Sat.Mar 05, 2016 - Fri.Mar 11, 2016

article thumbnail

Li-ion battery maker LG Chem recognized by GM as a 2015 Supplier of the Year Winner

Green Car Congress

Li-ion battery maker LG Chem was named a GM Supplier of the Year by General Motors during the automaker’s 24 th annual Supplier of the Year awards ceremony at Cobo Center in Detroit, Mich. GM recognized 110 of its best suppliers from 17 countries who have consistently exceeded GM’s expectations, created outstanding value, or brought new innovations to the company.

Li-ion 207
article thumbnail

Toyota Setsuna electric car concept: wood body, 28-mph speed

Green Car Reports

Toyota's reluctance to entertain the notion that battery-electric cars have any place in the future of zero-emission vehicles is well documented by now. So it was a surprise when the company announced that it would show an all-electric concept car, the Setsuna, in its first appearance at the Milan Design Week events that kick off on April 11.

Concept 104
article thumbnail

Toyota developing wearable mobility device for the blind and visually impaired

Green Car Congress

Toyota is developing a wearable device for the blind and visually impaired that will help them do more with greater freedom, independence and confidence. Called Project BLAID, it reflects the company’s commitment to enrich lives by advancing the freedom of mobility for all. The device will help fill the gaps left by canes, dogs and basic GPS devices by providing users with more information about their surroundings.

Toyota 183
article thumbnail

Nestlé Waters North America adds 155 new medium-duty propane autogas trucks to delivery fleet

Green Car Congress

Nestlé Waters North America is adding more than 150 medium-duty beverage delivery trucks fueled by propane autogas. Over the vehicles’ lifetime, the 155 Ford F-650 trucks will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 24.6 million pounds. These units will be deployed beginning in April. The new medium-duty delivery trucks, added to the company’s existing autogas fleet of 30 Ford trucks of the same model, will also help the company save on maintenance and fuel costs.

article thumbnail

How serious is Norway about climate change? So much that its streetlights self-dim

emissions global warming Norway climate change carbon dioxide youtube lighting

article thumbnail

EPA to develop regulations for methane emissions from existing oil and gas wells; ICR coming in April

Green Car Congress

The US EPA will begin developing regulations for methane emissions from existing oil and gas sources—e.g., oil and gas wells. The agency announced plans to cut methane emissions from new oil and gas wells last year. ( Earlier post.). The expanded regulatory scope comes in support of the newly announced commitment by President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to new actions to reduce methane emissions from the oil and natural gas sector, the largest industrial source

EPA 174
article thumbnail

BMW Group developing self-driving robots for supply logistics; recycled BMW i3 batteries for power

Green Car Congress

BMW is developing and testing a self-driving robot at the BMW Group’s Innovation Park in Wackersdorf. This center is the logistics hub for material management and just-in-sequence supply to BMW Group sites in ten different countries. Wackersdorf is also home to the cockpit production for several plants. The self-driving robot maneuvers underneath roller containers with parts, picks them up and moves them through the logistics hall.

BMW 174

More Trending

article thumbnail

German team doubles activity of water electrolysis catalysts for H2 production with monolayer of copper on platinum

Green Car Congress

A team from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Technische Universität München and Universiteit Leiden has doubled the catalytic activity of electrodes for water electrolysis by applying a monolayer of copper the platinum electrodes. The resulting electrodes are the most active electrocatalysts ever reported for the HER (hydrogen evolution reaction) in acidic media under comparable conditions, to the best of their knowledge, wrote the authors in an open-access paper in the journal Nature Communications

Water 163
article thumbnail

Cal Energy awards GTI $1M grant to demo production-intent version of CWI 6.7L medium-duty natural gas engine with HD-OBD

Green Car Congress

The California Energy Commission awarded the Gas Technology Institute (GTI) a $1-million grant to demonstrate a production-intent advanced version of the Cummins Westport Inc. (CWI) ISB6.7 G natural gas engine. The advanced version engine meets the 2018 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Heavy-Duty On-Board Diagnostics (HD-OBD) requirements and will continue to meet California Air Resources Board’s (CARB’s) Optional Low NO x 0.1 g/bhp-hr emissions level.

