Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 10, 2012

Enbridge Inc. will proceed with a $6.2-billion program of pipeline expansions to carry an additional 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) of light oil from North Dakota and western Canada to refinery markets in Ontario, Quebec and the US Midwest. Program projects. Click to enlarge. The Light Oil Market Access Program will provide increased pipeline capacity on Enbridge’s North Dakota regional system; further expand capacity on the US mainline system; enhance Canadian mainline terminal capability; upsiz

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Green Car Reports

DECEMBER 10, 2012

Two years ago, our first-ever Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy award went to the first modern battery-electric car sold in the U.S. How far we've come. This year, our third annual winner is the 2013 Tesla Model S, a car that takes the all-electric vehicle to a new and far more elevated level. But that's far from the only reason it won. The Tesla.

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Green Cars News

DECEMBER 13, 2012

One of the UK’s leading providers of electric car charging infrastructure, Chargemaster has agreed to buy out rival firm, Elektromotive. The deal worth £8.5 million is yet subject to approval by the shareholders of the Singapore-based holding company of Elektromotive-Elektromotive Group Ltd-but is expected to be approved within the next few months. Brighton-based Elektromotive was [.].

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Buy Singapore Electric Cars Charging 62

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 10, 2012

Ford’s 5-cylinder, 3.2-liter Power Stroke diesel will be Ford’s second in North America. Click to enlarge. Ford’s all-new 2014 Transit full-size van, which goes on sale late next year, will be offered with a new 3.2-liter Power Stroke five-cylinder diesel. The new diesel engine, Ford’s second in North America, has already been applied in the global Ford Ranger truck sold in world markets (3.2 Duratorq TDCi 200).

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North America Diesel America Ford 343

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 9, 2012

A123 Systems, Inc. reached agreement on the terms of an asset purchase agreement with Wanxiang America Corporation through which Wanxiang would acquire substantially all of A123’s assets for $256.6 million. ( Earlier post.) Wanxiang outbid a joint Johnson Controls and NEC offer and a bid from Siemens in an auction held on 6 December for the assets of the bankrupt Li-ion battery maker.

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Ni-Li Energy Storage Li-ion Purchase 342

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 11, 2012

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, and the United States Air Force USAF) have completed flight testing for the latest enhancement for the T56 engine for the C-130, with preliminary results exceeding expectations for reducing fuel consumption and reliability improvements. The Rolls-Royce T56 engine powers all legacy C-130 aircraft, with the Series 3.5 program the latest improvement aimed at enhancing performance.

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Engine Indianapolis Fuel United States 316

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 13, 2012

Components of the e-gas plant. Click to enlarge. Audi is celebrating progress on its e-gas plant under construction in Werlte, Germany with a topping-out ceremony. End products from the plant will be hydrogen and synthetic methane (Audi e-gas), to be used as fuel for vehicles such as the new Audi A3 Sportback TCNG. ( Earlier post.). The Audi e-gas plant, which can convert six megawatts of input power, will utilize renewable electricity for electrolysis, producing oxygen and hydrogen, the latter

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Audi 2013 Gas Production 301

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 12, 2012

Nissan has launched production in its new battery plant in Smyrna, Tenn. The plant, which is making battery components for the ramp-up of production of the 2013 Nissan LEAF early next year, is located adjacent to Nissan’s existing vehicle assembly plant in Tennessee, which itself has been retooled to accommodate production of the Nissan LEAF. Combined, the construction of the battery plant and modification of the Smyrna manufacturing facility represent an investment of up to $1.7 billion when bu

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Nissan Manufacturer Batteries Battery 301

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 11, 2012

PureTech 3-cylinder engine. Click to enlarge. Citroën is introducing the first members of its new PureTech family of three-cylinder gasoline engines on the C3, DS3 and C-Elysée (for international markets) ranges. The PureTech engines offer equivalent or better power compared with the previous generation powerplants, combined with significantly lower fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, down by roughly 25%.

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Engine Gasoline Fuel MPG 281

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 11, 2012

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing $300 million towards a project that will replace 100,000 gasoline-burning tricycles in the Philippines with electric tricycles, or E-Trikes. About 3.5 million gas-fueled motorcycles and tricycles are currently operating in the Philippines, typically serving as short-distance taxis, with the average tricycle driver earning less than $10 a day.

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Philippines India Gasoline Gasoline-Electric 277

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 13, 2012

With the relevant authorities having given their approval, Bosch is moving ahead with the reorganization of its lithium-ion traction battery operations following the dissolution of its joint venture with Samsung, SB LiMotive. ( Earlier post.) Effective immediately, the former operating units SB LiMotive Germany GmbH in Stuttgart and Cobasys LLC based in Orion, Michigan, will be incorporated into the Bosch Group as a wholly owned subsidiary under the new name Robert Bosch Battery Systems.

