April, 2016

article thumbnail

Roland Berger study outlines integrated vehicle and fuels roadmap for further abating transport GHG emissions 2030+ at lowest societal cost

Green Car Congress

A new study by consultancy Roland Berger defines an integrated roadmap for European road transport decarbonization to 2030 and beyond; the current regulatory framework for vehicle emissions, carbon intensity of fuels and use of renewable fuels covers only up to 2020/2021. The study was commissioned by a coalition of fuel suppliers and automotive companies with a view to identifying a roadmap to 2030+ to identify GHG abatement options at the lowest cost to society.

article thumbnail

Give Me A #BreakFreeLA & Then Give Me 100% Renewables RIGHT NOW

Creative Greenius

I’ve lived in my house in Torrance, California for 23 years now. Been in L.A. since I was 19 years old in 1976, back when then Governor Brown was telling us that we were “living in an era of diminished expectations.” He always was so ahead of the curve… Like I say, I live in Torrance, home of the exploding Exxon Mobil refinery where our Air Quality Management District just gave the refinery operators exemptions to exceed pollution limits while they restart the aging clima

article thumbnail

Electric-car battery costs, Germans vs Tesla, more cheating probes: The Week in Reverse

Green Car Reports

What kind of fuel would you expect to buy at a True Zero filling station? And, which four carmakers will introduce new or updated all-electric cars for 2017? This is our look back at the Week In Reverse--right here at Green Car Reports--for the week ending on Friday, April 29, 2016. Friday, we covered Tesla Motors' warranty costs, which are higher.

article thumbnail

DOE and DOT collaborate to support smart transportation systems and alternative fuel technologies

Green Car Congress

The US Departments of Energy (DOE) and Transportation (DOT) announced a collaboration to accelerate research, development, demonstration, and deployment of innovative smart transportation systems and alternative fuel technologies. The agencies formalized this collaborative relationship through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was unveiled at a symposium this week called Achieving Zero-Emission Mobility: The Role of Innovative Electric Vehicle Companies , hosted by the University of Calif

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

IEEE publishes new 1609.3-2016 WAVE standard supporting connected vehicle deployment

Green Car Congress

IEEE has published the 1609.3-2016 Standard for Wireless Access in Vehicular Environments (WAVE) -- Networking Services. IEEE 1609.3 defines network (Layer 3) and transport layer (Layer 4) services that support secure WAVE data exchange, including addressing and routing. The lack of ubiquitous high-speed communications between vehicles and service providers and the lack of homogeneous communication interfaces between different automotive manufacturers have limited externally driven services to v

2016 150
article thumbnail

Study: long-term exposure to PM2.5 associated with numerous types of cancer

Green Car Congress

Long-term exposure to ambient PM 2.5 , a mixture of environmental pollutants, was associated with increased risk of mortality for many types of cancer in an elderly Hong Kong population, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention , a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. Long-term exposure to particulate matter has been associated with mortality mainly from cardiopulmonary causes and lung cancer, said the study’s co-lead author, Thuan Quoc T

Pollution 212

More Trending

article thumbnail

Study: Even small amounts of PM2.5 may have long-term health effects on developing fetus

Green Car Congress

Even small amounts of PM 2.5 pollution appear to raise the risk of a condition in pregnant women linked to premature births and lifelong neurological and respiratory disorders in their children, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health research suggests. Fine particles from car exhaust, power plants and other industrial sources are breathed into the lungs, but the scientists have now found evidence of the effects of that pollution in the pregnant women’s placentas.

Boston 219
article thumbnail

Volkswagen starts recall of the first EA 189 Golf model in Europe for diesel emissions fix

Green Car Congress

In Europe, the Volkswagen passenger car brand is starting the technical modification of the non-compliant diesel vehicles with engine type EA 189 and the software defeat device. The first model is the Golf TDI Blue Motion Technology (BMT) with a 2.0l engine. In Europe around 15,000 Golf cars affected with a manual gearbox are being called to the workshops.

Europe 150
article thumbnail

Cactus-inspired membranes with nanocrack coatings boost fuel cell performance significantly

Green Car Congress

Regulating water content in polymeric membranes is important in a number of applications—such as in the proton-exchange fuel-cell membranes used in automotive fuel cell stacks. Researchers from CSIRO in Australia and Hanyang University in Korea have now developed a new type of hydrocarbon polymer membrane that has the potential to deliver a significant boost in fuel cell performance.

