Editor's note: to read all of Derrick's coverage of Ecofest, click here.



Overall, the 18th annual Ecofest didn't blow me away, but there were certainly some cars I was glad to see up close and some people I was happy to chat with about the state of alternative-fuel vehicles and the projects they're researching and developing. Most notable were the University of Toronto's Blue Sky Solar Race Car Project, the Vehicle Design Summit's human-solar hybrid and the Bicy-taxis. There were, however, other exhibitors that put up some good displays, but for one reason or another they didn't get the star treatment with their own post.

Toyota came proudly showing their colors with the biggest of all displays. On hand were the Prius, the Camry Hybrid, the Highlander Hybrid, the Lexus RX 400h and GS 450h. Unfortunately, the LS hybrid was no where to be seen.

Ford was the only other major automotive manufacturer present, but their exhibit (if you can call it that) only consisted of a single Escape Hybrid parked to the side of the exhibitor area with flyers under the windshield wipers. No spokesman or representative was available to answer any questions.

Myers brought an NmG that was dressed up in high-end audio equipment by Stereo Upgrade. Back in June, Ray Holan provided AutoblogGreen readers with an in-depth analysis of the NmG which can be found here.

The U.S. Postal Service brought two "clean-air" delivery trucks. A gentleman in a USPS uniform told me that one was ran on CNG while the other was a full electric vehicle. He wasn't able to give me any details on either vehicle, but told me to go to usps.com for additional information. A few searches on the site didn't pull up any stats on either of these particular vehicles, so I'll be sure to check back again and see if I can find anything.

Another interesting vehicle was pieced together by Chip Beam and Larry Shilling, the founders of Beaver Energy. The duo showed an old SUV that had been converted to run off wood chips. You can't miss the behemoth fuel feeding system set up in the rear of the vehicle. I wasn't able to get many details about the truck and they don't yet have a website, but I did get the contact information of both men, so you'll most likely be hearing about them in the near future. Do keep an eye out for a feature on them on Discovery's Science Channel. Mr. Shilling mentioned they'll be airing a segment featuring the vehicle in the next month or so.

There was also a BMW 524td running a vegetable oil tank on display, however, the owner of the vehicle was nowhere to be found.

In all, the most optimistic sign of being able to live in a peak oil future was the general positive reaction I observed from the public's interest in their near-term alternatives to fossil fuels.

You'll find additional pictures of display vehicles by clicking the continue link.

Thanks to the mobile Internet, I'm writing you from the 2006 New York Ecofest. Billed as "the largest environmental event on the East Coast," there's a wide range of exhibitors featuring lifestyles and products focused on the conservation of natural resources and alternative energy technologies.

My focus here today is the Sources of Energy Other Than Oil (SEOTO) Exposition. Exhibitors this year include Myers Motors, the U.S. Postal Service, Beaver Energy, Ford, Segway, Bicy-taxi, Genasun, the Vehicle Design Summit at MIT and the University of Toronto's Blue Sky Solar Racing Team.

A bit more about the exhibitors later. I just walked out of a seminar titled Getting Rid of Foreign Oil: The Future of Solar and Renewable Energy. The panel of speakers consisted of Steven Blinder, president of Bicy-taxi; Andreas Marouchos, managing director of the Blue Sky Solar Team at the University of Toronto; and Mark Simon, the director of the NYC Department of Transportation Alternative Fuels Program.

The seminar seemed to be directed more at those who were a bit less informed than the typical AutoblogGreen reader, but they hit on a few interesting points. Mr. Simon in particular discussed the role of the NYC DOT Alternative Fuels Program. He said they mostly write grants and work with companies researching, developing and implementing alternative fuel vehicles.

Here are some facts and figures about New York. Currently, New York City has 800 compressed natural gas (CNG) and 275 hybrid transit buses in operation. The City Department of Sanitation (DOS) runs 26 CNG trucks including street sweepers and has the first six E85 pumps in the city. The DOS will also be evaluating the use of biodiesel in its fleet. NYC currently has the largest municipal fleet of hybrid vehicles in the country with over 1000 sedans. The state of New York has implemented a CNG fueling network for state vehicles yet many of the sites are open to the public.

In the question and answer portion of the seminar, I asked Mr. Simon what impact the NY DOT Alternative Fuels Program has on the types of fuels New York's gas stations offer and whether or not he sees E85 as a viable alternative for New York. His answer was that as a government institution they have very little say in what gas stations offer other than being a "cheerleader to promote alternative fuels." While he does believe that E85 will eventually become a notable option for consumers in New York City, he doesn't think this will happen until New York State begins more production of its own ethanol as he mentions that driving the ethanol in from the Midwest is costly.

I'll have more about the exhibitors in subsequent posts, but right now I have to finish uploading this before my laptop battery dies. Oh, and I forgot to bring my digital camera adapter, so I'll put up the pics later, too.