Sat.Jul 12, 2014 - Fri.Jul 18, 2014

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SAE publishes SAE J2601 standard to harmonize H2 fueling of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles worldwide

Green Car Congress

'SAE J2601 enables fast refueling for all light-duty fuel cell vehicles. Photo courtesy of Shell. Click to enlarge. SAE has published the J2601 standard, “Fueling Protocols for Light Duty Gaseous Hydrogen Surface Vehicles”, the light duty hydrogen fueling protocol which will serve as a baseline for the first generation of infrastructure for refueling Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEVs). ( Earlier post.).

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Tesla Recruits U.S. Military Veterans To Build Electric Cars In California

Green Car Reports

'The environmental benefits of electric cars are obvious, but cutting emissions is far from the only way carmakers can play a positive role in society. Many U.S. military veterans face difficulties in finding civilian jobs after they return from deployment. While that fact is a fixture of the news cycle, frequent discussion of the problem hasn''t.

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Robert Llewellyn: Plug-in Prius breaks Nürburgring record (now I want to break mine too)

Green Cars News

'If that isn’t a click bait headline I don’t know what is. A Prius on the Nürburgring, for goodness sake, that just silly. No way could that beat a Porsche 911 GT3 or the McLaren P1. Of course it didn’t, not in speed, but in fuel economy it did rather spectacularly well. This story has resonanc[.].

Prius 60
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EIA: fuel economy improvements bring diminishing returns in fuel savings

Green Car Congress

'Improving fuel economy exhibits diminishing returns in fuel savings, according to a brief analysis by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). For example, switching from a 10-mile-per-gallon (mpg) vehicle to a 15-mpg vehicle saves more fuel and results in greater fuel cost savings than switching from a 25-mpg vehicle to a 75-mpg vehicle. Similarly, the fuel and cost savings of improving fuel economy from 12 mpg to 15 mpg are the same as increasing from 30 mpg to 60 mpg.

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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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Cummins ETHOS 2.8L optimized E-85 engine demonstrates 50-80% reduction in CO2 emissions in medium-duty truck

Green Car Congress

'The ETHOS 2.8L demo truck. Click to enlarge. Cummins has developed an E-85-specific engine and powertrain that reduce carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 80% compared with a baseline gasoline-powered medium-duty truck. The work was jointly funded by Cummins and partners ($3,790,027) in partnership with the California Energy Commission (CEC) ($2,712,140).

Engine 319
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Crazy Diamond Performance develops mono-fuel CNG Chevrolet Cruze

Green Car Congress

'Crazy Diamond Performance (CDP) has developed a mono-fuel CNG Chevrolet Cruze, with intended market introduction no later than October 2014. The CDP CNG Cruze will certified to the cleanest emissions standard available for an internal combustion engine, according to CDP President Kevin Fern. Fern said that the 1.8L-equipped CNG Cruze outputs 20 hp and 24 ft-lbs torque over its competitor, while maintaining nearly the same fuel economy.

Chevrolet 316

More Trending

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Refreshed 2014 Toyota Yaris features revamped 1.0L engine with switching between Atkinson and Otto cycles; new hybrid

Green Car Congress

'2014 Yaris Hybrid. Click to enlarge. Toyota’s refreshed 2014 Yaris for Europe offers a choice of four powertrains, including a thoroughly reworked 3-cylinder 1.0 gasoline unit that is the first member of a new family of 14 highly efficient engines to be launched by 2015. With a thermal efficiency of 37%, the engine delivers a combined-cycle fuel consumption of 4.1 l/100 (57.4 mpg US), and CO 2 emissions reduced to 95 g/km in conjunction with a stop/start system.

2014 273
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Rutgers chemists develop new high-performance, platinum-free electrocatalyst for electrolysis; licensing available

Green Car Congress

'Rutgers researchers have synthesized cobalt-embedded nitrogen-rich carbon nanotubes (NRCNTs) that 1) can efficiently electrocatalyze the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with activities close to that of costly platinum and 2) function well under acidic, neutral or basic media alike, allowing them to be coupled with the best available oxygen-evolving catalysts—which also play crucial roles in the overall water-splitting reaction.

