Sat.Nov 09, 2013 - Fri.Nov 15, 2013

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Field test shows Volvo Buses’ plug-in hybrid reduces fuel consumption by 81% and energy consumption by 61%; 21 mpg

Green Car Congress

'Volvo Bus’ plug-in hybrid. The pantograph for rapid charging can be seen on the roof. Click to enlarge. Field tests being conducted in Gothenburg show that Volvo Buses’ plug-in hybrid reduces fuel consumption by 81% and total energy consumption (diesel plus electricity) by 61% compared to a comparable Euro 5 diesel bus. ( Earlier post.). The field test in Gothenburg began in June 2013 and includes three plug-in hybrid buses, the batteries of which are rapidly recharged at the terminals.

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Serving My Country – My Patriotic Duty

Creative Greenius

'Robert Earl Bushweit (right) runs into his Detroit buddy, Percy, in a captured German town during WWII. And The River Opens For The Righteous. On this Veteran’s Day 2013 I honor my father-in-law, Bob Bushweit for his service starting at the age of 18 in World War II where he fought as a member of Patton’s Third Army across Africa and Europe and actually did preserve our freedom and our democracy as part of the greatest generation. .

Al Gore 286
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Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy: 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid

Green Car Reports

'For 2014, our fourth annual Green Car Reports'' Best Car To Buy award goes to the 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid. This new model of the redesigned Honda Accord sedan introduced last year is comfortable, quiet, stylish--and delivers real-world fuel economy from 40 mpg to as much as 52 mpg. And that''s Toyota Prius liftback territory, in a mid-size sedan.

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Renault ZOE to demo usability of EVs in cross European trip

Green Cars News

'A trip to demonstrate the capabilities of electric cars and the availability of the infrastructure to support them, will take one Renault ZOE some 854 miles from Munich to Barcelona. The new eTourEurope preview trip will see EV fan Werner Hillebrand-Hansen take his car across five countries, arriv[.].

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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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UMTRI: average fuel-economy of new vehicles in the US in October rose to 24.8 mpg

Green Car Congress

'The average fuel-economy (window-sticker) value of new vehicles sold in the US in October was 24.8 mpg (9.49 l/100km), up 0.2 mpg from September, according to the monthly analysis from Michael Sivak and Brendan Schoettle from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). Vehicle fuel economy is up 4.7 mpg since October 2007 (the first month of their monitoring).

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Zero Waste Energy breaks ground on organic waste to CNG fuel facility

Green Car Congress

'Zero Waste Energy, LLC (ZWE) broke ground on an anaerobic digestion facility in South San Francisco, CA that will convert organic waste into compressed natural gas (CNG) and compost. The Blue Line Biogenic CNG facility will convert 11,200 TPY of food and green waste into 100,000+ diesel equivalent gallons of CNG fuel. The company estimates that each collection vehicle will gather enough organic waste during just one route to fuel it for an entire day, creating a closed-loop system.

Waste 299

More Trending

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EIA forecasts Bakken oil production will top 1M barrels per day next month; >10% of US oil production

Green Car Congress

'The latest monthly update of estimated crude oil production in the Bakken region of North Dakota and Montana shows total wellhead output topping 1 million barrels of oil per day (bbl/d) next month. The update appears in the most recent issue of the US Energy Information Administration’s Drilling Productivity Report (DPR). The Bakken region now accounts for a little over 10% of total U.S. oil production and is the fourth region (along with the Gulf of Mexico, Eagle Ford, and Permian basins) curr

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California Energy Commission to award up to $6M to EV charging infrastructure projects

Green Car Congress

'The California Energy Commission (CEC) has issued a $6-million competitive grant solicitation ( PON-13-606 ) to fund the buildout of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the four following categories: Destination Charging: This category is for destinations that may attract people to travel “medium-to-long” distances from their home and where the vehicle would tend to be parked for more than one hour.

