Green Car Congress

MARCH 7, 2013

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, will has outlined a vision for a £913-million (US$1.48-billion) investment in cycling infrastructure for the city. Among other features, the plans would create a “Crossrail for the bike”—a route that will run for more than 15 miles (24 km), very substantially segregated, from the western suburbs, through the heart of London, to Canary Wharf and Barking.

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London Transportation Grid All-Electric 389

Green Car Reports

MARCH 25, 2013

It's the sweetest dream of every electric-car fan: a battery that could store enough energy to offer up to 1,000 miles of real-world range. While it's not going to arrive in showrooms any time soon, Israeli startup Phinergy thinks its aluminum-air energy storage device might just be that battery. Moreover, say CEO Aviv Tzidon, the company has.

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Miles 2017 Batteries Battery 165

National Green Transportation

MARCH 31, 2013

All eyes are on Tesla Motors and whether the companies sales live up to expectation. Tesla has made a big bet they can sell 20,000 electric luxury cars a year when the likes of Nissan and General Motors.

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Tesla Motors Motors Motoring Motor 100

Green Cars News

MARCH 14, 2013

If you were told that a city in the UK would be leading the way with fuel cell technology you’d be forgiven if you expected the city in question to be London, Edinburgh, Cardiff or Belfast. In reality however, it is Aberdeen that will soon boast Europe’s largest hydrogen fuel cell bus fleet. That’s because [.].

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Hydrogen Fleet Fuel London 80

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Creative Greenius

MARCH 30, 2013

Source of an Epic FAIL. I’ve been seeing the b t full page ads for Icelandic Glacial water in the print edition of the Los Angeles Times for months now and every time I do they p**s me off. . If you know the Creative Greenius you know that I am easily pissed off by the charlatans, greenwashers and pompous posers who prey upon the ill-informed and gullible and that’s exactly what Icelandic Glacial water is and does.

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Iceland Water Los Angeles Carbon 277

Green Car Congress

MARCH 9, 2013

Transportation fuel mix in millions of oil-equivalent barrels through 2020. Source: ExxonMobil Outlook. Click to enlarge. Diesel will surpass gasoline as the number one transportation fuel worldwide by 2020 and continue to increase its share through 2040, according to ExxonMobil’s recently published Outlook For Energy: A View To 2040. The relative shift away from motor gasoline to diesel is driven by improving light-duty vehicle fuel economy and the growth in commercial transportation activity.

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Gasoline Transportation 2020 Diesel 383

Green Car Congress

MARCH 25, 2013

Total injected hot fluid and total produced liquid for the nanocatalyst experiments at temperatures of 320 and 340 °C. Credit: ACS, Hashemi et al. Click to enlarge. Researchers at the University of Calgary are developing ultra-dispersed (UD) nanocatalysts for the in situ upgrading of heavy oil and bitumen from deep reservoirs. Such an “underground refinery” approach is one of the alternatives to surface upgrading that may become the next-generation of oil sands industry improvement, they suggest

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Oil-Sands Oil Production Hydrogen 358

Green Car Congress

MARCH 15, 2013

TEF project points to deep cuts in petroleum and emissions in the transportation sector by focusing on modes, fuels, and demand. Source: DOE. Click to enlarge. The US Department of Energy (DOE) released findings from a new project—Transportation Energy Futures (TEF)—that concludes the United States has the potential to eliminate petroleum use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by more than 80% in the transportation sector by 2050.

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Transportation Hydrogen Fuel Light 345

Green Car Congress

MARCH 14, 2013

The new SuperTruck achieved a 54% increase in fuel economy. Click to enlarge. Cummins Inc. and Peterbilt Motors Company, a division of PACCAR, released test results showing their demonstration SuperTruck tractor-trailer achieved a 54% increase in fuel economy, averaging nearly 10 mpg US (23.5 l/100 km) under real world driving conditions. In addition, the truck also demonstrated a 61% improvement in freight efficiency during testing compared to a baseline truck driving the same route.

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Peterbilt Fuel Economy Economy Fuel 342

Green Car Congress

MARCH 5, 2013

Volvo Car Group used the venue of the Geneva Motor Show to introduce new safety technology that detects and automatically brakes for cyclists swerving out in front of the car. The new functionality is an enhancement of the present detection and auto brake technology, and the package will be called Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection with full auto brake.

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Volvo Auto Cars MPG 312

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Green Car Congress

MARCH 6, 2013

A new study by Dr. Michael Sivak, Director, Sustainable Worldwide Transportation, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), has found that from 1970-2010, an increase in vehicle distance travelled in the US, coupled with a decrease in the number of occupants in the vehicles, combined to undercut the impact of advances in vehicle fuel economy during that period.

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Fuel Economy Economy Fuel North America 311

Green Car Congress

MARCH 25, 2013

Sketch describing the ZIP-Cap architecture and how it. differs from that of the EDLC. Source: Ionova. Click to enlarge. Ionova Technologies, Inc. reports that its zinc-ion-based ZIP-Cap asymmetric ultracapacitor is expected to provide a 25-fold reduction in build cost and a 5-fold increase in energy density (up to 35Wh/L) without the ultra-pure materials or expensive “dry-room” facilities that are necessary to build today’s ultracapacitors.