Grant 163
article thumbnail

Rice study finds using natural gas for electricity and heating, not transportation, more effective in reducing GHGs

Green Car Congress

Rice University researchers have determined a more effective way to use natural gas to reduce climate-warming emissions would be in the replacement of existing coal-fired power plants and fuel-oil furnaces rather than burning it in cars and buses. The Rice study by environmental engineer Daniel Cohan and alumnus Shayak Sengupta compared the net greenhouse gas-emission savings that could be realized by replacing other fuels in vehicles, furnaces and power plants.

article thumbnail

EPA and NHTSA seeking comments on new data for Phase 2 Heavy-Duty National Program to reduce GHG

Green Car Congress

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have issued a Notice of Data Availability (NODA) related to the Phase 2 Heavy-Duty National Program proposed in July 2015 ( earlier post ) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fuel consumption for new on-road heavy-duty vehicles and engines. This NODA provides an opportunity to comment on the new information being made available by the EPA and by NHTSA, including memoranda and data, which be

EPA 163
article thumbnail

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

Brief

article thumbnail

SDTC awards Nsolv $13M to commercialize warm solvent technology for heavy oil extraction; 80% reduction in GHG emissions

Green Car Congress

Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) is awarding Nsolv $13 million in grant funding to commercialize its field-tested, proprietary warm solvent technology for in situ heavy oil extraction without the use of steam. Among its benefits, the technology reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by lowering the amount of energy needed to remove heavy oil from the ground.

Oil 163
article thumbnail

Faurecia using flax-based composite in Urban Liftgate demonstrator

Green Car Congress

Faurecia’s recently introduced Urban Liftgate demonstrator is a showcase for several innovations designed to rethink the rear-end of vehicles. Among the innovations is the use of a new type of composite made of natural flax fibers instead of carbon. Although the flax-based composite is not comparable mechanically to carbon fiber composites, said Laurent Gillard, Senior Engineering Manager, it has its own intersting properties and offers a lower-cost than carbon fiber and an environmentally frien

article thumbnail

GM to acquire Cruise Automation to accelerate autonomous vehicle development

Green Car Congress

General Motors is acquiring three-year-old start-up Cruise Automation to add Cruise’s deep software talent and rapid development capability to further accelerate GM’s development of autonomous vehicle technology. Fortune reported from an unidentified source “close to the situation” that the deal is valued at “north of $1 billion.”. The acquisition of Cruise is GM’s latest step toward its goal of redefining the future of personal mobility.

GM 150
article thumbnail

Ford forms new Smart Mobility subsidiary to develop and to invest in mobility services

Green Car Congress

Ford Motor Company has created a new subsidiary—Ford Smart Mobility LLC—to design, build, grow and invest in emerging mobility services. The new subsidiary will have operations in Palo Alto, California, and Dearborn, Michigan. Jim Hackett, former Steelcase vice chairman and CEO, is leaving his position on the Ford Board of Directors to serve as chairman of the new subsidiary.

Ford 150
article thumbnail

ExxonMobil announces 6th oil discovery offshore Guyana with Ranger-1; Guyana may move from non-producer to regional powerhouse

Oil

article thumbnail

Audi develops new generation of tools; bionic shapes and composite construction for material, weight and energy savings

Green Car Congress

Audi Toolmaking has developed a new, highly efficient generation of tools that is up to 20% lighter and 10% more stable than the previous generation. This makes the processing of sheet metal in the presses faster and more precise.The new tools are already being used in the press shop in Ingolstadt. The new tools are up to eight tons lighter than conventional tools, which are made completely of cast iron and weigh up to 45 tons.

Audi 150
article thumbnail

DOE selects 33 clean energy businesses for nearly $6.7M in support under Small Business Vouchers pilot

Green Car Congress

The US Department of Energy (DOE) selected 33 small businesses to work directly with DOE national labs to accelerate the commercialization of new clean energy technologies. The department’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is investing nearly $6.7 million under Round 1 of the new Small Business Vouchers (SBV) pilot. For Round 1, the small businesses and laboratories will collaborate on advancing a number of clean energy technologies, including water, wind, bioenergy, solar, build

Clean 150
article thumbnail

UQM receives new follow-on order from Proterra to support increased demand for electric buses

Green Car Congress

UQM Technologies Inc. received a new order from electric bus maker Proterra for PowerPhase HD electric drive systems to be completed and shipped before the end of 2016. Proterra will nearly double its production capacity in 2016 as an increasing number of transit agencies see zero-emission buses as a credible and proven alternative to diesel, CNG, and hybrid buses.

article thumbnail

2nd Audi Autonomous Driving Cup

Green Car Congress

Audi Electronic Venture GmbH ( AEV ), a fully owned Audi subsidiary, is holding the second Audi Autonomous Driving Cup from 22-24 March 2016. Eight university teams will take part in the competition at the Audi museum mobile in Ingolstadt. The 1:8 scale automated-drive Audi Q5 models will face a challenging circuit, with prize money of €10,000 awaiting the winners.

