Sat.Nov 08, 2014 - Fri.Nov 14, 2014

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Audi in new e-fuels project: synthetic diesel from water, air-captured CO2 and green electricity; “Blue Crude”

Green Car Congress

'Audi is active in the development of CO 2 -neutral, synthetic fuels; the company already has projects underway with Joule in the US for the development and testing of synthetic ethanol and synthetic diesel ( earlier post ); has an e-gas project underway in Werlte, Germany ( earlier post ); and has a new partnership with Global Bioenergies on bio-isooctane (bio-gasoline) ( earlier post ).

Audi 400
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Indiana Utility: Electric-Car Owners Recharge FREE, At Night

Green Car Reports

'Electric-car owners know that home recharging is virtually always cheaper, on a per-mile basis, than driving on gasoline. In some cases, it''s considerably cheaper. We recently reported on the sweet deal enjoyed by a Tesla Model S owner in Indianapolis, whose local utility charges just 2.3 cents per kWh for overnight EV charging. DON''T MISS: Life.

Recharge 167
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Via Motors gets EPA certification, starts eREV Van deliveries to utility fleets

National Green Transportation

'On Thursday, plug-in hybrid electric truck maker Via Motors announced having received EPA and CARB certifications allowing the company to proceed with a project to sell over 170 PHEV vans to 50 utility company fleets. The project, in.

EPA 78
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Daimler shamed for fuel economy faking

Green Cars News

'Cars made by Daimler have the biggest gap between their official fuel economy figure and real-road results, according to environmental NGO, Transport & Environment (T&E). According to T&E’s analysis, Daimler real world fuel economy gap is in excess of 30 per cent; as does BMW and Ford, [.].

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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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Four Siemens 1200 kW electric motors power world’s largest truck; all-wheel drive

Green Car Congress

'The world’s biggest truck—the more than 800-ton GVW BelAZ 75710 mining truck—is powered by an electric drive system comprising four electric traction motors from Siemens, each with an output of 1,200 kilowatts (approximately 1,800 hp). The electricity is provided by two generators, each of which is driven by a 16-cylinder diesel engine with an output of approximately 1,700 kW.

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The Coming Solar Power Boom: Charts Tell The Story, Grid Parity In 2 Years

Green Car Reports

'Home solar power has been around for a long time, but its relatively high costs have made it unattractive for many homeowners. Over the last decade, rapidly decreasing prices for photovoltaic cells are driving down the cost of solar power, potentially to where it achieves "grid parity"-- a point where getting electricity from solar panels costs.

Grid 168

More Trending

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Renault collaborates with La Poste to explore EV advances

Green Cars News

'One of Renault’s biggest EV customer, La Poste has signed a new agreement with the carmaker to explore the development of the next-generation of electric vehicles. France’s mail service already uses nearly 25,000 means of electric transport on a daily basis, having equipped itself with a wide arra[.].

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Ongoing market rollout for SAE hydrogen fueling standards

Green Car Congress

'At the Fuel Cell Seminar and Energy Exposition (FCS&EE) today in Los Angeles (co-sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE), Toyota and Honda, among others), SAE is providing a short course on “SAE H 2 Fueling Standardization”; the course is presented by Jesse Schneider from BMW and Steve Mathison from Honda, both of whom have been deeply involved in the development of the SAE hydrogen fueling standards. ( Earlier post.

Standards 368
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2015 Volkswagen Golf: Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy 2015

Green Car Reports

'Our Best Car To Buy award can go one of several ways here on Green Car Reports. Sometimes it goes to a moonshot car, like the first Nissan Leaf (in 2011) or the Tesla Model S (in 2013). Those are cars that radically redefined what green transportation could be, changing the auto industry forever. DON''T MISS: Green Car Reports'' 2015 Best Car To.

2015 167
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BMW shows prototype of streetlight with integrated EV charging

Green Car Congress

'During the Eurocities conference this week in Munich, the BMW Group presented the prototype of a highly energy efficient street light that is also a charging station for electric vehicles, called “Light and Charge”. The units combine the latest LED technology with a standard connector for EV charging. The charging station, integrated into BMW i''s ChargeNow network, allows the driver to start charging with just one click.

