3rd Annual AltWheels Alternative Transportation Festival Draws 4,000
Brookline, MA-September 23, 2005; With high gas prices and dramatic weather systems leading the news, the AltWheels Alternative Transportation Festival introduced a record number of attendees to clean and sustainable transportation solutions during three days at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, MA, September 17-19.More than 4,000 attended AltWheels, New England's largest alternative transportation show, despite threatening rains on Saturday. Families enjoyed the opportunity to ride electric vehicles, from the newest Segway and Oxygen scooters to the antique 1914 Rauch & Lang electric coupe. Others crowded around to examine the exposed insides of a "Naked Prius," and learn how the owner is able to drive nearly 70 miles on one gallon of gas.
The beautiful grounds of the Larz Anderson Auto Museum hosted more than 100 exhibits and 50 speakers presenting the latest in electric, solar, biodiesel, natural gas, vegetable-oil, hybrid, and hydrogen fuel-cell powered vehicles, as well as the human-powered transportation options.
"The purpose of the AltWheels festival is to showcase the many alternatives available right now to the country's transportation system," said AltWheels Festival founder Alison Sander. "Reducing our dependence on oil and other fossil fuels is of utmost importance to our health, our environment, and our national security." New England is a hotbed of research and technology in developing sustainable clean fuel sources, and vehicles deploying these technologies are being put to use by some of the larger fleets in the region.
"Transportation accounts for about a third of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States," Sander noted. "The latest studies show that these greenhouse gas emissions are contributing to the severity of tropical storms battering our coastlines. At the same time, the public is genuinely concerned about our energy future and has increasing interest in alternatives to the gasoline-powered automobile. It's amazing that, despite the technological advances of the last century, the average vehicle sold in the U.S. last year gets about the same gas mileage as the Model T got nearly a century ago. Along with the rise in gasoline prices, it's no wonder that we've seen enormous growth in the sales of hybrid vehicles from Toyota, Honda, and Ford."
AltWheels People's Choice Awards The idea of clean sustainable fuels is catching on in New England -- from private individuals buying more hybrid passenger cars, to large public transit providers using eco-friendly vehicles, to major conversions to altfuel fleets by municipalities, universities and businesses. These options were all on display at AltWheels and representatives of each competed for the coveted AltWheels People's Choice Awards.
This year's awards winners include:
* Concept Most Likely to Reduce Emissions: Zipcar's car-sharing service
* Vehicle Most Likely to Revolutionize Transportation: PlanetTran's hybrid taxi service
* Favorite Environmentally-Friendly Fleet Vehicle: The City of Keene, NH, and its hybrid pick-up truck. Runner-Up: CNG-fueled F-150 Ford pick-up truck from KeySpan Energy Delivery.
* Favorite Environmentally-Friendly Renewable-Fuel Vehicle: Mass. Hydrogen Coalition's fuel-cell powered vehicles. Runner-up: Warren Wein's vegetable-oil fueled VW Golf
* Favorite Environmentally-Friendly Passenger Vehicle: Davis Square Lofts' Smart Cars. Runner-Up: Jamie Merkel's vegetable-oil fueled VW Jetta.
* Favorite Environmentally-Friendly Alternative Fuel Vehicle: Mass. Hydrogen Coalition's fuel-cell powered vehicles. Runner-Up: Town of Weston's CNG-fueled school bus. * Favorite Vintage Car: 1914 Rauch & Lang electric car. Runner up: 1922 Stanley Steamer, from Dave Nergaard, Steam Automobile Club of America.
* Favorite Human-Powered Vehicle: MassBike's safe, healthful, enjoyable, efficient, and environmentally sound means of transportation exhibit.
* Best of Show Vehicle: Hobbit's "Naked Prius" * Most Creative Exhibit: Shrewsbury High School Robotics Team's F.I.R.S.T. Robots
* Most Educational Exhibit: Museum of Science's fuel cell and engine exhibit
AltWheels Workshops and Panels
While visitors enjoyed the vehicles and family-friendly exhibits in the lawn show, participants also took advantage of opportunities to learn more about alternative transportation at the AltWheels workshops and panel discussions. Panels including more than 50 speakers discussed "What Vehicles Will Be on the Road in 2010?"; "Where Will Drivers Fuel Up?"; "The Feasibility of Creating a Hydrogen Infrastructure in New England"; "Urban Development and Sustainable Landscapes"; "Creating a Sustainable Transportation Vision for New England"; and "Winning the Oil Endgame."
Fleet Day
AltWheels concluded with an invitation-only symposium on Monday that brought together corporate and government fleet managers to review transportation and energy trends, fleet options, federal and state mandates, and to share the experiences of public and private fleet managers who have incorporated "green" fuels and vehicles into their fleets. More than 100 fleet managers participated, sharing what they've learned including their desire for more financial incentives for alternative vehicles, the need for more infrastructure, and the need to share information about technologies and models that work.
About AltWheels
The 2005 AltWheels Festival was sponsored by General Motors Alternative Fuels, Toyota Motor Company Inc. USA, American Honda, KeySpan Energy Delivery, Dennis K. Burke, NE Chapter of National Association of Fleet Administrators (NAFA), Massachusetts Clean Cities Coalition, the Society of Automotive Engineers, Stoneham Ford, Ford Motor Co., GreenCar Journal, and Azure Dynamics. More than 50 organizations co-hosted, including MIT, Harvard, Tufts, the Museum of Science, the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Sierra Club, and many others.
For the third year in a row MassPort provided free CNG shuttle bus
service from the Green and Red Line so that AltWheels visitors could
experience alternative transportation in action while getting to the
festival. Discounted admissions were offered to those who arrived at the
AltWheels Festival by more sustainable transportation, including walking,
biking, public transportation, and the increasingly popular Toyota Prius ,
and other hybrids and alternative vehicles. For more information on
AltWheels, and opportunities for sponsoring or exhibiting at the 4th annual
AltWheels Festival, which will be held September 22-24, 2006, please email