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Lithium Ion Los Angeles Batteries Battery 275

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 14, 2012

Québec’s Cabinet has adopted the Regulation Amending the Regulation respecting a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gas emission (GHG) allowances. The amendment is aimed at harmonizing Québec’s system with California’s as well as with those of future partners. Its adoption now makes it possible to link the Québec and California systems. By adopting this regulatory amendment, Québec has taken a major step in pursuing the deployment of further action within the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) to

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California Carbon Market Light 268

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 13, 2012

Evonik Group subsidiary Evonik Litarion GmbH has selected materials technology group Umicore as the supplier of cathode materials for large format Li-ion batteries for electric vehicles and stationary energy storage systems applications. ( Earlier post.). Umicore’s Cellcore MX, a Li-ion NMC (Nickel, Manganese, Cobalt) cathode material, offers an engineered material solution to optimize electric vehicle requirements of power, energy, safety and battery cycle life.

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 8, 2012

Alaska Governor Sean Parnell proposed a $355-million financial package for construction of a natural gas liquefaction plant on Alaska’s North Slope and a Fairbanks-area natural gas distribution system through the private sector, and an area-wide utility. A North Slope LNG plant has the potential to deliver gas via truck to Fairbanks and to provide access to gas for road and river communities, as well as Southcentral Alaska.

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Alaska Tax Credit Gas Financing 268

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 14, 2012

In response to a court order, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized an update to its national air quality standards for harmful fine particle pollution (PM 2.5 ), including soot, setting the annual health (primary) standard at 12 µg/m 3. The outgoing annual standard is 15 µg/m 3 , which has been in place since 1997. ( Earlier post.).

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EPA Standards Pollution Clean 252

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 13, 2012

SAE International’s Hybrid Technical Committee has completed the technical standard “ J2990 —Hybrid and EV First and Second Responder Recommended Practice,” which offers recommended practices for emergency personnel responding to incidents involving hybrid or electric vehicles. Separately, the US Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded a new grant for nearly $1 million to the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium (NAFTC) at West Vir

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Standards West Virginia Hybrid Alternative Fuels 252

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 10, 2012

Ram Truck will develop a new large van for the North American market. The 2014 Ram ProMaster will go on sale beginning in the 3 rd quarter 2013 and will join the smaller Ram Cargo Van as an additional van offering to compete with other full-size commercial vans. Based on the Fiat Ducato, the Ram ProMaster will be significantly redesigned with familiar Ram Truck styling cues, offering features and powertrains preferred by North American commercial customers.

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Commercial Chrysler America Exhaust 252

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 13, 2012

ChargePoint, formerly named Coulomb Technologies, announced it has more than 10,000 EV charging station spots in North America. More than 25,000—nearly half of all EV drivers—use ChargePoint to charge their electric vehicles, according to the company. ChargePoint has seen more than 1,500,000 EV charging sessions worldwide over the past four years.

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 11, 2012

GS Battery (USA) Inc., , the US subsidiary of Japan-based battery maker GS Yuasa, announced the deployment of its Hybrid Energy System (HES) for renewable energy storage and EV charging. Equipped with 48 volts of ECO R advanced lead acid battery technology, the integrated, compact unit is targeted at common renewable energy storage needs and is packaged in an easily installed, indoor/outdoor cabinet.

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Energy Storage Renewable Energy Charging 247

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 12, 2012

BYD Ltd and Praco Didacol (BYD’s Colombian distribution partner) announced that BYD e6’s will be placed into Taxi service as of Q1 2013 in the Colombian capital Bogotá as a pilot. The District Government authorized this scalable all-electric taxi pilot in an effort to improve the air quality in Colombia’s dense cities. Forty-nine BYD e6, 5-passenger, all-electric cross-over sedans received approval from the Colombia Ministry of Transportation to operate as taxis in the city of Bogotá.

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E6 Taxi BYD All-Electric 247

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 14, 2012

Thermochemical pathways for producing bioproducts from biomass. Source: DOE. Click to enlarge. The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $12 million in new funding ( DE-FOA-0000812 ) for projects to drive down the cost of producing drop-in gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels from biomass via thermochemical, direct liquefaction pathways (i.e. fast pyrolysis, ex situ and in situ catalytic fast pyrolysis, hydropyrolysis, hydrothermal liquefaction, and solvent liquefaction).

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 13, 2012

Researchers from Inha University in South Korea have proposed a solution to the recently re-ignited debate over the safety (flammability) of R-1234yf, targeted for use as a low global warming potential (GWP) replacement for R134a for mobile air conditioning (MAC) systems. An azeotropic mixture of 88.5-90% R-1234yf and 10-11.5% R134a can solve the flammability issue associated with R-1234yf while still delivering a low (.

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South Korea Universal International Global 239

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 11, 2012

The UN projects that the world’s population will grow by 2.3 billion people between 2011 and 2050, bringing the total population to 9.3 billion. Census data in 2010 indicate that 3.5 billion people—50.5% of the global population—now live in cities. However, the urban population is expected to grow by 2.6 billion between 2011 and 2050, bringing the total to 6.3 billion, according to a new report by the Worldwatch Institute’s Vital Signs Online service.