Audi 150
article thumbnail

Government of Alberta awarding $10M to SBI Bioenergy for production of drop-in hydrocarbon fuels; funds from carbon levy

Green Car Congress

Using revenue from the price Alberta’s large emitters pay for releasing greenhouse gases, the Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation (CCEMC) has earmarked a $10-million contribution for Alberta-based SBI BioEnergy to support a $20-million facility for the demonstration-scale production of drop-in, renewable diesel, jet and gasoline fuels from plant oils and waste fats.

Fuel 150
article thumbnail

European Parliament begins year-long inquiry into automotive emissions

Green Car Congress

The European Parliament Committee of inquiry into Emission Measurements in the Automotive Sector (EMIS) elected its chair and four vice-chairs at a constituent meeting on Wednesday morning, thus officially starting its one-year mandate. The committee, formed in response to the Volkswagen emission cheating scandal, will investigate: The Commission’s alleged failure to keep car test cycles under review; the alleged failure of the Commission and member states’ authorities to take proper and effecti

Emissions 150
article thumbnail

Argonne and Marathon partner in DOE Optima initiative to co-optimize fuels and engines

Green Car Congress

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory is partnering with Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) to support an ongoing effort by DOE to explore fuels and engines holistically in search of greater efficiency. The collaboration between Argonne and MPC is designed to support the “Co-Optimization of Fuels and Engines” initiative, which was recently launched jointly by the DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office and Bioenergy Technologies Office. ( Earlier post.

Engine 150
article thumbnail

Stanford team devises new bio-inspired strategy for using CO2 to produce multi-carbon compounds such as plastics and fuels

Green Car Congress

Researchers at Stanford University have devised a new strategy for using CO 2 in the synthesis of multi-carbon compounds. They first have applied their technology to the production of a plastic—a promising alternative to polyethylene terephthalate (PET) called polyethylene furandicarboxylate (PEF)—but are now working to apply the new chemistry to the production of renewable fuels and other compounds from hydrogen and CO 2.

article thumbnail

How Ford’s autonomous research vehicles drive in the snow

Green Car Congress

Ford, in partnership with the University of Michigan, have been conducting what they believe are the industry’s first tests of autonomous vehicles in wintry conditions. ( Earlier post.) Winter weather poses extra challenges to some autonomous vehicle sensors. Ford has now released a few highlights of its solutions: To operate in snow, Ford Fusion Hybrid autonomous vehicles first need to scan the environment to create high-resolution 3D digital maps.

Fusion 150
article thumbnail

President and CEO of Volkswagen of America steps down

Green Car Congress

Volkswagen Group of America today announced the departure of Michael Horn, president and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America. Through mutual agreement with Volkswagen AG, Horn will be leaving to pursue other opportunities effective immediately. On an interim basis, Hinrich J. Woebcken, who was recently announced as the new Head of the North American Region and Chairman of Volkswagen Group of America, will assume the role of president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America.

America 150
article thumbnail

Singapore considers Model S EV a high carbon emission vehicle based on fuel consumption and upstream power generation

Green Car Congress

Channel NewsAsia recently reported on the case of a Tesla Model S owner in Singapore who, rather than receiving the Carbon Emissions-based Vehicle Scheme (CEVS) rebate he expected of S$15,000 (US$10,841) was hit with a CEVS surcharge of S$15,000 for having high carbon emissions. Under Singapore’s revised Carbon Emissions-Based Vehicle Scheme ( CEVS ), all new cars and imported used cars registered from 1 July 2015 with low carbon emissions of less than or equal to 135g CO 2 /km qualify for rebat

Singapore 150
article thumbnail

New composite MOF traps oxygen selectively; potential use for energy applications such as fuel cells

Green Car Congress

A research team has created a composite of a MOF and a helper molecule in which the two work in concert to separate oxygen from other gases simply and cheaply. The results, reported in Advanced Materials , might help with a wide variety of applications, including making pure oxygen for fuel cells, using that oxygen in a fuel cell, removing oxygen in food packaging, making oxygen sensors, or for other industrial processes.