BMW 368
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Faurecia and Accenture partner on products and services for connected and autonomous vehicles

Brief

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Tritium launches Fast Cities Network charging initiative; Australia’s largest fast charging network for EVs

Green Car Congress

'The Fast Cities Network. Click to enlarge. Brisbane, Australia-based Tritium, developer of the Veefil Electric Vehicle (EV) Fast Charger, has launched a Fast Cities Network initiative to establish Australia’s largest fast-charging network in Australia and the first in Eastern Australia. Located within the SE Queensland region, the proposed 430 km (267-mile) network will create an electric super highway, showcasing intra-city and intercity travel for EVs in Brisbane and the Gold Coast area.

Charging 312
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US and China jointly announce GHG reduction targets; US to cut net GHG 26-28% by 2025, China to peak CO2 by ~2030

Green Car Congress

'The US and China jointly announced greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets. US President Barack Obama said the US will cut net greenhouse gas emissions in the US by 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025. At the same time, President Xi Jinping of China announced targets to peak that country’s CO 2 emissions around 2030, with the intention to try to peak early, and to increase the non-fossil fuel share of all energy to around 20% by 2030.

China 300
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Ensyn begins generation & sale of cellulosic biofuel RINs under RFS2

Green Car Congress

'Ensyn has initiated the generation and sale of its first RINs (Renewable Identification Numbers) under the US Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) ( earlier post ); Ensyn’s D7 cellulosic RINs have received QAP certification. Ensyn is the first company to generate cellulosic RINs under the US Environmental Protection Agency’s expanded definition of Heating Oil under RFS2, which became effective in December 2013.

Sale 295
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Air Force tests all plug-in vehicle fleet in California; part of large DoD V2G project

Green Car Congress

'A fleet of plug-in electric vehicles sits ready to roll at Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, California. (US Air Force photo by Sarah Corrice/RELEASED.) Click to enlarge. The Air Force unveiled the Department of Defense’s first non-tactical vehicle fleet composed entirely of plug-in electric vehicles at Los Angeles Air Force Base today. The 42-vehicle fleet marks a milestone in partnership between federal, state and private energy organizations, as well as in DoD’s demonstration of emer

Plug-in 281
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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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Volkswagen Golf family named “2015 Motor Trend Car of the Year”

Green Car Congress

'Motor Trend named the Volkswagen Golf family—Golf 1.8T, Golf TDI Clean Diesel, Golf GTI and e-Golf models—as the 2015 Motor Trend Car of the Year. The Golf has won COTY only once before, in 1985. For 2015, the Golf was a near-unanimous choice among our judges by virtue of its strong performance in each of our six Car of the Year criteria.

2015 278
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With oil prices low, early signs of a pullback in drilling activity

Green Car Congress

'by Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com. With oil prices low and showing no sign of an immediate rebound, the industry is beginning to pull back on spending. Oil prices have dropped around 30 percent since summer highs, raising fears among producers across the globe. Yet, many oil majors are relatively diversified, with large holdings downstream. For example, ExxonMobil and Chevron have been insulated in the third quarter because of their large holdings in refining.

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New Toshiba image-recognition processors for ADAS; night-time pedestrian detection and 3D reconstruction

Green Car Congress

'Toshiba Corporation will expand its line-up of image-recognition processors for automotive applications with the launch of the TMPV760 series. Sample shipments of the first device, TMPV7608XBG, will start in January 2015, with mass production scheduled for December 2016 onwards. With TMPV7608XBG, Toshiba is supporting the realization of next-generation Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

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Li-ion maker Electrovaya receives $1.3M IESS award for Toronto and London Hydro; working with Walmart

Green Car Congress

'Canada-based Li-ion battery maker Electrovaya Inc. has received a $1.3-million grant award to deliver multiple Intelligent Energy Storage Systems (IESS) at various locations for Toronto Hydro and London Hydro. This project is supported by the Ontario Ministry of Energy’s Smart Grid Fund. The IESS units will be serving multiple applications including phase balancing, infrastructure deferment, electric vehicle charging and general energy storage functions.

