New posts from Gas 2.0! |
- USPS Report Says Total Collapse is Imminent (Yay?)
- New Army Hybrid Shown at Indy 500 on Memorial Day Weekend
- UPS Testing High-MPG Composite Vans (video)
| USPS Report Says Total Collapse is Imminent (Yay?) Posted: 29 May 2011 03:00 PM PDT The United States Postal Service is headed off a cliff, and – according to the US Government Accountability Office - few are even giving its demise a second thought. That’s the same USPS, by the way, that was once a great source of national pride, that united America’s coasts and transmitted vital information at incredible speeds, that kept families connected across rivers and valleys, and that inspired the unofficial creed “neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” Ignore the fact that the creed actually refers to the couriers of the ancient Persian Empire – people believed that the USPS embodied these words, and many postmen and women did their best (maybe) to live up to them. So, what happened? That’s what Phillip Herr, of the US Gov’t Accountability Office, is trying desperately to find out … for the past three years. Herr finds the USPS fascinating, for (perhaps) obvious reasons: the USPS is ubiquitous, relied on, and (my words, not his) totally screwed. “It’s one of those things that the public just takes for granted,” he says. “The mailman shows up, drops off the mail, and that’s it.” For Herr and the USPS, the situation is grim. As they try to “pin the blame” on the rise of email and subsequent decline of “private post” (personal letters, greeting cards, thank-you cards, etc.). They are the first to admit that they are baffled as to why, when facing the same challenges which post offices across the world are facing, they are floundering … while those postal services in Europe and Asia (for example) are, in Herr’s words, thriving. How bad, then, is the situation for the USPS? In scientific terms: Really bad. Since 2007 (the “salad days” of America’s last economic bubble) the USPS has been unable to cover its annual budget (80% of which is made up of employees’ salaries and benefits). To stay afloat and pay its people, the USPS has had to borrow more than 12 billion (with a b) dollars from the US Treasury, which (unlike GM and Chrysler) it has been unable to pay back. Earlier this month, the Treasury reached its statutory debt limit … so, unless something pretty drastic happens on Capitol Hill, it’s pretty much Game Over for the USPS, already. There are political games being played all around the USPS’ impending demise, of course (there always are, when that much money’s involved), but nobody really seems to be asking The Big Question about the USPS going the way of the Dodo. That question being, of course: so what? This is a green car blog, so I’m looking at this issue strictly from an environmental and green-tech perspective … and I don’t see many downsides to the loss of the USPS. Consider:
… and every step along the way the mass of this JUNK mail, and the mass of the old-tech USPS trucks, the fuel they use, the loads they put on America’s roads, the oil that lubricates them, the tires that carry them, etc. just keep on making the environment that much worse. Every day. Well, not every day. 6 days a week. Maybe 5 days. Not holidays. If the weather’s not too bad out. To recap: every day that’s not a Sunday (and sometimes not a Saturday) that doesn’t fall on a state or state-recognized religious holiday when the weather isn’t too terribly awful the USPS unleashes its fleet of 215,625 vehicles, each carrying hundreds (if not thousands) of pounds of pre-landfill crap to your door, on their way to clocking 1.25 billion (again, with a b) miles every year. That’s an awful lot of vehicles clocking an almost inconceivable number of miles while slurping down petroleum and belching out untold tons of harmful emissions, sure – but the fun doesn’t stop there! Those numbers doesn’t include the hundreds-of-thousands-strong fleet of privately owned cars and trucks that ferry the USPS’ 575,000 career employees to work and home each and every one of those days that’s not a Sunday (and sometimes not a Saturday) that doesn’t fall on a state or state-recognized religious holiday when the weather isn’t too terribly awful … … all so that, every few days, I can dig a single Netflix DVD out from a mess of junk mail before throwing it out. That said, the USPS has outlived its usefulness, is bad Bad BAD for Mother Earth, and I won’t miss it when it’s gone. Now, enjoy some Seinfeld! Sources: USPS, Businessweek
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| New Army Hybrid Shown at Indy 500 on Memorial Day Weekend Posted: 29 May 2011 11:00 AM PDT Memorial Day weekend is, of course, about honoring America’s men and women in uniform – both past and present. For gearheads and racing fans, however, Memorial Day weekend is also about the Indianapolis 500 and the amazing feats of technology and bravery that come together for that spectacle. Technology, bravery, and (let’s be realistic) a very real threat of death or injury – there are a great many parallels between Indy racing and America’s military, then, so it might be fitting that the US Army chose this year’s running of the Indianapolis 500 to showcase its latest high-speed forward-recon platform, the diesel-elctric Clandestine Extended-Range Vehicle (CERV). Although not the first advanced research vehicle to be named “CERV“, this weapons-grade diesel is the most significant. Why? Because, for the members of the US’ armed forces, fuel economy is often a matter of life and death … and they know it. In fact, the US military has been publicly vocal about America’s need to ween itself from oil and fossil fuels – and not, it should be said, solely away from foreign fossil fuels, but all fossil fuels (Canadian friendliness notwithstanding). Simply put: fossil fuel transport into combat zones costs money and lives, and creates logistical problems related to storage and spill response. This is not a political issue, then (regardless of how much fun it would be to try and make it one); it is, rather, an issue of keeping those in uniform – who sacrifice so much of themselves, so that we can have so many of our freedoms and luxuries here at home – safer and healthier. For its part, the CERV made its debut at the North American International Auto Show last year, after meeting the high performance goals set by the US military for forward recon and surveillance missions while increasing fuel efficiency (by 25% over conventional diesel units) and agility (the CERV can hit 80 mph and climb 60% grades) … all while making extensive use of recycled and recyclable materials. Great stuff. Now, everyone put down your laptops, iPads, or whatever you’re reading this on and go hug a veteran. Source: Cleantechnica
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| UPS Testing High-MPG Composite Vans (video) Posted: 29 May 2011 08:00 AM PDT Many among the car industry’s “old-guard” kvetch and moan about government-mandated fuel economy goals that force mpg improvements of 10, 15, or 25% compared with current figures (I’m looking at you, “Maximum Bobby” Lutz – it wasn’t that long ago you claimed a 25% improvement was “ridiculous”). UPS, it seems, took a long, hard look at its many thousands-strong commercial delivery fleet and said “Why not 40?” That’s right: UPS’ new CV23 composite-bodied truck is expected to improve fuel economy by up to 40%, compared to UPS’ current trucks. UPS has already commissioned 5 of the vans, and began its real-world tests this April (the tests will continue throughout the year). The CV23 is propelled by a 150 hp, high-torque Isuzu diesel (nee GM/Duramax), which sends power to the ground via its 6-speed automatic transmission. With substantial weight-saving measures in play – mostly the CV23′s composite bodies – these prototype vans weight approximately 1000 lbs. less than the C70 models they may one day replace. You can get a look at the new UPS vans in action in the video, below. In addition to the video, UPS has released a handy-dandy fact-sheet covering the most significant features of the C23, and how it compares to the C70 (below).
It seems like the managers of huge fleets (like UPS’!) with their electric fleet ambitions and ambitious hybrid programs, obviously aren’t listening to America’s Viper-driving over-compensators (like Lutz!) and the “drill, baby, drill” psychonauts … and that’s a very good thing! What do you think, readers? Think UPS is on to something? Let us know! Source: UPS
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