Tue.Jul 03, 2012

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Government of Canada awards algae company Pond Biofuels $908K

Green Car Congress

Canada’s federal government is awarding $908,280 through FedDev Ontario’s Investing in Business Innovation initiative to help algal biofuel startup Pond Biofuels accelerate the commercialization of its technology used to capture carbon dioxide from raw stack emissions and produce algae that can subsequently be converted into biofuels. In addition to this investment, $2 million in private-sector funding has been leveraged from a group of accredited angel investors belonging to SG Biomaterial Inve

Companies 284
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Workplace Charging 101: Level 1

Plugs and Cars

The big EV news of the month was the first Tesla S deliveries. For luxury car buyers, the ground has shifted. Buying the best car now means buying the electric car. And given the range, workplace charging won’t be a big concern of Tesla S owners. But what about the rest of us? As we try to rev up plug-in vehicle sales, what sort of charging infrastructure should we be focusing on?

Charging 100
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Univ. of Exeter team develops selective laser melting process to produce 3D aluminum composite parts; automotive and aerospace applications

Green Car Congress

A complex SLM part from the University of Exeter. Click to enlarge. Engineers at the University Exeter (UK) have developed a new method for making three-dimensional reinforced aluminium composite parts by using Selective Laser Melting (SLM)—a form of additive layer manufacturing (ALM), also sometimes generally called 3D printing. (3D printing is a specific process within the larger ALM domain.

Parts 268
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June Plug-In Electric Car Sales: Volt Stays Strong, Leaf Low

Green Car Reports

Half of this year is now gone, which means it's time once again to look at sales of plug-in electric cars--both for June and for the first six months of 2012. Coming off a streak of low sales months, 535 Nissan Leafs were sold in June, less than one-third the 1,708 Leafs delivered in June 2011. This means that 3,148 Leafs have been sold in the.

Plug-in 115
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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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Göteborg Energi orders two Opbrid B?sbaar ultra-fast bus charging stations for HyperBus project

Green Car Congress

The Opbrid B?sbaar stations will be located at the ends of the #60 route. Click to enlarge. Göteborg Energi, the electricity provider for the City of Gothenburg, awarded a contract to Opbrid SL (Granada, Spain) to provide two Opbrid B?sbaar ultra-fast bus charging stations ( earlier post ) for the HyperBus (Hybrid and Plug-in Extended Range) demonstration project in Gothenburg City.

Charging 257
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Want To Know What An Electric-Car Only Race Sounds Like?

Green Car Reports

Visit any major race track on any day of the week and there’s bound to be a cacophony of noise as professional race teams or enthusiastic amateurs drive lap after lap in praise to the gods of gasoline. But what would it be like if every car going around the track was powered by electricity? What would it sound like then? At last week’s.

More Trending

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CARB Renews Electric Vehicle Fund With $27 Million

Green Car Reports

California has long been known for its efforts to reduce pollution from vehicles, and efforts to popularize hybrids and electric cars. The California Air Resources Board has now taken that one step further by approving a $27 million fund for its Air Quality Improvement Program (AQIP). Much of this fund will be used to incentivise the purchase of.

Renewable 106
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GE, Rosneft to pursue opportunities in Russia’s oil and gas industry, including Arctic offshore

Green Car Congress

GE and OJSC Rosneft signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that lays the foundation for the two companies jointly to evaluate and develop commercial opportunities in oil and gas exploration and production in the Russian Federation. The agreement calls for a strategic, cooperative relationship that would: leverage GE Oil & Gas technologies to help Rosneft improve efficiency and yields in its oil and gas exploration and recovery operations, and. explore opportunities to jointly develop, manufa

Oil 231
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Renting Electric Cars: Hertz Rocks, Enterprise Facing More Challenges?

Green Car Reports

Does electric car rental work as a business proposition? That might depend on who you ask. Because despite popular rental company Hertz having massive success with the format, backed up by other popular schemes like Car2Go, things aren't so rosy for Enterprise. According to the New York Times (via The Car Connection), customers haven't really.

