Sat.Nov 22, 2014 - Fri.Nov 28, 2014

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New heterogeneous acid catalyst shows high activity in release of hydrogen from sodium borohydride; lowest activation energy yet reported

Green Car Congress

'A team from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay has devised a heterogeneous acid catalyst, silica sulfuric acid, that shows high activity towards releasing hydrogen from sodium borohydride (NaBH 4 ), with a hydrolysis rate of 5.5 L min ?1 g ?1. Further, the activation energy of the NaBH 4 hydrolysis reaction in the presence of the catalyst was calculated to be the lowest (17 kJ mol ?

Sodium 343
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How Oil Companies Fight CA's Clean Energy: Playbook Leaked Accidentally

Green Car Reports

'When it comes to curtailing carbon emissions, California leads the way. Its policies promoting clean energy and zero-emission vehicles are the most comprehensive of any state, and have strong public support. Of course, there''s one group that''s not very happy about these developments: the oil industry. A leaked Powerpoint deck now circulating among.

Clean 167
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Lux Research: fuel cell vehicles lag other drivetrains in terms of cost of ownership; ICE and HEV lowest cost

Green Car Congress

'Based on an analysis of various cost of ownership scenarios for various drivetrains, including internal combustion engine (ICE) gasoline and diesel; hybrid (HEV); battery-electric (EV); plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV); and fuel cell vehicles, Lux Research concludes that fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) are “ solidly in a laggard position. ”. The Lux analysts ran scenarios associated with operation and ownership, broken out into fuel cost alone; fuel cost plus operation, but excluding purchase or lease;

Cost Of 308
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Ricardo study finds retrofitted Euro III bus can emit less NOx than newer Euro V hybrid

Green Car Congress

'Measurements by Ricardo found that an older Euro III bus retrofitted with a selective catalytic reduction and continuously regenerating particulate trap system can be cleaner in terms of lower NO x emissions than newer Euro V hybrid buses. The measurements of the retrofitted Euro III bus were an extension of a study of the Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach company fleet in partnership with HORIBA examining the real-world emissions of buses operating through a known pollution hot spot in Brighton ci

Hybrid 299
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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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Researchers develop rechargeable hybrid-seawater fuel cell; highly energy density, stable cycling

Green Car Congress

'Schematic illustration of the designed hybrid-seawater fuel cell and a schematic diagram at the charged–discharged state. Kim et al. Click to enlarge. Researchers from Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) in Korea and Karlsruher Institute of Technology in Germany have developed a novel energy conversion and storage system using seawater as a cathode.

Recharge 285
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EPA proposes tightening primary ozone standards to range of 65-70 ppb; final rule by October 2015

Green Car Congress

'Counties where measured ozone is above proposed range of standards, based on 2011-2013 monitoring data. Source: EPA. Click to enlarge. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing tightening the ground-level 8-hour ozone (O 3 ) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to within a range of 65 to 70 parts per billion (ppb), while taking comments on a level as low as 60 ppb.

Ozone 273

More Trending

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Westinghouse and China, Turkey partners negotiating to develop 4-unit nuclear power plant in Turkey

Green Car Congress

'Westinghouse Electric Company; China’s State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation (SNPTC); and Electricity Generation Company (EÜA?), the largest electric power company in Turkey have agreed to enter into exclusive negotiation to develop and construct a four-unit nuclear power plant site in the Republic of Turkey based on Westinghouse AP1000 reactor technology.

Turkey 261
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Delphi and CMU spinout Ottomatika partner to accelerate automated driving; “connected automation”

Green Car Congress

'Delphi Automotive PLC, which already offers a suite of advanced driver assistance systems, will partner with Ottomatika, Inc., a spinout from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) led by Dr. Raj Rajkumar which provides advanced automated driving software, jointly to develop technology that will help accelerate automated driving. Dr. Rajkumar is a professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering at CMU; co-director of the CMU-Penn T-SET (Technologies for Sade and Efficient Transport

Connect 261
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Honda begins operation of 1st wind farm by an automaker in Brazil; covering electricity needs for annual local auto production

