Sat.Jul 26, 2014 - Fri.Aug 01, 2014

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Fraunhofer researchers take a different angle on wireless charging: from the front

Green Car Congress

'Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Systems and Device Technology IISB in Erlangen, Germany are pursuing an alternative approach to inductive (wireless) charging for electric vehicles. Rather than mounting induction coils on the underside of the vehicle to work with floor-mounted charging stations, the Fraunhofer team has developed a system for charging the plug-in from the front end.

Charging 353
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Tesla And Panasonic Reach Agreement On Gigafactory Project: Report

Green Car Reports

'Tesla Motors and its normally outspoken CEO, Elon Musk, haven''t had much to say about its plans to build a battery "gigafactory" lately. Now, a new report claims Tesla has secured an important pact in making the gigafactory a reality. Tesla has reached an agreement with Panasonic--its current supplier of lithium-ion cells--that will allow the.

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Tesla Motors really did break ground in Reno on Gigafactory

National Green Transportation

'On Thursday, the Tesla Motors letter to shareholders contained a verification of a some of us reported on the last couple weeks. Namely, there's a site near Reno Nevada where preparations are underway for what looked like.

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UK sales of electric cars reach record highs

Green Cars News

'Over 11,000 subsidies have now been claimed in the UK for the purchase of electric cars, in what is expected to be the best month yet for EV sales. By the end of June, the Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) recorded that a grand total of 11,260 Plug-in Car Grants had been claimed, since the su[.].

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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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EPRI, 8 automakers and 15 utilities to create an open grid integration platform for plug-in electric vehicles

Green Car Congress

'The Electric Power Research Institute, 8 automakers and 15 utilities are working to develop and to demonstrate an open platform that would integrate plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) with smart grid technologies enabling utilities to support PEV charging regardless of location. The open platform will simplify and streamline V2G (vehicle-to-grid) communications, enabling PEVs to provide grid services and increasing the overall value proposition of plug-in vehicles.

EPRI 334
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New Lithium-Ion Battery Uses Peroxide To Boost Energy Density By 7 Times: Report

Green Car Reports

'All electric vehicles currently in production use some form of lithium-ion chemistry in their battery packs. Finding ways of improving that chemistry is therefore very important--the aim being to make future electric car batteries cheaper, more stable and more energy-dense for longer range. Researchers from the School of Engineering at the.

More Trending

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Which is better for fuel economy, windows open or AC on?

Green Cars News

'Tuesday 29 July, 2014. The Green Piece Column. It’s hot, it’s sticky as you head home from work in your trusty car, so what do you do? Open the windows or turn on the air con? It’s a question that many drivers have pondered over the years and as many of you may already be aware there is a magic [.].

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Leviton launches industry-first 40A EV charge connector assembly

Green Car Congress

'Leviton has introduced an industry-first 40A Electric Vehicle Charge Connector Assembly: the Evr-Green 400 Charging Station. The connector assembly was specially designed for the Leviton Evr-Green family of electrical vehicle supply equipment. Rated to 40 amps of current or 9.7 kW of power, the connector assembly also complies with the Society of Automotive Engineers J1772 recommended standards.

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1.2 Billion Vehicles On World's Roads Now, 2 Billion By 2035: Report

Green Car Reports

'Calculating the total number of motor vehicles on the planet is an inexact science, but the number is growing rapidly. The automotive trade journal Ward''s Auto had estimated that the total crossed 1 billion vehicles sometime during 2010. DON''T MISS: It''s Official: We Now Have One Billion Vehicles On The Planet Now, an industry analyst has.

Vehicles 166
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Tesla Motors really did break ground in Reno on Gigafactory

National Green Transportation

'On Thursday, the Tesla Motors letter to shareholders contained a verification of a some of us reported on the last couple weeks. Namely, there's a site near Reno Nevada where preparations are underway for what looked like.

