We here at Hybrid Cars and Alt Fuels took advantage of a wonderful opportunity to cover Toyota’s Sustainable Mobility Seminar in Portland, Oregon. This is serious business and we’re glad that Toyota has taken on the task of educating the masses about sustainability. According to Irv Miller, Group Vice President, TMS Corporate Communications: "This special event is designed to offer insight into the depth and complexity of challenges facing the auto industry, as it transitions into a new era where our business will no longer be about simply building and selling cars and trucks."
Sustainability means using natural resources in a responsible way that does not upset and ultimately destroy the earth’s delicate ecosystem. The ecosystem depends upon biological diversity--the delicate dance and balancing act among the earth’s inhabitants (plants, insects, animals and humans), the hydrological cycle, the exchange of atmospheric gases in and out of living tissue and the decomposition of dead tissue to replenish the soil.
What does sustainable mobility mean?
Sustainable mobility means transporting people in eco-friendly ways. It means using mass transit in urban environments, particularly electrified trams and trolleys and light rail trains for beyond downtown. As it relates to personal transportation, it’s using electric drivetrains—all-electric vehicles, hybrids, plug-in hybrids and fuel cell hybrid vehicles—as well as alternative liquid and gaseous fuels for internal combustion engine vehicles. The goal: To reduce the impact of transportation on the climate and eventually replace petroleum-based fuels—also mitigating the global strife associated with petroleum-based fuels.
The first part of Toyota’s presentation defined and explained both man-made and natural conditions and situations that have a direct impact on the health and viability of our planet. And that covers what humans are doing now—harvesting, refining and ultimately consuming the finite supply of the world’s resources and how this affects the sustainability of the planet. The second part of the presentation focused on governmental regulations as well as Toyota’s initiatives for developing hybrid and alternative fuel propulsion systems and the company’s commitment to environmental stewardship. The seminar was divided into nine topics—all of which we’ll highlight and summarize here:
Peak Liquids – Presented by Dr. Peter R.A. Wells in a presentation entitled The Peak in World Oil Supply, Wells first began by defining what is meant by “oil” or “liquids:” The components are crude oil, natural gas liquids, tar sands, shale oil, liquid biofuels and GTL (gas-to-liquid) and CTL (coal-to-liquid). And 86 percent of the total supply of liquid fuels is in the form of crude oil, with about 50 percent of that crude oil from OPEC nations, leaving the world’s supply vulnerable to political and economic instability. Taking into account exploration for new reserves and technologies for enhanced oil recovery leaves an estimated world potential for crude oil at 3 trillion total barrels, of which one trillion has already been used. Beyond the remaining 2 trillion barrels, we’re left with whatever non-liquid alternative fuels now exist or will be developed in the future.
Future of Water – Human Induced Changes in the Hydrological Cycle by Dr. Tim Barnett of the Scripps Institute of Oceanography covered how the hydrological cycle is changing in the western United States (while indicating that the same conditions exist elsewhere in many regions across the planet). Increased atmospheric temperature (caused at least in part by human induced global warming) and reduced snow packs are impacting and restricting water supply to highly developed and populated areas. Increasing population in the western United States, along with decreasing water supply is causing political confrontations as well as real water shortages—and demand is outstripping the land’s ability to meet it. According to Dr. Barnett, we are on the precipice of real disaster if deliberate and meaningful action is not taken immediately.
The Nexus of Water and Energy – This presentation was delivered by Dr. John Merson, Sandia National Laboratories. The premise: Energy and water are interdependent. Energy and power production require water, and water production processing and distribution require energy. The two are inextricably linked. As is evidenced by Dr. Barnett’s presentation on the changing hydrological cycle, especially in the western U.S., the ability to produce energy and meet human needs for water is being squeezed to the point where one or the other must give. The population in the U.S. continues to grow and over the next decade, most state’s water managers expect to have severe shortages. The U.S. is also expected to need 50 percent more electricity by 2035—most of that growth will come from thermo-electric power generation, which puts a premium on water usage for systems cooling. Dr. Merson points out that we simply can’t have it all.
Fuels Life Cycle Assessment –Comprehensive Life Cycle Analysis Of Future Liquid Fuel For Light Vehicles, presented by Dr. Jan F. Kreider. According to Dr. Kreider, this is a cradle-to-grave assessment of the true cost, benefits and feasibility of alternative liquid fuels. He and his team charted figures for transportation energy displacement, land use (to grow feedstock), water use (to irrigate and process crops), energy ratio of the resulting refined fuels and lastly, CO2 emissions. His results show that compared to all other crop based biofuels, biodiesel from closed algae bioreactors has the most favorable life cycle balance. Interestingly, ethanol production from corn feedstocks proved to be unfavorable from a water and land use perspective.
Urban Design- Shift Happens by Gordon Feller, Urban Age Institute. Mr. Feller’s message was simply this:
- Manage urban planning and create sustainable city clusters that incorporate appropriate housing densities.
- Provide trams, trolleys, and bicycle lanes within city limits.
- Maintain traffic-calming mechanisms and promote extensive pedestrian travel.
- Make use of light rail and shared public vehicles for transport beyond city limits.