July, 2016

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A Love Letter To My Other Woman

Creative Greenius

This is my love letter to Bonnie Raitt – the other woman in my life. I am here in Santa Barbara with Deb, celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary, having driven up the coast 100 miles from our home in Redondo Beach to see Bonnie play at the Santa Barbara Bowl. Bonnie doesn’t know I’m here. I didn’t let her know I was coming.

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DOE awarding $13M to advance fuel cell performance and durability and H2 storage technologies

Green Car Congress

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced more than $13 million in funding for the advancement of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. These projects, selected through collaborative research consortia, will leverage industry, university and laboratory expertise to accelerate advanced hydrogen storage technologies and fuel cell performance and durability.

St. Louis 264
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More Tesla Autopilot crashes surface; NHTSA to investigate another

Green Car Reports

With details about a fatal May 7 crash of a Tesla Model S operating on Autopilot continuing to garner news coverage, more crashes with Autopilot engaged appear to be surfacing. Most notably, the NHTSA has said it will investigate a crash on Friday, July 1, in which a Tesla Model X ran off the road and rolled over. The owner says it was operating.

Tesla 113
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Top five best-selling cars of 2016 (so far)

Green Cars News

2015 was the biggest year on record for new car sales with 2.63 million new cars hitting British roads. However, this year could see the record broken.

2016 49
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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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First public flight of Siemens 260kW electric motor; to be used in development of hybrid-electric aircraft

Green Car Congress

Siemens researchers have developed a new type of electric motor that, with a weight of just 50 kilograms, delivers a continuous output of about 260 kilowatts—five times more than comparable drive systems. ( Earlier post.) This record-setting propulsion system successfully completed its first public flight at Schwarze Heide Airport near Dinslaken, Germany, where it powered an Extra 330LE aerobatic airplane.

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U of I study: synthetic fuels via CO2 conversion and FT not currently economically & environmentally competitive

Green Car Congress

A study by a team at University of Illinois at Urbana−Champaign has found that, with currently achievable performance levels, synthetic fuels produced via the electrochemical reduction of CO 2 and the Fischer-Tropsch (FT) process system are not economically and environmentally competitive with using petroleum-based fuel. A paper detailing the study is published in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels.

More Trending

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Skeleton Technologies joins Flying Whales program to develop next generation of heavy-lift, large-capacity airships

Green Car Congress

European ultracapacitor manufacturer Skeleton Technologies will join French firm Flying Whales’ program to build a 60-ton Large Capacity Airship (LCA60T, for the global transport market. Skeleton Technologies will join the program to help design and build hybrid propulsion for the LCA60T’s electric power systems. Average operational power is expected to be approximately 1.5 MW with the company’s graphene-based ultracapacitors assisting to cover the additional 2 MW peaks for hovering, lifting and

Morocco 199
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PM2.5 linked to increased rates of kidney disease in China

Green Car Congress

While fine particulate air pollution is known to cause respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, a new study indicates that it also likely causes damage to the kidneys. Specifically, the study found that the likelihood of developing membranous nephropathy, an immune disorder of the kidneys that can lead to kidney failure, increased 13% annually from 2004 to 2014 in China.

China 199
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Tesla ramps production to 2,000 units per week; targeting 2,400 in Q4

Green Car Congress

Tesla produced 18,345 vehicles in Q2 2016, an increase of 20% from Q1, and exited the quarter consistently producing just under 2,000 vehicles per week. Due to the steep production ramp, almost half of the quarter’s production occurred in the final four weeks. With continued productivity improvements, Tesla expects output to reach 2,200 vehicles per week in Q3 and 2,400 vehicles per week in Q4.

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Rice team develops “antenna-reactor” plasmonic catalysts for increased energy savings and efficiency in catalytic processes

Green Car Congress

Researchers at Rice University’s Laboratory for Nanophotonics (LANP), with colleagues at Princeton University, have developed a new method for uniting light-capturing photonic nanomaterials and high-efficiency metal catalysts, creating an “antenna-reactor” plasmonic catalyst. By placing a catalytic reactor particle adjacent to a plasmonic antenna, the highly efficient and tunable light-harvesting capacities of plasmonic nanoparticles can be exploited to increase absorption and hot-carrier genera

Energy 170
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Faurecia and Accenture partner on products and services for connected and autonomous vehicles

Brief

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Porsche opens new plant for eight-cylinder engines; digitalization and data management; V8s for all VW Group brands

Green Car Congress

Porsche has officially dedicated a new engine plant for eight-cylinder engines. The factory at the main site in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen works with state-of-the-art production methods, leveraging digitalization and data management. At full plant utilization produces around 200 eight-cylinder V-engines daily. The sports car manufacturer has invested nearly €80 million in the new production facility.

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GM sets June and first half delivery records in China

Green Car Congress

General Motors and its joint ventures had record June deliveries in China of 273,563 units, which was up 11.2% on an annual basis. The Buick, Cadillac and Baojun brands had their best June ever. The strong June performance enabled GM to set a first half record for deliveries in China. Demand was up 5.3% from the first six months of 2015 to 1,810,476 units.

