June, 2016

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Sweden inaugurates its first electric road

Green Car Congress

Sweden inaugurated a test stretch of electric road on the E16 in Sandviken, thus becoming one of the first countries to conduct tests with electric power for heavy transports on public roads. The test stretch on the E16 is two kilometers long. The technology is similar to light rail, with contact lines 5.4 meters over the roadway. The truck has a pantograph on the roof that feeds 750 VDC to the truck’s hybrid electric system.

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The Greatest Solar Powered Music Festival in World History! SUNSTOCK JUNE 18 Los Angeles

Creative Greenius

Out of the darkness, comes the light! Be there and shine with us! Your Creative Greenius loves him some Cults. You KNOW I dig Kaki King… In fact, there has NEVER been a greater, more talented, more entertaining musical line up than Sunstock! Hey, but don’t take the Greenius’ word for it, listen to what my bro, contemporary music expert, Dr.

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Nissan Leaf electric vs Toyota Prius hybrid: which is lower on cost, emissions?

Green Car Reports

Sometimes, when tucking in for the evening, you can't help but wonder: did I really make the right choice? Could I have done better? Even now, could I still do better? This is the question I ask myself, each evening, when I park my 2015 Nissan Leaf in the garage next to my wife’s 2006 Toyota Prius. Given that both vehicles are now driven.

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Jeremiah Johnson to race with U of Nottingham in MotoE racing series

National Green Transportation

On Sunday, the University of Nottingham Electric Superbike race team announced that American motorcycle racer Jeremiah Johnson would return to their saddle for the 2016 MotoE electric motorcycle racing season. The team is fresh from the Isle of.

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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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Lux: plug-in vehicle battery market to hit $10B in 2020; 6 carmakers = 90% of demand; VW to show most growth

Green Car Congress

Led by Tesla, China’s BYD, and Volkswagen, the battery market for plug-in vehicles will rise to $10 billion in 2020, with electric vehicles (EV) emerging as the drivetrain of choice, according to a new forecast by Lux Research. Volkswagen will show the most growth as it focuses on plug-ins following its emissions scandal, while Toyota will continue to lag in plug-in sales as it focuses more on hybrids and fuel cells.

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Mitsubishi Motors to unveil new PHEV concept at Paris Show in October

Green Car Congress

At the 2016 Paris Motor Show in October, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) will unveil a new “Ground Tourer Concept” high-end plug-in hybrid SUV coupé. The reveal will follow on the introduction of the “Concept XR PHEV II” at the 2015 Geneva Motor Show and the “eX Concept” at the 2015 Tokyo Motor Show.

More Trending

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Torotrak outlines advances in its full-toroidal traction-drive CVT using PitchSteer; EV applications as well

Green Car Congress

At the 2016 International VDI Congress “Drivetrain for Vehicles” in Friedrichshafen, Germany, John Fuller, Director of Concepts & IP for Torotrak Group, presented and discussed the company’s latest advances to optimize its full-toroidal variator technology for the light vehicle market as applied in continuously variable transmissions (CVTs). Torotrak’s main drive CVTs combine its full toroidal traction drive variator with other conventional transmission components.

Low Cost 225
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BMW i home energy storage system integrates 2nd-life i3 vehicle batteries

Green Car Congress

BMW i announced a home stationary energy storage system solution integrating its BMW i3 vehicle battery at EVS 29 in Montréal. The system utilizes BMW i3 high-voltage batteries and can be expanded to incorporate second-life batteries as they become available in the market. This strategy will extend the useful life of the battery for the owner, even beyond in-vehicle use, BMW said.

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Elio Motors completes first E-Series test vehicle

Green Car Congress

Elio Motors, the start-up vehicle manufacturer planning to launch a three-wheeled vehicle that will get up to 84 mpg (2.8 l/100km) with a targeted base price of $6,800, has completed its first E-Series testing vehicle, code-named the E1A. As Elio Motors continues to develop the E-Series vehicles, its supplier and engineering teams will put the vehicles through a battery of tests that will help refine and finalize the overall design prior to final production.