Fuel 163
article thumbnail

Neste Renewable Isoalkane to be used for Avantherm’s renewable products for transferring heat and cold

Green Car Congress

Avantherm , a Swedish company specializing in heat transfer media products, has started using Neste Renewable Isoalkane to produce the next generation, high-performance and more environmentally friendly heat transfer media. Avantherm thus becomes one of the first companies to market Heat Transfer Media produced from renewable raw materials. Neste Renewable Isoalkane is one of the outputs of the company’s proprietary NEXBTL technology at its refineries in Singapore, The Netherlands and Finland.

Renewable 150
article thumbnail

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

Brief

article thumbnail

Daimler investing €500M to modernize Mercedes-Benz Hamburg plant; production of e-mobility components

Green Car Congress

Daimler is investing €500 million (US$567 million) to modernize the Mercedes-Benz Hamburg plant and is expanding its product portfolio to include key components for electric driving. The production of axles and axle components, lightweight structural components and steering columns, along with exhaust technology, will remain an integral part of the plant.

Mercedes 150
article thumbnail

Volkswagen again reaffirms 20 new PEV models coming across the Group; MEB development

Green Car Congress

In his remarks at the Annual Media Conference, where the Group presented 2015 results, Matthias Müller, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG, said that 2016 will be a year of transition for Volkswagen, and will also see the accelerated transformation of the company. The Group is currently working on the further development of its strategy, to be presented mid-year.

2015 150
article thumbnail

Fuel cell company PowerCell Sweden cooperates with Swiss Hydrogen SA to market fuel cell systems

Green Car Congress

Fuel cell company PowerCell Sweden AB has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Swiss Hydrogen SA, a Switzerland-based company that develops hydrogen fuel cell systems for mobile and stationary applications. The two companies will cooperate to market and sell high performance fuel cell systems based on PowerCell’s stacks. PowerCell Sweden AB has developed fuel cell technology for more than a decade, and has perfected a unique design that enables the production of a light, versatile and relia

Sweden 150
article thumbnail

VW introduces new, more efficient TSI engine generation; Miller cycle with higher compression and electric VTG turbo

Green Car Congress

Volkswagen is presenting the latest generation of the EA211 TSI evo at the 37 th International Vienna Motor Symposium. The first model in this future generation of spark ignition engines is the 1.5-liter TSI. The fuel-efficient and high-torque gasoline-fueled TSI engine is set to launch in late 2016, initially with outputs of 96 kW and 110 kW. The main technology elements of the new EA211 TSI evo result in efficiency benefits of up to 10% compared with the previous 1.4l TSI (92 kW).

Engine 163
article thumbnail

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

Oil

article thumbnail

PARC, ORNL and Ford collaborate on high-energy, high-power battery production for EVs using CoEx printing

Green Car Congress

PARC, a Xerox company, is collaborating with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Ford Motor Company in a DOE-funded project that will use PARC’s novel CoEx printing technology ( earlier post ) to fabricate thick, higher energy and higher power battery electrodes with the end goal of enabling longer range and low cost electric vehicles. The goal of the project—“Co-Extrusion (CoEx) for Cost Reduction of Advanced High-Energy-and-Power Battery Electrode Manufacturing”—is to demonstr

Energy 150
article thumbnail

Porsche offering Platinum Edition of Cayenne Diesel and Cayenne S E-Hybrid

Green Car Congress

Porsche is offering a new Platinum Edition of the Cayenne Diesel and Cayenne S E-Hybrid—the latter a plug-in hybrid with a 10.8 kWh battery pack. In addition to their enhanced appearance—for example, large 20-inch wheels in RS Spyder design housed in wider wheel arches and interior features, the models’ expanded features improve comfort and safety in particular.