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Building Energy Lead Acid DC 304

Green Car Congress

MARCH 10, 2013

A plot of ESOI for 7 potential grid-scale energy storage technologies. Credit: Barnhart and Benson, 2013. Click to enlarge. A new study by Charles J. Barnhart and Sally M. Benson from Stanford University and Stanford’s Global Climate and Energy Project (GCEP) has quantified the energetic costs of 7 different grid-scale energy storage technologies over time.

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Energy Storage Grid Cost Of Energy 304

Green Car Congress

MARCH 13, 2013

Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC) has confirmed offshore production of methane from methane hydrate layers under the Daini-Atsumi Knoll (seamount) in the eastern Nankai trough off the coast of central Japan. Conceptual diagram of the first offshore methane hydrate production test. Source: METI. Click to enlarge. Although the first offshore production test is not commercial production and is very much an experimental research operation, JOGMEC said, it marks a milestone in t

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Production Japan 2001 Commercial 301

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Green Car Congress

MARCH 4, 2013

A3 Sportback e-tron drivetrain - hybrid components. Click to enlarge. Audi is providing more details on the coming A3 Sportback e-tron plug-in hybrid at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. ( Earlier post.) The A3 Sportback e-tron, with 50 kW (204 hp) of system power and 350 N·m (258 lb-ft) of system torque, accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 7.6 seconds on its way to a top speed of 222 km/h (138 mph).

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Audi Plug-in MPG Miles 301

Green Car Congress

MARCH 13, 2013

California-based Balqon Corporation, a developer of heavy-duty electric vehicles, drive systems and lithium battery storage devices ( earlier post ), has entered into a Joint Development Agreement with China-based Sichuan Automobile Industry Co., Ltd (SAIG) to manufacture inner-city electric buses. Under this Agreement, SAIG purchased the Balqon electric drive system for integration into a 22-foot bus chassis.

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China Automobile Industry Building Lithium Ion 300

Green Car Congress

MARCH 1, 2013

Audi A3 Sportback g-tron. Click to enlarge. Audi will introduce the compact A3 Sportback g-tron—which can be powered by the CO 2 -neutral Audi e-gas, synthetic methane generated from eco-electricity in the Audi e-gas project ( earlier post )—at the end of the year. The e-gas fuel will be produced in the power-to-gas plant in Werlte, Germany.

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Audi Gas CO2 Gas-Electric 296

Green Car Congress

MARCH 27, 2013

Mitsubishi Motors reported two separate incidents with Li-ion battery packs: one, a fire in a i-MiEV battery pack at the Mizushima battery pack assembly plant; the other, heating and melting in a pack installed in an Outlander plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. In the Mizushima event, the pack was connected to charge-discharge test equipment. There was no injury to personnel, or damage to the main plant building and equipment.

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i-MiEV Mitsubishi PHEV Li-ion 294

Green Car Congress

MARCH 26, 2013

Fuji Electric Corp. of America has begun US production of their UL-Certified DC Quick Chargers for Electric Vehicles, with the first production units shipping out of Milpitas, CA by late March. The manufacturer’s 4 th -Generation 25kW DC Quick Charger features a slimmer design than previous versions, making it suited for a wide variety of commercial applications.

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DC Production America Electrical 294

Green Car Congress

MARCH 1, 2013

The California Energy Commission voted to expand the state’s clean-vehicle rebate program with an award of $4.5 million to the California Air Resources Board through an interagency agreement to provide funding for the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project. This funding will be used to support purchases of light-duty zero-emission electric vehicles and light-duty plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

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Clean Cleaning California Energy 290

Green Car Congress

MARCH 11, 2013

Scania truck with a pantograph on the roof (“trolley-truck”). Click to enlarge. Scania and Siemens have entered into a partnership which involves the integration of Siemens’ trolley-assist technology with Scania’s expertise in the electrification of powertrains in trucks and buses. Scania has for a long time explored the possibilities of electrifying the powertrain in buses and trucks, while Siemens has developed trolley-assist systems for heavy duty trucks and is selling its SIMINE trolley-assi

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Los Angeles Hybrid Long Beach Vehicles 287

Green Car Congress

MARCH 9, 2013

The US DOE has released the final version of a new funding opportunity announcement ( DE-FOA-0000793 ) that will award more than $50 million in funding for new projects intended to accelerate the development of advanced plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) technologies to increase vehicle fuel economy and improve performance. DOE had earlier requested public comment on a draft of the solicitation. ( Earlier post.

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Plug-in Plug Vehicles Fuel Economy 287

Green Car Congress

MARCH 29, 2013

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed long-anticipated Tier 3 standards for gasoline sulfur content; evaporative emissions; and tailpipe emissions from all light-duty vehicles (LDVs, or passenger cars), light-duty trucks (LDT1s, LDT2s, LDT3s, and LDT4s) and Medium-Duty Passenger Vehicles (or MDPVs). With a proposed start in 2017, the Tier 3 program is also harmonized with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) Low Emission Vehicle (LEV III) program—enabling automakers to

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EPA Gasoline Standards Emissions 286

Green Car Congress

MARCH 21, 2013

The amount of traffic and pattern of changes in average speed with vehicles equipped with the system. Click to enlarge. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. conducted public-road testing of its new traffic congestion minimization technology ( earlier post ) in Indonesia and verified the effectiveness of the technology in delaying the development of congestion and in improving fuel efficiency by more than 20%.

