Green Car Congress

JANUARY 3, 2013

The US Department of Energy announced more than $10 million in funding to five new projects that will develop new synthetic biological and chemical techniques to convert biomass into advanced biofuels and bioproducts such as plastics and chemical intermediates. Two of these projects will develop cost-effective ways to produce intermediates from the deconstruction of lignocellulosic biomass, while three projects will propose new conversion techniques to transform biomass intermediates into advanc

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Production 2007 Kansas Universal 373

Green Car Reports

JANUARY 4, 2013

Startups making small, economical vehicles come and go, but one company offering a high-efficiency vehicle has big plans, buying a former General Motors assembly plant. Elio Motors is the company behind a three-wheeled car capable of 84 mpg highway, on nothing more complicated than gasoline. Reuters reports the company has bought an old GM plant.

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Three Wheeled MPG GM General Motors 166

DIY Electric Car

JANUARY 4, 2013

It's applaudable to see so many plug-in vehicles on the roads. but at the public charge; it's a shock. Here's a scenario philisophis electricus: You are beyond the range of no return. You pull into your strategic public charger to find it occupied by, let's say a Volt. You can not get home, the Volt of course, can. Do you unplug it? Comments please.

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Charging Volt Plug-in Plug 100

Green Cars News

JANUARY 3, 2013

When the new Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible (pictured) makes its debut at the North American International Auto Show later this month, you might expect the focus to be on its slick looks, its power or its speed. However, what has grabbed our attention here at TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk is its remarkable fuel economy statistics. The new [.].

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Bentley Fuel Fuel Economy Convert 71

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Green Car Congress

JANUARY 4, 2013

Direct land use, life cycle GHG emissions (excluding indirect land use change), and life cycle fossil fuel requirements to generate the transportation services provided by 17.8 × 10 12 MJ NCV of gasoline, the amount used in transportation in the US in 2009. Credit: ACS, Geyer et al. Click to enlarge. A new spatially-explicit life cycle assessment of five different “sun-to-wheels” conversion pathways—ethanol from corn or switchgrass for internal combustion vehicles (ICVs); electricity from

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Green Car Reports

JANUARY 3, 2013

U.S. car buyers took home about 17,500 plug-in electric cars in 2011. Last year, the numbers got better. A lot better. In 2012, about 53,000 electric cars were likely sold--essentially triple the prior year's number. Not bad, huh? We know that at least 50,000 sales of plug-in cars will have been reported by Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Nissan, and.

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Plug-in 2012 Plug Electric Cars 161

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 4, 2013

2012 US sales of plug-in vehicles by major OEMs. Click to enlarge. GM was the US sales leader among the major OEMs for plug-in vehicles in December, and for 2012. GM sold 2,633 units of the Volt extended range electric vehicle in December, up 72.2% by volume from 1,529 units in December 2011. For the year, GM posted sales of 23,461 Volts, up 205.8% from the 7,671 units in 2011, giving it a dominant lead among the major OEMs in the nascent plug-in vehicles market for the year.

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GM Plug-in Nissan Sale 304

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 2, 2013

Bentley will introduce the new Continental GT Speed Convertible at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this month. The new GT Speed Convertible shares its powertrain specification with its Bentley stablemate, the GT Speed coupé: a 616 bhp (459 kW) twin-turbocharged 6.0 liter W12 combined with a close-ratio eight-speed ZF transmission to deliver a 15% improvement in fuel economy.

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Fuel Economy Convert Economy Bentley 300

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 2, 2013

Pike’s projected vehicle sales by electrified drivetrain, European markets: 2012–2020. Click to enlarge. Pike Research forecasts that electric vehicles—conventional hybrids (HEVs), plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) and battery-electrics (BEVs)—will grow from 0.7% of the market in Europe in 2012 to 4% in 2020. While that is still a small portion of the market, it represents more than 827,000 vehicles per year, Pike notes.

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Plug-in 2020 United Kingdom Plug 300

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 30, 2012

The Ford Focus is tracking to become this year’s best-selling global nameplate, while the Ford Fiesta is on pace to be this year's best-selling global B-Car—giving Ford the best-selling B and C-Car in the world— based on the latest Polk global industry data through September. Global Focus new registrations totaled 737,856 through September.

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2012 Ford Global 2007 281

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Green Car Congress

JANUARY 2, 2013

US consumers of electricity should be willing to pay, on average, $0.24–$0.45/kWh—approximately 2–4 times current retail costs—for emission-free alternatives to fossil fuel electricity due to the cost of health impacts from fossil fuel electricity, according to a new analysis by a pair of researchers at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Clean Energy and Climate Change Office, Region 9.

