Nationwide Odyssey Events Promote Alternative Fuel Vehicles

More than 50 million people throughout the United States learned about alternative fuel vehicles

and other green technologies as part of the fifth biennial National Alternative Fuels Vehicle

(AFV) Day Odyssey on October 15. To focus on achieving energy independence and to move

toward environmental sustainability, the nationwide event was created in 2002 by the National

Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC), a program of West Virginia University, to

increase public education and awareness of cleaner domestic alternative fuel options and

advanced technology vehicles. Odyssey accomplishes this by bringing together organizations,

vehicle manufacturers and businesses to showcase new developments in alternative

transportation technologies and their benefits.

“National AFV Day Odyssey started in 2002, and at that time it was a new idea born out of the

necessity for getting out the message about alternative fuels and advanced technology vehicles

not only to fleet managers but to the general public,” explained Al Ebron, executive director of

the NAFTC and national coordinator of National AFV Day Odyssey. “In 2002 we had roughly

17,000 attendees at 50 events around the country. Odyssey has grown exponentially so that this

year we had over 103 sites and reached out to well over 200,000 direct attendees and somewhere

between 50 and 75 million people through media coverage.”

Odyssey is supported in part by funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, which awarded

grants to the NAFTC and its partners for the Advanced Electric Drive Vehicle Education

Program, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and the Clean Cities Learning

Program. National sponsors Toyota, Honda, Eaton Corporation and Think also contributed to the

2010 National AFV Day Odyssey.

The kickoff event for the 2010 National AFV Day Odyssey was held October 14 in New York

City‟s Union Square, hosted by New York City Lower Hudson Valley Clean Communities and

the City of New York Parks & Recreation, with support from the New York City Department of

Transportation.

“There are many significant benefits to Odyssey including demonstrating how alternative fuels,

alternative fuel vehicles and technologies are used in everyday lives and business to reduce

energy dependence and greenhouse gases,” said Steven J. Levy, NYCLHVCC board president.

“Odyssey Day further illustrates how individuals and organizations, both private and public, can

make a difference to clean our air and create jobs here in New York and around the globe.”

NYCLHVCC‟s Executive Director Christina Ficicchia said Odyssey gave NYC residents “an

opportunity to obtain a first-hand look at a diversity of AFVs that our city agencies and private

companies use every day.” She also highlighted the leadership role New York is taking in green

transportation and the importance of continued education and advocacy efforts. “With one of the

largest transportation systems in the country, we are transporting people through some of the

greenest avenues possible on our subways, and now with continued support, we can be confident

that our transportation network is getting even greener by increasing the number of alternative

fuel vehicles that support our businesses on the road and that help our residents get around,” said

Ficicchia.

NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg recognized National AFV Day Odyssey with a proclamation

declaring October 15 National Alternative Fuel Vehicle Day. Ebron accepted the proclamation

from NYC Parks and Recreation Assistant Commissioner for Citywide Operations Keith Kerman

during the kickoff.

“The National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium is honored that Mayor Bloomberg issued

the proclamation in support of alternative fuel vehicles and National AFV Day Odyssey,” Ebron

said. “We are proud of Odyssey‟s mission as we seek to empower fellow Americans to find out

what they can do to become part of the solution to challenges associated with the nation‟s

dependence on petroleum.”

New York City Parks Department also showcased its pioneering efforts to switch to alternative

fuels and advanced technology vehicles. The NYC Parks Department operates nearly 400 hybrid

vehicles throughout the city. Kerman noted the Parks department tests the fuel economy of all its

vehicles, boasting a 50-100 percent improvement in fuel economy with hybrid technology. They

also have more than 100 natural gas vehicles, 275 electric vehicles and 850 heavy- and light-duty

trucks fueled by biodiesel.

“This is not a pilot for us; this is how we operate,” Kerman noted. “We also have saved and

reduced over 350,000 gallons of fuel in the last year, so these products are actually leading to 10

percent less fuel use and millions of dollars in savings.”

More than 20 alternative fuel vehicles were on display for the public to view in Union Square,

and representatives were on hand to answer questions and give information about the various

technologies.

Eaton Corporation displayed an electric vehicle charger selected from their family of electric

chargers designed for consumer, public and fleet use. Tom Schafer, vice president and general

manager of the Commercial Distribution Products Eaton Electrical Division at Eaton

Corporation, highlighted the necessity of the efforts being pursued by Odyssey and all of the

participating organizations and individuals to educate consumers.

“In 2008 the United States consumed 21 billion barrels of oil a day, representing 23 percent of

the world‟s usage,” Schafer explained. “Yet, the U.S. only produces 10 percent of the oil we use.

The transportation sector consumes 71 percent of that, so obviously the concerns of Odyssey,

that of clean air, that of energy independence and that of economics are very clear.”

Promoting the use of AFVs, along with education and raising awareness, are the primary

purposes for National AFV Day Odyssey. “While many people see news reports and specials on

AFVs, most Americans still know very little about them or the choices available to them. We

hope that Odyssey will continue to change this,” said Ebron.

Toyota displayed one of its plug-in hybrid Prius prototypes to be released in 2012. Martha Voss,

national public affairs manager at Toyota, discussed the importance of education in making the

Prius such a success. “One of the things we‟ve learned in the 10 years of marketing Prius is that

you can have all the advanced technology in the world, but if people are not educated about it

and the product does not reach the mass market, then you are not really making a difference in

the environmental area. Educating the public makes a huge difference,” Voss noted.

