Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 27, 2013

'Innovators at NASA’s Glenn Research Center have developed an automated pulse-and-glide technique using a flywheel energy storage system for on-road vehicles; the technology, which NASA Glenn says can improve fuel economy over existing internal combustion or battery hybrid systems by 40-100%, is available for licensing. Drivers can use a manual “pulse-and-glide” (PnG) driving technique—accelerating and decelerating an automobile in cycles of approximately 10-30 seconds—as a way to im

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Fuel Economy Economy Fuel 2009 382

Green Car Reports

DECEMBER 26, 2013

'Many people like to think they can predict the future, but only futurists (and psychics) get paid to do it. And futurist Lars Thomsen thinks that electric cars are such a disruptive technology that they will make gasoline cars obsolete--starting in 2016, or much earlier than most other analysts suggest. Thomsen delivered a speech this past.

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2016 Electric Cars Gas-Electric Cars 167

Green Cars News

DECEMBER 23, 2013

'Transport Scotland has announced new plans to install rapid chargers at 35 mile intervals in a bid to support Scotland''s trunk road network. Members of the E-cosse Electric Vehicle Partnership met at the E-cosse Stakeholder Forum in Edinburgh to discuss the proposal. Both global and local viewpoin[.].

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Transportation Charging Installation Miles 54

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 23, 2013

'Bio-isobutanol company Gevo, Inc. announced that the US Army has successfully flown the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on a 50:50 blend of Gevo’s ATJ-8 (Alcohol-to-Jet)—a renewable, drop-in alternative fuel for JP8 derived from isobutanol. ( Earlier post.). This flight marks the first Army Aircraft to fly on the isobutanol ATJ blend. (The US Air Force flew its first test flight using ATJ fuel in 2012.

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Fuel Oil Hydrogen Alternative Fuels 319

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Norway

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 22, 2013

'Mercedes-Benz announced a strategic partnership with smart watch company Pebble Technology in the run-up to the 2014 International CES. The partnership gives Mercedes-Benz early access to some of the newest hardware and early releases of application programming interfaces (APIs) offered by the Silicon Valley-based company, allowing it to develop innovative integrated applications that pave the way for the future of in-vehicle use cases.

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Mercedes Companies 2014 Concept 319

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 23, 2013

'The global geothermal industry surpassed 12,000 MW of geothermal power operational, with about 600 MW of new geothermal power coming online globally, according to a year-end update by the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA). New geothermal power came on line in Kenya, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Turkey, and Mexico, as well as Oregon, Nevada and Utah in the United States.

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Costa Rica El Salvador Industrial Industry 310

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 23, 2013

'FTP cycle-weighted tailpipe emissions of N 2 O, NO x , and the sum of NMOG and NO x. The minimum in NO x and NMOG emissions for midlevel ethanol blends points to future opportunities for emission reductions from FFVs. Credit: ACS, Hubbard et al. Click to enlarge. A team at Ford Motor Company’s Research and Innovation Center in Dearborn conducted a detailed study of the effect of ethanol blend level in emissions, using a 2006 model Mercury Grand Marquis flexible fuel vehicle (FFV) operating on E

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Emissions Ford Exhaust Engine 294

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 25, 2013

'Researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a battery based on the concept of a combination of a perovskite-type cathode and a low-electrode-potential anode that can achieve high energy densities through the use of organic rather than aqueous electrolytes. The work is derivative of their earlier investigation into a “oxygen-rocking batteries” reported in 2012. ( Earlier post.).

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Sodium Batteries Battery Japan 276

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 26, 2013

'Volkswagen Group of America reported that it has sold 100,000 TDI Clean Diesel vehicles from the Volkswagen and Audi brands this year—the first time it has reached this mark in a calendar year. Volkswagen and Audi currently offer 12 different TDI models in the United States. Volkswagen is responsible for more than 75% of the diesels sold in the passenger car and SUV segments in the United States.

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Diesel Sale Audi United States 265

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 22, 2013

'Minor changes to an existing Federal tax incentive for second-generation biofuels (i.e., biofuel made from cellulose, algae, duckweed, or cyanobacteria) could mitigate the current elevated risk of investing in the industry that is retarding its advance, according to a new paper by a team from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) and Johns Hopkins University.

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Tax Tax Credit Industrial Industry 262

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 24, 2013

'Contributions of various primary sources to tunnel PM mass. Credit: ACS, Bozlaker et al. Click to enlarge. Researchers led by a team from the University of Houston have characterized the platinum group elemental composition of PM 2.5 and PM 10 emissions—mainly from gasoline-fueled light-duty vehicles (LDVs)—in the Washburn Tunnel in Houston Texas as a mechanism for better determining the contribution of LDVs to particulate emissions.

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Gasoline Light Houston Vehicles 261

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 24, 2013

'The Antelope Valley (California) Transit Authority (AVTA) is purchasing two BYD 40-foot, battery-electric buses as part of its clean bus initiative. The buses have been funded through a $1.9-million grant arranged by Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich to support an electric bus demonstration project in the Antelope Valley. The grant came from Proposition A local return funds and will cover the cost of both buses plus the charging system.

