Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 11, 2016

A new study by a team at Carnegie Mellon University examining the costs for varied cell dimensions, electrode thicknesses, chemistries, and production volumes of cylindrical and prismatic Li-ion batteries finds that although further cost savings are possible from increasing cell dimensions and electrode thicknesses, economies of scale have already been reached, and future cost reductions from increased production volumes are likely to be minimal.

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Green Car Reports

DECEMBER 13, 2016

Debate over the profitability of Tesla electric cars has raged for years among its fans and detractors. Tesla supporters point to financial data from the Silicon Valley automaker to support the idea that it makes money on each car it sells. Skeptics point out that save for two marginally profitable quarters, one in 2009 and another this year.

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Green Cars News

DECEMBER 12, 2016

There are many reasons why leasing makes a lot of sense, whether you’re after an executive saloon or a super-frugal supermini, but if your main aim is.

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Cars 56

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 14, 2016

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded LiquidPiston Inc. $2.5 million to continue development of a new, patented, high-efficiency, lighter-weight rotary engine. LiquidPiston, a developer of advanced combustion engine technology, received the award for the first phase of a program to realize the full capability of its patented high-efficiency hybrid cycle (HEHC) engine.

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Engine Exhaust 2014 Diesel 295

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 14, 2016

SAE International is working to ensure that electric vehicle wireless power transfer systems from different manufacturers can interoperate seamlessly with each other to prepare for commercialization in 2020. Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and TDK R&D Corporation, along with the US Department of Energy (DOE), automotive companies and suppliers have completed bench testing to support the SAE Technical Information Report (TIR) J2954. ( Earlier post.

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 12, 2016

A research team from University of Western Ontario, McMaster University and Beijing Computational Science Research Center has developed an effective synthesis method to produce isolated single platinum (Pt) atoms and clusters for use as catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in water splitting to produce hydrogen. In an open-access paper published in Nature Communications , the researchers reported that the single Pt atom catalysts exhibit significantly enhanced catalytic activity (

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 13, 2016

Visteon Corporation’s new technical center in Silicon Valley will lead the company’s development of artificial intelligence for autonomous vehicles. Visteon’s autonomous vehicle program will apply machine learning technology for accurately detecting and classifying objects in a vehicle’s path and planning the vehicle’s movements, resulting in fully trained driving control systems.

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 15, 2016

Global Bioenergies is now entering the final phase of demonstrating its technology for converting renewable carbon into hydrocarbons. The first trials on the demo plant in Leuna were successfully completed, within schedule, in the fall of 2016 and Global Bioenergies announced first production of green isobutene via fermentation. ( Earlier post.). With a nameplate capacity of 100 tons/year, the demo plant will allow the conversion of various resources (industrial-grade sugar from beets and cane,

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 15, 2016

The Volkswagen Group is joining the eRoaming platform Hubject GmbH as shareholder. Hubject, a joint venture formed by BMW Group, Bosch, Daimler AG, EnBW, innogy and Siemens ( earlier post ), launched its eRoaming EV charging platform “intercharge” in 2013. With the strategic investment in the Berlin-based company, Europe’s largest car maker will push ahead with the digital interconnection of charging stations for electric vehicles starting in early 2017 as well as the expansion and international

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 10, 2016

Air pollution impairs the function of blood vessels in the lungs, according to a study of more than 16,000 patients presented at EuroEcho-Imaging 2016. EuroEcho-Imaging is the annual meeting of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI), representing members around the world with an interest in all modalities of cardiovascular imaging.

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Pollution 2016 Exhaust Ozone 228

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 16, 2016

Continental’s new 48V hybrid drives are making their first appearance in series production vehicles. ( Earlier post.) Manufactured at Continental’s Nuremberg plant, these first series-production 48V hybrid drives will be applied in “Hybrid Assist” diesel variants of both the new Renault Scénic and Grand Scénic models from the end of this year. Just three years after the start of the project, the Nuremberg location developed a modular manufacturing concept that it uses to manufacture efficiently

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 13, 2016

ITM Power will showcase a series of large scale electrolyzer configurations up to 100MW in size at Hannover Messe 2017 (24 - 28 April). This is in response to utility and oil and gas industry demand for larger scale industrial installations. ITM Power has sold a number of MW-scale plants over the last year and is now responding to enquires for much larger plant for bus and heavy goods vehicle refueling stations in the to 10MW range and, increasingly, industrial applications ranging from power-to

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Google has spun off its self-driving car (SDC) efforts in a new Alphabet (Google’s parent company) business called Waymo. In a post introducing Waymo, John Krafcik noted that since 2009, Google SDC prototypes have spent the equivalent of 300 years of driving time on the road. Since the early days of the project, our work has been shaped by feedback we’ve heard from the communities that will most benefit from self-driving cars.

