Fri.Jun 03, 2016

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Harvard “bionic leaf 2.0” exceeds efficiency of photosynthesis in nature; hydrogen and liquid fuels

Green Car Congress

Researchers at Harvard have created a hybrid water splitting–biosynthetic system based on a biocompatible Earth-abundant inorganic catalyst system to split water into molecular hydrogen and oxygen (H 2 and O 2 ) at low driving voltages. Grown in contact with these catalysts, the bacterium Ralstonia eutropha then consumes the produced H 2 to synthesize biomass and fuels or chemical products from low CO 2 concentration in the presence of O 2.

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How big is a new Mini? Big enough to fit the old one inside

Green Car Reports

They may still be smaller than most other new cars, but today's lineup of Mini models aren't really all that "mini" these days. They're quite generously sized, in fact, when compared to the original Mini that inspired them all. That's a point illustrated by this stunt conducted by a pair of Dutch Mini enthusiasts. DON'T MISS: How Big Is The.

Cars 95
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New aluminum-cerium alloys could boost rare earth production; improved energy efficiency of engines

Green Car Congress

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and partners Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and Eck Industries have developed aluminum-cerium (Al-Ce) alloys that are both easier to work with and more heat tolerant than existing products. ORNL scientists Zach Sims, Michael McGuire and Orlando Rios, along with colleagues from Eck, LLNL and Ames Laboratory in Iowa, discuss the technical and economic possibilities for aluminum–cerium alloys in an article

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Electric-car battery costs not too sensitive to lithium prices

Green Car Reports

Relatively low lithium-ion battery-cell prices are crucial to keeping the prices of electric cars reasonable. But how much does the volatility of the price of lithium itself affect the prices of those cells? Global lithium prices have doubled over the last six months, leading to a scramble for new supplies of the metal. DON'T MISS: Fueled By.

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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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Walmart pilot-testing grocery deliveries with Uber, Lyft and Deliv

Green Car Congress

Walmart will begin pilot-testing a last-mile grocery-delivery test through services such as Uber, Lyft and Deliv. Walmart will start with tests of grocery delivery through Uber and Lyft in Denver and one other market. This is in addition to a quiet Sam’s Club pilot that started in March with Deliv involving delivery of general merchandise and grocery for business members in Miami.

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Fiat 500e electric cars recalled to fix software glitch: more than 16,000 affected

Green Car Reports

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is recalling more than 16,000 2013 through 2016-model-year Fiat 500e electric cars to address a software glitch. Faulty software could cause the vehicles' control systems to shut down propulsion in certain situations. Depending on when and where a loss of power occurs, it could increase the chances of a crash. DON'T.

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Electric-car battery costs, Fiat 500e recall, Mini inflation: Today's Car News

Green Car Reports

Today, researchers say rising lithium prices won't affect electric-car battery costs, the Fiat 500e electric car is recalled for a software issue, and a clever stunt shows just how big the modern Mini Countryman is compared to the original Mini. All this and more on Green Car Reports. About 16,000 Fiat 500e electric cars are being recalled to.

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Audi’s Gen2 A5 offers up to 17% more performance and up to 22% lower fuel consumption

Green Car Congress

Nine years after the launch of the mid-size A5, Audi unveiled the second-generation A5 and S5 Coupé during an event at the company’s headquarters in Ingolstadt. The new Audi A5 Coupé will launch in Germany with five engines: two gasoline TFSI and three diesel TDI units. Their power output has increased considerably and is now between 140 kW (190 hp) and 210 kW (286 hp).

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RIT and Synergy Biogas partner on algae for wastewater cleanup and biofuel production

Green Car Congress

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and Synergy Biogas are exploring the environmental benefits of microalgae to clean agricultural wastewater and make biofuels. Jeff Lodge, associate professor in RIT’s Thomas Gosnell School of Life Sciences, is running a three-month pilot program at Synergy Biogas, a high-tech anaerobic digester located on Synergy Farms in Covington, N.Y, to grow microalgae on digested biomass.

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UMTRI: average new vehicle fuel economy in US in May up 0.2 mpg from April

Green Car Congress

Average fuel economy (window-sticker value) of new vehicles sold in the US in May 2016 was 25.4 mpg (9.26 l/100 km)—up 0.2 mpg from the value for April 2016, according to the latest monthly report from Dr. Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle at University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). This improvement likely reflects the increased price of gasoline in May, and the consequent increased interest in more fuel-efficient vehicles by buyers of all vehicle classes, they s

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

Brief

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Manchester team proposing graphene-based ballistic rectifier for waste heat recovery

Green Car Congress

Researchers at the University of Manchester (UK) have developed a graphene-based nano-rectifier (“ballistic rectifier”) that can convert waste heat to electricity. The nano-rectifier was built by a team led by Professor Aimin Song and Dr. Ernie Hill, in collaboration with a team at Shandong University (China). The device exploits graphene’s phenomenally high electron mobility—a property which determines how fast an electron can travel in a material and how fast electronic devices can opera

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