June, 2014

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Cummins progressing with lightweight downsized T2B2 diesel for pickup; 40% improvement in fuel economy over gasoline V8

Green Car Congress

'Cummins reports that it, along with partners Johnson Matthey and Nissan, is on plan in a 4-year, $30-million ($15 million from the US Department of Energy) research project to deliver a light-duty diesel engine with fuel economy 40% improved over that of baseline gasoline V8 engine for a half-ton pickup truck while also meeting the requirements of US Tier2 Bin2 tailpipe emissions. ( Earlier post.).

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Bradford: Twelve Years A Failure – His Reason To Kill CCAs

Creative Greenius

'South Bay Gets More Done In 3 Months Than SCE’s Former Flack Got Done in a Dozen As A City Councilman in Gardena. What a unique concept. First admit what a failure you were in your own personal efforts of launching a Community Choice power program where you live. Then i gnore or lie about the progress made by so many outside your community.

Vietnam 340
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Nissan Leaf New Battery Cost: $5,500 For Replacement With Heat-Resistant Chemistry

Green Car Reports

'Three and a half years after the first Nissan Leaf went on sale, Nissan has announced the cost of a replacement lithium-ion battery pack for its electric car. It''s a surprisingly low $5,499 (after a $1,000 credit for turning in the old pack, which is required), plus installation fees and tax. The installation is estimated at roughly 3 hours of.

Nissan 167
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McGuinness shatters TT ZERO lap record - 115+ miles/hr, Anstey at 113+ miles/hr

National Green Transportation

'History was made on Monday when Mugen's rider, John McGuinness, had the fastest lap time ever in TT ZERO electric motorcycle racing, 115.598 miles/hr. McGuinness and Mugen teammate, Bruce Anstey, both shattered the previous record.

Miles 89
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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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E-bikes: the cheapest way to get into electric transport

Green Cars News

'Could an electric bike solve your commuting nightmare — and get you fit too? Isn’t this summer weather wonderful? There’s barely a cloud in the sky, there’s a gentle summer breeze wafting through the trees, and it’s lovely and light in the evenings. If you’re stuck in traffic on your way to work[.].

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Tesla opens up all its patents

Green Car Congress

'Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk announced in a blog post that the company is opening up access to its patents; Tesla will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use the company’s technology. Tesla Motors was created to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport. If we clear a path to the creation of compelling electric vehicles, but then lay intellectual property landmines behind us to inhibit others, we are acting in a manner contrary to that goal.

Tesla 355

More Trending

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Mitsubishi takes divisional 1st and 2nd in Pikes Peak International Hill Climb 2014; 2nd overall

Green Car Congress

'Mitsubishi Motors’ iMiEV Evolution III all-electric racecars ( earlier post ) took first and second place in the the Electric Modified Division of the 2014 edition of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. With a time of 9 minutes 08 seconds 188, Greg Tracy won the Electric Modified Division honors and 2 nd overall—just a few seconds shy of taking the overall win.

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Houston start-up proposes different approach to hydrogen refueling: thousands of small networked outlets and smart app

Green Car Congress

'A Houston, Texas start-up is proposing a different approach to building out a hydrogen refueling infrastructure. Instead of relying on a series of heavily-subsidized “mega-stations”, Hydrogen-XT is proposing combining many small, inexpensive fueling outlets that reform hydrogen from natural gas with intelligent software that locates the stations and displays fuel availability, reserves the amount a customer wants, routes the customer to the selected station, and then completes the transaction,

Houston 326
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Frost & Sullivan: inductive (wireless) EV charging to grow with 126.6% CAGR 2012-2020

Green Car Congress

'A new report from Frost & Sullivan, “Strategic Analysis of Inductive Charging for Global Electric Vehicles (EV) Market,” finds forecasts the total market for inductive (wireless) charging will experience a compound annual growth rate of 126.6% from 2012 to 2020, with approximately 351,900 units likely to be sold. Inductive charging will account for 1.2% of both public and residential charging in North America and more than 2.6% in Europe, according to the report.

