October, 2014

article thumbnail

ICCT study finds state EV incentives playing a significant role in driving sales

Green Car Congress

'A study by a team from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) shows that state electric vehicle incentives are playing a significant early role in reducing the effective cost of ownership and driving electric vehicle sales. As described in their white paper, “Evaluation of state-level US electric vehicle incentives”, the researchers found that some of the states with the largest electric vehicle incentives—i.e., California, Georgia, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington—h

Sale 374
article thumbnail

How Audi, BMW & Mercedes Plan To Compete With Tesla--And Why

Green Car Reports

'We already know that in the next few years, we''ll see a slew of mid-size SUVs offered with plug-in hybrid powertrains--most from luxury brands like Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, and Range Rover. But the German luxury marques are making plans to compete more directly with Tesla Motors and its Model S all-electric long-range luxury sedan. All have.

Audi 167
article thumbnail

Running on LPG: What’s it really like?

Green Cars News

'In recent years, LPG has been a bit of a side-show in the field of alternative fuel vehicles, and unjustifiably so, when you actually consider its eco-credentials. So we were delighted to get the chance to drive our first LPG-converted vehicle; after all it has to be one of the most affordable ways[.].

article thumbnail

Tesla Motors unveils dual drive Model S, and advanced self-parking autopilot

National Green Transportation

'Last week Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk taunted us with a vague tweet about showing us his D, and on Thursday he made good on that promise. In front of a packed crowd in Hawthorne (near Los Angeles), Elon.

article thumbnail

How serious is Norway about climate change? So much that its streetlights self-dim

emissions global warming Norway climate change carbon dioxide youtube lighting

article thumbnail

Month-long study finds heat released by Rossi E-Cat and isotope changes in fuel suggest low-temp nuclear reaction taking place

Green Car Congress

'Researchers from Uppsala University, KTH and the University of Bologna have reported that during a 32-day test, an “E-Cat” reactor developed by Andrea Rossi ( earlier post ) released an abundance of heat that cannot be explained by chemical reactions alone. They further reported that isotope changes in the analyzed fuel (lithium and nickel) indicate that nuclear reactions might have occurred at low temperatures.

Fuel 353
article thumbnail

Volvo Cars reveals triple-boosted 4-cylinder, 450 hp Drive-E powertrain concept

Green Car Congress

'Drive-E Powertrain Concept. Click to enlarge. Volvo has developed a concept 2-liter, 4-cylinder, triple-boost Drive-E concept engine that delivers 450 hp (336 kW). The 450 hp High Performance Drive-E Powertrain Concept is based on a set of technologies not usually found in a four-cylinder engine. The engine utilizes two parallel turbochargers, which are fed by an electrically powered turbo-compressor.

Volvo 348

More Trending

article thumbnail

Abengoa opens cellulosic ethanol plant in Hugoton; 1st commercial deployment of Abengoa enzymatic hydrolysis

Green Car Congress

'The Hugoton cellulosic ethanol plant covers 400 acres, more than 380 of which will be used to store biomass from local farmers. Click to enlarge. Abengoa held the grand opening of its cellulosic ethanol plant in Hugoton, Kansas, located about 90 miles (145 km) southwest of Dodge City. Abengoa’s new biorefinery finished construction in mid-August and began producing cellulosic ethanol at the end of September with the capacity to produce up to 25 million gallons (94.6 million liters) per year.

article thumbnail

ORNL solid-state 5V Li-ion battery shows cycle life of 10,000, 90% capacity retention

Green Car Congress

'Researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated a solid-state high-voltage (5 V) lithium battery with an extremely long cycle life of more than 10,000 cycles, with 90% capacity retention. The solid electrolyte enables the use of high-voltage cathodes and Li anodes with minimum side reactions, leading to a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.98+%.

Li-ion 319
article thumbnail

EPA Trends on EVs and PHEVs; beginning of a “measurable and meaningful impact” on new vehicle fuel economy and emissions

Green Car Congress

'The US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) annual report “Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends” ( earlier post ) has, in its past editions since its inception in 1975, treated alternative fuel vehicles—electric vehicles (EVs), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), and compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles—separately from gasoline and diesel vehicles, with the vast majority of its analysis limited to gasoline and diesel vehicles only.

article thumbnail

Study shows biodiesel blends in buses reduce PM, other harmful exhaust elements, EC and CO

Green Car Congress

'A new study on the combustion properties of biodiesel for use in urban transit buses found that using biodiesel can effectively reduce the mass of particulate matter released in both hot and cold idle modes. The study, published by the Mineta National Transit Research Consortium (MNTRC), observed a reduction in amount of particulate matter, number of elements, and elemental carbon; the reduction is considered beneficial to promoting the clean air and human health.

