Green Car Congress

MAY 29, 2015

Daimler is entering the commercial and residential stationary energy storage system (ESS) market with its wholly-owned subsidiary Deutsche ACCUmotive. The announcement comes four weeks after Tesla Motors announced its own entry into the ESS market with the home PowerWall Li-ion battery system ( earlier post ), although Daimler has been considering the move for several years.

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Creative Greenius

MAY 29, 2015

This morning I met my friend Ron at the Torrance Traffic Court just a 15 minute drive from my house. I had other things on my to do list, but Ron asked me to be there to testify on his behalf. I first met Ron when we were both working on the No Oil Drilling in Hermosa Beach campaign with Keep Hermosa Hermosa. Ron was in court because the same bully who chased me down in his SUV on the streets of Hermosa and then tried to intimidate me by making phony claims about having a restraining order out

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Green Car Reports

MAY 29, 2015

California is introducing a new ‘Plus-Up’ pilot project that should make plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles a lot more affordable. Considering recent news that prices on used electric cars are on a downward spiral, and with families potentially eligible to receive as much as $12,000 toward the purchase of an electric car (used is.

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Green Car Congress

MAY 26, 2015

Last week, Audi and its partner Global Bioenergies announced that the first batch of renewable isooctane—which Audi calls “e-benzin”—using Global Bioenergies’ fermentative isobutene pathway (sugar→isobutene→isooctane) had been produced and presented to Audi by Global Bioenergies. ( Earlier post.). Global Bioenergies, founded in 2008, has developed a synthetic isobutene pathway that, when implanted in a micro-organism, enables the organism to convert sugars (e.g., from starc

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Green Car Congress

MAY 28, 2015

The global EV Charger (EVC) market is forecast to grow from more than 1 million units in 2014 to more than 12.7 million units in 2020, according to a new EV Charging Infrastructure report by IHS Inc. IHS Automotive foresees that AC charging—i.e., Level 1 and 2 charging, the dominant type now—will play a crucial role in the public domain of the EV charging infrastructure.

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2020 Global Market DC 282

Green Car Congress

MAY 28, 2015

Ford Motor Company is offering competitors access to its electrified vehicle technology patents in a move to help accelerate industry-wide research and development of electrified vehicles. In 2014, Ford filed more than 400 patents dedicated to electrified vehicle technologies. This is more than 20% of the patents the company filed, totaling more than 2,000 applications.

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Green Car Congress

MAY 27, 2015

Hydrogenics Corporation, a leading developer and manufacturer of hydrogen generation and hydrogen-based power modules, signed a 10-year exclusive agreement to supply Alstom Transport with hydrogen fuel cell systems for Regional Commuter Trains in Europe. Alstom Transport is a unit of Alstom, a France-based global leader in power generation, transmission and rail infrastructure with sales of €6.2 billion.

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Hydrogen Transportation Europe Fuel 255

Green Car Congress

MAY 26, 2015

Hyundai began the US rollout of the 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) ( earlier post ) and its conventional hybrid sibling (HEV) with a series of media drives in California—one of the main markets for the PHEV, which offers some 24 miles (38.6 km) of all electric range and a 9.8 kWh Li-ion polymer that can recharge in less than three hours with a Level-Two charger.

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Green Car Congress

MAY 27, 2015

At Consumer Electronics Show Asia, Ford launched a strategic collaboration with Haier (home appliance), Trina Solar (solar power) and Delta Electronics (power management) to introduce MyEnergi Lifestyle ( earlier post ) to China, a holistic approach for lowering the energy costs and carbon footprint of Chinese families. MyEnergi Lifestyle, designed to address China’s energy needs and air quality concerns, showcases how combining renewable energy sources, efficient home appliances and a plug-in v

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Solar Ford China Chinese 214

Green Car Congress

MAY 27, 2015

A study by Carnegie Mellon University researchers comparing life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from different natural gas pathways for medium and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs) found that the GHG reduction potentials of the pathways vary sharply between non-Class 8 MHDVs (e.g., pick-up trucks, parcel delivery trucks, and box trucks), Class 8 transit buses, and Class 8 MHDVs (e.g., refuse trucks and tractor-trailers).

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Gas Diesel Gas-Electric Emissions 214

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Green Car Congress

MAY 27, 2015

General Motors and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) have begun a two-year vehicle sharing pilot program in Shanghai featuring 16 Chevrolet EN-V 2.0 ( earlier post ) electric concept vehicles. ( Earlier post.) The EN-V 2.0 pilot vehicles will be integrated into the multi-modal transportation system at SJTU’s Minhang campus alongside bicycles, cars and shuttle buses.