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Swiss researchers devise simple procedure to enhance performance of conventional Li-ion batteries without changing chemistries

Green Car Congress

Materials researchers at the Swiss Paul Scherrer Institute PSI in Villigen and the ETH Zurich have developed a very simple and cost-effective procedure for significantly enhancing the performance of conventional Li-ion rechargeable batteries by improving only the design of the electrodes without changing the underlying materials chemistry. The procedure is scalable in size, so the use of rechargeable batteries can be optimized in all areas of application—e.g., in wristwatches, smartphones,

Li-ion 170
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Report: Uber to invest $500M in global mapping project

Green Car Congress

The Financial Times reports that Uber will invest $500 million into a global mapping project in an effort to decrease its dependence on Google Maps and to prepare for autonomous driving. The FT cited “ a person familiar with Uber’s plans ” as the source. Uber has already hired Brian McClendon, formerly the head of Google Maps for more than a decade.

Global 150
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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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Researchers significantly improve H2 storage properties of sodium aluminium hydride by doping with 2D titanium carbide

Green Car Congress

A team at Zhejiang University in China has significantly enhanced the hydrogen storage properties of sodium aluminum hydride (NaAlH 4 ) by doping it with a 2D titanium carbide (Ti 3 C2) MXene. (“MXenes” are exfoliated 2D carbide and carbonitride nanosheets that are structurally similar to graphene, where M represents transition metals, and X is either C or/and N, earlier post ).

Sodium 163
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GAC Motor completes phase II factory, launches GA3S PHEV

Green Car Congress

China-based GAC Motor recently held the completion ceremony of the company’s new phase II factory in Guangzhou in June, and launched the new GS8 SUV and GA3S PHEV plug-in hybrid sedan. Unveiled in November 2015, the GA3S PHEV is equipped with an efficient 1.5L Atkinson engine, advanced G-MC (GAC Mechatronic Coupling) system, liquid-cooled battery pack and e-machines.

PHEV 150
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Edmunds.com: number of leased vehicles reaches all-time high in first half of 2016

Green Car Congress

More new vehicles in the US were leased in the first half of 2016 than during the first half of any other year in history, according to the latest Lease Market Report from Edmunds.com, the leading car shopping and information network. Lease volume has doubled in the last five years, suggesting that the automotive market could be on the verge of a fundamental shift in consumer mindset about the value of owning a new vehicle—particularly when the purchase has to be financed.

2016 150
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Brookhaven Lab to focus on characterizing composite solid electrolytes and sulfur cathodes in Battery500 project

Green Car Congress

For its part in the 5-year, $50-million Battery500 project targeting next-generation batteries ( earlier post ), Brookhaven National Lab will focus on determining the characteristics of composite solid electrolytes and sulfur cathodes using intense beams of x-rays at the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II), a DOE Office of Science User Facility, and other techniques including mass-spectroscopy and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy at Brookhaven's Center for Functional N

San Diego 150
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RoboVent introduces small-footprint Spire dust collector for robotic welding

Green Car Congress

Robotic welding—heavily used in automotive manufacturing—generates volumes of smoke and fumes that must be controlled to meet air quality regulations. To address this issue, manufacturers traditionally used hoods and oversized fans to collect, filter and exhaust welding fumes to the outside. A different approach is to use an individual fume and dust collector associated with each welding cell.

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EIA projects energy intensity of US steel production to drop 27% by 2040

Green Car Congress

Steel production is energy-intensive; in 2015, the steel industry accounted for 1.5% of all industrial shipments in the US but 6.1% of industrial delivered energy consumption. The US Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) Annual Energy Outlook 2016 (AEO2016) Reference case projects that energy use in the steel industry will further increase by 11% over 2015–2040.

Energy 150
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BMW provides some insight into Dingolfing eDrive competence center; motors, battery packs and more

Green Car Congress

During its Innovation Days 2016 event in Munich, the BMW Group provided some insight into its Dingolfing competence center for the manufacture of electric drive systems (eDrive). Dingolfing supplies the high-voltage batteries and other chassis and powertrain components for BMW i models and the BMW Group’s plug-in hybrid models—current (earlier post) and future.

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US releases Federal alternative jet fuels R&D strategy

Green Car Congress

The Obama Administration has released the Federal Alternative Jet Fuels Research and Development (R&D) Strategy (FAJFS), which maps out a unified federal plan to advance R&D as well as science and technology solutions to support deployment of alternative jet fuels (AJFs) in both civil and military aviation. The strategy provides a prioritized list of R&D goals and objectives addressing specific scientific, technical, analytical, and logistics challenges that hinder the development, production, a

Fuel 150
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Study: Overall automotive aluminum recycling rate above 90%

Green Car Congress

New research from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s (WPI) Center for Resource Recovery and Recycling calculated an overall recycling rate of 91% for automotive aluminum. The peer-reviewed study, funded by the Aluminum Association, examines how much aluminum used in the United States’ light-duty automotive sector is recovered and recycled from vehicles at end of life.

