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The USPS needs 180,000 new delivery vehicles, automakers gearing up to bid

Winning the New York City Taxi of Tomorrow tender was a huge prize for Nissan, even though the company is still working through the process of claiming its prize. The United States Postal Service has begun the process to take bids for a new delivery vehicle to replace the all-too-familiar Grumman Long Life Vehicle, and that will be a much larger plum for the automaker who wins it, perhaps worth more than six billion dollars. The Grumman LLV is an aluminum body covering a Chevrolet S-10 pickup chassis and General Motors' Iron Duke four-cylinder engine. The USPS bought them from 1987 to 1994, and the 163,000 of them still in service are a monumental drain on postal resources: they get roughly ten miles to the gallon instead of the quoted 16 mpg, drink up more than $530 million in fuel each year, and their constant repair needs like the balky sliding door and leaky windshields have led the service to increase the annual maintenance budget from $100 million to $500 million. A seat belt is about as modern as it gets for safety technology, and the USPS says that assuming things stay the same, it can't afford to run them beyond 2017. Last year it put out two triage requests for proposals seeking 10,000 new chassis and drivetrains for the Grumman and 10,000 new vehicles. The LLV is also too small for the modern mail system in which package delivery is growing and letter delivery is declining. The service says it doesn't have a fixed idea of the ideal "next-generation delivery vehicles," but it listed a number of requirements in its initial request and is open to any proposal. Carriers have some suggestions, though, saying they want better cupholders, sun visors that they can stuff letters behind, a driver's compartment free of slits that can swallow mail, and a backup camera. The request for information sent to automakers pegs the tender at 180,000 vehicles that would cost between $25,000 and $35,000 apiece, and it will hold a conference on February 18 to answer questions about the contract. GM is the only domestic maker to avow an interest, while Ford and Fiat-Chrysler have remained cagey. Yet with a possible $6.3 billion up for grabs and some new vans for sale that would be advertised on every block in the country, we have a feeling everyone will be listening closely come February 18. We also have a feeling the LeMons series is going to be flooded with Grummans come 2017. News Source: Wall Street Journal, Automotive News - sub.

Recharge Wrap-up: Chevy Spark EV in Canada, Audi to use Valeo electric supercharger

The Chevrolet Spark EV will become available to retail customers in Canada. "We're expanding our electric vehicle offerings to our customers by offering the 2016 Spark EV for retail sales in the growing EV markets here in Quebec as well as in Ontario and BC," says Chevrolet's Chris Hay. Chevrolet has not yet released pricing for the Spark EV in Canada. In the US, the Spark EV is available in California, Oregon and Maryland. Read more at Hybrid Cars. Four recreational vehicle companies in Texas have settled with the EPA over illegal import and sale of off-road vehicles. The 4,000-plus Hammerhead brand vehicles in question were imported without the proper certification, a violation of the Clean Air Act. Some vehicles lacked proper emission control equipment or were manufactured by a company not listed on the certificate application. The settlement totals $560,000 in civil penalties for the companies involved. Read more from the EPA. The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the state's natural gas tax, which was challenged by the ethanol industry. Ethanol producers, which use natural gas to make ethanol, argued the complicated tax was unconstitutional, as it forced certain plants to pay more than their competitors. Taxes vary by location, and some plants have to tap into interstate pipelines at much higher tax rates rather than get it from a local utility. Now, ethanol producers will work to change the law. "My hope is that people understand that, something may be constitutional but that doesn't make it good public policy," says Iowa Renewable Fuels Association Executive Director Monte Shaw. Read more at Manufacturing.Net. Audi will use Valeo's electric superchargers to improve fuel economy and acceleration. Valeo says Audi will launch a vehicle using its electric supercharger next year, with other reports suggesting that car will be the Audi Q7. The company says other unspecified automakers will also use the technology in their vehicles. While the electric supercharger adds to the vehicle's cost and electric energy use, it can improve fuel economy by as much as 20 percent. Read more at Automotive News Europe. Featured Gallery Chevrolet Spark EV View 13 Photos Related Gallery 2016 Audi Q7: Detroit 2015 View 15 Photos News Source: Hybrid Cars, EPA, Manufacturing.Net, Automotive News EuropeImage Credit: Chevrolet Government/Legal Green Audi Chevrolet Alternative Fuels Emissions Ethanol Fuel Efficiency Electric Off-Road Vehicles recharge wrapup

GM puts 3 million miles on hydrogen fuel cell test fleet

Have General Motors' hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles emitted enough water vapor over the past six-plus years to equal the steam coming out of Old Faithful? Not exactly, but GM has released a few figures related to the Project Driveway initiative it began in 2007. The numbers are impressive, if not quite of the geyser-spouting variety. In all, the General converted 119 Chevrolet Equinox SUVs to run on hydrogen, and those vehicles have just collectively surpassed the 3 million mile mark. And if you were waiting for us to tell you that the distance equals a half-dozen round trips between the earth and the moon, well, there you go. The better news is that the SUVs have combined to save almost 158,000 gallons worth of gas, and some of the vehicles have more than 120,000 miles on them. More than 5,000 drivers have participated in the project. GM reached that landmark about 10 months after it announced that it was working with Honda to accelerate the development of hydrogen fuel-cell powertrain technology. The two companies estimated last summer that it may have something to sell to the public as soon as 2020. For now, you can check out General Motors' press release below. GM Fuel Cell Fleet Tops 3 Million Miles Chevrolet Equinox fuel cell vehicles driven in real world reach milestone DETROIT – General Motors' fleet of fuel cell vehicles recently passed 3 million miles of hydrogen-powered, real-world driving. Some individual vehicles have accumulated more than 120,000 miles. By GM's estimate, using hydrogen to power these vehicles, the fleet has avoided 157,894 gallons of gasoline consumption. This specially equipped fleet of Chevrolet Equinox Fuel Cell vehicles are part of GM's 119-vehicle Project Driveway program, which launched in 2007. Since then, more than 5,000 drivers have provided feedback on the functionality and drivability of fuel cell technology. "Hydrogen fuel cell technology is an important part of GM's advanced propulsion portfolio and we continue to make substantial progress in furthering this technology," said Charlie Freese, executive director of GM's global fuel cell engineering activities. "These vehicles have operated through seven full winters and a wide range of environmental conditions, proving that fuel cells can meet the demands of real-world drivers." Last year, GM announced two fuel cell-related collaborations.