Sat.Oct 31, 2015 - Fri.Nov 06, 2015

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Daimler and partners deploying world’s largest 2nd-life EV battery storage unit for grid support

Green Car Congress

The world’s largest 2nd-life battery storage unit will soon go into operation in the Westphalian town of Lünen. A joint venture between Daimler AG, The Mobility House AG and GETEC, it will be operated from the beginning of next year at the site of REMONDIS SE and marketed in the German electricity balancing sector. The stationary storage unit, with a total capacity of 13 MWh, uses second-life battery systems from the second generation of smart electric drive vehicles.

Grid 289
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Nissan's 60-kWh, 200-Mile Battery Pack: What We Know So Far

Green Car Reports

Will the next-generation 2018 Nissan Leaf offer an option that could provide 200 miles of more of real-world driving range? Based on the concept car and prototype battery pack that officially bowed this past week, coinciding with the Tokyo Motor Show, it’s increasingly likely. Nissan’s IDS Concept from Tokyo is noteworthy on several.

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CUE at Ryerson University testing 150 kW Li-ion battery from Electrovaya

Green Car Congress

The Center for Urban Energy (CUE) at Ryerson University in Canada is testing a 150 kW Li-ion battery provided by Electrovaya in collaboration with Toronto Hydro to prove how off-peak electricity can be stored. Post doctorate research fellow Bhanu Opathella with the 150 kW battery. Click to enlarge. With the battery installed, a one-year pilot project will begin this month.

Li-ion 266
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Fast-charging corridor from Berlin to Munich complete

Green Car Congress

BMW, E.ON and Siemens have completed the installation of 8 DC fast-charging stations on the A9 highway linking Berlin to Munich in Germany as parat of the framework of the “Electromobility Connects” Bavaria-Saxony showcase sponsored by the German government. With the project ’s completion, Allego GmbH assumes commercial operation of the stations. The A9 fast-charging corridor links Berlin and Munich.

Charging 253
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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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Bombardier battery-electric powered tram sets range record: 25.9 miles of catenary-free operation

Green Car Congress

Bombardier Transportation has successfully completed a 41.6 km (25.9 miles) catenary-free test run using a Bombardier-built tram, powered entirely by its PRIMOVE battery in combination with BOMBARDIER MITRAC (Modular Integrated TRACtion system). The test run was conducted in the German city of Mannheim on the Rhein-Neckar-Verkehr GmbH (RNV) network.

Miles 241
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First drive: US spec Audi A3 Sportback e-tron plug-in hybrid; 83-86 MPGe with 16-17 mile EV range

Green Car Congress

More than two and one-half years after the car was first announced ( earlier post ) and more than one year after sales began in Germany and Central Europe ( earlier post ), the US-spec version of the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron plug-in hybrid will begin arriving in US showrooms in the next few weeks. Although the EPA has not as of this writing released the final fuel economy numbers for the US A3 e-tron, Filip Brabec, Director, Product Management, Audi of America, said that the figures will be arou

Audi 235

More Trending

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ORNL team discovers mechanism behind direct ethanol-to-hydrocarbon conversion; implications for energy efficiency and cost of upgrading

Green Car Congress

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have discovered that the reactions underlying the transformation of ethanol into higher-grade hydrocarbons unfolds in a different manner than previously thought. The research, supported by DOE’s BioEnergy Technologies Office (BETO), has implications for the energy efficiency and cost of catalytic upgrading technologies proposed for use in bio-refineries.

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Nissan begins testing piloted driving on both city roads and highway

Green Car Congress

Nissan has begun testing its first prototype vehicle that demonstrates piloted drive on both highway and city/urban roads. Nissan’s “Intelligent Driving” comprises features that will be introduced in stages, all toward achieving Nissan’s “Zero Fatality” goal of eliminating virtually all fatalities stemming from traffic accidents. For Stage One, Nissan will offer “Piloted Drive 1.0” by the end of 2016 in Japan.