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Green Car Congress

MAY 25, 2015

Scientists from General Atomics and the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), together with a team of researchers from across the United States, have found that upon injecting tiny grains of lithium into a plasma undergoing a particular kind of turbulence under the right conditions, the temperature and pressure rose dramatically.

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Green Car Congress

MAY 25, 2015

A team from Germany reports that a 40 wt% Pt 3 Cr/C alloy fuel cell catalyst shows enhanced activity under both half-cell and full-cell conditions as well as excellent corrosion stability compared to those of the 40 wt% Pt/C benchmark catalyst. As presented at the Meeting of the Electrochemical Society earlier this month, in half-cell experiments at 2 mA cm−², the Pt 3 Cr/C catalyst exhibited 10 mV less over-potential and two-fold higher specific and mass activity for the ORR (oxygen reduction r

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Green Car Congress

MAY 24, 2015

Daimler AG and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. (QTI), a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, announced a strategic collaboration focused on connected car technologies. In the first phase of the collaboration, the companies will focus on transforming future vehicles with mobile technologies that enhance in-car experiences and vehicle performance such as 3G/4G connectivity; wireless charging technology for in-vehicle use; and implementation of the Qualcomm Halo Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging (WEVC

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Green Car Congress

MAY 28, 2015

Chemists at the University of Waterloo have identified the key reaction that takes place in sodium-air batteries. The researchers from the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, led by Professor Linda Nazar who holds the Canada Research Chair in Solid State Energy Materials, have described a key mediation pathway that explains why sodium-oxygen batteries are more energy efficient when compared with their lithium-oxygen counterparts.

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Green Car Congress

MAY 26, 2015

Ford Motor Company will begin making its London-based GoDrive car-sharing service available to the public. ( Earlier post.) The service offers flexible, practical and affordable access to a fleet of cars for one-way journeys with easy parking throughout the city. The project started as one of more than 25 experiments that form Ford Smart Mobility, Ford’s plan to use technology and innovation to take the company to the next level in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experi

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Green Car Congress

MAY 23, 2015

As part of its expansion of its SUV range, Audi will launch a “sporty SUV with electric drive” in 2018. In addition, Audi will begin production of the Audi Q1 in 2016 and add the new Audi Q8 at the top end of the SUV family in 2019. Overall, Audi plans to expand its model range from today’s 52 to 60 automobiles in 2020. For that purpose, Audi has approved the biggest investment program in its history: €24 billion (US$26 billion) is to be invested between 2015 and 2019—€2 billion more than

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Green Car Congress

MAY 29, 2015

Adhering to a schedule in a proposed consent decree ( earlier post ), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its long-awaited proposed volume requirements (renewable volume obligations, RVO) ( earlier post ) under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program for the years 2014, 2015 and 2016, and also proposed volume requirements for biomass-based diesel for 2017.

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Green Car Congress

MAY 28, 2015

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected 162 projects to receive about $26.6 million in the 2015 Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) Phase I Release 2 Awards. ( Earlier post.) Of these, 16 are vehicle-related, encompassing projects developing batteries, power electronics and improved combustion engine technology including on-board reformers, and two are specifically hydrogen fuel cell-related.

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Green Car Congress

MAY 27, 2015

In a new report, Navigant Research forecasts that North American plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) sales will exceed 1.1 million annually by 2024. The report, Electric Vehicle Geographic Forecasts , provides data and forecasts for LD PEV sales in North America, including US states, MSAs, and utility service territories and Canadian provinces and cities.

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Green Car Congress

MAY 27, 2015

The US EPA estimates that its air pollution regulations save thousands of lives annually. A new study by researchers at Indiana University suggests the estimates are more uncertain than commonly accepted. An open-access paper on their study appear in the Journal of Cost-Benefit Analysis. Researchers Kerry Krutilla, David H. Good and John D. Graham of the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs analyzed the costs and expected lifesavings of nine EPA air quality regulations issued between 20

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Indiana EPA 2006 Pollution 195

Green Car Congress

MAY 26, 2015

Mexico can increase the use of renewable energy in its energy mix from 4.4% in 2010 to 21% by 2030, according to a report released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Renewable Energy Prospects: Mexico , prepared in collaboration with the Mexican Energy Secretariat (SENER), also finds that Mexico could generate up to 46% of its electricity by 2030 from renewable sources including wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal and biomass—a six-fold increase from today’s levels.

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Green Car Congress

MAY 29, 2015

UK-based advanced vehicle and systems technology consultancy MIRA Ltd. announced a collaborative agreement with Fundação Parque Tecnológico Itaipu ( FPTI ) to develop a new centre of excellence for energy storage in Brazil. Their first project together will focus on the research and development for a new and flexible architecture lithium battery for stationary power and transportation applications.