Exhaust 312
article thumbnail

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

Brief

article thumbnail

Neste Oil de-emphasizing microbial oil R&D for renewable diesel; seeking other uses for cellulosic biomass

Green Car Congress

'Neste Oil, the producer of NExBTL renewable diesel, is realigning its long-term R&D and switching from an emphasis on research into the production of microbial oil as a feedstock for NExBTL renewable diesel and renewable jet fuel ( earlier post ) to other areas of technology for using cellulosic forestry and agricultural waste, due in part to feedstock cost issues.

Oil 310
article thumbnail

Volkswagen XL1-based XL Sport concept powered by Ducati V2 joins Passat GTE plug-in hybrid on Paris stage

Green Car Congress

'Volkswagen XL Sport concept. Click to enlarge. On the evening before the Paris Motor Show, the Volkswagen Group presented not only the production-bound Passat GTE plug-in hybrid ( earlier post ), but also staged the world premiere of the XL Sport—a highly efficient sports car concept based on Volkswagen’s XL1 diesel plug-in hybrid ( earlier post ).

Plug-in 309
article thumbnail

USDA provides $91M loan guarantee to Cool Planet for biogasoline blendstock plant; biomass pyrolysis and catalytic conversion

Green Car Congress

'Gas chromatography comparison of Conoco fuel and a Conoco-CoolPlanet blend. Cool Planet’s biogasoline blendstock is 100% compatible with pump gasoline. Source: Cool Planet. Click to enlarge. USDA has reached an agreement with Silicon Valley Bank to provide a $91-million Biorefinery Assistance Program loan guarantee to Cool Planet to help the company finish construction on an advanced biofuel plant at the Port of Alexandria in Louisiana. ( Earlier post.).

article thumbnail

Autonomous Audi RS 7 concept completes Hockenheimring lap at racing speed

Green Car Congress

'System components of the Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept. Click to enlarge. At the DTM season finale, an autonomous Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept completed a lap on the Grand Prix track in Hockenheim at racing speed—without a driver. It took the Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept just slightly over two minutes to complete a lap on the track, piloted with high precision and accuracy to within centimeters.

Audi 306
article thumbnail

ExxonMobil announces 6th oil discovery offshore Guyana with Ranger-1; Guyana may move from non-producer to regional powerhouse

Oil

article thumbnail

Linde close to completing its first retail H2 fueling station in the US; next-generation ionic compressor

Green Car Congress

'Design of the IC 90 ionic compressor. (US+EU Version) Source: Linde. Click to enlarge. Linde LLC is close to completing the first retail hydrogen fueling station the company will operate in the US. The station, which Linde expects to be online before the end of the year, is being installed at the Ramos Oil Company multi-fuel station in West Sacramento, California, where Ramos currently retails gasoline, diesel, bio-diesel, ethanol-85, methanol, and racing fuels.

Oakland 304
article thumbnail

Lockheed Martin pursuing compact nuclear fusion reactor concept

Green Car Congress

'Lockheed Martin revealed yesterday that its Skunk Works team is working on a new compact fusion reactor (CFR)—the size of a Class 8 trailer rather than a building—that could be developed and deployed in as little as 10 years. There are several patents pending that cover their approach, the company said, although the team has yet to publish scientific papers on its approach.

Fusion 300
article thumbnail

DOE launches $1M H2 Refuel H-Prize for small-scale hydrogen refueling

Green Car Congress

'The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) and the Hydrogen Education Foundation (HEF) launched the $1-million H2 Refuel H-Prize. The two-year competition challenges America’s engineers and entrepreneurs to develop affordable systems for small-scale hydrogen fueling. This H-Prize competition is intended to assist in expanding the hydrogen infrastructure across the country to support more transportation energy options for US consumers, including fuel cell electric v

Hydrogen 300
article thumbnail

La Poste Group and Renault enter new eco-mobility partnership; coincides with delivery of the 5,000th Kangoo Z.E.