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CMU study finds limited dedicated residential parking and charging a significant barrier to mainstream EV adoption

Green Car Congress

'Selected forecasts of US PEV sales with barriers to fleet penetration from limited residential charging infrastructure. Traut et al. Click to enlarge. An analysis by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University of parking and charging availability for electric vehicles in the US has concluded that limited availability of dedicated residential parking—and hence charging opportunities—is a significant barrier to mainstream electric vehicle adoption.

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Toyota, Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi to provide financial assistance for EV charging infrastructure in Japan

Green Car Congress

'Toyota Motor Corporation, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Honda Motor Co., Ltd., and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation have agreed on the details of specific financial assistance they will provide to installers of charging stations for electric vehicles (PHVs, PHEVs, and EVs). This announcement follows an agreement the four companies announced in July jointly to promote the construction of a user-friendly network of charging infrastructures. ( Earlier post.).

Japan 261
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Faurecia and Accenture partner on products and services for connected and autonomous vehicles

Brief

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Audi offering three engines with cylinder deactivation technology; fuel savings up to 20%

Green Car Congress

'Cylinder on demand V8. Click to enlarge. Audi has three gasoline engines equipped with its cylinder-on-demand (COD) technology (cylinder deactivation): the 1.4 TFSI COD, the 4.0 TFSI COD and now also the 12-cylinder W12 COD in the new Audi A8 L. ( Earlier post.) COD can deliver reductions in fuel consumption of up to 20%, Audi says. The Audi COD technology is versatile, equally suitable for use in the four-cylinder direct-injection unit, as well as the V8 TFSI and the 12-cylinder naturally aspi

Audi 259
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2014 Silverado and Sierra pickups leverage high- and ultra-high strength steels for weight reduction

Green Car Congress

'The 2014 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 have strategically replaced traditional steel with lightweight, high-strength steels for improved capability, safety and fuel efficiency. High-strength and ultra-high-strength steels make up two-thirds of the new cab structures, including A-pillars, B-pillars, rocker panels, roof rails and underbody.

Sierra 257
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EPA proposes reduction in cellulosic biofuel and total renewable fuel standards for 2014

Green Car Congress

'The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a reduction in the cellulosic biofuel and total renewable fuel standards (RFS) for 2014. Once the proposal is published in the Federal Register, it will be open to a 60-day public comment period. Specifically, EPA is proposing a total renewable fuel target of 15.21 billion gallons; the final 2013 overall volumes and standards require 16.55 billion gallons; the original target as specified in the Clean Air Act is 18.15 billion gallons. (

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Coca-Cola Company and Ford unveil Ford Fusion Energi with PlantBottle Technology interior

Green Car Congress

'The Coca-Cola Company and Ford Motor Company are collaborating on the first interior fabric made from the same renewable material used to produce Coca-Cola’s PlantBottle Technology packaging. Fabric made from PlantBottle Technology consists of up to 30% plant-based materials. The two companies today unveiled a Ford Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid vehicle with Coca-Cola PlantBottle Technology interior fabric surfaces covering seat cushions, seat backs, head restraints, door panel inserts and headli

Fusion 255
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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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Honda unveils new UNI-CUB ? personal mobility device

Green Car Congress

'Honda Motor Co., Ltd. unveiled the UNI-CUB ?, a new personal mobility device which was made usable for a wider range of people by enhancing the device’s compatibility. The UNI-CUB was first introduced in May 2012 as a personal mobility device featuring balance control technology and an omni-directional driving wheel system (Honda Omni Traction Drive System), derivative of Honda’s research into humanoid robots. ( Earlier post.).

Personal 244
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UK launches £75M fund for more energy efficient engines and cars; £1.5M for autonomous pods

Green Car Congress

'The UK government has launched a £75-million (US$120-million) fund to speed the development of low carbon technologies for engines. Selected projects are to be the pilot projects of the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) announced in July. ( Earlier post.) The APC will channel £1-billion (US$1.6 billion) investment from government and industry to fund the development of new technologies over the next 10 years.

