 37%, according to the same survey.

21% — Trips between 6 and 10 miles (9.6 to 16 kilometers) represent 21%.

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IBM Joins Denmark’s EDISON Project to Build Smart Grid for Electric Cars

February 25, 2009 at 11:53 am

(Source: MCADCAFE)

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced its membership in the EDISON research consortium, a Denmark-based collaborative aimed at developing an intelligent infrastructure that will make possible the large scale adoption of electric vehicles powered by sustainable energy.

The EDISON effort (Electric Vehicles in a Distributed and Integrated Market using Sustainable Energy and Open Networks) consists of IBM, Denmark’s largest energy company DONG Energy, the regional energy company of Oestkraft, Technical University of Denmark, Siemens, Eurisco and the Danish Energy Association. Due to the environmental benefits of the electric vehicle technologies, the research will be partly funded by the Danish government.

Market introduction and investment plans in Denmark will result in upwards of 10% of the country’s vehicles being all electric or hybrid electric during the coming years. In order to minimize CO2-emissions linked to electrified transport, global attention on vehicles and infrastructure that will maximize the use of renewable energy for mobility has increased. To achieve this on a large scale, electric vehicles require smart technologies to control charging and billing and to ensure the stability of the overall energy system.

“Denmark, the host of the 2009 United Nations Climate Change conference and the most energy efficient country in the EU, further underscores its ambitions here with the Edison project announcement,” said Guido Bartels, General Manager of IBM’s Global Energy & Utilities industry. “There is already broad consensus that both wind energy and electric vehicles have enormous potential for a sustainable energy future — bringing the two together promises to be a winning combination.”

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