Energy 150
article thumbnail

Daimler Buses to bring BEV and fuel cell buses to production standard and on the road by 2018

Green Car Congress

Daimler Buses said it plans to bring both the battery-electric Citaro E-CELL and the hydrogen-driven Citaro F-CELL to production standard and on the roads by 2018. The two buses are based on a joint E-Mobility platform. This electric mobility platform includes charging systems with plug-in technology as well as current collector systems on the roof of the vehicle, different sets of batteries and fuel cell system configurations.

2018 150
article thumbnail

Argonne LCA study finds many alternative fuels consume more water than petroleum and natural gas fuels

Green Car Congress

Researchers at Argonne National Laboratory have analyzed the water consumption for transportation fuels in the United States using an extended lifecycle system boundary that includes the water embedded in intermediate processing steps. In a paper published in the RSC journal Energy & Environmental Science , they compared the water consumed per unit energy and per km traveled in light-duty vehicles.

article thumbnail

Toyota Research Institute expands autonomous vehicle development team with addition of Jaybridge Robotics team

Green Car Congress

Toyota Research Institute (TRI) ( earlier post ) and Jaybridge Robotics announced that the Jaybridge Robotics software engineering team has joined TRI. Jaybridge Robotics focuses on the reliable automation of industrial vehicles, working with partners across a range of industrial applications including agriculture, mining, marine, and rail. The former Jaybridge team has joined TRI’s Cambridge, Mass., facility.

Toyota 150
article thumbnail

Rolls-Royce wins $6.5M contract to supply LNG propulsion package for fish food carrier; Bergen gas engine

Green Car Congress

Rolls-Royce has signed a US$6.5-million contract with Tersan Shipyard in Turkey. The contract is to supply a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) propulsion package for a cargo carrier designed by NSK Ship Design for Norwegian shipowner NSK Shipping. The vessel will deliver fish food on behalf of BioMar Group. The new cargo carrier will be a slightly larger sister ship to NSK Shipping’s MS Høydal which was the world’s first LNG-powered cargo vessel and which was delivered from Tersan Shipyard in 2012.

article thumbnail

Mercedes-Benz launches new E-Class; new engines, PHEV, driver assistance systems; DRIVE PILOT

Green Car Congress

Mercedes-Benz has launched the new tenth-generation E-Class, introduced at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) this January. ( Earlier post.) The new generation features technology innovations in a number of areas, including driver assistance and powertrains, with new efficient engines and a plug-in hybrid version. Initially, the E 200 d models of the new E-Class will be available with an all-new four-cylinder OM 654 diesel engine ( earlier post ), while the E 200 will be powered

Mercedes 150
article thumbnail

ABI Research forecasts autonomous parking technology revenues to grow by 29.5% CAGR within next decade

Green Car Congress

ABI Research forecasts shipments of new cars featuring autonomous parking technologies to grow at 35% CAGR between 2016 and 2026 and for revenues to likewise show growth at 29.5% CAGR. ABI Research identifies three phases of autonomous parking, with each successive stage set to gradually displace the former and all three coexisting to some degree over the next decade.

2016 150
article thumbnail

New highly selective catalytic process for conversion of vegetable oils to diesel-range alkanes under mild conditions

Green Car Congress

A team led by researchers from the University of Oxford has developed a simple but highly selective catalytic process for the direct hydrodeoxygenation of vegetable oils (triglycerides) into diesel-range alkanes under mild conditions over a Pd/NbOPO 4 catalyst. As reported in their paper in the RSC journal Chemical Communications The mass yields of diesel-range alkanes from palm oil and soybean oil can approach to quantitative values.

Oil 150
article thumbnail

Continental Structural Plastics and Mitsubishi Rayon exploring joint venture for carbon fiber automotive structural components

Green Car Congress

Continental Structural Plastics (CSP) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Mitsubishi Rayon (MRC), regarding the development and manufacturing of innovative carbon fiber structural components for the automotive industry in North America. Under the MoU, CSP and MRC will begin detailed studies to substantiate the establishment of an equity-based joint venture.