 Saskatchewan Transportation Company (STC) passenger fares will increase by 3.3 per cent. For an average one way trip of 190 kilometres, the extra cost amounts to 96 cents per ticket.
"The increase reflects the need for STC to recoup some of its increased costs while at the same time, deliver on the company's mandate to keep fares affordable," STC president and CEO Ray Clayton said.
STC's mission is to deliver convenient, affordable, safe, courteous and reliable transportation service to all people of Saskatchewan.
"In accordance with our objective to keep fares affordable, STC is maintaining the discounts it offers for seniors, students and children," Clayton said. Other special discount programs include passes for medical travel, a discount card for frequent travellers and a summer youth pass, which is offered for the months of June, July and August.
The last STC passenger rate increase occurred 18 months ago on January 1, 2007.
               
 The National Biodiesel Board has announced the vote of the ASTM International D02 Main Committee to approve a trio of long-awaited ASTM specifications for biodiesel blends. After more than five years of extensive research and subsequent balloting by the ASTM fuel experts in the blended fuel process, ASTM has approved three key sets of biodiesel specifications that are predicted to bolster automaker support and consumer demand for biodiesel. The three new specifications include:
* Changes to the existing B100 biodiesel blend stock specification (ASTM D6751)
* Finished specifications to include up to 5% biodiesel (B5) in the conventional petrodiesel specifications (ASTM D975)
* Approved a new specification for blends of between 6% (B6) and 20% (B20) biodiesel for on- and off-road diesel.
After ASTM internal reviews, these specifications are expected to be officially published and take effect in the fall of 2008.
Steve Howell, chairman of the ASTM Biodiesel Task Force, said, "The new ASTM specifications for B6-B20 blends will aid engine manufacturers in their engine design and testing processes to optimize the performance of vehicles running on biodiesel. The new specifications will also help ensure that only the highest quality biodiesel blends are made available to consumers at the retail pump."
ASTM International is one of the largest voluntary standards development organizations in the world-a trusted source for technical standards for materials, products, systems, and services. Known for their high technical quality and market relevancy, ASTM International standards have an important role.
 Here's a quiz. Which saves more gas: trading in a 16-mile-a-gallon gas guzzler for a slightly more efficient car that gets 20 mpg? Or going from a gas-sipping sedan of 34-mpg to a hybrid that gets 50 mpg?
If you guessed the second choice, you're wrong.
Even a small improvement in gas guzzlers saves more gas than a big improvement in cars that already save. But cars aren't advertised that way in the U.S.
If they were rated in gallons per mile instead of the other way around, people might get a better idea of how to save gas.
 As the first Honda FCX Clarity hydrogen-powered vehicle rolled off the assembly line, the company announced the first five American lease customers for its fuel cell vehicles. The vehicles will be manufactured in Japan. To provide its customers with sales and service support, considered critical to mainstream acceptance of the new technology, American Honda has announced the establishment of the first network of dealers. The identified dealers include Power Honda Costa Mesa, Honda of Santa Monica, and Scott Robinson Honda in Torrance, California.
The 100-kilowatt fuel cell stack is manufactured at Honda Engineering Company, where the several hundred cells required for each fuel cell stack are being mass produced. The vehicle features a lithium-ion battery pack making Honda the first OEM to produce a vehicle with a lithium-ion battery pack. Honda expects to produce a total of 200 of the fuel cell vehicles in the next three years.
New American customers for the Clarity were early enthusiasts who communicated their passion for the environment and their interest in hydrogen vehicles to Honda. "Our customers are true pioneers and leaders in the effort to bring fuel cell technology to the marketplace," according to John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda. The initial criteria for the fuel cell vehicles included proximity to hydrogen refueling stations, driving patterns and vehicle needs. These new Honda FCX Clarity drivers will use the hydrogen refueling stations in Irvine, Santa Monica, and Burbank.
Project Driveway, a project initiated by General Motors, aims to place 100 Chevrolet Equinox hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in driveways in White Plains, New York, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles, California. Two hydrogen-powered versions of the Chevy Equinox sport utility vehicle are now on New York state highways as GM gathers consumer feedback and experiences that will aid the company in taking the vehicle from model to mainstream.
The Equinox is an electric vehicle powered by the fuel cell. Fuel cells use a chemical reaction between hydrogen and air to make electricity. They use zero gasoline and produce zero emissions. Mileage is expected to range between 60 and 70 miles per gallon, and the same amount of energy as a gallon of gasoline costs between $3.00 and $6.00. A division of Shell Oil is providing a hydrogen refueling station in the metro White Plains area for use by the Project Driveway participants.