Cayenne 150
article thumbnail

LeEco showcases autonomous EV concept LeSEE at Auto China 2016

Green Car Congress

China-based internet company LeEco unveiled its LeSEE electric car concept this week at Auto China 2016—The 14th Beijing International Automobile Exhibition. ( Earlier post.) The LeSEE electric concept features an advanced autopilot and driver assistance systems, intelligent inductive charging and car sharing capabilities. To increase driver safety and awareness, the front-end of the car features technology that detects pedestrians and vehicles while displaying information about the locati

2016 150
article thumbnail

Alliance AutoGas launches 5300-mile, 12-city Coast-to-Coast Clean Air Ride with converted F-150

Green Car Congress

Supported by partners, Clean City Coalitions and corporate sponsors, Alliance AutoGas is embarking on a 5300+ mile, 12-city, cross-country road trip—the Alliance AutoGas Coast-to-Coast Clean Air Ride —with its record-setting propane autogas F-150. The event is being hosted by the Metropolitan Energy Center/Kansas City Regional Clean Cities in conjunction with Veolia/Kansas City Transportation Group and Alliance AutoGas.

F-150 195
article thumbnail

New silicon-sulfur battery built on 3D graphene shows excellent performance

Green Car Congress

Researchers at Beihang University in Beijing have developed a new Li-sulfur battery using honeycomb-like sulfur copolymer uniformly distributed onto 3D graphene (3D cpS-G) networks for a cathode material and a 3D lithiated Si-G network as anode. In a paper published in the RSC journal Energy & Environmental Science , they reported that the full cell exhibits superior electrochemical performances in term of a high reversible capacity of 620 mAh g -1 , ultrahigh energy density of 1147 Wh kg −1 (ba

Batteries 219
article thumbnail

SAE technical experts: fuel cell technology has advanced significantly, FC vehicle production has begun, further cost reductions & infrastructure development required

Green Car Congress

Wrapping up the track on the commercialization of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and hydrogen infrastructure held at the 2016 SAE World Congress ( earlier post ), a panel of technical experts agreed that while significant progress has been made with the technology, and while the first generation of consumer-available fuel cell vehicles is now being sold in parts of the US, there are still challenges to overcome with respect to the cost of the technology and the build-out of a supporting hydrogen re

Fuel 190
article thumbnail

Study: strong interactions with voice-guided vehicles result in more crashes

Green Car Congress

A recent study by researchers at Michigan State University, Eindhoven University of Technology, and Stanford University found that giving a car a more personal voice led to more car accidents. Rabindra Ratan, Young June Sah, Will Renius (Michigan State University), Dave Miller, Rob Semmens (Stanford University) and Frank Verberne (Eindhoven University of Technology) will present their findings in June at the 66 th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association in Fukuoka, Japan

Michigan 150
article thumbnail

JATO Dynamics: growth slowdown in Euro auto sales in March; SUVs still lead

Green Car Congress

March 2016 was another positive month for European new car registrations, ending a strong Q1 which saw sales of 3.93 million units, up by 8.1% over the first three months of 2015, according to JATO Dynamics. Although volumes grew at a slower rate (+5.6%) than recorded in February 2016 (+13.8%), positive results in 23 of the 29 markets analyzed meant growth continued.

SUV 150
article thumbnail

Germany pumping €1B into plug-in vehicle subsidies, infrastructure; base price cap of €60K

Green Car Congress

The German government will put approximately €1 billion (US$1.1 billion) into subsidies for plug-in vehicles and the supporting charging infrastructure, beginning next month. Electric car buyers will receive a €4,000 (US$4,500) subsidy; buyers of plug-ins will receive €3,000 (US$3,400). Half of the amount will be provided by the government, the other half by automakers.

Plug-in 150
article thumbnail

LLNL 3D-printed foam outperforms standard materials

Green Car Congress

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) material scientists have found that 3D-printed foam works better than standard cellular materials in terms of durability and long-term mechanical performance. Foams, also known as cellular solids, are an important class of materials with applications ranging from thermal insulation and shock-absorbing support cushions to lightweight structural and floatation components.

Standards 150
article thumbnail

DLR presents HY4 4-passenger fuel cell hybrid electric aircraft at 2016 Hannover Messe

Green Car Congress

DLR is presenting the HY4—a four-seater passenger fuel cell hybrid electric aircraft prototype ( earlier post )— at the 2016 Hannover Messe, along with research and development partners Hydrogenics, Pipistrel, H2FLY, the University of Ulm and Stuttgart Airport. The HY4 is due to take off for its maiden flight in the summer of 2016. The HY4’s drive train consists of a hydrogen storage unit, a low-temperature hydrogen fuel cell and a high performance battery.