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EPA Emissions Fuel Climate Change 277

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 2, 2013

Polk light vehicle forecast through 2016. Data: Polk. Click to enlarge. New light vehicle registrations in the US in 2013 are expected to rise 6.6% over 2012 levels to 15.3 million vehicles, according to Polk, a global automotive market intelligence firm. At the same time, Polk analysts forecast North American production volumes to increase to the 15.9 million unit range (an anticipated 2.4% increase from 2012), driven by an improving economy and capacity expansion in the region.

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2013 Hybrid San Francisco Vehicles 277

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 1, 2013

Among the many extensions specified in the amended version of a House bill (H.R.8) passed by the US Senate on New Year’s Day by a vote of 89 - 8 to avoid the across-the-board increase in taxes currently called for by the “fiscal cliff” are a number for energy tax benefits. The amended bill, now called the “American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012” and next to be considered by the House, contains 12 extensions outlined in Title IV of the bill, ranging from extension of production credits for Indian c

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Tax Tax Credit Energy Alternative Fuels 274

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 29, 2012

Argentina state-owned energy company YPF and Bridas, an Argentina-based oil and gas company 50% owned by China National Offshore Oil Corporation, agreed to invest $1.5 billion over the next 24 months to begin development in the massive shale oil deposits in the Vaca Muerta (“Dead Cow”) formation in the province of Neuquén—one of the largest shale oil formations in the world.

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Green Car Congress

JANUARY 3, 2013

Volkswagen of America reported 438,133 units delivered in 2012, a 35.1% increase over prior year sales. December deliveries totaled 44,005, up 35.4% over 2011, marking the best December since 1970. Volkswagen’s TDI diesel models accounted for 20.6% of sales in 2012 and 16.7% in December. Highlights include: The Chattanooga-built Volkswagen Passat sold 14,462 in December and 117,023 for the year, marking its best sales ever.

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2012 Sale Diesel 2011 257

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 2, 2013

Kia Motors America (KMA) will work with Google to provide content and search-based solutions enabled by Application Program Interfaces (APIs) for the second-generation of the automaker’s UVO (“Your Voice”) eServices telematics system, introduced in November 2012 at the Los Angeles Auto Show. These new solutions will initially be introduced on the new 2014 Sorento CUV.

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Google Kia Motor Motors 257

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 2, 2013

ClearEdge Power, a manufacturer of scalable, continuous onsite power systems, recently reached agreement to acquire the UTC Power fuel cells unit from United Technologies Corp. Divesting UTC Power is another step forward in UTC’s ongoing portfolio transformation to focus on its core of aerospace and building systems. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions.

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Power Powered Fuel Companies 257

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 31, 2012

Discharge capacity (left axis) and Coulombic efficiency (right axis) of the Li 2 S-C cathode as a function of cycle number. A fixed current density of 200 mA g -1 was used for these measurements. Credit: ACS, Guo et al. Click to enlarge. Researchers at Cornell University are proposing a new scheme for cathodes for lithium-sulfide batteries ( earlier post ) to prevent lithium polysulfide dissolution and shuttling during electrochemical cycling.

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Li-ion Lithium Ion Batteries Battery 257

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 4, 2013

GHG emissions in PHEV post-transmission configuration as an example of the optimization study output. Source: A.A. Malikopoulos. Click to enlarge. Using a new optimization framework, Dr. Andreas Malikopoulos of the Energy & Transportation Science Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has explored the impact on fuel economy and GHG emissions of varying the size of the motor/generator and battery pack in pre- and post-transmission hybrid configurations of a medium-duty PHEV.

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PHEV Motor Motors Motoring 252

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 4, 2013

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has rated the battery-electric Fiat 500e’s ( earlier post ) highway-cycle performance at 108 MPGe (equivalent to 2.18 l/100km)—the highest highway cycle efficiency of any EV currently on the US market. The city-cycle rating is 122 MPGe (1.92 l/100km-equiv.), with 116-MPGe (2.03 l/100km-equiv.) combined.

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EPA Miles Range 2013 252

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 2, 2013

Mass activity and specific activity at 0.9V vs RHE (reversible hydrogen electrode) for Pt/ITO and Pt/C. Mass and specific activities are given as kinetic current densities (j k ) normalized in reference to the loading amount and ECSA of metal, respectively. Credit: ACS, Liu and Mustain. Click to enlarge. Researchers at the University of Connecticut report that a new catalyst material using tin (Sn)-doped indium oxide (ITO) nanoparticles (NPs) as a high stability non-carbon support for platinum (

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2015 Fuel Connecticut Carbon 247

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 4, 2013

The Nikkei reports that Honda Motor Co. will launch the new Accord hybrid sedan in Japan in June offering fuel economy of 29 km/l (68 mpg US, 3.4 l/100km). The new Accord hybrid will feature Honda’s two-motor hybrid drive system which will also be applied in the 2014 Accord Plug-in Hybrid. ( Earlier post.). Its mileage will far outpace the 23.4km per liter and 23.2km per liter of Toyota Motor Corp.’s Camry and Crown hybrid sedans.

