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New low-cost, lightweight magnesium sheet alloy with good formability for automotive applications; 1.5x stronger than aluminum

Green Car Congress

A research team at Japan’s National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) and Nagaoka University of Technology has developed a new high-strength magnesium sheet alloy (Mg–1.1Al–0.3Ca–0.2Mn–0.3Zn) that has excellent room-temperature formability comparable to that of the aluminum sheet metal currently used in body panels of some automobiles.

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Frost & Sullivan: market for lightweight materials in automobiles to reach $95.34B in 2017

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billion in 2017, driven by the need to conform to environmental regulations. These laws have resulted in the lowering of vehicles’ weight through the replacement of heavy materials in certain systems with lighter alternatives, as the weight of the automobile has a direct bearing on its fuel efficiency. million by revenue and 10.3

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Pike Research projects 138M electric motorcycles and scooters to be on the road worldwide by 2017

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Cumulative battery usage by vehicle, world markets, 2011-2017. According to a new report from Pike Research, the number of e-motorcycles and e-scooters on the road will increase from 17 million in 2011 to 138 million by 2017, the majority of which will be powered by lead-acid batteries. million, respectively, by 2017.

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Toyota and Panasonic to establish automotive prismatic battery JV

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However, numerous battery-related challenges must be tackled, including not only having advanced technological capabilities to address issues of cost, energy density, charging time, and safety, but also being able to ensure stable supply capacity and having effective recycling structures, the partners said.

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PSA evaluating PowerGenix NiZn batteries for start-stop systems

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PowerGenix, the developer of high-performance, automotive Nickel-Zinc (NiZn) batteries, has entered into an innovation contract with PSA Peugeot Citroën Automobiles under which PSA will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the use of PowerGenix’s NiZn batteries as a replacement for lead-acid in stop-start vehicles.

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HRL engineers 3D print high-strength aluminum, solve welding problem using nanoparticles of nucleants

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These alloys are very desirable for aircraft and automobile parts and have been among thousands that were not amenable to additive manufacturing—a difficulty that has been solved by the HRL researchers. This technique is also scalable and employs low cost materials. government, and other commercial companies.

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DOE releases SBIR/STTR FY16 Phase 1 Release 2 topics; hydrogen, electric vehicles, more efficient combustion engines; biogas-to-fuels

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The first hydrogen TTO is focused on durable, high activity electrocatalyst with low platinum content and low cost for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell applications. Conventional polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell technology requires high content of platinum electrocatalyst, which raises manufacturing costs.

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