Li-ion 240
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ARPA-E tackles multi-modal transportation with approximately $10M in funding for TRANSNET

Green Car Congress

'ARPA-E is making approximately $10 million in funding available for a new program, TRANSNET (Traveler Response Architecture using Novel Signaling for Network Efficiency in Transportation), designed to optimize energy efficiency in multi-modal, urban transportation networks (e.g. personal vehicles, buses, light rail, etc.). In 2013, the United States used more than 25% of its energy supply for the purpose of moving people and goods from one place to another, the agency noted.

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Ford partners with Wind Energy Corp to power 4 dealerships

Green Car Congress

'Ford Motor Company is partnering with Wind Energy Corporation to deliver a new source of clean energy to its dealers. Under a pilot program exclusive to Ford, Wind Energy will install wind sail and solar panel systems at four Ford dealerships, a nearly $750,000 investment, to help power dealer facilities. Each Windy System includeswind sail technology that harvests wind energy and an integrated 7 kW solar array.

Wind 239
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Toshiba to partner with Kawasaki City on 5-year demo of independent energy supply system utilizing solar power and hydrogen

Green Car Congress

'Toshiba Corporation and Kawasaki City will conduct a cooperative demonstration experiment of an independent energy supply system utilizing solar power and hydrogen. This system will be set up in the Kawasaki Marien public facility and Higashi-Ogishima-Naka Park in the Kawasaki Port area. The demonstration will run from April 2015 (the beginning of fiscal 2015) until the end of fiscal 2020 (March 2021).

Hydrogen 236
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New Volvo XC90 debuts enhanced multi-filter that improves interior air quality

Green Car Congress

'Volvo is introducing a larger, more efficient multi-filter in its cabins as part of its CleanZone initiative. CleanZone is an approach to controlling interior air quality and providing a better driving environment through innovative solutions for enhanced wellbeing and health. Drivers can breathe easier because most microscopic, hazardous “fine dust” particles will now be prevented from entering the car.

Volvo 236
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Volkswagen Beetle and Beetle Cabriolet get end-of-year engine refresh; up to 13% reduction in fuel consumption

Green Car Congress

'Just before the end of the year, Volkswagen will introduce three new gasoline engines (77 kW/103 hp, 110 kW/148 hp and 162 kW/217 hp) and two diesel engines (81 kW/109 hp and 110 kW/148 hp) for the Beetle. All engines comply with the Euro 6 emissions standard and are all more efficient than their predecessors. As an example, the power output of the top-of-the-range 2.0 TSI engine for the Beetle has been increased from 155 kW (208 hp) to 162 kW.

Engine 236
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TU Berlin team develops multifunctional catalyst for ORR and OER for fuel cells or rechargeable metal-air batteries

Green Car Congress

'One of the challenges in electrocatalysis (be it for solar fuels, fuel cells or rechargeable metal-air batteries) is to find an effective catalyst that will reduce (oxygen reduction reaction, ORR), as well as generate (oxygen evolution reaction, OER), oxygen at moderate temperatures. A team from Technische Universität Berlin now reports developing cobalt-manganese-based (CoMn 2 O 4 and MnCo 2 O 4 ) spinel microspheres as highly efficient multifunctional catalysts that unify the electrochemical

Recharge 236
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Ecofys report concludes current European regulations underestimating GHG reductions

Green Car Congress

'Substituting biofuels for marginal fossil-based liquid fuels results in the avoidance of significant GHG emissions that are not currently accounted for in the European Renewable Energy Directive (2009/28/EC), according to a new analysis by the consultancy Ecofys. The study was commissioned by the European Oilseed Alliance (EOA), the European Biodiesel Board (EBB) and the European Vegetable Oil and Proteinmeal Industry (FEDIOL).