Nissan 233
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VW uncovers irregularities in type-approval CO2 levels affecting about 800K vehicles as part of diesel investigation

Green Car Congress

The Volkswagen Group announced today that during the course of its internal investigation into the diesel emission cheating issue, it uncovered “irregularities” when determining type-approval CO 2 levels. Based on present knowledge, around 800,000 vehicles from the Volkswagen Group could be affected, the company said. Under the ongoing review of all processes and workflows in connection with diesel engines, Volkswagen investigators established that the CO 2 levels—and thus the fuel consumption f

Diesel 228
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Prayon and Pulead to create JV for manufacture and sale of lithium iron phosphate material for Li-ion batteries

Green Car Congress

Major cathode material producer Pulead (China) and phosphate leader Prayon (Belgium) have entered into an agreement to form a joint venture for the manufacture and sale of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) under licence from LiFePO 4 +C Licensing LLC. The two companies have also agreed to cooperate closely on other LFP-related raw material supply matters.

Li-ion 224
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Faurecia and Accenture partner on products and services for connected and autonomous vehicles

Brief

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Faraday Future EV startup says it will invest $1B in US manufacturing facility

Green Car Congress

Faraday Future (FF), a new electric vehicle and future mobility startup company, announced that it will invest $1 billion in a US manufacturing facility as a phase one investment. The company has been considering several locations including California, Georgia, Louisiana and Nevada, for its facility. FF will announce the exact site in the coming weeks.

Future 223
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Kyocera develops first platinum-free soot-sensing element for diesel engines

Green Car Congress

Kyocera Corporation has developed a sensing element to help monitor soot filters in diesel-engine vehicles—the first ever to withstand operating temperatures above 500 °C without the use of platinum. The new product utilizes a new base-metal alloy to withstand higher temperatures while reducing production costs and helping to improve air pollution from engine emissions.

Diesel 216
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ORNL tires-to-carbon technology licensed to RJ Lee Group

Green Car Congress

RJ Lee Group has signed an agreement to license an invention developed at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory that converts waste rubber into a valuable energy storage material. The technology turns rubber sources such as tires into carbon black composites through a proprietary pretreatment process invented by ORNL’s Amit Naskar, Parans Paranthaman and Zhonghe Bi. ( Earlier post.).

Carbon 214
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HARMAN contributes open source software to Open AVB Project for low-latency, real-time automotive Ethernet

Green Car Congress

HARMAN has made an open source software contribution to the Open AVB project to help drive the adoption of Ethernet AVB/TSN (Audio Video Bridging/Time Sensitive Networking) in automotive, consumer, pro audio/video and industrial markets. In AVB/TSN, the maximum latency is deterministic and thus supports low-latency applications from live A/V to machine control.

Standards 214
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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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Toyota announces expected fuel economy and pricing for RAV4 Hybrid: 33 mpg combined, entry at $28,370

Green Car Congress

Toyota anticipates that the 2016 RAV4 Hybrid—unveiled earlier this year at the New York International Auto Show ( earlier post ) and the eighth hybrid in Toyota’s line-up—will receive EPA ratings of 34 mpg city / 31 mpg highway / 33 mpg combined (6.9, 7.6 and 7.1 l/100 km, respectively) for both 2016 RAV4 Hybrid models. The RAV4 Hybrid comes in two premium grades: XLE and Limited.

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UMTRI: Average US new vehicle fuel economy in October drops to 25 mpg

Green Car Congress

The average fuel economy (window-sticker value) of new vehicles sold in the US in October was 25.0 mpg (9.4 l/100km)—down 0.2 mpg from September, according to the latest monthly report from Dr. Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). They suggested the decline likely reflects the decreased price of gasoline in October, and the consequent increased sales of pickup trucks and SUVs.

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Volvo Cars selects INRIX for real-time traffic data

Green Car Congress

Volvo Cars has selected INRIX, Inc. for the car maker’s first live traffic service. INRIX will provide Volvo drivers with rich, real-time and predictive traffic flow information for routes, travel times, and alerts to accidents and incidents. The technology will be integrated globally first into the Volvo Cluster 90 vehicles equipped with Sensus Connect.

