Green Car Congress

MARCH 28, 2012

E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID Click to enlarge. Mercedes-Benz is introducing the new E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID; the luxury-class diesel hybrid offers fuel consumption of 4.2 L of diesel/100 km (56 mpg US), with CO 2 emissions of 109 g/km. ( Earlier post.) The E 300 BlueTEC HYBRID is based on the E 250 CDI, yet has a higher output and approximately 15% lower fuel consumption.

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Hybrid Mercedes Diesel Fuel Economy 321

Green Car Congress

MARCH 23, 2012

California Governor Edmund Brown Jr. and the California Public Utilities Commission to announced a $120-million settlement with NRG Energy Inc. (stemming from claims reaching back to Dynegy and the California energy crisis in 2000 and 2001) that will mostly be applied to fund the construction of a statewide network of plug-in vehicle charging stations, including at least 200 public fast-charging stations and another 10,000 plug-in units at 1,000 locations across the state.

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California Commercial Charging San Diego 320

Green Car Congress

MARCH 20, 2012

Spider9 , a cleantech company launched in 2011 at the University of Michigan, has finalized the license agreement for patented dynamic control systems and plans to launch its first commercial integration at the historic Henry Ford Valve Plant, known as the Water Wheel Center, in Northville, Michigan. The control systems boost the cost efficiency of grid-scale batteries and solar fields by constantly monitoring individual cells within a battery or solar installation, and making real-time adjustme

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Grid Solar Batteries Battery 317

Green Car Congress

MARCH 6, 2012

FT-Bh. Click to enlarge. Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) unveiled the FT-Bh (Future Toyota B-segment Hybrid), a lightweight, next-generation small gasoline-electric hybrid concept car at the 82nd Geneva International Motor Show. TMC, expecting hybrid vehicle use to become widespread in the second half of the 2010s, developed the FT-Bh as a B-segment, ultra fuel-efficient concept car under the theme of “ecomotion” (eco + emotion).

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Plug-in Hybrid Toyota MPG 317

Green Car Congress

MARCH 1, 2012

Major hybrid system elements in the R18 e-tron quattro: front-axle MGU, flywheel accumulator and power electronics. Click to enlarge. Audi Motorsport unveiled the R18 e-tron quattro: the first LMP1 car to combine a highly-efficient TDI diesel engine with a hybrid system. ( Earlier post.) The new Le Mans prototype will make its race debut on 5 May in the 6-hour race at Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) and will compete at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (France) on 16-17 June.

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Audi Energy Storage Hybrid Diesel 304

Green Car Congress

MARCH 26, 2012

Fiesta ECOnetic Technology. Click to enlarge. Ford of Europe has begun production of the new Fiesta ECOnetic Technology, which offers fuel economy of 3.3l/100 km (71.2 mpg US) and CO 2 emissions of 87 g/km, at Ford’s Cologne Assembly plant in Germany. The preceding version of the Fiesta ECOnetic carried a 95 g/km rating. The car is powered by a 95PS (94 hp, 70 kW) 1.6-liter Duratorq TDCi diesel engine and provides 205 N·m (151 lb-ft) of torque; it will be available in three-door and five-

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MPG Ford Fuel Economy Production 301

Green Car Congress

MARCH 14, 2012

Nissan DeltaWing. Click to enlarge. Nissan is becoming a founding partner in DeltaWing Le Mans project ( earlier post ) and will provide an advanced and efficient Nissan 1.6-liter, turbocharged gasoline direct injection engine to power the DeltaWing car as it races at the Le Mans 24 Hours (16-17 June). The engine, badged DIG-T (Direct Injection Gasoline - Turbocharged), is expected to produce around 300 hp (224 kW), sufficient to give Nissan DeltaWing lap times between LMP1 and LMP2 machines at

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Nissan Fuel North America Engine 300

Green Car Congress

MARCH 15, 2012

3M is investing in the research and manufacturing of novel silicon (Si)-based anode materials for Li-ion batteries. 3M was recently granted another US patent ( 8,071,238 ) for its silicon-based anode compositions that can increase cell capacity by more than 40% when matched with high-energy battery cathodes. ( Earlier post.). The new patent, “Silicon-containing alloys useful as electrodes for lithium-ion batteries”, covers a composite electrode material with the formula Si x Sn q M y C z where q

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Li-ion Lithium Ion Manufacturer Batteries 300

Green Car Congress

MARCH 13, 2012

New medium-duty Euro VI engine. Click to enlarge. Mercedes-Benz unveiled a new generation of medium-duty engines with the series designation OM 93x. Together with the new heavy-duty OM 470 engine, Daimler is expanding its “BlueEfficiency Power” engine portfolio into a comprehensive range complying with the impending Euro VI emissions standard. The OM 471 engine, presented in 2011 and also part of the portfolio, is already in service on long-haul operations in the new Mercedes-Benz Actros.