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Indonesia Honda Fuel Motorcycles 286

Green Car Congress

MARCH 15, 2013

Adjusted CO 2 emissions and adjusted fuel economy, MY 1975-2011. Source: EPA. Click to enlarge. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its annual report summarizing key trends in carbon dioxide emissions, fuel economy, and CO 2 - and fuel economy-related technology for gasoline- and diesel-fueled personal vehicles sold in the United States, from model years (MY) 1975 through 2012.

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Fuel Economy 2012 EPA Economy 284

Green Car Congress

MARCH 27, 2013

A chart from EnerG2’s 2012 DOE Merit Review presentation shows different pore profiles for different energy storage applications. Click to enlarge. EnerG2, a manufacturer of advanced carbons for next-generation energy storage ( earlier post ), has begun production of nano-structured hard carbon for Li-ion battery anodes that it says can boost anode capacity by more than 50% over standard graphite.

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Li-ion Carbon Standards Energy Storage 281

Green Car Congress

MARCH 8, 2013

Schematic illustration of the aqueous rechargeable lithium battery (ARLB) using the coated lithium metal as anode, LiMn 2 O 4 as cathode and 0.5 mol l -1 Li 2 SO 4 aqueous solution as electrolyte. Wang et al. Click to enlarge. Researchers from Fudan University in China and Technische Universität Chemnitz in Germany have developed an aqueous rechargeable lithium battery (ARLB) using coated Li metal as the anode.

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Li-ion Low Cost Recharge Ni-Li 281

Green Car Congress

MARCH 1, 2013

EV Trucks for the trial. Click to enlarge. Yamato Transport Co., Ltd., Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), and Hino Motors, Ltd. (Hino) will begin trials using a small battery-electric truck (EV Truck) in Yamato delivery operations. Developed by Hino, the EV Truck is a one-tonne, ultra-low bed truck featuring a cargo space equipped with compartments for keeping delivery goods refrigerated or frozen.

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Toyota Batteries Battery Li-ion 281

Green Car Congress

MARCH 11, 2013

Researchers from the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science ( IACS ), an autonomous—and the oldest—research institute in India, have developed a high-performing bio-inspired catalyst (an Fe?Fe hydrogenase mimic immobilized on graphite surfaces) for electrocatalytic hydrogen generation in an aqueous medium. In a paper published in the journal ACS Catalysis , they report that. the catalyst shows a turnover frequency of 6,400 s ?

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Hydrogen Carbon Cheap Production 278

Green Car Congress

MARCH 25, 2013

While much of the motivation for next-generation batteries comes from transportation, Lux Research’s analysis concludes that the automotive market will be the last to adopt next-generation batteries due to the extreme cost sensitivity of automakers, stringent safety and lifetime requirements, and long, cautious adoption cycles. Hence, makers of next-generation batteries will have to look to other markets first.

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Li-ion Batteries Battery Low Cost 277

Green Car Congress

MARCH 27, 2013

Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive. Click to enlarge. Mercedes-Benz staged the world premiere of the production battery-electric 2014 B-Class Electric Drive at the New York International Auto Show; a concept version had appeared last year at the Paris Motor Show. ( Earlier post.). The B-Class Electric Drive is equipped with a 100 kW electric motor with 310 N·m (221 lb-ft) of torque, with a range of 115 miles (185 km).

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2014 Mercedes Sale USA 275

Green Car Congress

MARCH 25, 2013

Sketch describing the ZIP-Cap architecture and how it. differs from that of the EDLC. Source: Ionova. Click to enlarge. Ionova Technologies, Inc. reports that its zinc-ion-based ZIP-Cap asymmetric ultracapacitor is expected to provide a 25-fold reduction in build cost and a 5-fold increase in energy density (up to 35Wh/L) without the ultra-pure materials or expensive “dry-room” facilities that are necessary to build today’s ultracapacitors.

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Building Energy Lead Acid DC 275

Green Car Congress

MARCH 22, 2013

Scania Streamline G-series unit. Click to enlarge. Scania unveiled its new Streamline series of trucks that will enable customers to reduce fuel consumption by up to 8%. The Scania G- and R-series long-haulage trucks feature new low-drag looks and full air deflector kits. Potential fuel savings in long-haulage are up to 8% with the new, more efficient second-generation Euro 6 engines.

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Fuel Exhaust Economy Engine 275

Green Car Congress

MARCH 30, 2013

BMW introduced the 328d Sedan at the New York International Auto, ushering in the next wave of BMW Advanced Diesel models in the US. The 328d will feature BMW’s 2.0-liter TwinPower diesel 4-cylinder engine, which produces 180 hp (134 kW) and 280 lb-ft (380 N·m) of torque, available from 1,750 rpm. It will be mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission.

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MPG BMW Diesel New York 273