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Saft lands contracts for 45M primary Li-ion batteries for smart meters in China

Green Car Congress

Saft has won contracts to supply more than 45 million primary lithium batteries for smart meter installations in China. These major successes have been achieved thanks to two of Saft’s distributors, Royalty and Sonic, for key projects to power electricity, gas, water and heat meters deployed by local utilities. Deliveries are scheduled for completion by the end of 2016.

Li-ion 203
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EPA issues a second notice of violation to Volkswagen alleging emissions cheating in MY 2014-2016 3.0L diesels

Green Car Congress

EPA issued a second notice of violation ( NOV ) of the Clean Air Act (CAA) to Volkswagen AG, Audi AG and Volkswagen Group of America, Inc., alleging emissions cheating. This NOV is also being issued to Porsche AG and Porsche Cars North America. The NOV alleges that the VW Group companies developed and installed a software defeat device—specifically, code in the electronic control module (ECM)—in certain VW, Audi and Porsche light duty diesel vehicles equipped with 6-cylinder, 3.0-liter engines f

EPA 203
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Ballard signs $3M contract for development of fuel cell module to power trams in China

Green Car Congress

Ballard Power Systems signed a definitive agreement with Tangshan Railway Vehicle Company, Limited (TRC) for development of a new fuel cell module that will be designed to meet the requirements of tram or Modern Ground Rail Transit Equipment applications. The value of this work to Ballard is approximately $3 million and represents the next step toward a commercial product, following the June 2015 signing and announcement of a framework agreement between the companies.

China 203
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Volkswagen Group CEO Müller agrees on strategic partnership with leading China bank

Green Car Congress

Volkswagen AG and leading Chinese bank Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Limited (ICBC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Beijing setting out a long-term strategic partnership. Under the MoU, ICBC will provide Volkswagen AG with a wide range of banking services in China and globally. In the presence of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and German Chancellor Dr.

China 203
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Opinion: Elon Musk’s Hyperloop Takes A Step Forward

Green Car Congress

by Michael McDonald of Oilprice.com. For the first time in close to a century, mankind may be about to give serious attention to a technology that has the potential to be a true game-changer in transportation. Elon Musk famously proposed the idea of the Hyperloop a few years ago [ earlier post ], and suggested it could be a revolutionary method for travel based on available technology today.

IDEA 199
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Toyota Mirai receives the ARBÖ 2015 Environmental Award in Austria

Green Car Congress

The Austrian automobile club ARBÖ (Auto-Motor und Radfahrerverbund Österreiche) has awarded the Toyota Mirai with the “2015 Environmental Award”. The jury consisted of ARBÖ automotive experts. If we want to secure the future of the automobile as flexible, personal and clean transport for the next 100 years, we need to consider which energy can power our cars tomorrow.

Austria 197
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AC Transit files LCFS pathway application for H2 produced by electrolysis (solar): 0.00 gCO2e/MJ

Green Car Congress

AC Transit (Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District), which operates the third-largest public bus system in California, has filed a fuel pathway application for gaseous hydrogen produced via electrolysis powered by renewable electricity (solar) with the California Air Resources Board (ARB) under the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) regulation. According to AC Transit’s analysis—which is supported by ARB Staff—the carbon intensity (CI) of the gaseous hydrogen produced by the pathway is 0

Solar 197
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Umicore selling its stake in beLife lithium iron phosphate JV to Prayon

Green Car Congress

Umicore recently entered into an agreement to sell all of its shares in beLife to its joint venture partner Prayon. beLife was created by both shareholders in order to demonstrate the industrial scale production of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode material and to qualify this material at some of the major global Li-ion battery makers. Prayon and major cathode material producer Pulead (China) and phosphate leader Prayon (Belgium) have entered into an agreement to form a joint venture for the

Li-ion 197
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IEA: CO2 emissions from fuel combustion rose 2.2% in 2013, below the average rate since 2000

Green Car Congress

According to the latest data released by the International Energy Agency (IEA), CO 2 emissions related to the energy sector, which is the source of nearly two-thirds of human-generated greenhouse gases, rose 2.2% in 2013 to total 32.2 gigatonnes, compared with the 0.6% increase in 2012. Both years were below the average growth rate since 2000 of 2.5%.