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Engine Mercedes Commercial Exhaust 299

Green Car Congress

MARCH 7, 2012

1.6-liter i-DTEC. Click to enlarge. Honda’s new 1.6-liter i-DTEC engine in the new Civic will deliver CO 2 emissions of 95 g/km, according to Honda Motor Europe’s President, Manabu Nishimae, in his presentation at the Geneva Motor Show. This is a 15-gram drop (13.6%) from the 110 g/km emissions of the enhanced 2.2L i-DTEC introduced in September 2011 at the Frankfurt show. ( Earlier post.).

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Honda Emissions Diesel CO2 299

Green Car Congress

MARCH 19, 2012

A team from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore has used DNA to functionalize double wall carbon nanotubes (DWNTs) and to direct the growth of ultra-small FePO 4 nanoparticles (~5 nm) uniformly distributed on the DNA@DWNT for the development of a novel network nanostructure. The synthesized FePO 4 -DNA@DWNT nanostructure was used as a cathode in lithium-ion batteries, and demonstrated a specific capacity of 174 mAh g -1 for FePO 4 active material—nearly 100% of the theoretical stor

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Lithium Ion Li-ion Singapore Conversion 294

Green Car Congress

MARCH 9, 2012

The new Outlander with be outfitted with a plug-in hybrid drivetrain during FY2012. Click to enlarge. Mitsubishi Motors (MMC) will launch a plug-in hybrid version of its new Outlander (introduced at the current Geneva Motor Show) during the course of FY2012 (1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013). The new PHEV Outlander will be a permanent 4WD electric vehicle, supplemented by a gasoline engine when needed.

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Mitsubishi Plug-in Plug Hybrid 290

Green Car Congress

MARCH 6, 2012

Elements in achieving the Envia 400 Wh/kg cell. Click to enlarge. Envia Systems’ recent announcement of achieving Li-ion pouch cells with a specific energy density of 400 Wh/kg ( earlier post ) may be the market opener for a number of similar systems developed with US Department of Energy (DOE) support using different silicon-carbon anode materials, combined with an advanced cathode material and an appropriate electrolyte.

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Li-ion Ni-Li Commercial Energy 286

Green Car Congress

MARCH 17, 2012

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) staff has posted a preliminary draft version of the Oil Production Greenhouse Gas Emissions Estimator (OPGEE) for the 19 March 2012 Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) public workshop to discuss lifecycle assessment of crude oil production, including high carbon-intensity crude oil (HCICO). The model was authored by Hassan M.

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Oil California Gas Emissions 285

Green Car Congress

MARCH 12, 2012

In an open access paper published in the International Journal of Smart and Nano Materials , researchers from the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences review significant developments and remaining challenges of practical Li–air batteries and the current understanding of their chemistry. The energy density of the lithium–air battery with respect to the anode could reach 13,000 Wh kg ?

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Li-ion Future Batteries Battery 285

Green Car Congress

MARCH 29, 2012

Electric Vehicles International is launching a new initiative to deploy 500 fully electric return-to-base medium-duty delivery trucks in California. ( Earlier post.). With the partnership and support of agencies such as the California Energy Commission, the California Air Resources Board, South Coast Air Quality Management District, San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, and the Sacramento Air Quality Management District, EVI and UPS will jumpstart implementation of California Govern

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California Sacramento Pollution Fully Electric 281

Green Car Congress

MARCH 24, 2012

A glimpse under the hood of an E-Golf prototype at the power electronics. Traction motor is partially seen at bottom. Click to enlarge. Volkswagen intends to bring the production version of the battery-electric E-Golf to market in the US in 2014 (first market introduction will be in 2013). The production version of the E-Golf will be based on a new MQB platform (the “A7” Golf), rather than the current version (“A6” Golf) used for the prototypes currently in fleet testing, according to Mark Gilli

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2014 Production Li-ion Fleet 281

Green Car Congress

MARCH 4, 2012

Hyundai is staging the world premiers of the “All New i20” at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. Among the four powertrain options available to buyers of the All New i20 will be the new 1.1-liter, 3-cylinder U-II diesel engine. When mated to Hyundai’s Blue Drive technologies, this derivative, which generates 74 hp (55 kW), emits 84 g/km of CO 2 —a figure lower than any other car with a conventional powertrain.