2020 321
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A123 Systems acquires lithium titanate and Li-imide electrolyte technology from Leyden Energy; micro-hybrid focus

Green Car Congress

'A123 Systems LLC, a developer and manufacturer of advanced lithium-ion batteries and systems, has acquired Leyden Energy’s intellectual property in battery materials covering lithium titanate (LTO) and non-flammable electrolyte (Li-imide) developments for an undisclosed amount. As a part of the deal, key technical staff of Leyden Energy have also agreed to join A123 Systems’ R&D organization.

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

Brief

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New DuraBlue ultracaps from Maxwell increase shock and vibration tolerance, energy and power capacity

Green Car Congress

'DuraBlue cell. Click to enlarge. Maxwell Technologies, Inc. has introduced its new DuraBlue Shock and Vibration Technology with the latest addition to its K2 series of ultracapacitor cells. The new 2.85-volt, 3400-farad DuraBlue ultracapacitor cell increases the range of available specific power by 17% and stored energy by 23% in the industry-standard 60 mm cylindrical “K2” form factor.

Chad 317
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Swedish researchers explore use of carbon fiber as active electrode in structural battery for electric vehicles

Green Car Congress

'Woven carbon fiber can act as an electrode for lithium ion batteries. (Photo: Peter Larsson) Click to enlarge. Researchers in Sweden are exploring the use of carbon fiber as an active electrode in a multifunctional structural Li-ion battery in an electric car; i.e., electrical storage is incorporated into the body of the car. Carbon fiber material is a good candidate for structural electrodes since it has high specific tensile stiffness and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) as well as high lithiu

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6 DOE-funded applied battery research projects targeting Li-ion cells with >200 Wh/kg for PHEVs and EVs

Green Car Congress

'The US Department of Energy (DOE) has six recently launched applied battery research (ABR) projects as part of its Vehicle Technologies portfolio. ABR, noted Peter Faguy, the DOE manager of the applied battery research program, during his presentation at the Annual Merit Review in Washington, DC, is the difficult regime between the discovery of materials and their application in batteries that can be commercialized.

Li-ion 316
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Ted Lieu To The Rescue! Heroic Climate Champion Saves Community Choice Aggregation.

Creative Greenius

'My politically connected friends (who prefer to remain nameless) advise me to accept State Senator Ted Lieu as he is and be happy for his strong environmental record. . They tell me to stop wishing he was somebody else and that I’m dreaming if I think he’s ever going to change into the dynamo that I fantasize about. . And I get that. You go to climate battle with the Ted Lieu you have, not the Ted Lieu you wished you had.

Climate 316
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ExxonMobil announces 6th oil discovery offshore Guyana with Ranger-1; Guyana may move from non-producer to regional powerhouse

Oil

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EDI partners with Greenkraft for parallel-series multi-mode Class-4 CNG-PHEV truck; CEC funding

Green Car Congress

'Greenkraft truck. Click to enlarge. Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. (EDI), a producer of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and continuously variable transmission (CVT) solutions ( earlier post ), is partnering with Greenkraft , CALSTART, and the California Energy Commission (CEC) to develop a Class-4 vehicle that combines the benefits of compressed natural gas (CNG) and PHEV technology.

PHEV 306
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Researchers review risk to water resources from unconventional shale gas development in US

Green Car Congress

'A team from Duke University, Stanford University, Dartmouth College and Ohio State University has published in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology an overview and synopsis of recent investigations (as of January 2014) into one set of possible environmental impacts from unconventional shale gas development: the potential risks to water resources.

Water 306
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Toyota to launch its fuel cell vehicle in Japan before April 2015, priced around $68,700; reveals exterior

Green Car Congress

'Toyota’s Mitsuhisa Kato briefs the media in Japan on the timing and pricing of the FCV, and outlines the company’s view of the role of fuel cell vehicles. Click to enlarge. Toyota Motor Corporation revealed the exterior design and Japan pricing of its hydrogen fuel cell sedan, first unveiled as a concept at the Tokyo Motor Show last year. ( Earlier post.

