Sat.Jul 04, 2015 - Fri.Jul 10, 2015

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Saft Li-ion battery system to power ExoMars Rover; >€1M contract

Green Car Congress

ExoMars Rover. Click to enlarge. Saft has signed a contract worth more than €1 million (US$1.1 million) from Airbus Defence and Space Ltd (UK) to develop, to qualify and to test a specific lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery system to power the ExoMars Rover vehicle. The Rover is the key component of the ExoMars Programme , run jointly by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Roscosmos, the Russian Federal Space Agency.

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Uber CEO To Tesla: Sell Me Half A Million Autonomous Electric Cars In 2020

Green Car Reports

Tesla Motors is one of several automakers planning to put a self-driving car on sale sometime in the next few years, and it already seems to have at least one big fan. This person isn't a celebrity owner or safety advocate, but rather the CEO of preeminent ride-sharing company Uber. If Tesla can build a fully-autonomous car by 2020, Uber CEO.

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Mitsubishi joins PSA and other French partners in second-life batteries demonstration

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Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) and Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) announced the launch of a joint demonstration project for utilizing used lithium-ion batteries from electric-powered vehicles. The project will be executed in partnership with Electricité de France (EDF); Forsee Power, a key provider of energy storage solutions sponsored by EDF; and PSA Peugeot Citroën.

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BMW and SCHERM put 40t battery-electric truck into service for material transport in 1-year pilot

Green Car Congress

The BMW Group and the SCHERM group have put a 40-ton electric truck for material transport into service on public roads in a one-year pilot. The truck, a Terberg YT202-EV electric tractor, has successfully completed its first test drives. The truck will travel a 2km route (1.2 miles) eight times a day between the SCHERM group logistics center and the BMW Group plant in Munich, transporting different vehicle components such as shock absorbers, springs and steering systems.

BMW 259
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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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Cal Energy Commission approves >$10M in grants for medium- and heavy-duty battery-electric and fuel cell vehicle projects

Green Car Congress

The California Energy Commission approved more than $10 million in grants for four projects demonstrating advanced medium- and heavy-duty vehicle technologies utilizing battery-electric or fuel-cell electric powertrains that will enhance market acceptance and lead to vehicle production and commercialization. Scoring preferences were provided to projects located in disadvantaged communities.

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China’s ZTE pushing ahead with high-power wireless charging vehicle test deployment

Green Car Congress

ZTE Corporation, China’s largest listed telecommunications equipment company, is developing high-power wireless charging systems and services for electric vehicles, with a focus on public charging infrastructure. At a China-US workshop on electric vehicle standardization held in June ( earlier post ), Academus Tian, VP of ZTE New Energy Vehicle Co., presented an overview of ZTE’s efforts in wireless power transfer (WPT).

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ChargePoint Home EV charger to be available from Amazon starting at $499

Green Car Congress

The ChargePoint Home EV charger, introduced at CES in January ( earlier post ), will be available to order on Amazon later this summer. The price of the networked station ranges from $499 to $749. ChargePoint Home’s price varies based on power level, installation type and cord length. The station is available as a 32 amp station that can deliver a maximum of 25 miles of range per hour (RPH), or a 16 amp station that can deliver a maximum of 12 RPH.

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Honda diesel sets new Guinness record for fuel efficiency, averaging 83 mpg US in 8,387-mile drive across 24 EU countries

Green Car Congress

Honda has set a new Guinness World Records title for “Lowest fuel consumption – all 24 contiguous EU countries (all cars)”, recording an average 83 mpg US (2.82 l/100 km) over 8,387 miles (13,498 km), in a 25-day drive across all 24 EU contiguous countries. ( Earlier post.) The car achieved an average 932 miles (1,500 km) on each tank of fuel, at a total fuel cost for the whole journey of just £459 (US$716).

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Argonne team develops effective low-pressure catalyst for reduction of CO2 to methanol

Green Car Congress

Researchers at the US Department of Energy (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, with colleagues at Universität Freiburg in Germany, have developed an effective low-pressure catalyst for the reduction of CO 2 to methanol (CH 3 OH). In a paper in the Journal of the American Chemical Society , they report their investigation into the use of size-selected Cu 4 clusters supported on Al 2 O 3 thin films for CO 2 reduction in the presence of hydrogen.