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

Brief

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Mercedes opens order books for first plug-in hybrid model

Green Cars News

'Mercedes’ first plug-in hybrid model is now available to order in mainland Europe, with prices announced as starting from €108,944.50 (around £86,418.59). The new S 500 plug-in hybrid model features a 3.0 litre V6 turbocharged petrol engine and a 80kW electric motor, for an electric only driving r[.].

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Panasonic and Tesla sign Gigafactory agreement

Green Car Congress

'Panasonic Corporation and Tesla Motors, Inc. signed an agreement that lays out their cooperation on the construction of a large-scale battery manufacturing plant in the United States (the specific location yet to be announced) known as the Gigafactory. ( Earlier post.) During Tesla’s Q4 earnings call in February, Tesla CEO Elon Musk had noted that because Panasonic is Tesla’s primary partner on battery production, the “default assumption” was that Panasonic would continue to partner with Tesla

Tesla 319
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Decoding Toyota's Electric-Car Disdain: A Role For Fuel Cells

Green Car Reports

'While unveiling its fuel-cell vehicle last month–priced to undercut the Tesla Model S ever so slightly–Toyota''s Global R&D Chief Mitsuhisa Kato offered some dismissive thoughts on battery-electric vehicles. As quoted in Automotive News, the 39-year veteran of the Toyota Motor Company said: "The cruising distance is so short for.

Toyota 166
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GKN to supply 500 electric flywheel hybrid drive systems to Go-Ahead Group for buses

Green Car Congress

'UK transport operator Go-Ahead Group has ordered 500 electric flywheel Gyrodrive systems from GKN Hybrid Power for use in buses. The Gyrodrive Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) system (featured in Audi’s LeMans-winning R18 e-tron quattro) harvests braking energy normally lost as heat. When the driver brakes, a traction motor on one of the axles slows the vehicle, generating electricity at the same time.

Hybrid 311
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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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Audi to demonstrate automated driving technology in Florida

Green Car Congress

'Audi will be the first to test its automated driving technology on the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway in Tampa, Florida—which recently was designated as an automated driving and connected car test bed—using an Audi A7 equipped to handle piloted driving functions on freeway conditions up to 40 mph (64 km/h). Audi believes this initial version of piloted driving—Traffic Jam Pilot—could be available to consumers within five years.

Florida 308
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PNNL team develops hybrid Mg-Li battery; excellent rate performance, safety and stability

Green Car Congress

'Schematic illustration of the the hybrid Mg-Li battery designed in this work. This battery has a piece of Mg foil as the anode, Mo 6 S 8 as the cathode, and the electrolyte contains both Mg 2+ and Li +. Cheng et al. Click to enlarge. Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have devised hybrid batteries assembled with a magnesium (Mg) metal anode; a Li + ion intercalation cathode (Mo 6 S 8 ), and a dual-salt electrolyte containing Mg 2+ and Li + ions.

Li-ion 295
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Space station droplet combustion experiments reveal cool-burning flames; potential to lead to better engines

Green Car Congress

'Isolated droplet combustion experiments performed on the International Space Station (ISS) by a team of international researchers have revealed a new type of cool-burning flames. The long durations of microgravity provided in the ISS enable the measurement of droplet and flame histories over an unprecedented range of conditions, enabling the discovery.

Engine 281
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California and Mexico sign agreement to reduce GHGs

Green Car Congress

'On Monday, California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. and Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Undersecretary Rodolfo Lacy and Mexican National Forestry Commission Director General Jorge Rescala Pérez signed an agreement to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). The new pact seeks to enhance cooperation through a range of activities, including: Aligning greenhouse gas reduction programs and strategies; Collaborating on fire emergency response along the border and other clim

Mexico 273
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DOE awarding $11M to advance renewable carbon fiber production from biomass

Green Car Congress

'The US Department of Energy (DOE) will award up to $11.3 million for two projects that aim to advance the production of cost-competitive, high-performance carbon fiber material from renewable, non-food-based feedstocks, such as agricultural residues and woody biomass. Carbon fiber can lower the cost and improve performance of fuel-efficient vehicles and renewable energy components such as wind turbine blades.