2000 197
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Hyundai Motor launches new global luxury brand Genesis

Green Car Congress

Hyundai Motor is launching an all-new global luxury brand—Genesis—as a stand-alone brand that operates alongside the company’s popular Hyundai marque. Capitalizing on its success in the fast-growing global car market, Hyundai Motor will launch six new Genesis models by 2020 and intends to compete with the world’s most renowned luxury car brands.

Hyundai 197
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KAIST/Hyundai team explores effects of water direct injection on gasoline engine under high load

Green Car Congress

Researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and the Advanced Gasoline Engine Development Team at Hyundai Motor Company report on the effects of water direct injection on a gasoline engine under high-load conditions in a paper in the International Journal of Engine Research. The precisely controlled injection of water into engine cylinders produces a cooling effect that boosts power and torque, particularly when operating at or near full throttle, while at the

Water 197
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1-year customer field trials of FUSO electric Canter in Portugal show 64% lower costs, 37% reduction in CO2 given local power mix

Green Car Congress

Daimler has concluded customer field trials with eight pre-production Fuso Canter E-Cell electric trucks ( earlier post ) in Portugal. In addition to delivering a 64% savings in operating costs compared to conventional diesel trucks, the Canter E-Cells also reduced CO 2 emissions by 37% compared to diesel, taking into account the current power production mix in Portugal.

Portugal 197
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US rejects Keystone XL pipeline, citing combatting climate change as critical factor; Kerry: arguments pro and con “overstated”

Green Car Congress

On Friday, US Secretary of State John Kerry issued his determination that “ the national interest of the United States would be best served by denying TransCanada a presidential permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. President Obama agrees with this determination and the eight federal agencies consulted under Executive Order 13337 have accepted it. ”.

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US rejects Keystone XL pipeline, citing combatting climate change as critical factor; Kerry: arguments pro and con “overstated”

Green Car Congress

On Friday, US Secretary of State John Kerry issued his determination that “ the national interest of the United States would be best served by denying TransCanada a presidential permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. President Obama agrees with this determination and the eight federal agencies consulted under Executive Order 13337 have accepted it. ”.

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LA deploying 100 connected light poles; Philips SmartPoles with 4G LTE

Green Car Congress

The City of Los Angeles (LA) will be the first city in the world to deploy 100 Philips SmartPoles—connected LED street lighting that includes fully integrated 4G LTE wireless telecommunications technology by Ericsson. The collaboration between Philips and Ericsson delivers on the latest Internet of Things (IoT) innovation and provides a double benefit to LA citizens: high quality, public lighting that is energy efficient as well as improved network performance in dense urban areas.

Light 188
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Mobileye aftermarket collision avoidance solution to be added to Proterra Catalyst electric buses

Green Car Congress

Mobileye Aftermarket, a division of Mobileye N.V., a provider of vision and data analysis for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems and autonomous driving, announced that electric bus manufacturer Proterra Inc. will offer factory installation of the aftermarket collision avoidance solution in its 2016 models. According to the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration, 93% of accidents are due to human error.

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Toyota establishing new artificial intelligence R&D company; $1B investment over 5 years

Green Car Congress

Toyota Motor Corporation is establishing a new company, Toyota Research Institute Inc. (TRI), as an R&D enterprise with an initial focus on artificial intelligence and robotics. The headquarters will be located in Silicon Valley near Stanford University, with a second facility to be located near MIT. The new company will begin operations in January 2016.

Toyota 188