Motors 199
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Canada, US and Mexico commit to align light- and heavy-duty fuel efficiency and GHG standards out to 2025 and 2027, respectively

Green Car Congress

As one of the outcomes of the “Three Amigos” meeting in Ottawa, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, US President Barack Obama, and Mexico President Enrique Peña Nieto committed to an “ambitious and enduring” North American Climate, Clean Energy, and Environment Partnership. A key element of that partnership is a goal for North America to strive to achieve 50% clean power generation by 2025.

Mexico 199
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Faurecia and Accenture partner on products and services for connected and autonomous vehicles

Brief

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UMD team develops new high-performance solid-state ion-conducting membrane for Li batteries

Green Car Congress

Researchers at the University of Maryland have developed a novel, flexible, solid-state, ion-conducting membrane based on a 3D ion-conducting ceramic nanofiber network. The researchers said that their work, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), represents a significant breakthrough to enable high performance lithium batteries.

Li-ion 199
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USABC awards $4M to SiNode Systems to develop advanced silicon-graphene anode materials for EV batteries

Green Car Congress

The United States Advanced Battery Consortium LLC (USABC), a collaborative organization of FCA US LLC, Ford Motor Company and General Motors, awarded a $4-million contract to SiNode Systems Inc. for development of advanced anode materials for automotive lithium-ion battery applications. The competitively bid contract award is 50% cost share-funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE).

Li-ion 186
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Ford, LG Chem team reports 1st cradle-to-gate LCA for mass-produced battery pack in commercial BEV; cell manufacturing key GHG contributor

Green Car Congress

A team from Ford’s Research and Innovation Center and LG Chem’s Corporate R&D group has reported the first cradle-to-gate (i.e., the factory gate—before delivery to the consumer) emissions assessment for a mass-produced battery in a commercial battery electric vehicle (BEV)—the lithium-ion battery pack used in the Ford Focus BEV. Their paper is published in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology.

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Volvo Trucks D13 engine with turbo compounding improves fuel efficiency up to 6.5% and delivers more torque

Green Car Congress

Volvo Trucks North America is adding a turbo compounding option for the Volvo D13 engine. By converting wasted heat energy, the 13-liter D13 with turbo compounding improves fuel efficiency by up to 6.5 percent%, while also delivering up to 100 extra lb-ft of torque for improved performance. Turbo compounding increases fuel efficiency by converting wasted heat energy from the exhaust into useable mechanical energy that is returned as extra torque to the crankshaft of the engine.

Volvo 170
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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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Report finds US automakers remain profitable under future CAFE standards even with fuel price fluctuation

Green Car Congress

Even with wide-ranging unpredictable gas prices, US automakers will remain profitable and suppliers will benefit under existing national fuel economy standards slated to be in place until 2025, according to a new economic analysis brief prepared by independent automotive industry analysts, commissioned by the nonprofit group Ceres. The brief is a summary for investors and policy analysts of a larger study that will be available from Ceres in August 2016.

Standards 170
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IEA: 7% increase in total energy investment could cut premature deaths from air pollution in half by 2040

Green Car Congress

A new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts that energy policy choices backed by a 7% increase in total energy investment through 2040 could cut premature deaths from air pollution roughly in half by 2040. Under such a scenario, premature deaths from outdoor air pollution would decline by 1.7 million in 2040 compared with the report’s main scenario, and those from household pollution would fall by 1.6 million annually.

Pollution 170
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Sainsbury trialing Dearman liquid air engine in refrigerated truck

Green Car Congress

Sainsbury’s has become the first company to introduce a refrigerated delivery truck cooled by a liquid nitrogen powered engine ( earlier post ), which will eliminate all emissions associated with refrigeration. Supplied by cooling technology specialist Dearman and its partners, the zero-emission cooling unit replaces the traditional diesel engine used to chill the vehicle and will significantly cut emissions.