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Diesel Hyundai CO2 Germany 278

Green Car Congress

MARCH 2, 2012

The Energy dCi 110 diesel offers fuel consumption of 3.5 L/100km, equivalent to 67 mpg US. Click to enlarge. Renault is introducing three new Energy engines ( earlier post ) in its Mégane Collection 2012: the new turbocharged, gasoline direct-injection Energy TCE 115 di; the Energy dCi 130; and the Energy dCi 110, with NEDC fuel consumption of 3.5 liters/100 km (67 mpg US) with CO 2 emissions of 90 g/km.

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Fuel Economy MPG 2012 Engine 278

Green Car Congress

MARCH 31, 2012

Proposed route for the Alaska Pipeline project. Click to enlarge. Alaska Governor Sean Parnell announced that two major milestones have been met in the state’s effort to bring Alaska’s North Slope natural gas to Alaskans and markets beyond. The North Slope holds more than 35 trillion cubic feet of discovered natural gas. First, the State of Alaska resolved its long-running litigation with ExxonMobil and other leaseholders regarding the Point Thomson field, which holds almost a quarter of the Nor

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Alaska Gas Canada Legal 277

Green Car Congress

MARCH 27, 2012

The new extensions will provide enhanced capacity to carry Canadian and Bakken crude to the US Gulf Coast. Source: Enbridge. Click to enlarge. Enbridge Inc. and Enterprise Products Partners L.P. have secured capacity commitments from shippers to proceed with construction of a 512-mile, 30-inch diameter twin (a parallel line) along the route of the Seaway Pipeline, adding 450,000 bpd of capacity to the existing system (for a total 850,000 bpd). ( Earlier post.

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Oil Oil-Sands Oklahoma Houston 275

Green Car Congress

MARCH 22, 2012

The US Department of Energy will provide up to $450 million to advance the development of American-made small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs). The funding is targeted to support first-of-its-kind engineering, design certification and licensing for up to two SMR designs over five years, subject to congressional appropriations. Small modular reactors, which are approximately one-third the size of current nuclear plants (about 350 MWe or less), have compact, scalable designs that are expected to of

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Design Commercial Obama Georgia 275

Green Car Congress

MARCH 21, 2012

The Bio-DME project aims to assess whether there is a market for Bio-DME (Di-Methyl-Ether) for commercial vehicles. ( Earlier post.) Halfway through the two-year project the preliminary results show that Bio-DME already functions in daily commercial operations. If diesel fuel were to be replaced by Bio-DME, CO 2 emissions could be reduced by 95%, according to Volvo Trucks.

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Volvo Commercial Alternative Fuels Fuel 275

Green Car Congress

MARCH 30, 2012

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and representatives from the Illinois Tollway, 350Green LLC and 7-Eleven, Inc. announced the availability of the US’ largest network of fast-charging electric vehicle (EV) stations to date. Through the Chicago-Area EV Infrastructure Project, 26 fast-chargers have been installed, with 73 total fast-chargers planned. Eight of these are currently in place at Tollway Oases along the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90) at the Des Plaines Oasis and on the Tri-State Tollway

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Illinois Chicago Charging Installation 274

Green Car Congress

MARCH 15, 2012

Advanced Traction Battery Systems (ATBS), A123 Systems’ Shanghai-based joint-venture company with SAIC Motor ( earlier post ), has been selected to develop battery packs for a new plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) sedan from Geely, one of the fastest-growing automakers in China and the parent company of Volvo Car Corporation. Under the terms of the development agreement, A123 Systems will supply 20Ah prismatic cells to ATBS for the production of complete lithium-ion battery packs for Geely’s new PH

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PHEV Li-ion 2014 China 274

Green Car Congress

MARCH 27, 2012

Electric bicycle sales by region, world markets: 2012-2018. Source: Pike Research. Click to enlarge. Pike Research forecasts that the worldwide market for e-bicycles will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.4% between 2012 and 2018, resulting in global sales of 47.6 million vehicles in 2018, up form more than 30 million units in 2012. Under a more aggressive forecast scenario, worldwide e-bicycle sales could reach 51 million units and $13.2 billion revenue in 2018, Pike suggests.