Available 273
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OpEneR: improving EV range by optimizing energy management

Green Car Congress

'OpEneR partners have developed driving strategies and driver assistance systems to improve the efficiency and safety of electric vehicles. Click to enlarge. At its final review, the European research project OpEneR (“optimal energy consumption and recovery based on a system network”) presented collaboratively developed driving strategies and driver assistance systems to improve significantly the efficiency (and hence range) and safety of electric vehicles by optimizing energy management. ( Earl

Energy 261
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First high-heat plastic air intake manifold with integrated charge air cooler in production on hybrid sports car

Green Car Congress

'Plastic air intake manifold with integrated CAC for 3-cylinder 1.5-liter engine. The world’s first high-heat plastic air intake manifold (AIM) with integrated charge air cooler (CAC) in Stanyl Diablo, Royal DSM’s high-temperature-resistant polyamide 46, recently went into production on a recently introduced hybrid sports car—by its description (although not by confirmation from DSM) the BMW i8 ( earlier post ).

Hybrid 259
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Faurecia and Accenture partner on products and services for connected and autonomous vehicles

Brief

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BYD building factory in Brazil for electric buses and battery packs

Green Car Congress

'BYD will build its first factory in Brazil in the city of Campinas (in the São Paulo region of Brazil). The factory is slated to open in 2015 and will launch the manufacturing and assembly of the BYD’s electric transit bus in South America as well as the Iron-Phosphate battery packs. Maximum capacity in the first year of operation (starting in 2015) will be 1,000 electric buses as well as all of their batteries, said BYD Brazil’s General Manager Tyler Li.

Brazil 257
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EPA proposes to replace and reduce certain HFCs; impact on mobile AC

Green Car Congress

'The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to prohibit the use of certain hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and HFC-containing blends that significantly contribute to climate change where safer, more climate-friendly alternatives exist. This is the agency’s second action aimed at reducing emissions of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The following are the proposed changes in listing status: For motor vehicle air conditioning systems in newly manufactured, light-duty vehicles, HFC-134a will be

EPA 252
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DOE to award up to $4.5M to increase acceptance and deployment of alt fuel vehicles

Green Car Congress

'The US Department of Energy (DOE) will award up to $4.5 million ( DE-FOA-0000951 ) to create and implement high impact and highly innovative approaches to increase the acceptance and deployment of Alternative Fuel Vehicles (AFVs). DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) anticipates that many different projects will be proposed and encourages new and innovative approaches that are projected to have a high impact.

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Bio-inspired gradient structure approach for delivering stronger, tougher metals

Green Car Congress

'Drawing inspiration from the structure of bones and bamboo, researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and North Carolina State University have found that by gradually changing the internal structure of metals to a gradient structure (GS), they can make stronger, tougher materials that can be customized for a wide variety of applications—from body armor to automobile parts.

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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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DOE, USDA awarding $12.6M to 10 biomass genomics research projects for improved biofuels

Green Car Congress

'The US Department of Energy (DOE) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) have selected 10 projects that will receive funding aimed at accelerating genetic breeding programs to improve plant feedstocks for the production of biofuels, biopower, and bio-based products. The $12.6 million in research grants are awarded under a joint DOE-USDA program that began in 2006 focused on fundamental investigations of biomass genomics, with the aim of harnessing nonfood plant biomass for the production o

Universal 239
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Japan to offer ~$20K in subsidies per fuel cell vehicle

Green Car Congress

'The Nikkei reports that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe revealed plans to provide at least ¥2 million (US$19,722) in subsidies for every purchase of a fuel cell vehicle. In a 2013 speech at Japan Akademeia on his “Abenomics”, shortly after his inauguration, the Prime Minster had emphasized the importance of regulatory and institutional reform to lead to commercial viability of new technologies, and specifically referenced hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Japan 236
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Nissan CEO outlines launch timetable for autonomous drive technologies

Green Car Congress

'In a speech to the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan, Carlos Ghosn, president and CEO of Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., broadly outlined the Japanese carmaker’s launch timetable for the latest vehicle automation technologies aimed at accelerating consumer adoption of Autonomous Drive systems. ( Earlier post.). The Nissan CEO said new technologies including automated lane controls and highway traffic management systems, to be introduced over the next four years, would demonstrate to consumers the vi

Nissan 236
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UK study finds low carbon policy has bolstered UK automotive sector, but trucks neglected and biofuels stalled

Green Car Congress

'Value of low carbon investments by year and cumulative. Click to enlarge. A major new report published at the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership’s Annual Conference shows the UK automotive sector has been revitalized by consistently applied policy centered on cutting carbon. Carried out for LowCVP by E4tech and the Centre for Automotive Industry Research at Cardiff Business School, the study was conducted between March and June 2014.

