May, 2016

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Airbus APWorks unveils 3D-printed electric motorcycle; 35kg total, 6kg bionic structure frame

Green Car Congress

APWorks, a 100% subsidiary of Airbus Group, has unveiled the first 3D-printed motorcycle. Dubbed the Light Rider, the motorcycle is made using APWorks’ Scalmalloy material, and weighs only 35 kg (77 lbs). With a 6 kW electric motor powering it from zero to 80 km per hour in just seconds and a frame weighing a mere 6 kg (13 lbs), the world’s first 3D-printed electric motorcycle is 30% lighter than conventionally manufactured e-motorcycles.

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Nikola One 2000-hp natural gas-electric semi truck announced

Green Car Reports

What will Elon Musk think of this? There is now a second company named after inventor Nikola Tesla—and it too plans to build electric vehicles. Unlike Tesla Motors, though, the first products of the newly-revealed Nikola (pronounced Neek-oh-la) Motor Company won't be a sports car or a luxury sedan. DON'T MISS: Recovered Energy And.

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ORNL team engineers 1st high-performance, two-way oxide catalyst; outperforms platinum; potential for new electrochemistry systems

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A research team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has created the first high-performance, two-way oxide catalyst and filed a patent application for the invention. The new bi-directional catalyst can outperform platinum in oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions (ORR and OER). The accomplishment is reported in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

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Study finds farms a major source of fine-particulate air pollution

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Emissions from farms outweigh all other human sources of fine-particulate air pollution in much of the United States, Europe, Russia and China, according a new study published in Geophysical Research Letters , a journal of the American Geophysical Union. Fumes from nitrogen-rich fertilizers and animal waste combine in the air with combustion emissions to form solid particles, which constitute a major source of disease and death, according to the new study.

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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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Worldwide sales of Toyota hybrids surpass 9 million units; Prius family accounts for 63%

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Toyota Motor Corporation announced that the cumulative figures for global sales of its hybrid vehicles reached 9.014 million units as of 30 April. This latest million-unit milestone was achieved in just nine months. The Prius family still accounts for the majority of sales: 5.691 million units, or 63% of the total global cumulative number. (Prius: 3.733 million; Prius α, Prius v, Prius +: 0.634 million; Aqua, Prius c: 1.249 million; Prius PHV: 0.075 million).

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2017 Ford Fusion Energi PHEV boosts total range to 610 miles

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Ford’s 2017 Fusion Energi—incorporating enhancements announced earlier this year at the Detroit Auto Show ( earlier post )—can travel 610 miles (982 km) on a full tank of gas and battery charge according to EPA estimates to be posted to fueleconomy.gov—the highest combined range of any plug-in hybrid sold in the US. The 2016 model of the Fusion Energi has a combined range of 550 miles (885 km).

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More Trending

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European Fast-E project launches; 278 fast-charging points in Germany and Belgium

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The Fast-E project, co-financed by the European Union and nine companies, has officially launched , with the objective of installing 241 fast-charging charging stations in Germany and 37 in Belgium. A sister project between the Czech Republic and Slovakia will add another 30 charging stations. The 278 charging points set up every 80 km along Germany and Belgium’s main motorways, will allow drivers of electric vehicles to “refuel” and extend their car’s range.

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Prieto Battery receives investment from Stanley Ventures to pursue commercialization of 3D Li-ion battery

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Prieto Battery, a company commercializing a 3D Lithium-ion battery technology ( earlier post ), announced a strategic investment from Stanley Ventures, the newly-formed venture arm of Stanley Black & Decker, a world-leading provider of tools and storage, commercial electronic security and engineered fastening systems. Prieto Battery Inc. was founded in June 2009 to accelerate the shift of Prieto’s innovations from the research laboratory to the commercial marketplace.