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Li-ion 2018 Sale North America 273

Green Car Congress

MARCH 11, 2012

The Morgan Plus E electric sports car features a five-speed manual gearbox and was designed by Morgan with the support of British technology specialists Zytek and Radshape. Click to enlarge. Morgan Motor Company showcased an electric sports car with a five-speed manual gearbox at the Geneva Motor Show. Designed by Morgan with the support of British technology specialists Zytek and Radshape, Morgan showed it as a concept to test market reaction, suggesting that it could enter production if there

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Zytek Cars Li-ion Electric 273

Green Car Congress

MARCH 5, 2012

In a study of non-metal miners in the US, federal government scientists report that heavy exposure to diesel exhaust increased risk of death from lung cancer. The study was carried out by researchers from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, both parts of HHS.

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Exhaust Diesel 2012 Los Angeles 273

Green Car Congress

MARCH 13, 2012

Researchers at the University of Alberta (Canada) have quantified the transformation of the boreal landscape by open-pit oil sands mining in Alberta, Canada to evaluate its effect on carbon storage and sequestration. Their analysis suggests that carbon storage loss caused by peatland conversion could be equivalent to as much as 7 years worth of carbon emissions by mining and upgrading (at 2010 levels).

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Oil-Sands Oil Carbon Conversion 270

Green Car Congress

MARCH 1, 2012

A123 Systems will supply complete lithium-ion battery packs to Tata Motors, India’s largest automaker, for Tata’s hybrid electric systems for commercial vehicle applications. A123’s scalable battery packs are designed to fit into multiple powertrain architectures that can be implemented into a wide variety of commercial vehicles, providing Tata with a solution for meeting a variety of performance, range and durability requirements.

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Li-ion Commercial Hybrid Lithium Ion 270

Green Car Congress

MARCH 31, 2012

Transit fleets could reduce fuel consumption on average by as much as 18.7% by engaging in fuel-efficient, eco-driving best practices, according to a Public Transit Fuel Efficiency Study released by SmartDrive Systems , a provider of fleet management and driver safety systems and services. Eco-driving best practices for public transit include smooth acceleration and deceleration; reducing excess idling; avoiding hard turning (anticipating turns and smoothly decelerating into the turn to take adv

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Fleet Fuel Fuel Economy Economy 268

Green Car Congress

MARCH 30, 2012

Ford is investing $1.3-billion in its Hermosillo (Mexico) Stamping and Assembly Plant for the production of Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ lineups. Ford is making a significant investment in this facility and a significant commitment to the employees here while also transforming our vehicle lineup for customers throughout North America. The midsize sedan market is significant, growing and one of the most competitive in the industry.

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Fusion Ford Mexico North America 268

Green Car Congress

MARCH 23, 2012

CV of the Ppy(Lig) composite electrode. (A) Voltammograms recorded between 0.1 and 0.4 V. (B) Voltammograms recorded between 0.1 and 0.75 V versus Ag/AgCl, scan rates 5 to 25 mV s?1 (inner to outer). Milczarek and Inganäs. Click to enlarge. Grzegorz Milczarek from Poznan University of Technology (Poland), and Olle Inganäs from Linköping University (Sweden), have combined lignin derivatives, which are electronic insulators, with polypyrole, a conductive polymer, into an interpenetrating composite

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Polymer Batteries Battery Renewable 268

Green Car Congress

MARCH 10, 2012

Bridgestone Corporation (BSJ) announced plans for an extensive research project in the United States dedicated to developing Guayule as a commercially viable, renewable source of high-quality natural rubber and as an alternative to the Hevea tree. Guayule (pronounced Why-u-lee) is a perennial shrub native to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico.

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United States Mexico Climate America 268

Green Car Congress

MARCH 22, 2012

Automotive Partnership Canada (APC)—a 5-year, $145-million initiative launched in 2009—is awarding nearly $19 million to six new projects to advance R&D in Canada’s automotive industry by supporting new technologies that will lower the cost of PEM fuel cells by reducing platinum loading, provide lighter material alternatives for cars, and significantly enhance battery efficiency for vehicles.

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Canada Li-ion Fuel Batteries 262

Green Car Congress

MARCH 19, 2012

Patenting activity in the four indicator technologies peaked during traditional environmental regulation and declined during CTP trading to nadirs comparable to levels observed before the start of national SO 2. and NO 2 regulation in the US in 1970. Taylor 2012. Click to enlarge. Policies incentivizing the private sector to push to develop innovative “clean” technologies are likely to play a key role in achieving climate stabilization.

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Climate Energy Clean Cleaning 261

Green Car Congress

MARCH 4, 2012

The Nikkei reports that Toyota Motor Corp. plans to produce hybrid components in China beginning next year. The company began producing the Prius in China at the end of last year, but components—such as batteries and motor—are shipped from Japan. Toyota aims to boost hybrid sales in China by bringing down costs through expanded local production.

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Toyota China Hybrid Sale 261