2016 150
article thumbnail

Volkswagen, a partner in SLAM fast charging project, shows “Golden Test Device” at Hannover Messe

Green Car Congress

Volkswagen is working with partners from industry and science on the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy’s SLAM research project (Schnellladenetz für Achsen und Metropolen, Fast charging network for road axes and metropolitan areas). The SLAM project has a total budget of €12.9 million (US$14.6 million) and will receive support from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy to the extent of €8.7 million (US$9.8 million) by August 2017.

Charging 150
article thumbnail

Onboard Dynamics receives $3M from ARPA-E, others for innovative CNG refueling technology

Green Car Congress

Onboard Dynamics, Inc. ( ObDI ), an innovator in compressed natural gas (CNG) refueling, has received $3 million from the US Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E), Portland Seed Fund, NW Natural and other utilities, and private investors. Onboard Dynamics is currently pursuing two compressed natural gas refueling solutions, based on novel technology for both on- and off-vehicle applications: A fully integrated onboard engine-compressor system.

Oregon 150
article thumbnail

Volvo Cars to launch UK’s largest autonomous driving trial

Green Car Congress

Volvo Cars will begin the UK’s most ambitious autonomous driving (AD) trial next year. Volvo’s UK-based test will be called ‘Drive Me London’ and will differentiate itself from other AD programs by using real families driving AD cars on public roads. Volvo said it will source its data from these everyday users and use this data to develop AD cars that are more suitable for real world driving conditions.

Volvo 150
article thumbnail

FCA US to invest $74.7M in Trenton Engine Complex for new 4-cylinder

Green Car Congress

FCA US will invest $74.7 million in its Trenton Engine Complex (Mich.) to retool the north plant to produce the next generation four-cylinder engine. The new engine will be assembled on the flexible production line that was installed in 2012 and will provide increased power, while improving fuel economy and reducing CO 2 emissions. Production of the Auburn Hills, Mich.

Engine 150
article thumbnail

New $30M ARPA-E program to produce renewable liquid fuels from renewable energy, air and water

Green Car Congress

The US Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) announced up to $30 million in funding for a new program for technologies that use renewable energy to convert air and water into cost-competitive liquid fuels. ( DE-FOA-0001562 ). ARPA-E’s Renewable Energy to Fuels through Utilization of Energy-dense Liquids (REFUEL) program seeks to develop technologies that use renewable energy to convert air and water into Carbon Neutral Liquid Fuels (CNLF).

Renewable 197
article thumbnail

Mitsubishi establishes special external committee to investigate improper fuel economy testing

Green Car Congress

The board of directors of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) is establishing a special investigation committee, consisting of only external experts, to investigate the improper fuel economy testing and certification of mini-cars to which it admitted recently. On 20 April, MMC revealed that it had conducted fuel economy testing for mini-cars improperly, to present better fuel consumption rates than the actual rates, for certification purposes.

article thumbnail

Comet Biorefining signs sugar supply agreement with BioAmber, announces investment

Green Car Congress

Comet Biorefining recently signed an off-take agreement with bio-succinic acid producer BioAmber for high-purity dextrose from Comet’s planned commercial plant in Sarnia, Ontario. The dextrose will be produced from agricultural residues using Comet’s innovative technology. ( Earlier post.). The off-take agreement also includes provisions for Comet to supply dextrose to future BioAmber manufacturing facilities and provides BioAmber with certain exclusive rights in the fields of succinic acid, 1,4

Supplies 150
article thumbnail

DOE to issue $22.3M funding opportunity for vehicle technologies; MD and HD PEVs, DI propane engine and partner projects

Green Car Congress

The US Department of Energy (DOE) will issue ( DE-FOA-0001534 ) a $22.3-million multi-topic funding opportunity for vehicle technologies (DE-FOA-0001535). The FOA will include the three areas of interest: medium- and heavy-duty plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs); direct injection propane engine; and alternative fuel vehicle community partner projects.

Engine 150
article thumbnail

Ballard’s Protonex subsidiary delivers PEM fuel cell propulsion modules for UAVs to Boeing’s Insitu

Green Car Congress

Ballard Power Systems subsidiary, Protonex, has delivered prototype PEM (proton exchange membrane) fuel cell propulsion modules to Insitu, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company, for use in its ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The ScanEagle platform has logged more than 800,000 flight hours in military and civilian applications, making it one of the most successful UAV platforms to date.

Fuel 150