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U Mich professor finds fuel cycle analysis for evaluating CO2 impacts of liquid fuels is fatally flawed; calls for focus on CO2 removal

Green Car Congress

'Fuel cycle analysis (FCA)—or “well-to-wheels analysis”—is a type lifecycle analysis (LCA) that examines fuel products and their supply chains, and that has greatly influenced climate-related research priorities and public policies for transportation fuels. However, in a major review of methods for evaluating the net CO 2 impacts of liquid transportation fuels, Professor John DeCicco at the University of Michigan Energy Institute (UMEI) compared FCA to other methods of analysis, and

Fuel 268
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First international commercial flight completed with direct sugar to hydrocarbon (DSHC) fuel

Green Car Congress

'Amyris has partnered with Brazilian airline GOL to fly the industry’s first commercial flight with sugarcane-derived farnesane, the recently approved renewable jet fuel. ( Earlier post.) The first flight, GOL flight 7725, departed from Orlando, Florida on 30 July 2014 and traveled to Sao Paulo, Brazil. On 15 June, ASTM revised its jet fuel standard, paving the way for airlines to use Synthesized Iso-Paraffin (SIP) farnesane (generically, Direct Sugar to Hydrocarbon, DSHC) as a jet fuel componen

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Mercedes-Benz S 500 Plug-In Hybrid goes on sale; 84 mpg US

Green Car Congress

'S 500 Plug-In Hybrid. Click to enlarge. Mercedes-Benz has begun taking orders for the new S 500 Plug-In Hybrid ( earlier post ), with prices (in Germany, including 19% VAT) from €108,944.50 (US$146,000); the sedan will begin arriving at dealerships in September. The Mercedes-Benz S 500 Plug-In Hybrid offers a combined system output of 325 kW (442 hp) and 650 N·m (479 lb-ft) torque; acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h takes 5.2 seconds, and the plug-in hybrid has an all-electric range of up t

Plug-in 262
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California state agencies “rolling out carpet” for hydrogen electric vehicles

Green Car Congress

'“ California is rolling out the carpet for Californians who choose these ultra-clean hydrogen powered electric cars and for the companies that make them ,” said Air Resources Board Chairman Mary D. Nichols. California state agencies are collaborating on a range of initiatives to support the goal of 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025.

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IIHS small overlap front crash testing finds mixed small car results; Volt wins 2014 Top Safety Pick+ award

Green Car Congress

'The Mini Cooper Countryman was the only small car to earn a good rating among the latest group of 12 cars subjected to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) small overlap front crash test. Two battery- electric models and a hybrid also are in the mix, with varied results. The Chevrolet Volt extended range electric vehicle and the Ford C-MAX Hybrid earned an acceptable rating in this test, while the battery-electric Nissan LEAF earned a poor rating.

Volt 255
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Google and IEEE launch $1M challenge for downsized inverters

Green Car Congress

'Google and the IEEE have launched the Littlebox Challenge—an open competition to design and build a small kW-scale inverter with the highest power density (of at least 50 W/in 3 , or 3.05 kW/L) in an enclosure of less than 40 in 3 in volume (0.66L). The winning inverter, which will receive a $1-million prize, will be the unit which achieves the highest power density while meeting the required specifications under testing for 100 hours.

Google 255
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Navigant forecasts global road transportation energy consumption to increase 25% by 2035; 84% from conventional fuels

Green Car Congress

'In a new report ( Transportation Forecast: Global Fuel Consumption ), Navigant Research forecasts total road transportation energy consumption will grow from 81.1 quadrillion Btu in 2014 to 101.7 quadrillion Btu in 2035—an increase of 25.4%. Approximately 84% of that will be provided by conventional fuels. The United States is currently the largest consumer of energy in the road transportation sector, with nearly 23.1 quadrillion Btu projected to be consumed in 2014.