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Google Cars 2009 Companies 221

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Uber is expanding its self-driving pilot to San Francisco, California, using specially-converted self-driving Volvo XC90 premium SUVs. This marks the next phase in a deepening alliance between Volvo and Uber after the two companies signed an agreement in August 2016 to establish a jointly-owned project to build base vehicles that can be used to develop fully autonomous driverless cars. ( Earlier post.

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San Francisco Volvo Cars Sweden 221

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 15, 2016

Volkswagen Chattanooga has begun series production of the new MQB-based Volkswagen Atlas. ( Earlier post.) This marks the beginning of the process of building inventory for market introduction of the Atlas in 2017. The Volkswagen Atlas, unveiled in October, launches a new chapter in the company’s American history. The seven-passenger Atlas offers class-competitive levels of technology and room, combined with Volkswagen driving dynamics and attention to detail.

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2018 Production 2017 Building 214

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 13, 2016

Airline passengers at Munich Airport can now use the premium mobility service Audi on demand to continue on the next leg of their trip in one of the brand’s latest models. Users can book the Audi models with a mobile app and pick them up directly at the myAudi Sphere at the terminal. This makes Munich the first German location for Audi on demand. The service offered by Audi provides very flexible, customer‑focused access to premium mobility.

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 13, 2016

Lygos , Inc., a bio-based specialty chemicals company, closed $13 million in Series A financing led by IA Ventures and OS Fund. Other investors include First Round Capital, the Y Combinator Continuity Fund, 50 Years and Vast Ventures, along with notable angel investors. Lygos produces high-value specialty chemical traditionally produced in oil-based petrochemical processes in a process that commercially proven, acid-tolerant yeast and domestic sugars instead of petroleum, and has pioneered the w

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Oil Industrial Industry Sodium 212

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 13, 2016

In the San Francisco Bay area, Chevrolet delivered the first three Bolt EVs to customers. Named the Motor Trend 2017 Car of the Year, the Bolt EV offers an EPA-estimated 238 miles of range on a full charge, enabling owners to go beyond average daily driving needs with range to spare. The Bolt EV begins at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $37,495, which includes destination and freight charges, but excludes tax, title, license and dealer fees.

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Chevrolet San Francisco Tax Credit 2017 210

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 13, 2016

In a new report , Grand View Research forecasts that global automotive LiDAR market will reach US$223.2 million by 2024, driven by the surging acceptance of automobile safety and automated driving applications. Increasing acceptance for semi-autonomous and autonomous cars in the years to come is further anticipated to bolster the market growth. The market can be categorized, based on application types, into Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) & autonomous cars.

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Market Global Automobile Canada 209

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 16, 2016

Total, the world’s fourth-ranked international oil and gas company, has joined SEALNG, a multi-sector industry coalition created to accelerate the widespread adoption of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a marine fuel. Total is a global gas player, involved across the entire LNG chain, from extracting natural gas onshore and offshore to processing plants where it is liquefied, stored and shipped in a fleet of specially designed carriers to regasification terminals for delivery to business customers

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Mariner Fuel Oil 2020 207

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Chevron Products Company, a division of Chevron USA, and Novvi LLC announced that Chevron has made an equity investment in Novvi LLC (a joint venture of Amyris, Inc.; Cosan S.A.; and American Refining Group (ARG) earlier post ). Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Novvi’s renewable products and technology are recognized by the global lubricant market to deliver sustainable, high-performance solutions in a range of lubricant applications.

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Chevron Oil Renewable USA 207

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 15, 2016

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is issuing a program-wide funding opportunity ( DE-FOA-0001629 ) for the Vehicle Technologies Office of up to $19.7 million, subject to appropriations, to support research and development of advanced vehicle technologies, including batteries, lightweight materials, and advanced combustion engines, as well as innovative technologies for energy efficient mobility.

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (FHI), the manufacturer of Subaru automobiles, announced that cumulative global sales of Subaru models equipped with its EyeSight driver assist system ( earlier post ) surpassed one million units in November this year. The one-million mark was reached after eight years and seven months since the system was first launched in Japan in May 2008.