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Mercedes-Benz investing ~€3B in new engine technology; new diesel family, particulate filters for gasoline engines

Green Car Congress

Mercedes-Benz is investing about €3 billion (US$3.4 billion) in engine technology to ensure further improvements in fuel consumption and emissions in gasoline and diesel engines in current as well as current vehicles, according to Prof. Dr. Thomas Weber, Daimler Board of Management Member for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development. With the new E 220d, Mercedes-Benz introduced the completely newly developed four-cylinder diesel engine OM 654 ( earlier post )—the first of a modul

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PSI team demonstrates direct hydrocarbon fuel production from water and CO2 by solar-driven thermochemical cycles

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Solar-driven thermochemical cycles offer a direct means of storing solar energy in the chemical bonds of energy-rich molecules. By utilizing a redox material such as ceria (CeO 2 ) as a reactive medium, STCs can produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide—i.e., syngas—from water and CO 2. The syngas can subsequently be upgraded to hydrocarbon fuels by the Fischer-Tropsch process.

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

Brief

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PSA Group outlines electrification solutions for future hybrid and electric vehicles; 4 EVs, 7 PHEVs by 2021

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At its Innovation Day event, PSA Group presented its new electrification strategy. PSA Group is consolidating the development of its models on two global modular platforms—CMP and EMP2—allowing it to offer a wide range of internal combustion, electric and plug-in hybrid gasoline models from 2019. Both platforms are optimized and lighter (25kg for EMP2 and 40kg for CMP) than current platforms, and offer greater modularity in terms of length, width, height and wheel diameter.

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Researchers develop safe and durable high-temperature Li-S battery with conventional C-S electrode using MLD alucone coating

Green Car Congress

Researchers from University of Western Ontario, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), and Canadian Light Sources (CLS) have developed a safe and durable high-temperature Li-sulfur battery using universal conventional carbon–sulfur (C-S) electrodes with a molecular layer deposited (MLD) alucone (aluminum oxide polymeric film) coating. The MLD alucone-coated C−S electrodes demonstrate stabilized ultralong cycle life at high temperature (55 ˚C) with a capacity of more than 570 mA h g −1 aft

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ULEMCo delivers first hydrogen-diesel dual-fuel refuse trucks to Fife Council in Scotland

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ULEMCo, the developer of a hydrogen-diesel dual fuel conversion system for commercial vehicles, has delivered its first hydrogen dual-fuel refuse vehicles to Fife Council in Scotland. The trucks, which deliver reduced CO 2 emissions as well as improving air quality for the local community, are planned for use in densely populated urban areas, where improving air quality is a major concern.

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Geely raises $400M via Green Bonds sale to develop and produce TX5 range-extended electric London taxis

Green Car Congress

China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (ZGH) has raised $400 million through the first Green Bond sale on the offshore market from a Chinese automobile company to support the design, development and production of range-extended electric vehicles by its UK subsidiary, the LondonTaxi Company (LTC), manufacturer of the iconic London Black Cab. The plug-in hybrid TX5 London Cab will be launched in the UK at the end of 2017 and in international markets in 2018.

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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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US International Trade Commission votes to investigate alledged hybrid patent infringement by VW Group

Green Car Congress

The US International Trade Commission (USITC) has voted to institute a formal investigation of Volkswagen, Audi, and Porsche based on Paice’s earlier complaint of infringement of its hybrid vehicle patents. ( Earlier post.) An official evidentiary hearing will be held before an ITC Administrative Law Judge at a date to be determined. The complaint, as amended, alleges violations of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 in the importation into the US and sale of certain hybrid electric vehicles a

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California SCAQMD petitioning EPA for national ultra-low NOx standard for trucks

Green Car Congress

The Governing Board of California’s South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) earlier this year voted to petition the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to adopt tougher emission standards for engines of heavy-duty trucks to help the region meet federal clean air goals. The petition requests EPA to adopt an “ultra-low NO x ” emission standard for heavy-duty truck engines that is up to ten times more stringent than the current standard.

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SAE International approves TIR J2954 for PH/EV wireless charging; targeting finalized standard by 2018

Green Car Congress

SAE International approved for publishing “SAE TIR J2954 Wireless Power Transfer for Light-Duty Plug-In/ Electric Vehicles and Alignment Methodology,” a milestone industry guideline to establish wireless power transfer between infrastructure, vehicle suppliers and OEMs for plug-in electric and electric vehicles (PH/EV). ( Earlier post.) The document will be available from the SAE website on 31 May.