Oil-Sands 236
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Enerkem and AkzoNobel to explore development of waste-to-chemicals facilities in Europe

Green Car Congress

'Enerkem Inc., a waste-to-biofuels and chemicals producer, has signed an agreement with AkzoNobel, a leading global paints and coatings company and a major producer of specialty chemicals, to develop a project partnership to explore the development of waste-to-chemicals facilities in Europe. In this new project partnership, Enerkem will license its technology to convert municipal and other waste feedstocks into chemicals.

Waste 236
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Lux Research: “Tesla’s Autonomous Car Claims More Hype Than Reality”

Green Car Congress

'Analysts at Lux Research are taking a decidedly measured view of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s recent assertions of Tesla’s technical capability and leadership in the field of autonomous driving. With the release of “Autopilot” ( earlier post ), Tesla has caught up with competitors, but “certainly hasn’t” passed them, according to Lux. Manufacturers like Daimler, Audi, BMW, and Ford, alongside many others, are all incorporating advanced driver assist systems (ADAS) into their cars.

Cars 236
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DSM wins SPE Automotive Innovation Award for bio-based EcoPaXX integrated crankshaft cover for Volkswagen Group diesels

Green Car Congress

'EcoPaXX crankshaft cover. Click to enlarge. A lightweight multi-functional crankshaft cover in Royal DSM’s EcoPaXX high-performance polyamide 410 was top in the Powertrain category at the Society of Plastics Engineers Automotive Division Innovation Awards Competition and Gala in Detroit. The 70% bio-based EcoPaXX is made principally from topical castor beans and is 100% carbon neutral from cradle to gate.

Diesel 231
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GM reaches 3M sales in China in 2014; planning 60 new or refreshed vehicles through 2018

Green Car Congress

'General Motors and its joint ventures sold their 3 millionth vehicle in China in 2014. This is the second consecutive year that GM has reached the milestone, a month earlier than last year. In 2013, GM and its joint ventures hit 3 million sales in a calendar year on 12 December for the first time in GM’s history in its largest market. GM has experienced particularly strong growth in demand at the higher end of our lineup and in the SUV and MPV segments.

2014 231
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DOE 2014 Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Progress Report highlights substantial progress

Green Car Congress

'The US Department of Energy (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) has posted the 2014 edition of its annual Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program Annual Progress Report —a nearly 1,000-page document. The report summarizes the reports provided each year by projects funded by DOE’s Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Program and offers additional information about recent Program accomplishments.

2014 231
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Petrobras reaches its highest historical monthly oil production in Brazil

Green Car Congress

'Petrobras’ oil production in Brazil reached an average of 2,126,000 barrels per day (bpd) in October, corresponding to 0.4% rise in September’s production of 2,118,000 bpd. This flow represents a historical new record, surpassing the previous record 4,800 bpd, reached in December 2010. October was the company’s ninth consecutive month of oil production growth in the country.

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UMTRI: average fuel economy of new vehicles in US in October unchanged from September

Green Car Congress

'The average fuel economy (window-sticker value) of new vehicles sold in the US in October was 25.3 mpg (9.29 l/100 km)—unchanged from the value in September, according to the latest monthly report from Dr. Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). The unchanged average fuel economy is likely a net consequence of two opposing trends, they suggested: less demand for fuel efficient vehicles because of the decreasing price of

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Recycling diesel carbon nanoparticles for Li-ion battery electrodes

Green Car Congress

'In a paper published in the Journal of Power Sources , a team from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University report showing that diesel carbon nanoparticles collected from diesel engines can be chemically activated to create a porous structure. The resulting nanostructured carbon electrodes have a high specific capacity of 936 mAh g ?1 after 40 cycles at 0.05 A/g, and excellent cycle stability while retaining a capacity of ?

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Biosynthetic motor oil receives highest industry performance certification; demonstrates improved fuel economy

Green Car Congress

'Biosynthetic Technologies has received ILSAC GF-5 certification on both SAE 5W-20 and 5W-30 grade passenger car motor oil (PCMO) formulations using its Biosynthetic Base Oil. ILSAC GF-5 represents the latest performance standard set by the International Lubricant Standardization and Approval Committee (ILSAC). These formulations have also been certified by the American Petroleum Institute (API) to exceed requirements of the most recent service category issued by API’s Lubricants Group—the