Japan 304
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Wayne Powell, Duddly Do Right For All The Right Reasons

Creative Greenius

'Your Friendly Neighborhood Greenius (white shirt) talks to Manhattan Beach Councilman Wayne Powell (center) and Councilman Mark Burton at the 2014 Manhattan Beach Earth Day Celebration. A lot of my political friends are still suffering from election night hangovers this Throwback Thursday. Their heads continue to pound, they’re still suffering from dry mouth and disorientation.

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USC team develops novel organic redox flow battery for large-scale energy storage

Green Car Congress

'Schematic of ORBAT. Click to enlarge. Scientists at USC have developed a novel water-based Organic Redox Flow Battery (ORBAT) for lower cost, long lasting large-scale energy storage. An open access paper on their work is published in the Journal of the Electrochemical Society. ORBAT employs two different water-soluble organic redox couples on the positive and negative side of a flow battery.

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California online dashboard provides information about PEV buyers; importance of incentive funds, $130M from California paid out to date

Green Car Congress

'Survey results show the importance of incentives in PEV purchases. Click to enlarge. A new online tool published by the California Air Resources Board (ARB) and California Center for Sustainable Energy offers the general public, researchers, policymakers and stakeholders the opportunity to learn about who is buying plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) in California, and why.

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SwRI and USTA researchers to develop a novel catalyst for low-temperature SCR

Green Car Congress

'Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) announced funding for a new joint research projects to advance clean emission technologies. Funding through the organizations’ Connecting through Research Partnerships (“Connect”) program has been granted for $125,000 for this project. One of the main groups of pollutants resulting from fuel combustion is the oxides of nitrogen, or NO x.

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Study suggests GTL blending could increase overall US refinery efficiency by improving diesel efficiency

Green Car Congress

'Impact of GTL diesel blending (5% penetration relative to refinery crude input) on US average overall refinery efficiency. Credit: ACS, Forman et al. Click to enlarge. A team from Sasol Synfuels, Jacobs Consultancy and Argonne National Laboratory has used results from a US industry-wide linear programming (LP) modeling study of individual US refineries to examine the impacts of a number of significant and looming changes—such as shifts in refinery crude slates; regional and seasonal varia

Diesel 287
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H2 Logic and Air Liquide to build network of hydrogen refueling stations in Denmark

Green Car Congress

'H2 Logic A/S and Air Liquide have concluded a joint investment in their joint venture hydrogen fuel company, Copenhagen Hydrogen Network A/S (CHN). The company is already operating a hydrogen refueling station in Copenhagen that will be followed by four more stations during 2014. This will make Denmark will be the world’s first country where hydrogen fueling is available nationwide and based 100% on renewable energy.

Denmark 286
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Chevrolet Volt owners surpass half a billion electric miles; 63% of overall driving in EV mode

Green Car Congress

'Chevrolet Volt owners have accumulated more than half a billion all-electric miles since the vehicle’s launch in 2010. Additionally, based on a GM study of more than 300 Volts in service in California for more than 30 months, many owners are exceeding the EPA-rated label of 35 miles of EV range per full charge, with about 15% surpassing 40 miles of range.

Volt 285
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US Hybrid awarded contract to deliver plug-in fuel cell shuttle bus to Hawaii County Mass Transit Agency

Green Car Congress

'The hydrogen shuttle bus. Click to enlarge. California-based US Hybrid Corporation has been awarded a contract by the Hawaii Center for Advanced Transportation Technologies (HCATT) for the design, integration and delivery of its H 2 Ride Fuel Cell Plug-In Shuttle Bus for operation by the County of Hawaii Mass Transit Agency’s (MTA) HELE-ON Big Island bus service.