Green Car Congress

'Honda Energy do Brasil Ltda. (Honda Energy), Honda’s wind power generation business subsidiary in Brazil, has begun operation of its wind power generation facility. Honda thereby the first automaker in Brazil to start a wind power generation business. Honda Energy built its wind farm, an investment of approximately 100 million Brazilian reais (approximately US$40 million), in the city of Xangri-lá in Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state in Brazil (approximately 1,000 km south of Honda’s cu

Brazil 257
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Honda reaches 300-million mark in cumulative global motorcycle production

Green Car Congress

'Honda Motor’s cumulative worldwide motorcycle production reached the 300 million-unit milestone in September 2014. A Gold Wing 40 th Anniversary Edition produced at Kumamoto Factory, Honda’s primary motorcycle production plant in Japan, became the 300 millionth motorcycle that Honda produced globally. The 300 million-unit milestone was reached in the 66 th year since Honda began motorcycle production in 1949 with the Dream Type D. 1949 Dream D.

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

Brief

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2015 hydrogen student design contest: hydrogen fueling station business and financing models

Green Car Congress

'The Hydrogen Education Foundation announced the 11 th annual Hydrogen Student Design Contest, which will challenge student teams to develop business and financing models for hydrogen fueling stations. Finalists will be asked to pitch their plans to investors. Registration for the Contest, which is supported by the US Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, is open at www.hydrogencontest.org until 16 January 2015.

Financing 250
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IBM Research and ASELSAN to collaborate on metal-air battery technology, focusing on EVs; mm-wave ICs

Green Car Congress

'IBM Research and Turkish defense industry technology company ASELSAN (Askerî Elektronik Sanayii, Military Electronic Industries) have signed collaborative development agreements concerning research and development of metal-air battery technologies and millimeter wave integrated circuits. The companies will work together on these projects, and through these efforts ASELSAN will enhance its in-house research and development activities.

Li-ion 247
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DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office updates 5-year program plan; commercially viable hydrocarbon biofuel technologies by 2017; <$3/GGE

Green Car Congress

'BETO high-level schedule. Click to enlarge. The US Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BTO) has updated its Multi-Year Program Plan (MYPP), which delineates the goals and structure of the office. BTO is one of the 10 technology development offices within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) at DOE. The MYPP identifies the research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D) activities the Office will focus on over the next five years and expl

2017 247
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2015 Ford F-150 offers highest EPA-estimated fuel economy among full-size gasoline-powered pickups

Green Car Congress

'The new 2015 Ford F-150 ( earlier post ) 4x2 with Ford’s 2.7-liter EcoBoost engine has EPA-estimated ratings of 19 mpg city, 26 mpg highway and 22 mpg combined (12.4, 9.0 and 10.7 l/100 km, respectively)—the highest EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings of any gasoline-powered full-size pickup sold in America. That is 5% to 29% better than current F-150 models, depending on engine and driveline configuration on the combined cycle.

F-150 247
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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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Lexus to introduce new active safety package from 2015

Green Car Congress

'Lexus will next year launch the “Lexus Safety System +” package, a newly-developed set of active safety technologies designed to help prevent or mitigate collisions across a wide range of vehicle speeds. While Lexus vehicles already feature a wide range of safety technologies and systems based on the Integrated Safety Management Concept, this latest package is aimed at further encouraging the uptake of safety technologies and will therefore be rolled out across all Lexus models in Japan, North

Lexus 246
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UK makes additional $336 million investment in bicycling; total of $923 million

Green Car Congress

'UK Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg announced a package of measures totalling £214 million (US$336 million) to expand the use of bicycling in the UK. This will bring the total invested in cycling by the government to £588 million ($923 million).The investment will include: £114 million ($179 million) to secure funding to support the Cycling Ambition Cities Program for the next 3 years (Bristol, Birmingham, Cambridge, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Norwich and Oxford) accelerate their development

Denmark 246
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Bus maker Alexander Dennis to fit GKN Gyrodrive flywheel hybrid systems to 250 buses; partners on international development

Green Car Congress

'Gyrodrive. Click to enlarge. Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL), Britain’s biggest bus and coach manufacturer, has chosen GKN Hybrid Power as a preferred partner and committed to the purchase of 250 of its Gyrodrive electric flywheel hybrid systems ( earlier post ). ADL will focus initially on the introduction of the low emission technology to bus fleets in London and Oxford but anticipates rapid deployment across the UK in the next few years.