Engine 240
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Boeing, GOL Airlines collaborate to increase sustainable aviation biofuel supply in Brazil

Green Car Congress

'Boeing and GOL Linhas Aereas Inteligentes S.A. will work together to speed the research, development and approval of new sources of sustainable aviation biofuel in Brazil. Their collaboration will support GOL’s plans to use this lower-carbon jet fuel on more flights during upcoming major sporting events and also will benefit long-term development of a new sustainable aviation biofuel industry in Brazil.

Brazil 239
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CARD study concludes reduction in ethanol mandate would have minor impact on price of corn

Green Car Congress

'A working paper by Professor Bruce Babcock and Wei Zhou from the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) at Iowa State University suggests that lowering the US ethanol mandate to a level that can be met solely with E10 would result in a lower price of corn of between 5 and 6%, or about 25 centers per bushel, compared to the status quo.

Price 239
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Global Commercial Vehicle Industry Meeting endorses harmonized global approach to improve fuel efficiency and reduce GHGs

Green Car Congress

'Leading global manufacturers of heavy-duty commercial trucks and engines gathering at the annual Global Commercial Vehicle Industry Meeting endorsed a harmonized global approach as an effective pathway to further improve energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from commercial vehicles. The manufacturers have been pursuing policy cooperation for a number of years. ( Earlier post.).

Global 239
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Nanocomposite of bio-templated manganese oxide and Pd as high-performance cathode for Li-air batteries

Green Car Congress

'Schematic of a nanocomposite structure. Synthesis step of the metal nanoparticle/M13 virus-templated manganese oxide nanowires (bio MO nanowires) and the operational reaction inside Li-O 2 battery cells. Oh et al. Click to enlarge. Scientists at MIT have built catalyst structures to achieve high Li-O 2 battery performances by forming a nanocomposite of bio-templated manganese oxide nanowires (bio MO nanowires) produced by the M13 bacteriophage virus ( earlier post ) with incorporation of a smal

Li-ion 236
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BASF pitching NiMH batteries for grid energy storage applications

Green Car Congress

'BASF Battery Materials will discuss its latest improvements in Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) battery technology for grid energy storage applications at the 8 th International Renewable Energy Storage Conference and Exhibition (IRES 2013), being held 18-20 November 2013 in Berlin, Germany. One technology that has been largely overlooked for grid storage is NiMH.

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Port of Oakland completes shore power infrastructure

Green Car Congress

'The Port of Oakland, California, has completed construction of its shore power (also known as “cold-ironing” infrastructure. Shore Power is a shore-to-ship connection that provides electrical power to the ship, thereby significantly reducing diesel and other air pollutant emissions from ships while they are at berth. In 2008 the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners committed to reducing health-risk from seaport-related diesel emissions by 85% by 2020 from a 2005 baseline.

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GM R&D study explores effect of temperature and O2 concentration on automotive low-load HCCI

Green Car Congress

'A study by a team at the Propulsion Systems Research Labs, GM R&D has concluded that the combustion instability of homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) at the low-load range is caused by lack of oxygen concentration rather than lower in-cylinder mixture temperature. Their paper is published in the International Journal of Engine Research.

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NASA, Boeing finish tests of 757 vertical tail with active flow control technology

Green Car Congress

'The full-sized test tail modified and equipped with sweeping jet actuators. (Image credit: NASA Ames Research Center) Click to enlarge. NASA’s Ames Research Center and NASA’s Langley Research Center, in partnership with The Boeing Co., have completed wind tunnel testing of a full-scale Boeing 757 vertical tail model equipped with active flow control (AFC) technology.

Wind 230
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NHTSA: US traffic fatalities increased 3.3% in 2012

Green Car Congress

'p> Highway deaths in the US increased to 33,561 in 2012—1,082 more (3.3%) than in 2011, according to the 2012 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The majority of the increase in deaths (72%)—the first increase since 2005—occurred in the first quarter of the year.