Hawaii 281
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MIT team reveals inner workings of LiFePO4 cathodes in Li-on batteries; direct observation of predicted SSZ

Green Car Congress

'New observations by researchers at MIT have revealed the inner workings of a lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO 4 ) cathode—a material widely used in lithium-ion batteries. The new findings, published in a paper in the ACS journal Nano Letters , explain the unexpectedly high power and long cycle life of such batteries, the researchers say. The MIT researchers found that inside this electrode during charging, a solid-solution zone (SSZ) forms at the boundary between lithium-rich and lithium-de

MIT 281
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Ram introduces Doblò-based 2015 Ram ProMaster City van

Green Car Congress

'2015 Ram ProMaster City. Click to enlarge. Chrysler’s Ram brand introduced the 2015 Ram ProMaster City commercial van. The Ram ProMaster City is based on the Fiat Doblò, a two-time International Van of the Year winner with more than 1.3 million units sold. The new, smaller van joins the ProMaster and Ram Cargo vans, and is intended to provide incremental growth for Ram’s brand sales volumes.

2015 278
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Toyota implements Atkinson cycle in non-hybrid ESTEC engine; up to 38% thermal efficiency and improved fuel economy

Green Car Congress

' Performance of the new ESTEC engine (1NR-FKE) compared to the current 1NR-FE engine applied in the Yaris. Yamada et al. Click to enlarge. Engineers at Toyota have developed an approach to applying the Atkinson cycle—used in the engines in Toyota hybrids since 1997—for engines in conventional, non-hybrid vehicles. The Atkinson cycle with a high compression ratio is a common approach that hybrid vehicle engines use to enhance thermal efficiency.

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Lightning Hybrids releases initial emissions testing results for medium-duty hydraulic hybrids

Green Car Congress

'The Lightning Hybrid system. Click to enlarge. Lightning Hybrids , a maker of hydraulic hybrid systems for medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses ( earlier post ), released initial results from emissions testing conducted by an independent testing facility in Colorado of two medium-duty trucks upfitted with the Lighting Hybrids system. The results show decreases in NO x of up to 90% and decreases in CO 2 emissions of up to 16% over the same baseline vehicle, depending upon the drive cycle test

Hybrid 275
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Android Auto makes its debut with support from multiple automakers and tech companies

Green Car Congress

'Android Auto made its debut at the 2014 Google I/O annual technology conference in San Francisco as the first innovation resulting from the Open Automotive Alliance (OAA)—a coalition of tech companies and auto industry leaders launched in January by Google, NVIDIA, Audi, GM, Honda and Hyundai committed to bringing the Android platform to cars.

Auto 273
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Neah Power Systems pitching on-board formic acid reforming for automotive hydrogen fuel cell applications

Green Car Congress

'Neah Power Systems , Inc. is in preliminary discussions with a fuel cell company to license formic acid reforming technology for certain grid scale applications, and is also identifying appropriate automotive partners for the technology, opening up new Served Available Markets (SAM) that are very significant, according to CEO Chris D’Couto. The company recently published a white paper discussing its patent pending technology.

Hydrogen 270
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Ford 1.0L EcoBoost wins 3rd consecutive Int’l Engine Of The Year; VW 1.4L TSI takes 9th straight win; Tesla the Best Green Engine

Green Car Congress

'Ford’s 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine ( earlier post ) was named 2014 International Engine of the Year for the third consecutive year. Available in Ford Fiesta and the upcoming 2015 Focus, the 1.0L EcoBoost was also named Best Engine Under 1.0-Liter for third year in a row. The Best Green Engine Award this year went to the Tesla Model S electric powertrain.

Engine 268
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NREL and GM announce multi-year R&D partnership to reduce cost of automotive fuel cells

Green Car Congress

'The Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and General Motors (GM) are partnering on a multi-year, multi-million dollar joint effort to accelerate the reduction of automotive fuel cell stack costs through fuel cell material and manufacturing research and development (R&D). Most major automakers, including GM, have made significant progress in the development of fuel cell electric vehicles, but achieving commercial deployment with global impact will require further cost

GM 268
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Eni launches its car sharing service “Enjoy” in Rome

Green Car Congress

'Enjoy, the car sharing service that Italy-based energy major Eni developed in partnership with Fiat and Trenitalia, will start operating in Rome tomorrow with a fleet of more than 300 Fiat 500 cars which will increase to 600 by September 2014. Enjoy is already deployed in Milan, with more than 80,000 registered customers and 500,000 rentals in the first five months.

Cars 268