THINK North America displayed an electric car that has been extremely successful in Europe

and is now being introduced to the U.S. market. Barry Carr, eastern region manager for THINK

NA also highlighted the importance of education to advance alternative fuel vehicle

technologies. “To me, Odyssey makes a difference because it is really aimed at educating

younger people starting out at the community college level,” Carr said. “If we educate younger

people, they are going to be ready for the next generation of alternative fuel vehicles.”

Some of the fleets that were highlighted at the event included New York City‟s Department of

Sanitation, which featured its hydraulic hybrid refuse truck, an innovative combination of

alternative fuels utilizing hybrid hydraulic technology and a biodiesel fueled engine. In addition,

Verizon showcased one of its CNG vans, and Coca-Cola highlighted some of its major delivery

trucks.

The national spokesperson for 2010 National AFV Day Odyssey was Josh Tickell, director of the

2008 Sundance Audience Award winning documentary “Fuel.” One of the nation‟s leading

experts in sustainable biofuels, Tickell also wrote two best-selling books titled “From the Fryer

to the Fuel Tank -The Complete Guide to Using Vegetable Oil as an Alternative Fuel” and

“Biodiesel America – How to Achieve Energy Security, Free America from Middle-East Oil

Dependence and Make Money Growing Fuel.”

“Any one of these given technologies could completely replace our dependence on foreign oil.

Together they represent the sure fire bet. They represent over one million new jobs in this

country. They represent what we are going to see in the future,” said Tickell, speaking broadly

about alternative fuel technologies. “I‟m driven to see change. I know what is possible

scientifically. I‟ve seen it in other countries. If you take all of the elements that many cities are

doing in the U.S. already and put them together, you have energy independence. If we could just

do a couple more things, we‟ll have that revolutionary moment,” continued Tickell.

Tickell also noted the importance of education for the advancement of the AFV industry.

“National AFV Day Odyssey is exciting in a number of respects. The main respect is education.

Without the information, people cannot make choices. What we hear over and over again when

we talk to people about alternative energy vehicles is „They don‟t exist,‟ „They are too

expensive,‟ „They don‟t go far enough‟ and „I can‟t get one,‟ which are all untrue. What Odyssey

really represents to me is an interface with leaders who are leading the way in communities and

the people who want that information to make the leap but they still need a little bit of a push,”

explained Tickell.

In addition to the kickoff event in NYC, 103 sites across the country and in Canada held National

AFV Day Odyssey events. Some of the educational activities included: presentations from

industry officials concerning biofuels, ethanol, electric, hybrid-electric, hydrogen fuel cell, CNG,

liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and other innovative alternative fuel and petroleum reduction

technologies; displays of both consumer ready vehicles as well as research prototypes; ride and

drives; giveaways and discounted E85 at Propel and Pearson fueling stations throughout

California.

The nationwide drive to educate the public about alternative fuel vehicles has only continued to

grow since its inception in 2002. Education is the path to gaining broader support for AFVs in

the coming years. This year‟s Odyssey went further than ever before by also extending the

message of Odyssey to secondary schools because, as Ebron explained, “they are tomorrow‟s

engineers, manufacturers and consumers, and they will continue to further the cause of next

generation vehicles for years to come.”

Levy explained the crucial role Odyssey will play in mobilizing the public to transition to

alternative fuels, gain energy independence and build a cleaner, more sustainable energy future.

“Odyssey Day is incredibly important. We wish we could have Odyssey Day every day.

Education, demonstration of vehicles, having people talk about alternative fuel vehicles and new

technologies is so essential,” Levy commented. “Although alternative fuels and advanced

technology vehicles have been around for a long time, people are just finding out that they can

make a difference on the consumer level. We need to change the consumer culture, and Odyssey

does that.”

National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium Executive Director Al Ebron welcomes

the crowd to the National AFV Day Odyssey kickoff in New York City’s Union Square.

(Credit: NAFTC)

Critically acclaimed director and author Josh Tickell was the national spokesperson for the

2010 National AFV Day Odyssey.

(Credit: NAFTC)

A variety of consumer vehicles including a Toyota plug-in hybrid electric vehicle were on

display at the NYC event.

(Credit: NAFTC)

The NYC Parks Department highlighted a number of alternative fuels vehicles from their

fleet.

Credit: (NAFTC)

The New York Department of Sanitation had a refuse truck on display, which operates on

a new combination of AFV technologies utilizing hydraulic hybrid technology powered by

a biodiesel fueled engine.

(Credit: NAFTC)

Nationwide over 103 Odyssey events like this one at West Virginia University educated the

public about AFVs.

(Credit: NAFTC)

At the West Virginia University AFV Day Odyssey Event, engineering students get up close

and personal with a hybrid electric Toyota Prius.

Credit: (NAFTC)

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About the NAFTC

The National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium is the only nationwide alternative fuel and

advanced technology vehicle training organization. Including a group of 50 higher education

institutions, the NAFTC is dedicated to informing technicians, first responders and the public

about clean, cost-effective vehicles. The Clean Cities Learning Program will raise awareness

and foster a greater understanding of alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles,

including biofuel, gaseous fuel, hydrogen-powered and electric drive vehicles. The multi-phase,

comprehensive Advanced Electric Drive Vehicle Education Program will help promote and

further the acceptance and use of advanced electric drive vehicles.

For more information about the NAFTC and its programs, visit www.naftc.wvu.edu or contact

NAFTC Assistant Director of Communications Judy Moore at Judy.Moore@mail.wvu.edu or

304-293-7882.

For image files, please contact Michael Dorsch, communications assistant at

Michael.Dorsch@mail.wvu.edu.