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PG&E to retire Diablo Canyon nuclear plant by 2025, replace with renewables and energy storage

Green Car Congress

PG&E announced a Joint Proposal with labor and leading environmental organizations that would increase investment in energy efficiency, renewables and storage beyond current state mandates while phasing out PG&E’s production of nuclear power in California by 2025 with the retirement of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant—California’s last operating nuclear power generation station.

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Report: combination of new mobility technologies creates opportunities for cutting emissions, but requires strategic policy interventions

Green Car Congress

The combination of connectivity, automation plus shared vehicle ownership and use has the potential to make car travel greener and cheaper, cutting energy use and helping accelerate the introduction of low carbon vehicles. However, these energy and carbon benefits are by no means guaranteed and will require strategic policy interventions to maximize them according to new report by the Institute for Transport Studies (ITS) at the University of Leeds, commissioned by the Low Carbon Vehicle Partner

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Nissan cut CO2 emissions 22.4% over past decade

Green Car Congress

Nissan Motor’s newly published annual Sustainability Report shows that the global automaker’s CO 2 emissions have fallen by 22.4% over the past decade. CO 2 reduction at Nissan facilities improved by 0.6% year-on-year in FY2015. Nissan’s measures to reduce emissions include the following: Nissan UK has installed 19,000 solar panels to join 10 wind turbines at its Sunderland plant, generating enough power to build more than 31,000 cars every year.

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Navigant: N. American PEV sales to hit almost 200K units this year; ~62% growth y-o-y

Green Car Congress

In a new report , Navigant Research forecasts that plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) sales in the US and Canada in 2016 will near 200,000 unit sales, growing by around 62% year-over-year. Navigant further expects significant growth in the North American PEV market over the next few years. In 2016, Navigant Research expects growth to come from expanding sales of the Tesla Model X and the second-generation Volt, as well as the introduction of the Chevrolet Bolt 200-mile range battery electric vehicle

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Zinnov: automotive witnessing highest disruption among all industries; ~$6B invested in start-ups in FY 2015

Green Car Congress

Management consulting firm Zinnov released its latest study conducted on the Automotive R&D Globalization Landscape, presenting a global engineering R&D analysis on the top 60 automotive companies and how are they leveraging the global R&D ecosystems to improve engineering output and efficiency. The report, which analyzed more than 60 automotive companies—30 OEMs and 30 Tier 1s, draws attention to the disruption being caused by dynamic factors including newer technologies, business models,

2015 150
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Nemaska Lithium receives 2nd $2.12M installment from Sustainable Development Technology Canada for Phase 1 lithium hydroxide plant

Green Car Congress

Nemaska Lithium has received its second $2.12-million installment from Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) for the development of the Phase 1 Lithium Hydroxide Plant. To date, the company has received a total of approximately $21 million, representing about 55% of the total $38-million Phase 1 Plant budget,said Steve Nadeau, Nemaska Lithium CFO.

Canada 150
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WABCO and ZF demonstrate prototype of Evasive Maneuver Assist for commercial vehicles; connecting active braking and steering capability

Green Car Congress

WABCO Holdings and ZF have developed and demonstrated a prototype of a new collision avoidance technology for commercial vehicles. The Evasive Maneuver Assist (EMA) combines WABCO’s world-class braking, stability and vehicle dynamics control systems on trucks and trailers with ZF’s active steering technology—an industry first. EMA marks another step toward enabling autonomous driving in the commercial vehicle industry.

Connect 150
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Powin Energy introduces advanced battery managemenet system bp-OS

Green Car Congress

Powin Energy, a designer and developer of safe and scalable energy storage solutions for utilities, C&I, and EV fast-charging stations, is publicly introducing its advanced battery management software—the Battery Pack Operating System (bp-OS)—by announcing that it has been patented ( US20140015469 A1 ). The patented bp-OS utilizes a unique algorithm to balance batteries actively and passively down to the cell level, enabling the minimization of voltage differentials across all batter

Energy 150
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Dürr sells 2,000th sealing robot

Green Car Congress

One trend in automotive manufacturing is toward fully automatic sealing of welds; robots are increasingly performing this task in automobile production. Dürr has now sold its 2,000 th sealing robot. The EcoRS 30L16S milestone machine will perform rough seam sealing at Škoda in Kvasiny, Czech Republic, and it will also be a first. With its shortened arm 1, the robot is particularly suitable for sealing applications inside car bodies.