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Neste Oil launching new low-sulfur marine fuel in December

Green Car Congress

'Neste Oil will bring to the market a low-sulfur marine fuel in accordance with the EU sulfur Directive requirements entering into force in 2015, and will begin distributing it in mid-December. The new fuel will significantly reduce sulfur, nitrogen and particle emissions in marine transportation. The sulfur Directive sets a maximum sulfur limit of 0.1% (1000 ppm) for marine fuels in the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and the English Channel.

Mariner 231
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Global Bioenergies reports first successful production of bio-butadiene by direct fermentation

Green Car Congress

'Global Bioenergies (GBE) has successfully produced bio-sourced butadiene by direct fermentation. This marks the first time an entirely biological production process—i.e. without any chemical step—has been reported for butadiene, an important petrochemical building block. Butadiene is a key platform molecule of the petrochemical industry with a world-wide market of more than 10 million metric tons per year.

Global 231
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Toyota bringing vehicle-infrastructure cooperative systems to some new models in Japan in 2015

Green Car Congress

'Starting next year, some of Toyota Motor Corporation’s new models will be compatible with advanced vehicle-infrastructure cooperative systems that use a wireless frequency reserved for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). This compatibility will be offered as an option for the “Toyota Safety Sense P” active safety package that will be made available in 2015 on select new models sold in Japan.

Japan 231
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Toyota Motor absorbing Toyota Technical Development R&D business; reorganizing to strengthen Toyota’s R&D development structure

Green Car Congress

'Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) and subsidiary Toyota Technical Development Corporation (TTDC) have agreed to reorganize TTDC on 1 January 2016, absorbing TTDC’s vehicle R&D business—which includes vehicle engineering, testing and prototype-building, along with approximately 5,000 TTDC employees—into TMC. TTDC will continue its business of measuring-instrument development, data analysis, and other such R&D support functions.

Toyota 231
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A*STAR researchers develop predictive model for mass-transit train overloading

Green Car Congress

'Researchers at A*STAR in Singapore have developed a model that uses smartcard ticket data to provide valuable predictive data on potential train overloading for Singapore’s public transport system. This will enable system planners to address critical bottlenecks as the system stretches to accommodate an expanding population. More than one million commuters—roughly 20% of Singapore’s population—use the mass rapid transit (MRT) system every day.

Singapore 231
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Graphene sheets show durability and performance with and without Pt as catalysts for fuel cell ORR

Green Car Congress

'A team from the East China University of Science and Technology in Shanghai reports in a paper accepted for publication in the RSC journal Chemical Communications that platinum (Pt) supported on graphene sheets showed excellent durability as a catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells. Further, they found that their GNS, when used as a metal-free catalyst for ORR, showed a performance even better than a commercial Pt/C catalyst from Johnson Matthey.

Fuel 231
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Audi building geothermal plant for factory in Gy?r, Hungary; 60% of total heat requirements

Green Car Congress

'Audi is building a geothermal plant in Pér, close to the Audi Hungaria factory in Gy?r. After going into operation in just over a year, it will supply the company with at least 82,000 megawatt hours of geothermal energy per year and will cover about 60% of total heat requirements. For the project, Audi Hungaria Motor Kft. signed a long-term contract on the supply of heat energy with the Hungarian company “DDEnergy.

Audi 230
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UC Riverside researchers find mixed emissions impact from use of higher ethanol and butanol fuels in FFVs

Green Car Congress

'A study by University of California, Riverside researchers found that the use of higher ethanol blends and a 55% butanol blend in port-fueled and direct injection flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) could lead to emission changes of GHGs, CO, aldehydes, BTEX (monoaromatic hydrocarbons of benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, m/p-xylene, and o-xylene), and particulates.