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Green Car Congress

MAY 27, 2015

Honda aims to win a new Guinness World Records title for fuel efficiency in an 8,500-mile (13,679 km) drive across all 24 contiguous EU countries in a 1.6 i-DTEC diesel engined Honda Civic Tourer. In the Civic Tourer, the 1.6 i-DTEC engine provides 120 PS (118 hp, 88 kW) of power and 300 N·m (221 lb-ft) of torque, 62 mpg US (3.8 l/100 km) on the European combined cycle, a range of 817 miles on one tank of fuel and CO 2 emissions of 99 g/km.

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Green Car Congress

MAY 26, 2015

Ballard Power Systems has received a purchase order from Nisshinbo Holdings Inc. for the next phase of Technology Solutions project work related to the development of a breakthrough catalyst technology intended to reduce manufacturing cost of certain proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. The project has now been underway for approximately 2 years.

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Green Car Congress

MAY 27, 2015

Lamborghini, a Volkswagen Group company, confirmed that a luxury SUV will join its product range as its third series model, with market introduction planned for 2018. A concept of the car was first presented as the Lamborghini Urus in 2012 at the Beijing auto show. This will be Lamborghini’s first SUV since the LM002, which was built between 1986 and 1993.

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Green Car Congress

MAY 26, 2015

The Volkswagen Group continues to expand its production capacity in China with a new vehicle plant for Shanghai-Volkswagen (SVW) in Changsha, southern China. This plant is the Group’s 119 th global facility and its 20 th in China. China is not only the Volkswagen Group’s largest and most important market; it has also become the Group’s second home market.

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Green Car Congress

MAY 29, 2015

US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest up to $100 million in a Biofuels Infrastructure Partnership to support the infrastructure needed to make more renewable fuel options available to American consumers. USDA will post a Notice of Solicitation of Applications in June. Specifically, USDA will administer competitive grants to match funding for state-led efforts to test and evaluate innovative and comprehensive approaches to market h

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Green Car Congress

MAY 29, 2015

Researchers at the Beijing Institute of Technology have developed hydrangea-like amorphous mixed-valence VO x (vanadium oxide) microspheres (a-VO x MSs) for use as Li-ion anode materials. The a-VO x MSs—composed of intercrossed nanosheets, thus constituting a 3D network structure—show excellent lithium-storage performance in terms of high capacity, good rate capability, and long-term stability upon extended cycling.

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Green Car Congress

MAY 29, 2015

Researchers in S. Korea have designed a novel silicon-based multicomponent anode material for high energy density Li-ion batteries. The Si-based multicomponent anode delivers high capacity of ~1000 mAh g -1 , highly stable cycling retention (~65% after 1000 cycles at 1C), excellent rate capability (~800 mAh g -1 at 10 C), and remarkably suppressed volume expansion (12% after 100 cycles).

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Green Car Congress

MAY 27, 2015

The Renault-Nissan Alliance will provide a fleet of 200 all-electric vehicles as the official passenger-car provider for the United Nation’s COP21 climate conference in Paris later this year. The fully electric car fleet will shuttle delegates during the event from 30 November to 11 December. More than 20,000 UN participants from 195 countries are expected to attend the annual climate summit.

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Green Car Congress

MAY 25, 2015

At CES Asia, which opened today in Shanghai, Cadillac and GM’s Shanghai OnStar joint venture are showing China’s first automotive 4G LTE telematics service along with the CarLife app; the My Cadillac app; and an Apple Watch app. Later this year, Cadillac will become the initial vehicle brand in China to offer 4G LTE telematics service. Shanghai OnStar’s partnership with China Mobile, the world’s largest wireless telecom carrier, will support a fast, stable, reliable, safe and convenient telemati

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Green Car Congress

MAY 25, 2015

At CES Asia 2015 in Shanghai, Audi is showcasing a piloted driving technology study version of its new R8 e-tron battery-electric sports car, introduced earlier this year at the Geneva show. ( Earlier post.) Audi is also featuring a piloted driving version of its A7 Sportback. ( Earlier post.). The R8 e-tron—340 kW (456 hp) of power, acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 3.9 seconds, and a driving range of 450 km (280 miles)—is based on the multi-material Space Frame of the s

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Audi Asia MPH China 183

Green Car Congress

MAY 23, 2015

Michelin and the Barito Pacific Group (BPG) have formed a joint-venture in Indonesia with Barito Pacific Group (BPG) for producing natural, eco-friendly rubber. According to the terms of the agreement, this new joint-venture will be owned 53% by BPG and 47% by Michelin, with Michelin’s contribution to the joint-venture amounting to US$55 million. The project involves the reforestation of three concessions, representing a total surface area of 88,000 hectares, ravaged by uncontrolled deforestatio

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