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BESC researchers identify key proteins in species of extremely thermophilic bacteria for breakdown of biomass into fermentable sugars

Green Car Congress

The extremely thermophilic, cellulose-degrading Caldicellulosiruptor bescii. Source: ORNL. Click to enlarge. A team of researchers at the Department of Energy’s BioEnergy Science Center from North Carolina State University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Georgia have analyzed the genomes of eight species of extremely thermophilic bacteria from the genus Caldicellulosiruptor and identified key proteins for the deconstruction of plant biomass into fermentable sugars.

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

Brief

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2012 Ford Focus SFE Vs 2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco: Compact Sedans Compared

Green Car Reports

You want a compact sedan that gives great gas mileage, comes from an American company, and costs less than a hybrid car. If that sounds like you, the chances are you’ve considered test-driving the 2012 Ford Focus SFE and 2012 Chevrolet Cruze Eco. But what comes as standard on each car? Which is the better on gas mileage? And which should you.

2012 87
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Global Bioenergies raises €3M to accelerate the isobutene program; targeting other molecules

Green Car Congress

Global Bioenergies, an industrial biology company. developing sustainable routes to light olefins ( earlier post ), carried out a capital increase of €3.04 million (US$3.8 million) on NYSE Alternext in Paris. Based on the closing share price of €19.91 on 28 June 28th 2012 (last day of the subscription. period), the company now has a market capitalization of ~€36 million (~US$45.3$).

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2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid: Now By Royal Appointment

Green Car Reports

As every automaker knows, getting Royal endorsement for a particular car or brand can help boost its image. Normally, such Royal endorsements are limited to luxury or prestige brands, but earlier this week, the 2012 Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid received its official royal appointment courtesy of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco. An.

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Fiat exercises the first tranche of VEBA call option, will hold 61.8% of Chrysler

Green Car Congress

Fiat has notified VEBA—Voluntary Employee Beneficiary Association, a UAW administered trust established to pay health care. benefits for retirees from Chrysler—of Fiat’s exercise of its option to purchase a portion of the interest held in Chrysler by VEBA. Following the consummation of the purchase, expected to occur in the upcoming weeks, Fiat. will hold 61.8% of the outstanding equity in Chrysler.

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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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Nissan LEAF charges into the record books at Goodwood…in reverse

Green Cars News

The Nissan LEAF raced into the record books at Goodwood Festival of Speed last weekend as the fastest car to complete the hillclimb course in reverse. Professional stunt driver Terry Grant had three shots at the 1.6km course over the weekend, completing his first attempt on the Friday in a respectable 1m 37.02s, before smashing his [.].

Nissan 88
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Solena Fuels selects Oxford Catalysts’ microchannel FT technology for GreenSky BTL plant in UK

Green Car Congress

US-based Solena Fuels has selected microchannel Fischer-Tropsch (FT) technology developed by the Oxford Catalysts Group for use in a biomass-to-liquids (BTL) project under development in the UK. ( Earlier post.). After a formal evaluation of available technologies performed by Fluor Corporation on behalf of Solena, Oxford Catalysts was selected by Solena as the sole supplier of FT technology for GreenSky London.

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UK car industry booms as its cleans up its act

Green Cars News

The UK automotive industry is stronger than ever and is performing to its highest ever environmental standard, according to a new report. The country’s car industry reported record turnover for last year, up more than 12 per cent to £55 billion. What’s more, exports reached record levels as the industry saw increased investment across all [.].

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First Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) test flight; Gevo provided isobutanol-derived renewable kerosene

Green Car Congress

Three pathways to renewable jet fuel: FT (left); hydrogenated oil (center); ATJ (right). Source: Gevo. Click to enlarge. The US Air Force (USAF) last week flew the first test flight using “alcohol-to-jet” (ATJ) fuel. ( Earlier post.) Gevo, Inc., the provider of the fuel, worked with the Air Force Research Laboratories (AFRL), the Air Force Alternative Fuels Certification Division (AFCD) and the 40 Flight-Test Squadron, provided the isobutanol-derived renewable kerosene fuel for the successful fl

Renewable 225
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The greener way to drop the top. The Green Piece.

Green Cars News

Tuesday, 3 July, 2012. The Green Piece Column. Summer is here! (Well, it’s not, that’s an outright lie, but it is scheduled to make an appearance). Anyway in the spirit of summer, whether realised or not, we thought we take a look that old sunshine favourite; the convertible car. With its often weighty folding roof [.].

