Sat.May 12, 2012 - Fri.May 18, 2012

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NIAABB selects Los Alamos ultrasonic algae harvester for Phase II development

Green Car Congress

The National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts (NAABB) has selected Los Alamos National Laboratory’s (LANL) Ultrasonic Algae Harvesting technology for Phase II development. The technology is based on LANL’s R&D 100 award-winning Ultrasonic Algal Biofuel Harvester. Research and development to refine the technology at lab-scale has been in progress through NAABB since April 2010.

Water 296
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2012 Chevrolet Volt Saves Supertanker Worth Of Gas Since Launch

Green Car Reports

We all know electric and plug-in hybrid cars can help cut down consumption of gasoline, but just how do you measure how much gasoline savings can be made? Normally, we measure gasoline savings in gallons, or barrels of oil, but General Motors has decided to measure the gasoline saved by its Chevrolet Volt Plug-in Hybrid in supertankers. Using data.

Chevrolet 157
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Balqon gains contract to build electric trucks for Port of Los Angeles

National Green Transportation

Balqon, a developer of electric big trucks and electrical energy storage systems, has announced today signing a contract with the Port of Los Angeles to retrofit six electric "yard tractors" with advanced lithium-ion battery packs. The.

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Scotland secures first hydrogen fuel cell car trial

Green Cars News

Aberdeen’s car club is to become the first in the UK to trial hydrogen fuel cell cars. The newly-established Commonwheels car club is to take loan of two of Hyundai’s left-hand drive ix35 FCEV, ahead of a renewable energy event arrives in the city. Members of Commonwheels will have the opportunity to drive the Hyundai [.].

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How serious is Norway about climate change? So much that its streetlights self-dim

emissions global warming Norway climate change carbon dioxide youtube lighting

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Sandia researchers develop conceptual model for Low Temperature Combustion

Green Car Congress

Conceptual model for conventional diesel combustion (CDC), left, and LTC combustion, right, for heavy-duty engines. Source: CRF. Click to enlarge. Researchers at the Combustion Research Facility (CRF) at Sandia National Laboratories are proposing a conceptual model based on findings from their work for low temperature combustion (LTC). The LTC model is in review with the journal Progress in Energy and Combustion Science (PECS), with publication pending, according to Mark Musculus of CRF during h

Re-Charge 291
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E15 Ethanol Fuel Can Damage Engines, New Automaker Study Says

Green Car Reports

A new study released today by the Coordinating Research Council says that E15 gasoline, which contains 15 percent ethanol, could damage the engines of certain high-volume car and truck models. The two-year study was conducted on eight different engines from the 2001 through 2009 model years, with a pair of vehicles for each engine tested--one on.

Engine 152

More Trending

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Sorry Boris, Europe’s EV capital is…Oxford

Green Cars News

Forget Paris, Barcelona, even London; Oxford is the electric vehicle capital of Europe, according to Chargemaster. The charging point provider has compiled a top 10 list of cities, comparing the number of publicly available EV charging points against the city’s population, and despite boasting just 64 charging points (less than a tenth of London’s count), [.].

London 58
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Nissan begins testing NV200-based EVs with AEON Retail Company in Japan

Green Car Congress

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. has begun tests of an electric vehicle (EV) based on the compact commercial vehicle NV200. AEON Retail Co., Ltd. will use the EV test cars as delivery vehicles within the Tokyo metropolitan area for its new online business. The vehicles will be monitored for one month to evaluate their potential for daily business use. Nissan has been carrying out similar tests of a NV200-based EV since last summer in Japan and in Europe.

Japan 281
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New Brammo Empulse Electric Motorcycle Unveiled

Green Car Reports

Electric motorcycle manufacturer Brammo has revealed two brand new motorcycles, the Empulse and Empulse R. Each motorcycle offers both a 100 mph top speed, and 100 miles of range. The company has incorporated features suggested from research on its previous products, to ensure the Empulse and Empulse R are more advanced than ever. Power is put to.