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 12, 2016

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Grab Inc., to begin discussion toward collaboration in the area of motorcycle sharing services in Southeast Asia. Grab provides ride-hailing platform through which users share and utilize automobiles and motorcycles. In recent years, the “sharing economy” representing activities to promote the shared use of commodities has experienced a global growth trend.

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Asia Motorcycles Honda Automobile 203

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 14, 2016

Faurecia has increased its participation in the Danish company Amminex to 91.5% through a share purchase. ( Earlier post.) Amminex has developed an Ammonia Storage and Delivery System (ASDS) which has demonstrated its efficiency to almost completely eliminate nitrogen oxide (NO x ) pollutants from diesel engines. ( Earlier post.). Faurecia has worked closely with Amminex since mid-2009 and previously owned 42% of the company.

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Commercial Exhaust Vehicles Diesel 203

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 16, 2016

EVgo , operator of the largest US network of public electric vehicle (EV) fast charging stations, broke ground on the first 350 kW public charging station, located in Baker, California. The new chargers being installed are seven times faster than any fast chargers currently available and represent a new level of convenience for EV charging. EVgo expects the project to be completed by June 2017.

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 13, 2016

Citing an enormous potential to reduce crashes on US roadways, the US Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a proposed rule today that would advance the deployment of connected vehicle technologies throughout the US light vehicle fleet. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) would mandate vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology on all new light-duty vehicles, enabling a multitude of new crash-avoidance applications that, once fully

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Light Vehicles 2014 Transportation 200

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 12, 2016

On 1 November, Segway launched the new single-wheel electric self-balancing One S1 for pre-sale on Amazon (list price $999, now on sale for $599). Now the company has expanded the launch to include brick and mortar retailers throughout North America. The company will showcase the unit to retail buyers at CES 2017 in January. The One S1 is compact, weighs just 25 pounds (11.3 kg), and can accommodate up to 220 pounds (100 kg).

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 12, 2016

Engineers at NASA Glenn are testing a new boundary layer ingesting (BLI) inlet-fan combination—the first of its kind ever to be tested. Originally conceived of as a propulsion system for generation-after-next (N+2), the BLI system could increase fuel efficiency by 4-8% more than the advanced engines airlines are beginning to use. On today’s jet aircraft, the engines are typically located away from the aircraft’s body to avoid ingesting the layer of slower flowing air that develops along th

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Engine Fuel Cleveland Wind 199

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 16, 2016

Under an exclusive licensing agreement, Dynexus Technology will commercialize INL’s embedded wideband impedance technology for analyzing and forecasting the health, aging and safety characteristics of advanced energy storage devices. The 2011 R&D 100 Award-winning Impedance Measurement Box (IMB) was invented by INL’s Energy Storage Group in Idaho Falls, Idaho, with support from the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office.

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 13, 2016

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) has introduced the M501JAC, an enhanced air-cooled J-Series gas turbine offering an unmatched combination of record output, efficiency and a proven 99.5% reliability during 11,000 hours of commercial operation. The MHPS JAC operates with a combined cycle output of 540 MW and efficiency exceeding 63%. Replacing older coal-fired power plants with the enhanced JAC can reduce CO 2 emissions nearly 70%.

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Coal Mitsubishi Gas Power 197

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 15, 2016

Daimler AG is reinforcing its involvement in research into artificial intelligence by participating in the Cyber Valley research initiative in Germany as a partner. The research alliance comprises the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems with its two facilities in Tübingen and Stuttgart, the University of Tübingen, the University of Stuttgart and six partners from industry.

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 15, 2016

IBM and BMW Group researchers are collaborating to explore the role of Watson cognitive computing in personalizing the driving experience and creating more intuitive driver support systems for cars of the future. As part of an agreement between the two companies, the BMW Group will collocate a team of researchers at IBM’s global headquarters for Watson Internet of Things (IoT) in Munich, Germany and the companies will work together explore how to improve intelligent assistant functions for drive

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 15, 2016

Digital mapping company HERE will serve as the primary location intelligence provider for RIO, the upcoming cloud-based digital platform for the transportation industry from Volkswagen Truck and Bus. ( Earlier post.). Through its location platform, HERE will provide RIO users with highly accurate maps and a rich set of location services like real-time traffic, geocoding and routing for trucks.

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