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Japan’s PM rides in Nissan LEAF for first Autonomous Drive public road test

Green Car Congress

'Nissan’s Autonomous Drive test car has taken to the public roads in Japan for the first time, with the country’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on board. The all-electric Nissan LEAF vehicle, which was the first with autonomous drive capability ( earlier post ) to be granted a license plate in Japan, drove on the roads around the National Diet Front Garden, a public park in the center of Tokyo between Japan’s parliament and the Imperial Palace.

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Mazda suspends dealership test drives showcasing Smart City Brake Support after injury accident

Green Car Congress

'Mazda is suspending all test drives intended to showcase the accident avoidance features of Smart City Brake Support until the cause of an accident with injuries in Japan involving the technology has been established and countermeasures taken. On 10 November, there was an accident causing injury to a customer and a dealership employee during a test drive event to demonstrate safety features using a Mazda CX-5.

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Clean Energy and UPS sign multi-year LNG fuel agreements to support LNG truck deployment in North America

Green Car Congress

'Clean Energy Fuels Corp. announced a multi-year bulk fueling agreement to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to two private UPS stations located in Mesquite and Houston, Texas. Under a separate agreement with UPS, Clean Energy will open three of its America’s Natural Gas Highway (ANGH) stations located in Amarillo, Mesquite and San Antonio, Texas, to support UPS’ over-the-road fleet.

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Sekisui House, Toshiba and Honda in joint exhibit at Smart Mobility City 2013

Green Car Congress

'Sekisui House, Ltd., Toshiba Corporation and Honda Motor Co., Ltd. will jointly exhibit at Smart Mobility City 2013, an organizer-themed project to be held from 22 November through 1 December 2013 within the 43 rd Tokyo Motor Show. The companies will propose a future lifestyle with deeper links among houses, electric appliances and automobiles. A smart house that fully utilizes IT and personal mobility will be presented along with the vision of smart community where smart house is seamlessly co

Honda 225
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New simple aluminum-based hydride for hydrogen storage

Green Car Congress

'Japanese researchers report the development of a simple-structured, aluminum-based interstitial hydride for hydrogen storage in a paper in the AIP Publishing journal APL Materials. Their compound, Al 2 CuH x , was synthesized by hydrogenating Al 2 Cu at an extreme pressure of 10 gigapascals (1.5 million pounds per square inch) and a high temperature of 800 °C (1,500 °F).

Hydrogen 225
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Siemens developing power technology for deep sea oil and gas facilities

Green Car Congress

'Siemens is developing power technology for deep sea, self-sufficient oil and gas extraction facilities. Located thousands of meters under water, these factories will need to operate reliably for several decades. As an example, beginning in 2020, Statoil plans to build oil and gas extraction facilities deep under water. Subsea facilities are currently only set up in relatively shallow waters.

Oil 220
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CSX and GE Transportation partner to pilot LNG locomotives; dual-fuel NextFuel retrofit

Green Car Congress

'CSX Corporation and GE Transportation will explore emissions-cutting and efficiency breakthroughs in liquefied natural gas (LNG) technology for locomotives beginning with a pilot program in 2014. LNG technology has the potential to offer one of the most significant developments in railroading since the transition from steam to diesel in the 1950s. That change took many years to complete and began with a lot of unknowns, and this one is no different.

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Toyota establishes hybrid battery production JV in China for future new hybrid there

Green Car Congress

'Toyota Motor Corporation, Changshu Sinogy Venture Capital Co., Primearth EV Energy Co., Ltd. and Toyota Motor (China) Investment Co., Ltd. established a hybrid-vehicle-battery production joint venture, Sinogy Toyota Automotive Energy System Co., Ltd. (STAES), based in Changshu, Jiangsu Province, China. Toyota, working primarily through Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (China) Co., Ltd.

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Wärtsilä introduces new low pressure 2-stroke dual-fuel engine technology; economic and environmental benefits

Green Car Congress

'Wärtsilä has successfully conducted full scale testing on gas of its low-speed 2-stroke dual-fuel engine and is now introducing a full new range of engines based on its established and well-proven low pressure technology. The first engine utilizing this technology, the Wärtsilä RT-flex50DF, will be available for delivery in the third quarter of 2014.

Engine 218