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Mid-project data from Oak Ridge study suggests hydrogen vehicles could have up to 70% market share by 2050

Green Car Congress

Hydrogen vehicle market penetration under different scenarios. Source: Dr. David Greene. Click to enlarge. Hydrogen vehicles (H 2 V, including H 2 ICE, fuel cell and fuel cell plug-in hybrid vehicles) could achieve a market share ranging from 30% to 70% in 2050, according to preliminary results from a study by Dr. David Greene and colleagues at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) presented at the DOE 2012 Hydrogen and Fuel Cells and Vehicle Technologies Programs Annual Merit Review meetings in

Hydrogen 281
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Faurecia and Accenture partner on products and services for connected and autonomous vehicles

Brief

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Honda unveils UNI-CUB electric personal mobility device; evolution of the UX-3

Green Car Congress

the new UNI-CUB. Click to enlarge. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. unveiled the new battery-electric UNI-CUB personal mobility device. Featuring a compact design and comfortable saddle, UNI-CUB is designed to offer the same freedom of movement in all directions that a person enjoys while walking. Representing the evolution of the U3-X personal mobility device that Honda announced in 2009 ( earlier post ), UNI-CUB features Honda‘s proprietary balance control technology and an omni-directional driving wheel

Personal 268
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A123 Systems to supply 11MW Grid Battery System to Sempra Generation for the Auwahi Wind project in Hawaii

Green Car Congress

A123 Systems will supply an 11MW Grid Battery System (GBS) to Sempra Generation for the Auwahi Wind project in Maui, Hawaii. The advanced energy storage solution is designed to smooth variable wind power generation, which is expected to help maintain the stability to Maui’s electric grid. When fully operational, the 21MW Auwahi Wind project is expected to be capable of generating enough energy to power the equivalent of 10,000 homes, and the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission has approved a 20-y

Hawaii 265
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ElectronVault launches cloud-based rapid prototyping tool for traction batteries

Green Car Congress

ElectronVault Inc., an energy storage startup co-founded and led by Rob Ferber, a former Science Director at Tesla Motors who worked on the Tesla Roadster battery system, has launched a new cloud-based service for traction battery design for electric vehicle manufacturers. The new service is intended to reduce the time spent on traction battery system specification and production prototyping from many months to a few minutes, according to the company.

Batteries 265
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Johnson Controls putting carbon body exterior parts into series production

Green Car Congress

Johnson Controls is applying its expertise in natural fiber processing technology for interior components to vehicle exteriors; the company is using liquid resin press molding to enable series production of carbon fiber body parts. The company says that it is already supplying a well-known automotive manufacturer with its carbon components. Structure of the carbon body parts.

Parts 255
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ExxonMobil announces 6th oil discovery offshore Guyana with Ranger-1; Guyana may move from non-producer to regional powerhouse

Oil

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FedEx Express closes in on goal of 20% improvement in vehicle fleet fuel efficiency years ahead of schedule

Green Car Congress

FedEx Express, a unit of FedEx Corp., announced that its vehicle fleet was 16.6% more fuel efficient through FY2011 than it was in 2005. The company has a goal of making the vehicle fleet 20% more efficient by 2020. Among the company’s initiatives to improve fuel economy are: Upcoming addition of 87 all-electric trucks to its green fleet bringing the all-electric vehicle count to 130.

Fleet 250
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Volvo launching 13-liter heavy-duty LNG engine with Westport HPDI injection in 2014; CNG and DME potential

Green Car Congress

Volvo Trucks plans to launch a 13-liter heavy-duty liquefied natural gas (LNG) engine featuring Westport high pressure direct injection (HPDI) technology for the North American market in 2014. ( Earlier post.). The engine’s advanced high pressure diesel ignition technology will provide significant fuel efficiency gains compared with current natural gas products, according to Volvo.

Volvo 240
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Johnson Controls study finds 97% of US consumers interested in start-stop technology in vehicles

Green Car Congress

New consumer research commissioned by Johnson Controls finds that 97% of Americans are ready for start-stop technology. The research was conducted to gain understanding of how consumers view fuel-saving power train technologies based on attributes such as purchase price, fuel economy, annual fuel cost and performance. Focus groups across US major metropolitan areas, along with 1,200 survey respondents, provided feedback on efficient vehicle technologies.