Carbon 231
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ProcessBarron retrofits help Severstal steel plant save 25 GWh/y in energy

Green Car Congress

'Last year, air, gas and material handling equipment company ProcessBarron retrofitted four 2,750-hp fans that send particulates from an electric arc furnace (EAF) to a baghouse for air pollution control at the Severstal steel plant in Columbus, Miss. These retrofits have helped the Severstal Columbus plant achieve more than 25,251,390 kWh (25 GWh) per year in energy savings and reduced the plant’s EAF energy costs by $0.70 per ton, qualifying it for the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Major Indust

Columbus 231
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Foothill Transit first transit agency to buy 2nd-generation Proterra EV buses

Green Car Congress

'Proterra Inc. announced the first sale of its second-generation battery-electric bus to Foothill Transit of West Covina, Calif. Foothill Transit became Proterra’s first customer and the first agency in the US to operate EV buses in revenue service in 2010. Based on the sustainability, fuel savings and proven performance of those buses, Foothill Transit has agreed to purchase two more buses from Proterra, moving the agency closer to its goal of expanding electric bus service into other lines.

Buy 231
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Rice, Lawrence Livermore scientists characterize performance of carbon-based Li-ion battery anodes; simple descriptor

Green Car Congress

'Lithium-ion batteries could benefit from a theoretical model created at Rice University and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory that predicts how carbon-based anodes will perform. The model is based on intrinsic characteristics of materials used as battery electrodes. These include limitations on quantum capacitance (the ability of the material to absorb charge) and the material’s absolute Fermi level, which determines how many lithium ions may bond to the electrodes.

Li-ion 231
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Mazda begins production of 4th-gen Mazda2 (Demio)

Green Car Congress

'Mazda Motor Corporation unveiled the all-new Mazda2 (known as Mazda Demio in Japan). Production of the fourth-generation of the model, which has been fully redesigned for the first time in seven years, has begun at Mazda’s Hofu Plant No. 1 in Yamaguchi, Japan. Mazda2. Click to enlarge. The all-new Mazda2 is available with the SKYACTIV-D 1.5, a new small-displacement clean diesel engine. ( Earlier post.

Mazda 230
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SABIC’s polycarbonate rear window in Ford MMLV reduces window weight by 35%; improved thermal insulation

Green Car Congress

'Among the technologies Ford incorporated into its drivable multi-material lightweight vehicle (MMLV) ( earlier post ) is an advanced polycarbonate (PC) glazing solution from SABIC’s Innovative Plastics business that makes possible a 35% weight reduction compared to the same window on a 2013 model year Ford Fusion production vehicle. The weight savings total 7.4 pounds (3.36 kg), even though the rear window is more than one millimeter thicker than the production glass window it replaces.

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Continental supplying first turbocharger with aluminum housing

Green Car Congress

'The water-cooled aluminum turbine housing. Click to enlarge. Continental’s powertrain developers have launched series production of the first car turbocharger with an aluminum turbine housing. Integration of the unit in the three-cylinder, 1.5L 100 kW gasoline engine for the MINI Hatch ( earlier post ) has been ongoing since spring 2014. Water-cooling enables the use of the lightweight material and thus enables a significant weight reduction by nearly 30% while simultaneously providing cost and

Supplies 230
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Shell adds 3rd major discovery to the Norphlet play in the Gulf of Mexico; total potential now above 700M barrels oil equivalent

Green Car Congress

'Shell announced its third major discovery in the Norphlet play in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico with the successful Rydberg exploration well. After more than 10 years of exploration activities in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, Shell continues to lead industry in exploring this Jurassic play. The Jurassic-period Norphlet play is characterized by high pressures and well temperatures, where good quality oil can be found in high quality sandstone reservoirs.