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Jaguar: aluminum-intensive XE will feature fuel consumption lower than 4L/100km; structure is 75% aluminum

Green Car Congress

'The aluminum body of the XE. Click to enlarge. In the second of four technology previews leading up to the introduction of the new Jaguar XE on 8 September, Jaguar outlined its extensive use of aluminum in the new model. Designed around Jaguar’s modular vehicle architecture, the XE is the only car in the class to use an aluminum-intensive monocoque, with lightweight aluminum accounting for 75% of the structure.

Fuel 252
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China BAK Battery and Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics collaborate on next-gen batteries

Green Car Congress

'China BAK Battery, Inc. (CBAK) will collaborate with Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of Chinese Academy of Sciences (DICP) in the R&D of next-generation battery manufacturing technologies with new battery materials, from lab scale tests, pilot scale tests to industrial tests, and related special preparation techniques. In addition, CBAK and DICP will also cooperate in training graduate and post-doctoral students and co-build a graduate practice base, which will provide talent and technical

Batteries 252
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Toyota starts CVT production in China; production of hybrid vehicle transaxles to begin in 2015

Green Car Congress

'Toyota Motor Corporation’s (TMC’s) vehicle powertrain production subsidiary in Changshu, China, Toyota Motor (Changshu) Auto Parts Co., Ltd. (TMCAP), has begun localized production of continuously variable transmissions (CVTs), which is a first for Toyota outside Japan. Production of transaxles for hybrid vehicles—also a first for Toyota outside Japan—is scheduled to begin here in 2015.

2015 250
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Ultracapacitor manufacturer Skeleton Technologies raises €3.9M (US$5.2 M) in Round A financing

Green Car Congress

'Skeleton Technologies, a manufacturer of high power- and energy-density ultracapacitors ( earlier post ) has completed Round A financing of €3.9 million (US$5.4 million). The financing will be used for production scale-up and product development in addition to sales and marketing efforts. The total Round A financing, led by Estonian venture capital investor UP Invest AS includes the first financing tranche of €2.2 million announced in April 2013.

Financing 247
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Fifth DOT connected vehicle PlugFest in August

Green Car Congress

'The USDOT will hold its fifth Connected Vehicle PlugFest on 5-7 August 2014, in Farmington Hills, Michigan. PlugFests provide venues for vendor-to-vendor connected vehicle device testing to help ensure that devices and systems meet the base standard requirements and level of interoperability necessary for the Southeast Michigan Connected Vehicle Test Bed Deployment 2014 Project.

Connect 246
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Mercedes-Benz introduces new Vito mid-size van; up to 41.3 mpg US, new front-wheel drive option

Green Car Congress

'New Vito. Click to enlarge. Mercedes-Benz introduced its new Vito model series for the mid-size van (2.5–3.2 t GVW) segment. Among the variants is the Vito 116 CDI BlueEfficiency, offering fuel consumption of 5.7 l of diesel per 100 km (41.3 mpg US). The new Vito is also the first van in the mid-size segment to offer three different drive system variants—rear-wheel, all-wheel, and, new, front wheel drive systems.

Mercedes 246
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GM bringing wireless smartphone charging with Powermat to Cadillac models

Green Car Congress

'Cadillac will add wireless charging of smartphones in the 2015 model ATS sport sedan and coupe launching this fall, to the CTS sport sedan this fall and to the Escalade SUV at the end of 2014.Compatible with Powermat and other in-phone wireless charging technologies, the feature eliminates the need for cords on board.Following its introduction into the 2015 ATS, wireless charging technology will be added.

Cadillac 246
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Stanford team reports progress toward stable Li-metal anode for high-energy-density batteries

Green Car Congress

'Dr. Yi Cui and colleagues at Stanford University—including Dr. Steven Chu, Nobel Laureate and the former Secretary of Energy, now a professor in the Physics department at Stanford— report progress toward a stable lithium metal anode for use in high-energy-density batteries such as Li-sulfur or Li-air systems. Lithium metal is a very promising anode material for rechargeable batteries due to its theoretical high capacity (3,860?

Li-ion 244