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UMTRI study finds total cost of ownership of diesels in US often much less than gasoline counterparts

Green Car Congress

A comprehensive study of the total cost of ownership (TCO) of light- and medium-duty diesel passenger vehicles in the US has found that the total cost of ownership—depreciation, fuel costs, repairs, maintenance, insurance, and fees and taxes—is often much less for diesel vehicles as compared to gasoline versions of the same vehicles, mostly ranging from $2,000 to $7,000 over three to five years.

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

Brief

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Volkswagen 2015 Golf TDI diesel tours all lower 48 states on 101.43 gallons; 81.17 mpg

Green Car Congress

A 2015 Golf TDI Clean Diesel has set a new Guinness World Records achievement for the “lowest fuel consumption—48 US contiguous States for a non-hybrid car” with an 81.17 mpg (2.9 l/100 km) performance. Traveling 8,233.5 miles (13,251 km) around the US in 16 days on $294.98 of Shell Diesel fuel, the Golf beat the previous mark of 77.99 mpg (3.01 l/100 km) by more than 3 mpg, and also beat the hybrid vehicle record of 74.34 mpg (3.16 l/10 km) by more than 6 mpg.

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Alaska EV company seeking crowd-funding for low-volume production AWD electric roadster

Green Car Congress

Ethos Electric Vehicles, a small, Alaska-based company building custom electric motorcycles and automobiles, has launched a $100,000 crowd-funding campaign for reworking an existing internal combustion engine kit car—the Graber Cars’ La Bala —into a low-volume production, all-wheel drive (AWD) electric roadster. Target pricing is $48,000 for the base AWD unit, $60,000 for a deluxe version, and $28,000 for a two-wheel drive unit.

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European automakers and fuel suppliers argue for diesel as they call on policy makers to accelerate fleet renewal

Green Car Congress

In an open letter to EU policy makers, leading representatives of the automotive and petroleum refining industry in Europe called on policy makers to help accelerate fleet renewal and the introduction of the cleanest vehicles and committed to keep pushing the technical boundaries in order to find ever better ways of combining the customer benefits of diesel—fuel economy and low CO 2 —with continuously reduced emissions.

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US Navy holding industry forum to discuss electric leasing plans in California

Green Car Congress

The Department of the Navy is planning to lease approximately 300 to 600 passenger-carrying electric vehicles, with an initial focus on its sedan fleet, to be used at various Navy and Marine Corps installations within California. To facilitate an interactive electric vehicle leasing discussion with industry partners, the Naval Facilities Engineering Command is holding an Industry Forum on 21 July 2015 from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM at the CalEPA Headquarters Building in Sacramento, California.

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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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Arkema and Hydro-Québec set up a joint laboratory for lithium-ion batteries

Green Car Congress

Arkema, a €7.5-billion (sales) global chemical company and France’s leading chemicals producer, and Hydro-Québec, through its new subsidiary SCE France, are partnering to create a joint laboratory for research and development in the energy storage sector. ( Earlier post.). The laboratory will focus its work on the development of a new generation of materials for the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries, in particular new electrolytes (solvents, lithium salts, etc.) and conduction agents (carbon

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BioSolar extends agreement with UCSB for further development of novel polymer cathode; projecting up to 459 Wh/kg and $54/kWh for Li-ion cells

Green Car Congress

Startup BioSolar, Inc. has signed an agreement to extend the funding of a sponsored research program at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), to further develop its “super battery” technology—a novel polymer cathode that leverages fast redox-reaction properties rather than conventional lithium-ion intercalation chemistry to enable rapid charge and discharge.

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S Korean researchers develop new solid-state electrolyte for high-performance Li-ion batteries stable at high temperatures

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South Korean researchers at the Center for Self-assembly and Complexity, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Department of Chemistry and Division of Advanced Materials Science at Pohang University, have developed a new solid-state electrolyte based on an organic molecular porous solid which greatly improves the performance of Li-ion batteries performance as well as reducing the risks due to overheating.