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Grant Los Angeles BYD Charging 259

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 23, 2013

'Researchers from the University of York (UK) and Aix-Marseille Université (France) have discovered a new family of enzymes that can degrade hard-to-digest biomass into its constituent sugars. They report on the new family of lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases in a paper in the journal Nature Chemical Biology. Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) constitute a recently discovered class of enzymes that have attracted attention owing to their potential use in biomass conversion, notably in

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Davis France Conversion 2013 250

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 21, 2013

'The Federal Highway Administration’s Congestion, Mitigation and Air Quality ( CMAQ ) program will provide $30 million to increase Colorado’s natural gas fueling infrastructure. The funds will provide for the statewide construction of compressed natural gas fueling stations and the purchase of natural gas vehicles (NGV). Increased use of natural gas as a transportation fuel diversifies Colorado’s portfolio, supports locally produced energy, improves air quality and can save money through lower f

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Colorado Fuel Oklahoma Ozone 250

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Guyana

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 23, 2013

'Gevo, Inc. confirmed that Underwriter Laboratories (UL) has approved the generic use of up to 16% isobutanol in UL 87A pumps by any manufacturer meeting ASTM specifications. UL 87A pumps are for gasoline and gasoline/ethanol blends with nominal ethanol concentrations up to 85% (E0 - E85). The approval provides assurance to service stations that isobutanol-blended gasoline will work in current 87A gasoline pumps without the need to purchase new equipment.

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Gasoline Purchase Manufacturer Fuel 246

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 21, 2013

'Total US petroleum deliveries (a measure of demand) increased by 4.9% from November 2012 to average 19.4 million barrels per day last month, according to figures from the American Petroleum Institute (API). Last month’s increase in demand reflected gathering strength in the broader economy. —API Chief Economist John Felmy. Demand for gasoline rose 5.4% from November 2012 to average slightly more than 8.9 million barrels per day, while distillate deliveries increased by 3.7% to just under

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Gasoline 2012 Oil Gas 246

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 27, 2013

'Mazda Motor Corporation will exhibit its next-generation car connectivity system, Mazda Connect at the 2014 International CES. The company will also showcase an application platform created to encourage the development of applications for use in vehicles. This will be the first time Mazda has exhibited at CES, one of the largest consumer electronics and technology shows in the world.

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Mazda Connect Connected Vehicles 236

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 25, 2013

'Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has launched a railcar traction inverter system for 1,500V DC catenaries that incorporates the first all-silicon carbide (SiC) power modules made with SiC transistors and SiC diodes. The all-SiC inverter greatly reduces power loss, size and weight compared to conventional insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) power modules and hybrid power modules made with Si transistors and SiC diodes.

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Mitsubishi All-Electric Power Powered 236

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 24, 2013

'Hyundai Motor America and Kia Motors America have entered into settlement agreements with current and former owners and lessees of vehicles affected by the Hyundai/Kia November 2012 lowering of fuel economy ratings. ( Earlier post.) The reductions in fuel economy affected approximately 27% of Hyundai 2011-13 model year vehicles, reducing their combined city/highway fuel economy by 1-2 mpg; the adjustment affected approximately 300,000 2011-13 model year Kia vehicles.

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Fuel Economy Kia Hyundai Economy 236

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 24, 2013

'Kinder Morgan Energy Partners L.P.and Imperial Oil formed a 50-50 joint venture to build a crude oil rail-loading facility in Strathcona County, Alberta, called the Edmonton Rail Terminal. The Edmonton Rail Terminal is currently being designed as a crude oil loading terminal capable of loading one to three unit trains per day totaling 100,000 barrels per day at startup, with the potential to expand to approximately 210,000 barrels per day, and ultimately to 250,000 barrels per day.

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Oil Oil-Sands Building Connect 231

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 23, 2013

'Shanghai MHI Engine Co., Ltd., a manufacturer and marketer of diesel engines jointly established by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) and Shanghai Diesel Engine Co., Ltd. (SDEC)—a group company of SAIC Motor—has begun mass-volume production. The model launched on full scale is a diesel engine with 1,000-kilowatt (kW) class output for use in power generation systems.

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Engine Diesel Production Chinese 231

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 23, 2013

'The US-Mexico Transboundary Hydrocarbons Agreement, which establishes a framework for US offshore oil and gas companies and Mexico’s Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) jointly to develop transboundary reservoirs ( earlier post ), was enacted today as part of the Bipartisan Budget Act ( H.J.Res.59 ) which President Obama signed into law. The Transboundary Agreement removes uncertainties regarding development of transboundary resources in the resource-rich Gulf of Mexico.

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Mexico Parts Obama Oil 230

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 21, 2013

'Deutsche Telekom and Telematics provider Un-Blinking Technologies (a division of SkyTrace Inc. ) have launched a vendor-independent machine-to-machine (M2M) solution based on the iCar telemetry package for vehicles in the US. iCar is an onboard system that taps into OBD II data. Deutsche Telekom provides both the telemetry hardware for the vehicles as well as the SIM-cards and data connections.