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NSF and DOE form Partnership on Advanced Combustion Engines; goal 25-40% better LDV fuel economy and 55% BTE in heavy-duty engines; $12M in awards for FY 2012-2014

Green Car Congress

The Directorate for Engineering at the National Science Foundation (NSF) has established a partnership with the Vehicle Technologies Program (VTP) of the US Department of Energy (DOE) to address critical fundamental and applied research challenges associated with advanced combustion engine technologies. The goal of the partnership is to leverage the complementary missions of deployment and commercialization (DOE) and fundamental research and education (NSF) to address the efficiency of the inter

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Midtronics completes initial field testing of new high-voltage Hybrid/EV vehicle battery service and de-power tool

Green Car Congress

The GRX-5100. Click to enlarge. Battery testing and management company Midtronics, Inc. has completed initial field testing for the GRX-5100 Hybrid/EV Battery Station, the first high-voltage Hybrid/EV vehicle battery service and de-power tool for various hybrid and electric vehicles. The GRX-5100 safely de-powers high-voltage batteries and also enables service for the battery system at the module level, reducing manufacturer warranty costs and repair time and expense for customers.

Hybrid 239
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DOE: nearly 1,200 fuel cells have been deployed through the Recovery Act

Green Car Congress

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced that nearly 1,200 fuel cells were deployed through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in emergency backup power units and material handling equipment, such as forklift trucks. Companies are installing fuel cells to generate onsite primary or backup power to buildings, data centers and cell phone towers, because of their high reliability and low emissions.

Fuel 239
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TIPC-CAS commercializing nanofiber separator for Li-ion batteries

Green Car Congress

The Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Shougang Group have developed a pilot production line with a capacity of 300,000 m 2 per year of electrospun nanofibers for lithium battery (LIB). The production technique uses the institute’s self-developed electrostatic spinning membrane equipment and patented multi-nozzle group control.

Li-ion 236
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Neste Oil produces NExBTL renewable diesel from waste fat sourced from the fish processing industry

Green Car Congress

Neste Oil has again expanded the range of renewable raw materials it uses by beginning to produce NExBTL renewable diesel from waste fat sourced from the fish processing industry at its Singapore refinery. The fat comes from the gutting waste generated when processing freshwater pangasius farmed in Southeast Asia after the fillets have been removed for human consumption.

Waste 236
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Ricardo supports Chery with CVT control technology

Green Car Congress

Ricardo announced that its collaboration with Chery Automobile Company Ltd of China was instrumental in the development of the CVT system launched in the new Chery E5 vehicle. Ricardo worked with Chery to develop the associated control strategies for the Chinese automaker’s first CVT product. The work was carried out through a collaborative engineering programme that involved engineers from both companies working together in both China and the UK.

Chery 236
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Double-walled silicon nanotube anode for Li-ion batteries shows long cycle life

Green Car Congress

TEM images of an individual DWSiNT before (a) and after (b) lithiation, respectively. They show the tube wall expanded towards the inside, while the outside. diameter of the tube remains constant. Wu et al., Supplementary Material. Click to enlarge. Although silicon has a large charge storage capacity, making it an attractive anode material for advanced Li-ion batteries, the pulverization it experiences during cycling and an unstable solid–electrolyte interphase has limited the cycle life of sil

Li-ion 236
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Toyota to increase V6 engine production in Alabama

Green Car Congress

Toyota will invest approximately $80 million its Huntsville, Ala. engine facility to increase North American production of V6 engines. The investment will bring total plant investment to more than $700 million. The expansion will allow Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Inc. (TMMAL) to build an additional 216,000 engines each year, boosting total V6 annual capacity to 362,000.