Mexico 225
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Navistar ships first vocational vehicles with 9- and 10-liter SCR engines; up to 8% fuel economy improvement

Green Car Congress

'Navistar, Inc. has started customer shipments of its first International DuraStar and International WorkStar vehicles with the company’s 9- and 10-liter engines with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) emissions technology. The company’s internal testing shows these products are delivering up to 8% in fuel economy improvement over the previous generation.

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Edeniq and Global Bio-chem to develop and commercialize technology to convert corn stover to industrial sugars for fuels

Green Car Congress

'Edeniq, Inc., a cellulosic sugar producer ( earlier post ), has signed a letter of intent with China-based Global Bio-chem Technology Group Company Limited to develop and to commercialize processes to convert corn stover to industrial sugars for use in the production of chemicals, fuels, and other bio-based products. Pursuant to the letter of intent, Edeniq and Global Bio-chem intend to integrate their technologies in a commercial demonstration plant to produce 50,000 metric tons per year of in

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DRIVE C2X presents results of large-scale connected vehicle field testing in Europe

Green Car Congress

'In Berlin, the DRIVE C2X consortium is presenting the results of the field operational tests (FOTs) on vehicle-to-vehicle (V2X or C2X) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I or C2I) technologies (collectively V2X or C2X) in Europe. ( Earlier post.) With 34 partners, 13 support partners and a €18.5-million (US$25 million) budget, the three and one-half year DRIVE 2CX project, coordinated by Daimler, was intended to lay the foundation for the roll-out of vehicle-to-X cooperative systems in Europe.

Europe 225
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Researchers discover boron buckyball; possible potential for hydrogen storage

Green Car Congress

'Researchers from Brown University, Shanxi University and Tsinghua University in China have shown that a cluster of 40 boron atoms forms a hollow molecular cage similar to a carbon buckyball. It’s the first experimental evidence that a boron cage structure—previously only a matter of speculation—does indeed exist. A paper describing the molecule, which the researchers named “borospherene”, is published in Nature Chemistry.

Hydrogen 225
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Two new Wärtsilä JVs with CSSC: 2-stroke engine business and medium-speed diesel and dual-fuel engines

Green Car Congress

'Wärtsilä and China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC)—one of the largest shipbuilders in the world—will form two new joint ventures. The first will take over Wärtsilä’s 2-stroke engine business. Through the agreement, CSSC will own 70% of the business through its affiliate CSSC Investment and Development Co. Ltd, while Wärtsilä will hold a 30% ownership position.

Engine 218
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Researchers synthesize diesel- and jet-range cycloalkanes from lignocellulosic platform compounds

Green Car Congress

'Researchers at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, have synthesized, for the first time, a mixture of C 9 ?C 15 branched alkanes and cycloalkanes with relatively higher density from 2-Methylfuran (2-MF) and cyclopentanone (CPO)—selective hydrogenation products of furfural, which can be produced in industrial scale with lignocellulose.

Diesel 218
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DOE awards $6M to advance cost-competitive drop-in biofuels

Green Car Congress

'The US Department of Energy (DOE) will award $6 million to two projects to help develop next generation biofuels that will help drive down the cost of producing gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels from biomass. DOE is targeting the production of cost-competitive drop-in biofuels at $3 per gallon by 2017. The research and development projects will focus on lowering production costs by maximizing the renewable carbon and hydrogen from biomass that can be converted to fuels and improving the separatio

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Alcoa unveils first aluminum alloy fan blade forging for jet engines; $1.1B supply agreement w/ Pratt & Whitney

Green Car Congress

'Click to enlarge. Under a new 10-year, $1.1-billion agreement, Alcoa will supply key parts for Pratt & Whitney’s jet engines, including the forging for the first aluminum fan blade for jet engines. The forging was developed for Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower engines using an advanced aluminum alloy and a proprietary manufacturing process. Also for the PurePower engines, Alcoa is developing a fan blade forging using its most advanced aluminum-lithium alloy.

Supplies 218
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Linde starts small-series production for hydrogen fueling stations; agreement with Iwatani for delivery of 28 units

Green Car Congress

'In Vienna, the Linde Group officially opened the first small-series production facility for hydrogen fueling stations. Linde extensively modernized and expanded the Vienna Application Centre specifically for this project. A number of hydrogen fueling innovations have originated from this research and development hub in Vienna in recent years, including Linde’s energy-efficient, compact ionic compressor, the IC 90. ( Earlier post.).

Hydrogen 218