Emissions 230
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KIT team develops electrolyte for high energy density magnesium-sulfur batteries

Green Car Congress

'A team headed by Maximilian Fichtner and Zhirong Zhao-Karger from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany reports developing an electrolyte that may be used for the construction of magnesium-sulfur battery cells. Their paper is published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials. Magnesium-sulfur batteries, which combine a magnesium anode with a sulfur cathode, is a promising electrochemical couple for next-generation, high energy density batteries because of the advantages of goo

Kits 225
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Honda under-reported to NHTSA 1,729 instances of injury or death over last decade

Green Car Congress

'A Honda-commissioned third-party audit of Honda’s reporting under the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation (TREAD) Act has identified 1,729 instances of under-reporting to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) over the past decade due to various errors, including errors related to data entry and computer coding.

Honda 225
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car2go offers mobile access to its global fleet

Green Car Congress

'car2go North America LLC launched Mobile Access, an upgraded app feature that allows members not only to search for and to reserve a car2go vehicle, but to begin their car2go trip via their smartphones. Beginning today, Mobile Access will serve as an alternative to the company’s member card, which was, until now, the only way to access a car2go vehicle and end a ride.

Fleet 225
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Lifecycle analysis of Amyris renewable jet from sugar cane finds “substantial potential” to mitigate GHG emissions, but a wide range of potential outcomes

Green Car Congress

'Monte Carlo results for the net life cycle emissions of the renewable jet fuel from sugar cane. Credit: ACS, Moreira et al. Click to enlarge. Brazilian researchers evaluating the lifecycle GHG emissions of a renewable jet fuel produced from sugar cane in Brazil using Amyris’ proprietary technology platform ( earlier post ) found that the farnesane-based renewable fuel presents “ a substantial potential ” to mitigate the GHG emissions of the aviation sector.

Renewable 225
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GE Aviation and Turbocoating SPA form JV for Ceramic Matrix Composite Components (CMCs); lighter, more efficient engines

Green Car Congress

'GE Aviation and Turbocoating SPA of Parma, Italy, have formed a 50/50 joint venture, called Advanced Ceramic Coatings, to provide thermal barrier coatings for Ceramic Matrix Composite Components (CMCs) used in jet engines. ( Earlier post.) The use of lightweight and heat-resistant CMCs in the hot section of GE jet engines is a significant breakthrough.

Engine 218
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Neste Jacobs to build SunPine’s Tall Oil Rosin production facility; feedstock for renewable diesel

Green Car Congress

'Technology, engineering and project management company Neste Jacobs and SunPine, producing biochemicals and feedstock for second-generation renewable fuels, have signed an agreement for Neste Jacobs to perform EPCM services to construct a Tall Oil Rosin production facility in Piteå, Sweden. When the new rosin plant is up and running, SunPine will be producing three different products: Raw tall diesel, a feedstock used in the production of renewable diesel; rosin, a raw material used in the prod

Oil 218
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Wave energy company Pelamis enters administration

Green Car Congress

'Pelamis Wave Power, the leading wave energy technology and company, has entered bankruptcy administration in the UK. The directors said they had been unable to secure the additional funding required for further development. The board moved to appoint an administrator to assess the options for securing the future for the business and employees of Pelamis.

Companies 218
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Renault-Nissan Alliance has sold 200,000 EVs worldwide so far; 58% ZEV market share

Green Car Congress

'The Renault-Nissan Alliance has passed the 200,000 th electric vehicles sold mark and currently has a leading 58% market share for zero-emission cars (ZEVs) worldwide. Together, Renault and Nissan EVs have driven approximately 4 billion zero-emission kilometers (2.5 billion miles)—enough to circle the earth 100,000 times. Alliance EVs also represent 450 million kg of CO 2 that has not been emitted while driving.

Nissan 210
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Gevo signs letter of intent with Highlands EnviroFuels to license isobutanol technology for Florida plant; sugar cane and sweet sorghum

Green Car Congress

'> Highlands EnviroFuels, LLC has signed a letter of intent to become a Gevo licensee to produce renewable isobutanol, using syrup from sugar cane and sweet sorghum as feedstock. Highlands will build a commercial-scale “Brazilian-style” syrup mill in Highlands County, Florida, which would have a production capacity of approximately 200,000 metric tons of fermentable sugar per year.