DOE has selected three cost-shared development and demonstration projects for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) to receive up to $30 million in funding over the next 3 years, subject to congressional appropriations. DOE announced on June 12 that General Motors Corporation, Ford Motor Company, and General Electric Company were chosen to receive funding and will focus on the development of cost-competitive PHEVs that are capable of traveling up to 40 miles without recharging. PHEVs are hybrid vehicles that can be driven in electric-only or hybrid modes and recharged from a standard electric outlet, and a 40-mile all-electric range would encompass most daily roundtrip commutes, satisfying 70% of the average daily travel in the United States without the use of gasoline.
The three projects will aim to develop PHEVs that can be mass produced, compete effectively in the marketplace, and substantially reduce petroleum consumption by offering fuel flexibility to U.S. consumers. Each awardee must develop and demonstrate at least 80 PHEVs over the next three years, starting with 10 vehicles the first year, 20 vehicles the second year, and culminating in 50 vehicles in the third year. The projects mark the first round of selections under a funding opportunity announcement that DOE released in December 2007 as part of its PHEV Technology Acceleration and Deployment Activity. Applications for the second round of funding are due on July 18. See the solicitation on the Grants.gov Web site.
In addition to these solicitations, DOE has added a Ford Escape Plug-in Hybrid Fuel-Flex Vehicle to its own fleet of alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles. The Ford Escape is capable of running on E85 fuel, a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. If the vehicle is fueled exclusively with E85 and electricity, it is capable of consuming less than 75 gallons of gasoline per year. The new Ford Escape will be used to transport DOE employees to official events and meetings in the Washington, D.C. area.
 The family that owns German auto parts company Karmann is taking into consideration selling it after more than 100 years remaining to financial problems, a press report said Monday.
"The family is considering all its options," a Karmann spokesman was quoted as saying by financial daily Handelsblatt. It added that no judgment was expected this month however.
"We do not know about a sales procedure," the daily quoted supervisory board member Heinz Pfeffer as saying. "But if an investor were to come to ensure the company's future, we would not be against it in principle."
Pfeffer is also a agent of the German trade union IG Metall.
In 2007, Karmann posted sales of 1.5 billion euros and employed 7,000 workers, including 5,000 in Germany.
But it faces falling orders from companies such as Renault, Volkswagen and Mercedes, and announced in October reformation plan that included 1,770 job cuts.
German media reports have said that Karmann is about to go down an important contract that involves the VW Golf convertible model.
Experts expect the German automobile sector in general to lose jobs in the coming years, in particular unskillful posts.
On May 14, 2008, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a Certificate of Conformity to Flex Fuel U.S., LLC, for the conversion of specific 2006 model year Chrysler and Dodge vehicles to operate on E85. The certificate allows the conversion of up to 100 vehicles that are part of the model year 2006 Chrysler test group #6CRXV05.7VE0.
Models included in this test group are the 2006 Dodge Magnum, Magnum AWD, and Charger with certain 5.7L engines as well as the 2006 Chrysler 300/SRT-8 and the 300 AWD with the same 5.7L engine. Note that this certificate does not cover vehicles that operate in California and may not cover vehicles in other states that have adopted and placed into effect California emissions standards.
The Aspen, Colorado, police department has announced plans to add 10 Toyota Highlander hybrids as police cruisers. The hybrids will replace the department's Volvo cruisers. The vehicles are expected to be on the job by the beginning of ski season in the mountain resort town.
The new vehicles are expected to cost $35,000 each with an estimated additional $5,000 for police outfitting. Police Chief Richard Pryor predicts that the move to hybrids will reduce fleet carbon emissions by 20 tons and save approximately 2,000 gallons of gasoline per year. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates fuel economy for the Highlander Hybrid at 27 mpg city and 25 mpg highway. That compares to 17 mpg city and 23 mpg highway for the Volvo XC-90 cruisers.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement for up to $130 million over three years, subject to Congressional appropriation, to advance the development and use of fuel cells for automotive, stationary, and portable power applications. DOE's announcement is part of President George W. Bush's Hydrogen Fuel Initiative to accelerate the pace of research and development for hydrogen-powered fuel cells. In addition to the FOA opportunity, DOE has expanded its own fleet of alternative fuel economy and advanced technology vehicles with the addition of a Chevrolet Equinox fuel cell electric vehicle.
In addition to seeking proposals for R&D projects in the areas of transportation, stationary, and portable power, DOE is also seeking proposals to demonstrate fuel cells in distributed energy systems and to support market transformation that provide real-world operation data. DOE anticipates making up to 50 awards through this competitive funding opportunity, which is open to industry, universities, and national laboratories. With a minimum 20 percent private sector cost share for the R&D projects and a minimum 50 percent applicant cost share for the demonstration projects, the total DOE and private sector investment in advanced hydrogen fuel cell technologies under this funding opportunity may exceed $170 million.
Applications for the fuel cell funding opportunity are due on or before August 27, 2008, with funding subject to appropriations from Congress.
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