NEWS

Recent Projects and Contract Awards

Hydraulic Regenerative Braking
New West has embarked on a project entitled “Multi-Fleet Demonstration of Hydraulic Regenerative Braking Technology in Refuse Truck Applications,“ This project demonstrates the use of an innovative vehicle technology called Hydraulic Regenerative Braking (HRB) in a heavy-duty vehicle application. The project is sponsored by three state energy offices, New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, Maryland Energy Administration,, and New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. HRB technology presents a potential solution that significantly reduces fuel consumption, emissions, and vehicle operating cost. During braking, this technology captures a vehicle’s kinetic energy that is otherwise lost as heat generated by friction brakes. This is accomplished by integrating a hydraulic pump/motor along with hydraulic accumulators into the vehicle’s driveline. The recovered energy is stored in the accumulators (as compressed gas) and later used for assistance in propelling the vehicle. This technology is most effective in urban “stop and go” applications of heavy-duty vehicles. The project is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through the National Association of State Energy Officials.

DOE Clean Cities Program Review
The New West team worked closely with U.S. Department of Energy National Clean Cities Headquarters staff to hold a Program Review with Clean Cities Coordinators, Clean Cities stakeholders, DOE Regional Office staff, DOE FreedomCAR staff, and industry representatives. New West assisted with planning the meeting agenda, worked closely with the Coordinators on development of their presentations to highlight regional successes, served as the liaison between the Clean Cities staff and the host hotel for meeting planning, and provided onsite logistics at the meeting. DOE Clean Cities Headquarters staff offered New West congratulations on a very successful meeting.

DOE Government/Industry Partnerships
New West staff are assisting the DOE FreedomCAR and Vehicle Technologies Program and its government/industry partnerships (FreedomCAR & Fuel Partnership and 21st Century Truck Partnership) in developing a vehicle ride-and-drive and technology display in conjunction with the Society of Automotive Engineers Government/Industry Meeting in May 2006. The display will highlight advanced vehicle technology research that is being done in these government/industry partnerships. Staff members are working closely with DOE, SAE, and the Diesel Technology Forum to develop the list of light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles that will be participating in the event, as well as assisting with the event message and general logistics. Staff members are maintaining close contact with the other members of the industry/government partnerships to keep them informed of progress on this display. SAE has posted an informational website on this event, which can be found at:
http://www.sae.org/events/gim/ridedrive.htm

GSA
New West Technologies is pleased to announce two new contract awards from the General Services Administration (GSA) in the Rocky Mountain region. The Rocky Mountain region serves the six states of CO, UT, WY, MT, ND, and SD. GSA has awarded a $702,513 contract to provide Network Services Support to the Federal Technology Service (FTS) in Lakewood, CO. New West will direct and manage the telecommunication network operations and provide recommendations for corrective actions to resolve network problems. Our staff will perform other tasks including periodic testing of network equipment, developing and maintaining schedules for contract implementation, and providing market support for customer services.

New West was also awarded a $1,070,380 contract with GSA for their Information Technology (IT) Support Services. We will monitor and support Workflow systems for the regional division and facilitate database transactions. We will serve as the Primary Regional contact for the GSA.GOV portal. New West will also provide a Help Desk for all users and assist research for new IT products. Additionally, our staff will support the Local Area Network (LAN) through creating and maintaining various accounts to meet the many needs of its users.

The Federal Highway Administration has awarded New West an $18 million, 5 year, indefinite quantity contract to provide support services to the Office of Planning, Environment and Realty, known under the acronym of HEP. HEP serves as the FHWA advocate and national leader for environment protection and enhancement, comprehensive intermodal transportation planning and for fair and prudent acquisition and management of real property. We will be supporting a broad range of technical areas including air quality, noise, water quality, transportation conformity, bike pedestrian improvements, and transportation enhancements.

We have also received a contract award from the Office of Native American Programs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide Technical Assistance in Infrastructure Development. New West will be working with a variety of Tribes, Tribal Housing Authorities and Tribal non-profits to evaluate and plan much needed infrastructure development. This new award deepens our commitment to Native American development initiatives.

New West also is pleased to report a recent contract award from Buck’s County Pennsylvania to assist them with a siting plan for alternative fuel refueling stations for County fleet vehicles. In a similar type of consulting engagement, New West staff are working with Yale University on increasing the use of alternative fuels within the University’s on-campus vehicle fleet as well as increasing overall fleet energy efficiency. This effort is sponsored through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.