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SAE International publishes TIR J2954 for PH/EV wireless charging

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SAE International has published “SAE TIR J2954 Wireless Power Transfer for Light-Duty Plug-In/ Electric Vehicles and Alignment Methodology,” a milestone industry guideline to establish wireless power transfer between infrastructure, vehicle suppliers and OEMs for plug-in electric and electric vehicles (PH/EV). ( Earlier post.) The document is now available for purchase from the SAE website.

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ORNL, Cincinnati Incorporated sign additive manufacturing patent license agreement

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The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Cincinnati Incorporated have signed a nonexclusive licensing agreement on ORNL patents related to large-scale additive manufacturing. ORNL is a research leader in the production of large-scale 3-D printed materials, refining industrial processes to decrease costs and increase efficiency.

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Volvo Trucks’ new concept truck cuts fuel consumption by more than 30%

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With support from the Swedish Energy Agency, Volvo Trucks has developed a new concept vehicle, the Volvo Concept Truck. The result of a five-year long research project aimed at creating more energy-efficient vehicles, the new concept truck cuts fuel consumption by more than 30%. The aim of the project is to improve the efficiency for long-haul truck transportation by 50%.

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Audi equipping new models in Europe with Audi connect SIM

Green Car Congress

Audi is now equipping its new models that use the second-generation modular infotainment platform with Audi connect SIM. With the factory-installed SIM card, customers can immediately use the wide range of Audi connect services with the accompanying data flat rate for up to three years. The Audi connect SIM is a permanently installed SIM card (embedded SIM or eSIM), which customers in Europe will receive in combination with the optional Audi connect equipment package.

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Toshiba to start field testing medium-sized EV bus with wireless recharging, SCiB Li-ion battery

Green Car Congress

Toshiba Corporation has developed a fast, cable-free contactless charger for electric vehicles (EVs), and will field test it on a medium-sized EV bus designed to handle the power demands of regular high-speed journeys on expressways. Field tests will start from 1 June and continue until December. The 45-seat bus is powered by a long-life, high-output 52.9 kWh SCiB ( earlier post ) pack, Toshiba’s advanced lithium-ion rechargeable battery, and will make regular trips between All Nippon Airways Co

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Mazda3 global production reaches 5M units

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Mazda Motor Corporation announced that the total production volume of the Mazda3 (known as Mazda Axela in Japan) reached five million units at the end of April 2016. It is the second Mazda to reach five million units of production, following the Mazda Familia. The Mazda3 sets a new record for Mazda by achieving the milestone figure in only twelve years and ten months since production of the model commenced in June 2003.

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MAN Truck & Bus invests $8.5M in logistics startup FR8 Revolution

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MAN Truck & Bus AG, part of Volkswagen Truck & Bus, is investing up to $8.5 million in the US start-up FR8 Revolution Inc. (“Fr-eight”). Silicon-Valley-based FR8 has developed a comprehensive “operating system” for a connected transportation industry that will be launched in the second quarter of 2016. The IT platform will provide shippers, carriers, and truck drivers with a uniform and transparent platform for planning cargoes based on real-time data.

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JAC sells 300,000 S3s in 600 days, breaks compact SUV sales record

Green Car Congress

China-based JAC has sold 300,000 units of its S3 compact SUV during the last 20 months. The S3 has set several records since its launch, from achieving a breakthrough of 10,000 units in its first month, to overtaking sales of other compact SUVs in the global market within three months. Current average sales are 15,000 units a month. JAC released the S3 II in September 2015.

