How electric Zambonis highlight the need for zero-emission EVs on and off the ice
Zero emission electric Zamboni (Source: City of Mississauga)
Electric vehicles are better for the climate and your health, with zero tailpipe emissions. Electric Zambonis are a perfect example since they often operate in an enclosed environment.
Those ice resurfacers (or Zambonis as they are often referred to in tribute to American inventor and engineer Frank Zamboni) you enjoy watching clean the ice between Hockey periods can be damaging not only to just the players’ health but also spectators’.
Even with new zero-emission electric technology and research to prove its benefits, most Zambonis still run on natural gas, gasoline, diesel, or propane.
Burning those types of fuels indoors, where most hockey is played, can generate air pollutants like carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide. In fact, there have been several cases where entire hockey rinks of people have been forced to evacuate due to toxic levels of air pollutants.
For example, parents and students were evacuated from a hockey game in Tupper Lake, New York, after the Tupper Lake Volunteer Fire Department Chief Royce Cole determined carbon monoxide levels were at 50 parts per million (ppm).
According to the current Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the permissible limit for carbon monoxide is 50 ppm within eight hours.
The culprit was later determined to be a 1972 Zamboni, scheduled for replacement. Several people were sent to the emergency room, and at least one of the kids required oxygen due to the carbon monoxide exposure.
This is just one example. As CBC News Canada points out, it’s happening all too often, leading Health Canada to step in.
Electric Zambonis save the climate and your health
Health Canada released the best practices for improving air quality in ice arenas after finding, “in recent years, there have been numerous reported incidents of poisoning in Canadian arenas, frequently occurring during periods of ice resurfacing.”
The agency says documented cases of CO poisonings from resurfaced emissions in arenas have reported levels of 40 to 170 ppm (it recommends a short-term exposure limit of 25 ppm).
And the worst part is the pollutants aren’t fully cleared overnight by the ventilation system, meaning they can build up over time with more use.
To overcome this, Health Canada claims in the report:
Electric-powered equipment is the best option for eliminating CO and NO2 emissions in ice arenas. Arenas using electric resurfacers have been shown to have CO and NO2 levels similar to concurrent levels outside the arena, consistently below 1.0 ppm and 0.02 ppm.
Although electric Zambonis can cost more upfront (around $50,000 more), the additional expenses are recouped through fuel and maintenance savings.
Although researchers have tried various strategies to remove the pollution, including upgraded ventilation, zero-emission electric Zambonis were the only extremely effective solution.
Electrek’s Take
The electric Zamboni is a prime example of what’s happening outside the rink. Toxic emissions are being emitted consistently every day, and although you can’t see it, you are likely breathing it in.
Despite hockey rinks being inside with poor ventilation, the same idea applies. Burning fossil fuels adds carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases that get trapped in the atmosphere, causing temperatures to rise and other producing other harmful effects to the planet and your health.
Research from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows greenhouse gases caused by human activities trapped 49% more heat in the atmosphere in 2021 than in 1990.
The best way to reverse these effects is by using zero-emission battery electric vehicle technology. As the Zamboni EV example shows, electric-powered equipment is best for reducing emissions.
You may think twice the next time you go to watch a hockey game. Just make sure the Zamobini is an electric one.
Several professional hockey teams, like the Seattle Kraken and Arizona Coyotes, have revealed all-electric ice resurfacers.
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Velotric has continued to regularly update its popular e-bike models, with the latest launch today bringing us the Nomad 2. This fat tire adventure bike carries a host of new features and components, offering a powerful yet comfortable ride on both city streets and off-road trails.
The Velotric Nomad 2 sports a 750W nominally-rated motor with a true 90 Nm of torque. In other words, it’s designed to eat hills for breakfast and lay down some real power when riders need it most. And with both throttle-activated control and 15 levels of responsive pedal assist, that power can be dialed in to the right level for each rider’s own taste. And with a maximum speed of 28 mph, the bike is fast enough to keep up with traffic… when riders aren’t enjoying a relaxing trail ride.
Speaking of pedal assist, Velotric offers what they call SensorSwap, a feature in the pedal assist system that uses both a cadence sensor and a torque sensor and allows riders to select which sensor is being used at any time. The former allows riders to pedal easily while still getting impressive power output from the motor, while the latter offers more intuitive riding that provides a more natural feeling akin to pedaling a bike with extra powerful legs.
Torque sensors are often considered superior for their more refined experience, but cadense sensors are still praised by riders who don’t want to put in the extra effort required by torque sensors. With a torque sensor, the rider’s pedaling effort is multiplied, but a cadense sensor lets riders feel like they’re pedaling without needing to actually provide as much of their own ‘oomph’.
The Nomad 2’s design includes off-road features such as 26×4.0″ tires, a 100mm travel hydraulic suspension fork, and an included parallel linkage suspension seat post.
Combined with the powerful motor that offers 1,000 lb of towing capacity (plus 505 lb of payload), the 75 lb e-bike is built to handle just about anything, and that includes nearly any trail.
