If you were in Denver at the ITE Western District Annual Meeting today you would have learned….

Answers to numerous questions from Michael O’Keefe’s presentation, from the National Renewal Energy Lab, regarding our energy future including:

• Where is the point where the price of fuels make alternative technologies affordable?
• Why are US made hybrids so awful – why don’t they get a better spread in MPG from their base models?
• Are hybrids being used for heavy vehicles?
• Where does high efficiency diesel fit in the future of vehicle mileage performance?
• How will the battery disposal issue for Prius-like hybrids be dealt with – recyclability?
• What is the impact of biofuels on the cost of food?
• How is energy being stored for wind power in low demand times?
• Are motorcycle/mopeds being looked at for hybrids?
• Is small nuclear power (such as on an aircraft carrier) being looked at as a power source?
• What are the next big things in terms of energy – ocean power, electric engines, technology, systems approaches?

Or you would have heard Timothy Reeser, COO of Cenergy talk about….

• Reducing emissions of 2-cycle engines by 99%
• Algae based biofuels
• Energy storage – the Achilles heel of electric vehicles – being done at 1/1000th the size of prior technology with 10,000 times the charge rate
• Hybrid vehicles that recover 80% of the braking energy and saving 50-60% of fuel use
• 100+ MPG hydraulic biodiesel hybrids
• How biodiesel can be better distributed rather than as an additive
• 100+ MPG vehicles in production in 3 years
• Use of carbon fiber in advancing safety of smaller vehicles

Both Michael and Timothy’s presentations are  available for your review and you can comment on these topics and have them respond to you this week….