Green Car Congress

'Philippe Wahl, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of La Poste group, and Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Renault group, signed a new partnership agreement today to pursue and strengthen their cooperation on the search for eco-mobility solutions. Since the launch of France’s low-carbon vehicle project in January 2009, La Poste group, which has the country’s largest industrial fleet with some 69,000 vehicles, has equipped itself with a complete range of electric vehicl

Fleet 294
article thumbnail

Swedish Energy Agency awards PowerCell $960K toward developing modular fuel cell range extender system for EVs

Green Car Congress

'The Swedish Energy Agency has awarded Volvo Group spinout PowerCell SEK7 million (US$965,000) for the MoRE Zero project to develop a fuel cell system for use in a modular range extender system for electric vehicles in the European ERA-NET project. The kick-off meeting of the MoRE Zero project took place on June 2014. PowerCell will develop a modular and scalable fuel cell system in the order of 20-25 kW.

Range 294
article thumbnail

UT Austin to lead $58M study of methane hydrate in Gulf of Mexico; $41M from DOE

Green Car Congress

'A research team led by The University of Texas at Austin has been awarded approximately $58 million to analyze methane hydrate deposits under the Gulf of Mexico. The grant, one of the largest ever awarded to the university, will allow researchers to advance the scientific understanding of naturally occurring methane hydrate so that its resource potential and environmental implications can be fully understood.

Mexico 294
article thumbnail

Daimler restructures cooperation with Tesla; termination of share-price hedging and sale of 4% stake

Green Car Congress

'Daimler AG has restructured its cooperation with Tesla Motors. Daimler has terminated the share-price hedge it initiated in 2013 and has sold its stake in Tesla of approximately 4%. The cooperation between the partners on the automotive projects is unaffected. Development work for the Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive ([link] is completed, and the partnership with Tesla remains in place, Daimler said.

Price 291
article thumbnail

Solazyme and Amyris receive Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge awards

Green Car Congress

'The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the 5 winners of the 2014 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards, including biotechnology companies Amyris and Solazyme, Inc. Solazyme received the award for Greener Synthetic Pathways for its tailored oils produced from microalgal fermentation. Amyris received the Small Business award for its renewable hydrocarbon farnesane for use as diesel and jet fuel.

Green 290
article thumbnail

NTU Singapore team develops ultra-fast charging Li-ion battery with new TiO2 gel anode material

Green Car Congress

'Researchers from Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) led by Professor Xiaodong Chen have developed a new TiO 2 gel material for Li-ion battery anodes. A battery equipped with the new anode material can be recharged up to 70% in only 2 minutes. The new battery will also be able to endure more than 10,000 charging cycles. A paper on their work is published in the journal Advanced Materials.

Li-ion 290
article thumbnail

UC Davis ITS study suggests hastening consumer adoption of plug-ins will require innovation on the sales side

Green Car Congress

'XXXXX Click to enlarge. A study by researchers at the Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis finds that buyers of plug-in vehicles (PEVs) are substantially less satisfied with the dealer purchase experience than buyers of conventional vehicles—with the notable exception of Tesla buyers. A fundamental problem appears to be divergent expectations regarding the level of support buyers receive from dealerships.

Davis 290
article thumbnail

TomTom and VW Group Research to partner on developing new NDS-based digital map for highly automated driving systems

Green Car Congress

'TomTom and Volkswagen Group Research have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to join forces for the development of Highly Automated Driving (HAD) systems. The goal of this research co-operation is to develop jointly the digital map that is essential for automated driving. The two partners bundle their competencies by combining TomTom’s expertise in map content and map-making with Volkswagen’s know-how about the car as well as automated driving.

Standards 290
article thumbnail

Indianapolis plans to add 425 PHEVs and BEVs to municipal fleet by 2016

Green Car Congress

'The City of Indianapolis will upgrade 425 non-police-pursuit sedans in its muncipal fleet to plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles by early 2016, cut the size of the fleet by 100 vehicles, and save $8.7 million over ten years. The Indy fleet would be the largest municipal fleet of electrified vehicles in the US. The new Indy fleet vehicles will include 100% electric models, such as the Nissan LEAF, as well as plug-in hybrid models like the Chevrolet Volt and the Ford Fusion Energi, which

article thumbnail

GMZ Energy announces new, high-power thermoelectric module: TG16-1.0

Green Car Congress

'TG16. Click to enlarge. GMZ Energy, a developer of high temperature thermoelectric generation (TEG) solutions, has introduced the TG16-1.0 , a new thermoelectric module capable of producing twice the power of the company’s first product, the TG8-1.0. By doubling the power density, GMZ’s new module substantially increases performance while maintaining a minimal footprint.