“Sometimes the road less traveled is the better one,” says Adam Zhang, the CEO of Velotric. “Nomad 2 speaks to those who love the journey, and the occasional detour! Whether you’re climbing trails, hauling heavy loads, or simply cruising, our latest bike gives you the freedom to ride further, faster, and more comfortably than ever before.”
And since off-road adventures often don’t have clear-cut end times, the bike offers 65 miles of maximum range thanks to the 48V and 14.7 Ah battery with 705 Wh of capacity. That battery is UL-listed and IPX7 waterproof, meaning you can dunk it in water. I’ve done exactly that with Velotric batteries before and they’ve survived for many more rides.
Rounding out the feature list includes a 3.5″ color display, Bluetooth connectivity, USB-C phone charger, 500 lumen headlight, tail light with turn signals, included rear rack with fenders, hydraulic disc brakes, an 8-speed Shimano transmission, and more.
The Velotric Nomad 2 is priced at $1,999 and went on sale today.
Riders can snag it in two sizes with four color options, and with a choice between a high-step and a step-through frame style.
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A Tesla store in New York City has been taken over by people protesting Elon Musk – disrupting the operations.
As we have reported over the last few weeks, there’s a growing movement called “Tesla Takedown,” under which grassroots protests are being organized at Tesla stores around the world.
There have been many more protests this weekend. Some of them had truly impressive turnouts.
For example, hundreds of people showed up to protest at Tesla’s Tuscon location (via Andy Flach):
These protests have been peaceful and legal, but there have been a few exceptions.
At Tesla’s Manhattan store in New York City today, some protestors managed to get inside the store and it started to cause problems.
Here’s a video (via Oliya Scootercaster ):
About 300 people showed up to the protests. Most of them stayed protesting peacefully outside, but a handful of people got in and Tesla employees had to close the stores as more tried to get in.
The police confirmed having arrested 9 people, but the charges are not clear as of now.
In videos of the aftermath, it looks like a few glass doors and windows were broken.
Similar protests have been reported in most major cities in the US and they are planned for the next few weeks.
Electrek’s Take
This is getting bigger and still gaining momentum. I’m honestly surprised by the response. I thought it would last weekend with a few dozen people at a few stores and that’s it.
But it looks like now thousands of people are getting active and it’s becoming a real problem for Tesla.
Enough to get the board to act and remove Elon Musk? I doubt it. Elon has done plenty of fireable offenses and they haven’t even blinked – because they are all in Elon’s pockets.
I think the stock price is the only thing that can really get things moving.
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Electrifying your commercial fleet is a tricky thing. Sure, you want to cut your fuel costs. You want to reduce your operating variables. Heck you you even want to help corporate meet their ESG goals – but where do you start? MAN Trucks is here to help fleet managers get answers.
As more and more heavy trucking fleets begin to deploy electric assets, they’re proving that operators’ range anxiety may be a myth on most routes. That’s true enough here in North America, and truer still in Europe where distances between cities are condensed and trucks like the Mercedes eActros and Renault E-Tech T semi roam.
MAN Trucks are also a popular choice in Europe, and their leadership – unlike most in the industry – have been especially vocal in their criticism of hydrogen, and have fully embraced battery-electric vehicles. As such, it’s no wonder that the company took to LinkedIn to announce its MAN electric commercial vehicles consultation team.
“It’s Full Power here with the MAN electric commercial vehicles consultation team,” writes Roger Turnbull, Head of EV Truck Consultation at MAN Truck. “After another busy week of meetings presenting to haulage and transport organizations of all sizes across the UK – you can feel the EV interest and enthusiasm growing.”
MAN Trucks’ consultation team helps commercial fleet operators in Europe and the UK fully understand the needs of their fleet, analyzes their fuel and maintenance costs, and helps them get a better understanding of what fleet assets are prime candidates for electrification, and what sort of charging solutions might work best for their operations – and that doesn’t always mean on-site charging.
With the capacity for onsite charging now becoming a reality for many plus proof that operators range anxiety maybe a myth on most routes, our industry is already stepping up a gear to find out more.
ROGER TURNBULL, MAN TRUCKS
Off-site charging solutions like those offered by Voltera and Zeem here in the US seem to be somewhat less common in Europe, but the electric trucking infrastructure as-a-whole seems to be a step or two ahead. That, combined with generally higher fuel costs compared to the US, make it a bit easier for fleets to electrify. And MAN will help them see that.
The best part? MAN’s consultation is free, and requires no obligation to buy. “Your MAN EV Consultation Team in the UK offer free information, advice and support,” offers Turnbull. “[Everything] from the basics to multi-vehicle using multiple site locations. Factually checked and honest.”
You can’t do much better than free, right?
Electrek’s Take
Fleet assessments and fleet asset audits are crucial steps on the path to successful fleet electrification. These comprehensive evaluations provide fleet operators with valuable insights into their current fleet operations, energy consumption patterns, and infrastructure needs. By carefully analyzing this data, fleet managers can make informed decisions about which vehicles to prioritize for electrification while minimizing the potential for “surprises” once the trucks are delivered and the funds are tied up.
If you’re a fleet manager reading this, you should get a fleet energy analysis set up soon – whether you’re planning to electrify or not.
SOURCE | PHOTOS: MAN Trucks.
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