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Advanced ADEPT 48V affordable mild hybrid on path to meet future ultra-low vehicle emissions

Green Car Congress

Following almost three years of testing, development and validation of advanced mild hybrid technologies with 48V electrification applied to a Ford Focus project demonstrator, the ADEPT (advanced diesel-electric powertrain) ( earlier post ) consortium partners have announced that the project is on course to meet the stringent air quality and ultra-low emission requirements expected of near-term next-generation vehicles.

Emissions 150
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ITM sells integrated hydrogen refueling station to Hydrogène de France

Green Car Congress

ITM announced the sale of an integrated hydrogen refueling station (HRS) with on-site generation to Hydrogène de France (HDF), for deployment in France. The contract is worth €1.5 million (US$1.7 million) to ITM Power before follow-on contracts such as maintenance agreements. The electrolyzer HRS selection was based on HDF’s usual competitive tender process.

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Kiessling Transit orders 32 more Lightning Hybrids hydraulic hybrid buses

Green Car Congress

Kiessling Transit, a Massachusetts-based transportation company, is ordering 32 more hydraulic hybrid buses equipped with Lighting Hybrids’ Energy Recovery System (ERS) for medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses. This order for 32 units follows an order last year from the Boston-area transit company for 35 units that were commissioned in September 2015. ( Earlier post.

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BIOX and World Energy JV to acquire & operate 90M USG biodiesel plant in Houston; 3rd-largest biodiesel plant in NA

Green Car Congress

BIOX Corporation and World Energy announced a 50/50 joint venture to acquire and operate a 90 million US gallon (USG) (341 million liter) biodiesel production facility in Houston, Texas. Each company has committed US$10 million to the World Energy BIOX Biofuels joint venture. The facility, formerly known as Green Earth Fuels, is located within the Kinder Morgan Liquids terminal on the Houston Ship Channel and is the third-largest biodiesel production facility in North America.

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Proterra offers single-blade overhead fast-charging technology to transit industry on royalty-free basis

Green Car Congress

In a move intended to accelerate wider adoption of EV technology and development of the supporting infrastructure, electric bus manufacturer Proterra will open its overhead on-route fast-charging technology to the transit industry on a royalty-free basis. With the recent issuance of foundational patents (Nºs 8324858, 8829853 and 9352658) covering this technology, Proterra will offer a complete technology package to the market.

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HKG becomes controlling shareholder of UQM Technologies with $48M investment

Green Car Congress

Electric propulsion system company UQM Technologies, Inc. announced the signing of a definitive stock issuance and purchase agreement with American Compass, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hybrid Kinetic Group Limited (HKG). HKG is a Bermuda-incorporated corporation with headquarters in Hong Kong. The Agreement calls for HKG, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, to purchase newly issued UQM common shares that will represent 58% of UQM, and 54% on a fully-diluted basis.

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France’s RS2E launches 2nd YESS prize for young scientists in energy storage

Green Car Congress

France’s RS2E (Réseau sur le stockage électrochimique de l’énergie or “research network on electrochemical energy storage”) has launched the second edition of the YESS Award (Young Energy Storage Scientist Award)—a €12,500 prize split between two young innovative researchers/scientists in the field of electrochemical energy storage. This second edition of the award expands eligibility beyond Europe to North American scientists of no more than 35 years of age, holding at least a master’s de

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Zubie to provide auto makers with vehicle diagnostic and performance insight from its connected car/telematics data and analytics

Green Car Congress

Zubie, a connected-car platform and telematics service provider, is partnering with major auto manufacturers to leverage its repository of data and analytics to enhance the manufacturers’ understanding of vehicle performance and reliability. Zubie’s data, collected as frequently as every second, includes various aspects of vehicle performance such as RPM, miles driven, speed, battery voltage, engine diagnostics and other elements.

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