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Dealers Cars Seattle Connect 230

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 24, 2013

'POET-DSM Advanced Biofuel’s first commercial cellulosic bio-ethanol plant remains on schedule for startup in the first part of 2014 as workers continue equipment installation and other activity through the winter. ( Earlier post.). The plant, dubbed “Project LIBERTY,” will produce 20 million gallons of cellulosic biofuel per year—later ramping up to 25 million gallons—from corn cobs, leaves, husk and some stalk.

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2014 Commercial Parts 2012 225

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 24, 2013

'NYK will build a tugboat featuring a dual fuel engine that can be powered by either liquefied natural gas (LNG) or heavy oil. Other than LNG carriers, this tugboat will be the first building in Japan of an LNG-fueled vessel. In 2011, NYK established a team in the company’s Fuel Group to research next-generation fuel alternatives to heavy oil, and looked into building an LNG-fueled vessel with the cooperation of Nippon Kaiji Kyokai and others, based on the results of a survey conducted by the Ja

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Building Fuel Oil Japan 225

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 23, 2013

'Inland navigation vessels can now bunker LNG (liquefied natural gas) in the Port of Amsterdam. Greenstream was the first ship to moor alongside the Amerikahaven quay to bunker LNG. Built by Peters Shipyards, Greenstream is operated by InterStream Barging and has been chartered by Shell. The LNG was also supplied by Shell. The Port of Amsterdam has designed the Groene kade (Green Quay) in Amerikahaven to enable safe bunkering from a tanker truck into an inland navigation vessel or small ocean-go

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Fuel Cleaner Mariner Green 225

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 22, 2013

'The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued the first Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) certificate for the HondaJet ( earlier post ) and also has certified Honda Aircraft Company’s customer service facility as a Part 145 repair station—two significant milestones in the development of the advanced light jet. Type Inspection Authorization signifies that the HondaJet meets type design requirements and is ready for FAA pilots to perform onboard flight tests required for certificat

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2015 Companies Honda Maintenance 225

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 26, 2013

'The Shanghai Daily reported that PM 2.5 concentrations peaked at 390 µg per cubic meter on Thursday—more than five times the nation’s limit of 75, and 15.6 times the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) safety guideline of 25 µg/m 3. Due to the arrival of pollutants from north, the PM 2.5 density soared to 300 micrograms by 7am from the 120 micrograms recorded at 4am, and the figure continued to rise throughout the afternoon.

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Pollution Environment Emissions Power 220

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 23, 2013

'Russia’s Gazprom has begun oil production at the offshore Prirazlomnoye field in the Arctic—the first development on the Russian offshore Arctic shelf. Prirazlomnoye, on the shelf of the Pechora sea, 60 km (37 miles) from shore (Varandey), was discovered in 1989; sea depth in the area of the field is 19-20 meters (62-66 feet). Recoverable oil reserves for the field are 71.96 million tons (approximately 527 million barrels), according to Gazprom, which is targeting a project production rat

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Oil Production Russia Mariner 218

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 24, 2013

'Canada-based ZENN Motor Company Inc. will acquire a 51% controlling stake in its energy storage technology partner EEStor for staged cash payments totaling $1 million, and then reorganize the board and management of EEStor. ZENN has advanced EEStor $50,000 of the purchase price on the signing of the Investment Agreement which will be converted to EEStor shares if closing occurs.

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ZENN Rhode Island Energy Storage Lead Acid 210

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 24, 2013

'Cellulosic gasoline and diesel company KiOR, Inc. expects that, given current and anticipated operations through the remainder of the year, its Columbus, Mississippi facility will produce approximately 410,000 gallons of renewable fuel during the fourth quarter of 2013, bringing full year production total from the facility to approximately 920,000 gallons. ( Earlier post.

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Columbus EPA 2014 2013 210

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 21, 2013

'The Government of Greenland has decided to grant exclusive exploration and exploitation licences to three consortia in the following four blocks in the Greenland Sea area in North East Greenland: Statoil, ConocoPhillips and NUNAOIL are awarded an exclusive licence to exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons in the Greenland Sea area, licence bloc 6 (“Avinngaq”).

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Grant Chevron 2007 Oil 210

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 27, 2013

'Between 2014 and 2018, Audi will invest a total of around €22 billion (US$30 billion) into new models, innovations and the continuous expansion of the worldwide production network. 70% of the investment is intended for new models and technologies. The company’s sites in Germany will also benefit from the largest technical development and investment program in company history—more than half of the planned investment will go to the Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm sites.

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Audi 2018 2014 North America 199

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 24, 2013

'Renewable chemicals and fuels company Amyris, Inc. will sell senior convertible promissory notes in a private placement for $28 million in cash proceeds. Under the terms of the agreement, one of Amyris’s largest stockholders, Temasek, in conjunction with new investors affiliated with Wolverine Asset Management, agreed to purchase an aggregate $28 million of the notes.

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Brazil Financing Convert 2014 199