Power 287
article thumbnail

Neste Oil seeking California LCFS approval for gutter oil to renewable diesel pathway

Green Car Congress

'Among four new California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) fuel pathway applications is a used cooking oil (gutter oil) to renewable diesel (NExBTL) pathway from Neste Oil at its Singapore plant. (Boeing and COMAC are opening a demonstration facility in China to convert gutter oil to renewable aviation fuel. Earlier post.). Neste Oil Singapore Pte Ltd. produces approximately 250 million gallons annually of drop-in renewable diesel (RD)—i.e., not biodiesel—using a hydrogenation proces

Oil 285
article thumbnail

Infiniti Q80 Inspiration concept hybrid delivers 550 hp with 42.8 mpg fuel economy

Green Car Congress

'Infiniti unveiled the Q80 Inspiration concept car at the 2014 Paris Motor Show, it what it called a signal of its intent to break into the top tier of the premium sedan category; the concept will lead to a future model. The four-door fastback is powered by a hybrid electric powertrain that is expected to deliver 550 hp (410 kW) with fuel consumption of 5.5 L/100 km (42.8 mpg US) and CO 2 emissions of about 129 g/km.

Infinity 281
article thumbnail

Oregon DEQ seeking public comments on implementing Low Carbon Fuel Standard before sunset in 2015

Green Car Congress

'Oregon’s Department on Environmental Quality (DEQ) is inviting public comment on a proposed rulemaking that would fully implement Oregon’s low carbon fuel standard (LCFS). ( Earlier post.) The first phase required Oregon producers and importers of fuels to register with DEQ, keep records and submit reports about the fuels they currently supply. The second phase—the rules for which DEQ is currently seeking comments—require the same parties to meet the low carbon fuel standards by sup

Oregon 277
article thumbnail

Navigant Research forecasts plug-ins will be 2.4% of global new vehicle sales by 2023; luxury brands to represent about 50% of that

Green Car Congress

'Navigant Research forecasts that plug-in EVs (which include plug-in hybrids and battery EVs), will represent 2.4% of total worldwide light-duty vehicle sales by 2023, or about 2.5 million units. In its new report, “ Global Forecasts for Light Duty Hybrid, Plug-In Hybrid, and Battery Electric Vehicle Sales and Vehicles in Use: 2014-2023 ”, Navigant notes that luxury brands, which have benefited in recent years from increased interest from the developing markets of Asia Pacific, have committed mo

Plug-in 276
article thumbnail

UK providing £15M ($24M) for latest competition for greener transportation technologies

Green Car Congress

'The UK government and Innovate UK—theTechnology Strategy Board are providing £15 million ($24 million) for the latest competition to encourage technologies for road-vehicles that will deliver significant reductions in CO 2 emissions. The UK’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) has committed £11 million (US$18 million) while Innovate UK is providing £4 million (US$6 million).

article thumbnail

Maxwell and Corning ally to advance ultracapacitor technology

Green Car Congress

'Maxwell Technologies Incorporated and Corning Incorporated have entered a joint development agreement with the goal of advancing the state of capacitive energy storage technology by addressing the challenges frequently cited by ultracapacitor customers, including energy density, lifetime, operating environment, form factor and cost. The partners suggest that Maxwell’s expertise in ultracapacitor cell design, manufacturing processes and market-leading capacitive energy storage product designs co

article thumbnail

ORNL team uses 3D printing and WBG semiconductors to make smaller, more powerful inverter (update w/ metrics)

Green Car Congress

'Prototype inverter. Click to enlarge. Using 3-D printing and novel silicon carbide (SiC) wide band gap (WBG) semiconductors, researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have created a prototype power inverter for electric vehicles that achieves a much higher power density than currently available along with a significant reduction in weight and volume—almost meeting, and in terms of efficiency, beating, DOE’s 2020 targets.

Power 273