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Berkeley Lab researchers shed light on how lithium-rich cathodes work, opening the door to higher capacity batteries

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Researchers at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) report a major advance in understanding how oxygen oxidation creates extra capacity in lithium-rich cathodes, opening the door to batteries with far higher energy density. The nature of the findings shows “ a clear and exciting path forward ” to create the next-generation cathode materials with substantially higher energy density then current cathode materials, the researchers wrote in a paper on

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Researchers report cost-effective synthesis of NiFe-layered double hydroxides nanosheets as efficient OER catalyst

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A team from Brown University and Lakehead University (Canada) have developed a method for the facile and cost-effective synthesis of NiFe-layered double hydroxides (LDH) nanosheets to serve as efficient catalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction in an alkaline environment. Compared to previously reported LDH catalysts, the new nanosheets exhibit a much higher oxygen evolution activity.

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Licella and Canfor to form JV for advanced biomass-based biofuels; catalytic hydrothermal technology

Green Car Congress

Australia-based Licella Fibre Fuels Pty Ltd. and Canada-based Canfor Pulp Products Inc. (CPPI), through its subsidiary Canfor Pulp Ltd., signed an agreement to form a joint-venture: Licella Pulp Joint Venture. Licella Pulp Joint Venture will investigate opportunities to integrate Licella’s Catalytic Hydrothermal Reactor (Cat-HTR) upgrading platform into Canfor Pulp's kraft and mechanical pulp mills to convert biomass—including wood residues from Canfor Pulp’s kraft pulping processes—

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Electrovaya signs a multiyear master service agreement with a Fortune 1000 company for Li-ion battery modules

Green Car Congress

Electrovaya Inc. signed a Multiyear Service Agreement (MSA) with a US-based Fortune 1000 OEM to supply Lithium Ion Battery Modules, Battery Management Systems and related services. The Agreement is expected to generate revenues of up to $80 million over the next three years. The revenues from this agreement starts in Q2 CY2016, growing through rest of CY2016 and accelerates in 2017.

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EMT Madrid orders 82 Mercedes-Benz natural-gas buses

Green Car Congress

Transport operator EMT in Madrid, Spain, has ordered 82 Mercedes-Benz Citaro NGT (Natural Gas Technology) buses. The order includes 40 Mercedes-Benz Citaro natural-gas-powered 18m articulated busesand 42 Mercedes-Benz natural-gas-powered rigids with a length of 12 meters. The new Citaro NGT with natural-gas engine is approved without restriction for the use of renewable natural gas to DIN 51624.

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Furrer + Frey proposes tractor swapping as solution for electrification of long-haul trucking

Green Car Congress

Furrer + Frey, a provider of rail electrification and rapid charging systems for transport, is proposing tractor swapping as a solution for the electrification of long-haul trucking. Furrer + Frey is a long-time partner of Opbrid, the provider of the overhead pantograph-based ultra-fast charging Opbrid Bůsbaar for buses ( earlier post ). At IAA 2014, Opbrid introduced the Trůkbaar for heavy-duty trucks; the Trůkbaar is one element for the Furrer + Frey tractor swapping solution.

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RoMulus project: developing intelligent multi-sensor systems for Industry 4.0

Green Car Congress

The RoMulus (Robust multi-sensor technology for status monitoring in Industry 4.0 applications) research project project sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is focused on simplifying and accelerating the development and use of intelligent multi-sensor systems for Industry 4.0——the digitalization of production processes based on devices autonomously communicating with each other along the value chain. ( Earlier post.).

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VW develops “ride-along” platform for material logistics at Wolfsburg; parts delivery optimized, process reliability increased

Green Car Congress

Volkswagen Plant Logistics has developed and deployed an innovative system for gathering materials at the Wolfsburg Plant: the ride-along platform. More vehicle models, more different versions and bespoke customer requests have made the logistics process very complex. By using the new ride-along platform we reduce the time taken sequencing and the susceptibility to mistakes.

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USDA awarding $8.8M to 108 companies to support the production of advanced biofuel

Green Car Congress

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is awarding $8.8 million to 108 companies in 39 states to boost the production of advanced biofuels. The funding is being provided through USDA’s Advanced Biofuel Payment Program, which was established in the 2008 Farm Bill. Payments are made to biofuels producers based on the amount of advanced biofuels produced from renewable biomass, other than corn kernel starch.

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