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Genovation’s GXE breaks street-legal all-electric land speed record: 205.6 mph

Green Car Congress

Genovation broke the land speed record for a street-legal all-electric vehicle with the Genovation Extreme Electric car (GXE). The GXE reached 205.6 mph (330.88 km/h) during supervised tests with Johnny Bohmer Racing at Space Florida’s Shuttle Landing Facility in Kennedy Space Center, FL. The record was certified by the International Mile Racing Association (IMRA).

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DOE issues Request for Information on hydrogen infrastructure RD&D

Green Car Congress

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) has issued a request for information (RFI) ( DE-FOA-0001626 ) to obtain feedback from stakeholders regarding deployment of hydrogen fueling stations, delivery infrastructure, and barriers and activities to pursue in both the near and longer term. Potential activities would complement existing FCTO activities that address the barriers hydrogen fueling stations face today, including renewable hydrogen fuel cost; station and

Hydrogen 150
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Subaru starts pre-orders for XV Hybrid tS in Japan

Green Car Congress

Subaru Tecnica International (STI), the motorsports division of Fuji Heavy Industries, has started to take pre-orders of the Subaru XV Hybrid tS. The model will go on sale this fall through Subaru dealerships in Japan. Taking the Subaru XV Hybrid as its base, this complete car from STI features exclusive suspension tuning as well as distinctive exterior and interior design.

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Sony to sell battery business to Murata

Green Car Congress

Sony Corporation, the company that in 1991 commercialized the world’s first lithium-ion battery, and Murata Manufacturing have entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding that confirms their intent to negotiate the transfer of the Sony Group’s battery business to the Murata Group. Sony has operated its battery business since 1975. Following due diligence and negotiation of detailed terms and conditions of the Transfer, Murata and Sony are aiming to execute binding definitive agreement

Batteries 163
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Alberta approves nearly $13M for 61 biomass-based projects

Green Car Congress

Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions (AI Bio) has approved nearly $13 million ($12,708,525) in funding for 61 projects by researchers and companies. The grants are for the development of new industrial bioproducts or technologies using Alberta agriculture and forestry byproducts or other biomass. AI Bio is a board-governed agency funded by the Government of Alberta, Canada.

Canada 150
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Forge Hydrocarbons awarded $500K from Alberta toward lipids-to-hydrocarbons pre-commercial plant

Green Car Congress

Edmonton, Canada-based Forge Hydrocarbons has been awarded $500,000 from Alberta Innovates Bio Solutions (AI Bio) ( earlier post ) to support a $1.26-million project optimizing a pre-commercial plant for its Lipid to Hydrocarbons (LTH) process. Forge Hydrocarbons, led by Tim Haig, one of Canada’s top bio-fuel entrepreneurs, is commercializing a patented conversion process developed by Dr.

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Silicon/soft-carbon nanohybrid as high-performance anode for Li-ion batteries

Green Car Congress

A team from Samsung R&D and Shinshu University has developed a silicon/soft-carbon nanohybrid anode material for high performance lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The material, which is composed of micronized silicon coated with “soft-carbon” dispersed in soft-carbon matrix at nanometer level, is characterized with abundant nanosized voids (nanovoids) (diameter of ~70 nm) and hard bulk skeletal structure.

Li-ion 163
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smart launching in-car-delivery beta tests in Germany

Green Car Congress

Daimler’s smart recently established the smart lab as the brand’s think tank to accelerate the development and implementation of creative urban mobility projects. “smart ready to drop” is the first innovation to emerge from the lab. In cooperation with DHL Paket, smart will enable parcels to be delivered to the trunk of a smart car. The beta test will start in the autumn in Stuttgart, followed by Cologne, Bonn and Berlin a few months later.

Germany 150
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Qualcomm and Lear Corporation sign commercial wireless electric vehicle charging license agreement

Green Car Congress

Qualcomm Incorporated and Lear Corporation, a leading global supplier of automotive seating and electrical systems, have entered into a Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging (WEVC) license agreement. Lear will be including Qualcomm Halo WEVC technology ( earlier post ) in its product portfolio to commercialize WEVC systems for Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) and Electric Vehicles (EV) manufacturers, as well as wireless charging infrastructure companies.

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$50M Battery500 consortium targeting battery pack with specific energy of 500 Wh/kg

Green Car Congress

Announced last week as one of the Obama Administration’s new initiatives to advance electric vehicle adoption ( earlier post ), the Battery500 consortium, led by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), aims to build a battery pack with a specific energy of 500 watt-hours per kilogram, compared to the 170-200 watt-hours per kilogram in today’s typical EV battery.

San Diego 163
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FTA LoNo grant recipients to purchase 35 Proterra electric transit buses

Green Car Congress

Proterra announced that eight new and existing customers have won Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Low or No Emission (LoNo) Vehicle Deployment Grants. The 2016 LoNo grant winners will use their funds, a total of $22.8 million, to purchase 35 Catalyst buses, bringing Proterra’s total number of firm orders to 287 vehicles from 38 cities across the United States.

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