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UMTRI: average new car fuel economy in June drops from May; April EDI up

Green Car Congress

The average fuel economy (window-sticker value) of new vehicles sold in the US in June was 25.4 mpg—down 0.1 mpg from May, according to the monthly report from Dr. Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). They suggested the decline likely reflects the increased sales of light trucks and SUVs in June.

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Geely invests in Carbon Recycling Intl.; vehicles fueled by methanol from CO2, water and renewable energy

Green Car Congress

Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely Group) will invest a total of US$45.5 million in Carbon Recycling International (CRI). The investment consists of an initial investment and additional purchases of CRI equity over a 3-year period. Geely Group will become a major shareholder of CRI and will gain representation on the company’s Board of Directors. CRI, founded in 2006 in Reykjavik, Iceland, is developing technology to produce renewable methanol from clean energy and recycled CO 2 emissions.

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Argonne researchers developing multifunctional farm landscapes balancing economy, bioenergy and environment

Green Car Congress

In collaboration with the farming community of the Indian Creek Watershed in central Illinois, researchers from Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) are finding ways to meet three agrarian land management objectives simultaneously: maximizing a farmer’s production; growing feedstock for bioenergy; and protecting the environment. Through careful data collection and modeling at a cornfield in Fairbury, the Argonne team found that achieving these goals—which might under some conditions be mutual

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MOL orders methanol carriers with first methanol dual-fuel engines

Green Car Congress

Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL) has ordered methanol carriers with the first methanol burned dual-fueled low-speed diesel main engine. The engine building has already been completed, and its manufacturer, Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd., has test-operated the unit using methanol fuel in Tamano Works, and confirmed that it met expected performance. ( Earlier post.).

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New safety test environment for high-speed flywheels for energy storage systems; new high-speed imaging techniques

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The Ricardo-led FlySafe research collaboration—involving a range of leading industrial and academic partners including the University of Brighton’s Centre for Automotive Engineering—has delivered an innovative flywheel safety test environment to enable the development of next-generation flywheel energy storage systems. The FlySafe project is investigating the potential failure mechanisms and behaviors of high-speed flywheel systems.

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DOE to award up to $3M for cost-effective low-concentration CO2 capture or conversion for coal-relevant applications

Green Car Congress

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a funding opportunity announcement ( DE-FOA-0001342 ) for cost-effective CO 2 capture or conversion solutions for coal-relevant applications at low concentrations. Proposed technologies should mitigate CO 2 from coal-relevant gases with CO 2 concentrations of. Applications will need to demonstrate that a current Technology Readiness Level of 3 (i.e., active research and development initiated, including analytical and lab-scale studies) has been achiev

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New generation Fiat 500 features new engine lineup, more technology

Green Car Congress

Eight years after Fiat re-introduced the iconic Fiat 500 to the market ( earlier post ), the company has unveiled the next generation. Made by the Centro Stile Fiat, the car has a refreshed exterior and interior design. The new version has not grown in size but features more technology, engine versions and customization ideas. Combined with five- or six-speed mechanical gearboxes or a Dualogic robotized transmission, the engine line-up available at launch includes the 1.2 liter 69 hp, the TwinAi

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U Calgary study finds oil shale most energy intensive upgraded fuel followed by in-situ-produced bitumen from oil sands

Green Car Congress

A team at the University of Calgary (Canada) has compared the energy intensities and lifecycle GHG emissions of unconventional oils (oil sands and oil shale) alongside shale gas, coal, lignite, wood and conventional oil and gas. In a paper published in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology , they report that lignite is the most GHG intensive primary fuel followed by oil shale.

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Report: Iwatani boosting liqufied hydrogen production 80% to meet demand from fuel cell vehicles

Green Car Congress

The Nikkei reports that Iwatani will invest as much as ¥12 billion (US$97.3 million) to boost its production capacity for hydrogen gas 80% by fiscal 2018 to meet future demand from fuel cell vehicles. The new investments will give Iwatani the capacity to produce 504,000 liters of liquefied hydrogen a day (equivalent to 397,202 m 3 of gaseous hydrogen), or enough to fill up 7,200 Toyota Mirai fuel cell cars.