Alabama 231
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Federal-Mogul hybrid liner for cylinders reduces bore distortion and improves function in lighter, downsized engines; up to 40% reduction in oil consumption

Green Car Congress

Quasi-monolithic bond of a hybrid liner with aluminum outer coating to engine block (left) compared to typical gap found between grey iron liners and the aluminium block (right). Source: Federal-Mogul. Click to enlarge. Federal-Mogul Corporation is. increasingly using a dual-material cylinder liner technology to reduce bore distortion and. improve function in the latest generation of lighter, highly-loaded aluminum-block engines.

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Propel Fuels launches Clean Mobility Center in California; carbon offsets available at the pump

Green Car Congress

Propel Fuels launched the company’s first Clean Mobility Center in Fullerton, California. The Clean Mobility Centers introduce renewable fuels (E85 Flex Fuel, biodiesel blends) alongside the conventional fuels (gasoline, diesel) that drivers use today. With a focus beyond fuel, Propel stations enable drivers to offset carbon from their fuel purchases, improve their vehicle’s fuel economy, find rideshare opportunities, tune bicycles, and recycle on the go.

Clean 231
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Frost & Sullivan forecasts European traction motor market to exceed 2.3M units in 2017

Green Car Congress

Electrification in vehicles is a key trend in the automotive industry, and the increase in electric components within vehicles is boosting the market for traction motors. In a recent report— Strategic Analysis of Electric Motor Technologies for Electric and Hybrid Vehicles in Europe —Frost & Sullivan forecasts the European traction motor market will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 50% for hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs) to some 2.3 million

2017 231
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Hertz on Demand and IBM partner on smart charging pilot

Green Car Congress

Hertz On Demand, the global car sharing club, and IBM are piloting a smart charging program in Germany. Hertz On Demand in Germany will supply electric vehicles to the car share fleet used by IBM employees to drive between Stuttgart Airport and the company’s campus in Ehningen, about 30 km (18.6 miles) away. Initially the electric cars provided by Hertz will be charged using decentralized generation of electricity on the IBM campus.

Charging 231
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Innovative hybrid rotor compressor design can extend productive life of stripper wells; improved transport and efficiency, lowered operating costs

Green Car Congress

OsComp Systems, a startup formed by MIT alumni, has developed , with support from the US Department of Energy (DOE), a hybrid rotary compressor design that decreases the energy required to compress and transport natural gas, lowers operating costs, improves efficiencies and reduces the environmental footprint of well site operations. OsComp’s compressor is a positive displacement type machine utilizing a hybrid rotor design, combining the strengths of both rotary and reciprocating style compress

Design 231
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Virginia Tech Transportation Institute receives University Transportation Center Tier 1 Grant; focus on connected vehicle technology

Green Car Congress

The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) recently awarded $3.5 million to establish a multidisciplinary program of transportation research, education, and technology transfer for a Tier 1 University Transportation Center to be headquartered at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.

Virginia 231
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DOE issues RFI for hydrogen storage targets for early market applications

Green Car Congress

The US Department of Energy (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Program is issuing a Request for Information (RFI) ( DE-FOA-0000735 ) seeking input from stakeholders on the proposed performance, durability, and cost targets for hydrogen storage subsystems designed for material handling and portable power fuel cell applications. The DOE Fuel Cell Technologies (FCT) Program seeks to advance the development and deployment of fuel cells for power generation in a variety of stationary, portable, and transpo

Hydrogen 231
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NHTSA proposes federal rule requiring electronic stability control systems on large commercial trucks and buses

Green Car Congress

The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed a new federal motor vehicle safety standard to require electronic stability control (ESC) systems on large commercial trucks, motorcoaches, and other large buses (gross vehicle weight rating of greater than 11,793 kg / 26,000 lbs) for the first time.

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FTA awarding $5.1M for 10 new hybrid buses and fueling station in Reno, Nevada

Green Car Congress

The US Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is awarding the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Washoe County a $5.1-million grant to purchase new hybrid-electric buses and build a new fueling station. The improvements will enhance bus rapid transit service for the growing number of riders who are choosing to take public transportation along Virginia Street, one of the region’s busiest corridors.

Nevada 225