Nissan Unveils Eco-ship to Transport Electric Vehicles
Nissan has unveiled a ship it says will provide a more environmentally friendly way to transport its electric vehicles. The vehicle is expected to transport nearly two thousand cars across Europe. Here's more.
Nissan Motors is making headlines not for its environmentally-friendly electric cars, but for a massive ship that will transport them.
A transport car carrier called the "City of St. Petersburg," weighs 21-thousand tons. It is the first carrier of its kind to incorporate a unique design, cutting air resistance by nearly 50 percent.
[Satoshi Yako, Senior Mgr., Supply Chain Management, Nissan Motors]:
"You can say that the ship's spherical prow design is a world first. Thanks to this aerodynamic design we expect to see a substantial reduction in the ship's fuel consumption."
The car manufacturer hopes to cut down fuel consumption by 800 tons - the equivalent of 2,500 tons a year of CO2 emissions.
The ship is heading to Europe, where it hopes to be the most effective.
[Satoshi Yako, Senior Mgr., Supply Chain Management, Nissan Motors]:
"This ship will be mainly put in use in European coastal waters, especially in the North Sea where there are strong winds. We hope that northern Europe is where the aerodynamic design is especially effective."
The ship has space for two thousand cars and will be put to use to transport vehicles to Northern Europe and Russia from Nissan's factories in the United Kingdom and Spain.
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Eco-friendly trains to be manufactured in UK
Britains first train manufacturing plant to be built in decades will assemble high-speed trains that will better the sustainability and eco-friendliness of rolling stock in the UK, the company behind the facility said today.
A £4.5 billion Government project, Hitachi Rail Europes Intercity Express Programme (IEP) will build fully electric and 'bi-mode trains, which can switch from electric to diesel power. The new Super Express trains will replace old Intercity 125 model trains, which run on diesel. They will be assembled at a new 460,000 square foot plant in Durham County.
"One of the things that our trains will do is they will use less energy per feet than existing trains, because theyre lighter," said Hitachi Europe spokeswoman Daniela Karthaus. "We will also have more capacity on the trains, so more passengers can travel on them, so that is going to be an environmental benefit."
Karthaus said the lighter trains will lessen the amount of material used in repairs as well.
"They will do very little damage to the tracks because they are lighter, which in turn means less replacement of tracks, which makes them hopefully more sustainable," she said.
Representatives from Durham County Council, County Durham Development Company, Merchant Place Developments, Agility Trains and Hitachi Rail Europe spoke publicly about the IEP today for the first time since the Government approved the project in March. More than 1,800 guests attended the event, which informed attendees about the business opportunities available during the construction of the new factory.
Design stage
The Hitachi Super Express trains, which will be used on the East Coast, Main Line and the London-South Wales Great Western Main Line, are currently in the conceptual design phase of their development, Karthaus said. The company currently plans on building them to be lighter than the Intercity 125 trains.
As Hitachi is still determining which model of engine to use for the new trains, the company was unable to comment on the trains carbon emissions.
"Were speaking to several potential suppliers, and we are testing the different engines for our trains to see which fits best with the specifications of the trains and which one is the most environmentally friendly for our purposes," Karthaus said. "Were still at a stage where we havent firmed up a deal with one [engine supplier] yet."
Electric future
Karthaus said the companys decision to construct both fully electric and bi-mode trains was based on the lines that they will be running not being fully electric. However, Karthaus said the trains will be able to adapt to a fully electric future.
"If the Government decides to electrify even more of the lines, we think our bi-mode trains are very good for this," Karthaus said. "The train is already electric and can be used simply as an electric train without the diesel component."
Construction at the plant will start next year. Production of the Super Express Trains will begin in 2015, with the first trains delivered in 2016. The project will employ workers in the area and todays event was held in the hope of attracting potential suppliers for the factorys development.
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London's 'Boris Bikes' earmarked for Jersey
Highly populated areas, such as St Helier, are being considered for the bike scheme
Some highly populated areas of Jersey have been earmarked for a bicycle scheme similar to one operating in the UK.
The States has been looking at London's first large-scale public bike hire scheme - nicknamed "Boris Bikes" after Mayor of London Boris Johnson.
Transport Minister Mike Jackson said the plans were in the "early stages".
"We have to make land available, which is never easy in Jersey," he told BBC News.
"Main areas of habitation, including St Helier, St Saviour and St Aubin would be "ideal spots", the minister added.
All day availability
Since its launch at the end of July, nearly 70,000 people have signed up to the London scheme, which is aimed at reducing traffic congestion.
People registered with the Barclays-sponsored scheme have a key which allows them to take a bike from one of about 400 docking stations across the city and return it to any other when they have finished with it.
The bikes are available 24 hours a day and hire costs vary from £1 for an hour to £45 for annual membership of the scheme.
Similar schemes already operate in France and Spain.