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Hyundai-Kia America and Mojo Mobility partnering on wireless fast-charging project

Green Car Congress

Hyundai-Kia America Technical Center, Inc., (HATCI) and Mojo Mobility, Inc., a wireless power technology company, have been awarded funding from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Vehicle Technologies (VT) program to research and develop a system for wireless fast-charging an electric vehicle at up to a 19.2 kW power transfer rate.

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BioMim project seeks to mimic chemistry of brown rot fungus to improve biorefining

Green Car Congress

BioMim , a newly-launched $4 million, four-year project funded by the Research Council of Norway with industrial partners Borregaard and Kebony, is seeking to mimic the chemistry of the brown rot fungus to improve biorefining processes. Specifically, the international team of researchers will seek to utilize the brown-rot fungi’s unique mechanisms to remove biomass components in cell walls, creating much improved access for an optimized enzyme system.

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Bosch offering sub-$10K 24 kW DC fast charger for North America; SAE J1772 DC Combo connector

Green Car Congress

Bosch Automotive Service Solutions has introduced the Power DCPlus DC fast charger in North America, starting at less than $10,000. Using the SAE J1772 DC Combo connector, the 24 kW Bosch Power DCPlus will charge compatible EVs to 80% in less than 30 minutes. The station has been approved by General Motors and can be ordered through GM’s Dealer Equipment Program.

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Study finds perennial biofuel crops’ water consumption similar to corn

Green Car Congress

A study by a team from the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) has found that perennial biofuel crops’ evapotranspiration does not differ greatly from corn. Evapotranspiration (ET) refers to the sum total of water lost while the plant is growing, either from evaporation through the plant stem itself (a process called “transpiration”), or from water evaporated off of the plant’s leaves or the ground.

Water 203
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Cal Energy Commission grants Hydrogen Energy California suspension, denies request to terminate power plant project

Green Car Congress

The California Energy Commission committee reviewing the proposed 390-megawatt Hydrogen Energy California (HECA) power plant ( earlier post ) rejected a motion to terminate the project’s application for certification (AFC) and granted a separate request to suspend the AFC for six months. Hydrogen Energy California LLC submitted the request for suspension 5 May to allow more time to identify a partner to purchase carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) produced by the plant and negotiate a carbon sequestration ag

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Renault-Nissan Alliance posts record €3.8 billion in synergies in 2014, up 32.4% from 2013; role of CMF

Green Car Congress

The Renault-Nissan Alliance posted record synergies of €3.80 billion ($4.25 billion) in 2014, up 32.4% from €2.87 billion the previous year. Purchasing, engineering and manufacturing were the biggest contributors. The launch of the Alliance’s first Common Module Family (CMF) vehicles ( earlier post ), as well as the recent convergence of four key functions—Engineering; Manufacturing Engineering & Supply Chain Management; Purchasing; and Human Resources—helped drive synergies in all t

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DOE awards $18M to six projects for algae-based biofuels; targeting <$5/gge

Green Car Congress

The US Department of Energy (DOE) will award up to $18 million in funding to six projects to reduce the modeled price of algae-based biofuels to less than $5 per gasoline gallon equivalent (gge) by 2019. Algal biomass can be converted to advanced biofuels that offer promising alternatives to petroleum-based diesel and jet fuels. Additionally, algae can be used to make a range of other valuable bioproducts, such as industrial chemicals, bio-based polymers, and proteins.

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New rationally designed high-performance Li-S cathode; rate performance, capacity and long life

Green Car Congress

Researchers in China report the development of a rationally designed Li−S cathode consisting of a freestanding composite thin film assembled from sulfur nanoparticles, reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and a multifunctional additive poly(anthraquinonyl sulfide) (PAQS): nano-S:rGO:PAQS. The resulting cathode exhibits an initial specific capacity of 1255 mAh g −1 with a decay rate as low as 0.046% per cycles over 1,200 cycles.

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