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Asia Africa 2011 Water 239

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 14, 2012

Petrobras Biofuel has inaugurated the expansion of the Darcy Ribeiro biodiesel plant. The unit will now produce 152 million liters/year (40 million gallons US)—an increase of 40% in capacity on the current 108.6 million liters/ year production capacity and a tripling as compared to the initial 57 million liters/year in 2009. The unit has produced to date approximately 260 million liters (69 million gallons US).

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2009 Production 236

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 11, 2012

Static pressure. In-cylinder pressure contour after injection. Credit: SpeedSource Race Engineering. Click to enlarge. Earlier this year, Mazda Motorsports announced it would supply racing versions of the new SKYACTIV-D diesel engines ( earlier post ) to customer teams competing in GRAND-AM’s newly announced GX Class for advanced/clean technologies, beginning with the 2013 season. ( Earlier post.

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Mazda Design Engine Diesel 236

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 11, 2012

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has begun construction of the first ship in its “Sayaendo” Series of new-generation liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers. The Sayaendo Series has a hull shape that evolved from LNG carriers with Moss-type hemispherical tanks, and it offers significant improvements in fuel consumption and maintainability. The unit now being built is slated for delivery in the fiscal year 2014 (ending March 31, 2015). ( Earlier post.).

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Mitsubishi Fuel Downsizing Mariner 236

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 10, 2012

Wärtsilä has been awarded another contract to supply a complete liquefied natural gas (LNG) package, including the propulsion, auxiliaries and controls, for a new offshore support vessel designed by STX Marine, Inc. The ship has been ordered by Harvey Gulf International Marine as a part of the company’s “Going Green” initiative. The vessel will operate in the Gulf of Mexico’s offshore oilfields.

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Gas Mariner Gas-Electric Supplies 236

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 9, 2012

Comparison of GHGenius, JACOBS, TIAX, and the new PRELIM gasoline greenhouse gas (GHG) estimates using base case estimates and variations from the scenario analysis. Credit: ACS, Abella and Bergerson. Click to enlarge. Researchers at the University of Calgary (Canada) have developed the Petroleum Refinery Life-cycle Inventory Model (PRELIM). PRELIM uses a more comprehensive range of crude oil quality and refinery configurations than used in earlier models and can quantify energy use and greenhou

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Oil-Sands Emissions Oil Hydrogen 236

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 8, 2012

Christian Paradis, Canada’s Minister of Industry, announced on Friday that the federal government is allowing two major acquisitions of oil sands companies by foreign state-owned enterprises (SOEs): the $15.1-billion takeover of Nexen by China’s CNOOC ( earlier post ), and the $6-billion acquisition by Malaysia’s Petronas of Progress Energy Resources Corp.

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Oil-Sands Canada Oil Purchase 236

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 14, 2012

The US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will partner with Johnson Matthey, a global specialty chemicals company, in a five-year, $7-million effort to produce economically drop-in gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from non-food biomass feedstocks. The goal is to improve vapor-phase upgrading during the biomass pyrolysis process in order to lower costs and speed production of lignocellulose-based fuels; as part of the work, Johnson Matthey will supply and develop inno

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United Kingdom Convert Oil Gasoline 231

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 11, 2012

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) began accepting applications 1 December for its Natural Gas Vehicle Grant program, which will provide up to $20 milli on over the next three years to help pay for the incremental purchase and conversion costs of heavy-duty natural gas fleet vehicles. In the first year, $10 million in grants will be available, $5 million of which is slated for local transportation organizations, including non-profit agencies providing public transporta

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Pennsylvania Grant Gas Vehicles 231

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 10, 2012

In a new report, Pike Research forecasts that the advanced lead-acid battery (LAB) market will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.8% over the next 8 years. Of the projected US$18-billion market in 2020, 58% of the sales will be from the transportation sector, historically one of the most of important industries for lead-acid batteries.

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Lead Acid 2020 Transportation Market 231

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 9, 2012

Following the announcement by A123 Systems that it that reached agreement to sell most of its assets to Wanxiang for $256.6 million ( earlier post ), Johnson Controls announced that it had officially withdrawn from the bankruptcy auction when it declined to match the higher bid submitted by Wanxiang. Johnson Controls and NEC had submitted complementary bids, Johnson Controls for the automotive and government assets and NEC for the grid and commercial assets.

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Li-ion Energy Storage Michigan United States 231

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 9, 2012

In a video published by Reaction Design, Gary Smyth, executive director of GM’s Science Labs, discusses the successes GM has made and continues to make in developing advanced powertrain systems and vehicles, in large part due to increasing reliance on combustion modeling and simulation. Smyth’s specific observations on the importance of modeling and simulation begin at 4:34 in the video.

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