Green 53
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Researchers develop optimized electrospray technique for ultra-low platinum loading in fuel cells with high performance

Green Car Congress

The electrospray (top) and the deposited nanostructure (bottom). Source: UNED. Click to enlarge. A group of researchers from UNED (National Distance Education University) in Spain reports developing an optimized electrospray method for manufacturing the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) in PEM fuel cells with ultra-low platinum loadings that exceed US Department of Energy (DOE) targets.

Fuel 225
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Volkswagen to introduce Polo Blue GT

Green Cars News

The Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion is one of the German carmaker’s most impressive environmentally conscious vehicles to date: and now it is set to extend this technology to the Polo Blue GT. The Polo Blue GT (pictured) will feature active cylinder management and be the first Volkswagen to boast a cylinder deactivation system. Indeed it is [.].

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Nissan introduces new services for LEAF owners

Green Cars News

If you’re one of the first drivers of a Nissan LEAF electric car (pictured) then your ownership experience is likely to get even better – as the Japanese carmaker introduces two new services. Available to LEAF owners through the website and smartphone applications will be a service that can accurately forecast the LEAF’s remaining battery [.].

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New Renault Clio set to dodge road tax?

Green Cars News

Renault’s new Clio could launch early next year completely exempt from road tax. The new Clio will be 100kg lighter than predecessor on average and will debut the Renault’s first three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engines – a 0.9-litre TCe 90 and 1.2 TCe 120 – alongside a four-cylinder 1.5-litre diesel. All engine options will come with [.].

Tax 46
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Citroen’s diesel hybrid extends options

Green Cars News

Citroen’s very first diesel hybrid model, the DS5, just got better with the launch of new options available from this week. The third model in the upmarket DS line, the new DS5 is now available with stylish 17-inch ‘Houston’ alloy wheels as a no-cost option on Hybrid4 DStyle and DSport versions. These smaller diameter alloy [.].

Diesel 46
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Mazda to double SKYACTIV capacity

Green Cars News

Mazda’s fuel-frugal SKYACTIV engines have been such a success that production at a plant in Hiroshima is set to double. From October this year, the number of engines produced at the plant will leap from 400,000 units to 800,000 thanks to increasing demand. It will include both the SKYACTIV-D diesel engines and the SKYACTIV-G petrol [.].

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Twelve European countries miss emissions marker

Green Cars News

Just how far off is Europe from meeting tough nitrogen oxide regulations? New data from the European Environmental Agency (EEA) suggests that 12 countries in particular still have a long way to go. It finds that nitrogen oxides air pollution from traffic, households and industry is above internationally agreed limits in: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, [.].

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Pop sensation Justin Bieber wraps his Fisker Karma

Green Cars News

Canadian pop star Justin Bieber has wrapped his Fisker Karma in a shiny chrome finish. Bieber took the once-black $102,000 plug-in hybrid to West Coast Customs which previously turned his less-than-green Cadillac CTS-V into a Batmobile. Originally given to him by his management on The Ellen DeGeneres Show for his 18th birthday, Bieber also had [.].

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Car2go car club expands to Toronto

Green Cars News

The car2go car club service is to conquer another Canadian following its successful launch in Vancouver. The Daimler-owned car2go subsidiary now expands to the city of Toronto, bringing with it a fleet of smart fortwo cars, for which the short-term, flexible car hire firm is renowned. Launched last Saturday (June 30, 2012), 250 car2go edition [.].

Cars 42
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Plug-in vehicle sales to miss 2015 target

Green Cars News

Sales of plug-in hybrid vehicles such as the Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid (pictured) are set to fall short of their 2015 sales target: according to Pike Research. The Pike report believes that plug-in vehicle sales in the US will miss the one million marker set by the Obama Administration – with just 410,000 plug-in electric [.].

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Nissan LEAF is a reversing record breaker

Green Cars News

One week ago we told you about the Nissan LEAF’s attempts to get into the record books with the fastest ever reverse over one mile (see article) – and now we can confirm that the record attempt has been successful. The record was set at this past weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed event with professional [.].

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