[Editors] News Advisory: 23 enviro-friendly vehicles at MIT Friday

[Catherine Avril]

Did they think it through about having a 5-mile caravan making the 
trek during a Friday evening rush hour???!!  It seems very likely to 
ADD to traffic congestion.



At 3:01 PM -0400 9/13/04, Elizabeth Thomson wrote:
>MIT News Office
>Massachusetts Institute of Technology
>Room 11-400
>77 Massachusetts Avenue
>Cambridge, MA  02139-4307
>Phone: 617-253-2700
>http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/www
>
>======================================
>News Advisory: Caravan of 23 enviro-friendly vehicles to travel to 
>MIT this Friday
>======================================
>
>For Immediate Release
>MONDAY, SEP. 13, 2004
>
>
>==========================================
>Editors/Reporters: You are invited to cover this event and attend a 
>reception for the media that will include speakers from MIT and 
>elsewhere talking about environmentally friendly vehicles.
>
>When: Friday, Sept. 17, 5-5:45 pm; caravan will travel from the Larz 
>Anderson Museum of Transportation in Brookline to MIT's Kresge 
>parking lot. Reception for media and public address at 6pm, Kresge 
>Lot.
>
>For more information go to www.altwheels.org. or contact Alison 
>Sander, 617-868-1582, info at altwheels.org or Elizabeth Thomson, MIT 
>News Office, 617-258-5402, thomson at mit.edu
>==========================================
>
>
>CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--New England's first alternative transportation 
>caravan with more than 23 vehicles powered by alternative, hybrid 
>and other more efficient, sustainable fuel systems will wind its way 
>from the Larz Anderson Museum of Transportation in Brookline to MIT 
>in Cambridge this Friday. 
>
>The caravan, which will be escorted by an alternatively fueled state 
>police car, kicks off this weekend's AltWheels Festival, the 
>region's largest alternative transportation festival. This year the 
>event is co-hosted by MIT, home to several laboratories working on 
>environmentally friendly alternative vehicles.
>
>The five-mile caravan route will end at MIT's Kresge parking lot, 
>where the public is invited to come free of charge to learn about 
>the latest innovations, as well as some historical examples, in 
>alternative transportation.
>
>"The goal of the Friday caravan and weekend AltWheels festival is to 
>demonstrate to the public that alternative transportation is being 
>deployed and is flourishing throughout New England," said AltWheels 
>Festival organizer Alison Sander. "Not only is this region a hotbed 
>of research and technology in developing sustainable clean fuel 
>sources, but vehicles deploying these technologies are being put to 
>practice by some of the larger fleets in the region."
>
>The AltWheels caravan is currently scheduled to include the 
>following vehicles:
>
>-- State Police escort from a Ford Econoline E250 CNG (Compressed 
>Natural Gas) van
>-- A hydrogen fuel cell vehicle built in New England- actually 
>designed and built on a $25,000 bet with the EPA!
>-- A Mass Highway Ford F-150 pickup truck fueled by CNG. Mass 
>Highway has one of the largest alternative fleets in New England
>-- A 2004 Toyota hybrid Prius operated by PlanetTran-New England's 
>first alternative taxi service. The Prius is a gasoline/electric 
>hybrid capable of getting up to 52MPG in city driving
>-- A Harvard University biodiesel vehicle.  Harvard has committed to 
>switching its transit fleet to biodiesel
>-- A 1997 Ford Crown Victoria cruiser powered by CNG operated by the 
>Sgt. James Rooney of the Somerville Police Department
>-- Boston Public Health Commission's 2002 Toyota Prius--the 
>Commission operates a fleet of 5 Toyota Prius passenger cars
>-- Project Biobus, a yellow diesel 1991 GMC 71 passenger school bus 
>fueled by biodiesel/used vegetable oil.  This bus was converted by 
>12 Middlebury College students and will begin a 17 city tour with 
>this Boston visit.  A previous bus converted by the group to get 
>back to school last year was featured by CNN, NPR and USA Today
>-- The Solectria Citivan, an electricity-powered delivery vehicle
>-- American Honda GX, the top selling CNG vehicle
>-- A Massport CNG passenger bus
>-- Councillor at Large Felix Arroyo driving his biodiesel vehicle
>-- An MBTA Clean Diesel passenger bus.  The MBTA has now become the 
>largest alternative fuel user in New England
>-- The Tufts Nerd Girls solar car
>-- The MIT solar car club vehicle
>-- The New England Aquarium CNG fueled outreach van
>-- The Zipcar Mini Cooper
>-- A Massport electric truck
>-- The City of Keene New Hampshire biodiesel F-350 truck 
>representing Granite State Clean Cities
>-- Ford's 2005 Hybrid SUV, Escape-one of the first hybrid SUVs
>-- The DaimlerChrysler Smart car, one of Europe's best selling 
>alternative vehicles
>-- The William Ellis Corbin Sparrow electric car
>-- And -- a real blast from the past -- the Stanley Steamer 
>steam-powered vehicle, model circa 1890
>
>Recent traffic studies show that Boston ranks in the top 10 most 
>congested cities in the U.S. and Massachusetts is rated by the 
>E.P.A. as one of the non-attainment states for air quality. The idea 
>of clean sustainable fuels is beginning to catch on in New England 
>-- from private individuals buying more hybrid-fuel passenger cars, 
>to large public transit providers using eco-friendly vehicles, to 
>major conversions to altfuel fleets by municipalities, universities 
>and businesses.
>
>Major universities such as Harvard, MIT and Tufts have taken steps 
>to reduce auto emissions in and about their campuses. Public 
>agencies such as Massport, Mass Highway, the MBTA, the City of 
>Keene, the Boston Public Health Commission and others have taken 
>leadership positions in addressing the need to reduce harmful 
>transportation-related pollutants in their fleets.
>
>The Altwheels festival is a one-stop showcase for the best 
>alternative transportation options available in New England - 
>including fleets that use alternative vehicles, concept vehicles and 
>commercially available options. The inspiration for the Festival 
>grew from a New England regional environment study by Connect-us, an 
>AltWheels co-host. The survey found that one of the highest impact 
>environmental improvements in the near term would derive from 
>greater public understanding of our transportation choices and a 
>shift to lower hydrocarbon emission options. The AltWheels 
>Transportation Festival was created as a first step towards 
>achieving this goal and is today sponsored by more than 70 
>organizations, sponsors and participating companies.
>
>--END--
>
>
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