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Honda MPG Japan Hybrid 240

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 3, 2013

Cycling performance of Si, Si@C, and Si@C?CNTs at 100 mA g ?1 and within a voltage window of 0.02?2.0 V. Credit: ACS, Xue et al. Click to enlarge. Researchers at North Carolina State University (NCSU) have combined carbon coating and a carbon nanotube (CNT) framework to improve the cycling stability of Si (silicon) anodes for Li-ion batteries. In a paper published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces , they report carbon-coated Si nanoparticles dispersed in CNT networks show capacit

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Li-ion Carbon Lithium Ion Polymer 240

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 31, 2012

Canada’s Minister of the Environment, Peter Kent, said he will propose an amendment to the Renewable Fuels Regulations that would see a permanent national exemption from the 2% renewable content requirement in home heating oil, as well as a 6-month extension to the exemption from the 2% renewable content requirement for diesel fuel for Canada’s Maritime Provinces.

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Environment Renewable Oil Diesel 236

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 4, 2013

Mazda Motor Manufacturing de Mexico S.A. de C. V (MMMdM), a joint venture production company owned by Mazda Motor Corporation and Sumitomo Corporation, will increase the production capacity at its plant currently under construction in Salamanca, Mexico in the fiscal year ending March 2016. MMMdM, will commence operations at the new plant in the fourth quarter of its fiscal year ending March 2014 with an initial production of 140,000 units annually.

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Mexico Mazda 2016 Production 231

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 4, 2013

The average fuel economy (window-sticker value) of new vehicles sold in the US in December was 23.9 mpg (9.84 l/100km), according to the latest monthly report from Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI). This is an increase of 3.8 mpg (or 19%) from the value in October 2007 (the first month of monitoring); however, the fuel economy in December was down 0.2 mpg from November, likely reflecting the recent reduction in the price o

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Fuel Economy Economy Fuel 2007 225

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 4, 2013

Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Company Limited (GYMCL), the main operating subsidiary of China Yuchai International Limited, will introduce 12 new engines in 2013. Seven of the models are National V-compliant natural gas engines and the other 5 models are National IV-compliant diesel engines. These engines are GYMCL’s new key products for 2013 as China is expected to implement the National IV emission standards nationwide and introduce the National V gas engine emission regulations this year.

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2013 Diesel China Gas 225

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 2, 2013

Bio-isobutanol company Gevo, Inc.’s Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program that authorizes Gevo to repurchase up to $15 million of its common stock over a one-year period. The Company expects to fund its stock repurchase program with existing cash and cash equivalents on hand. Any shares repurchased will be classified as treasury stock or retired.

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Legal 2013 Purchase Price 225

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 31, 2012

A team at Rice University has engineered E. coli bacteria to produce succinate (an ester of succinic acid) from soybean mash. A paper describing their work was published in the journal Bioresource Technology. In 2004, the US Department of Energy (DOE) named succinic acid one of 12 “platform” chemicals that could be produced from sugars by biological means and turned into high-value materials.

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Engine 2004 Cheap 2012 225

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 31, 2012

Wärtsilä has been contracted to supply the complete dual-fuel—natural gas and diesel fuels—propulsion package for two new Liquefied Ethylene Gas (LEG)/Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) tankers being built for Anthony Veder, the Netherlands-based shipping company specialized in gas transportation. The contract was signed with AVIC-International Shanghai and Avic-Dingheng Shipbuilding Co.

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Supplies Fuel Mariner Netherlands 220

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 3, 2013

Transocean Deepwater Inc., the owner of the drilling rig Deepwater Horion, agreed to plead guilty to violating the Clean Water Act (CWA) and to pay a total of $1.4 billion in civil and criminal fines and penalties, for its conduct in relation to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. The criminal information, and a proposed partial civil consent decree to resolve the US government’s civil penalty claims against Transocean Deepwater Inc. and related entities were filed in US District Court in the Easter

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Louisiana Oil Water Mexico 218

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 3, 2013

Chrysler Group LLC reported US sales of 152,367 units in December 2012, a 10% increase compared with sales in December 2011 (138,019 units), and the group’s best December sales since 2007. The Chrysler, Dodge, Ram Truck and FIAT brands each posted year-over-year sales gains in December compared with the same month last year. The FIAT brand’s 59% increase was the largest sales gain of any Chrysler Group brand for the month.

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Chrysler 2012 Dodge Sale 218

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 3, 2013

Waste-to-Energy company Covanta Energy Corporation and Clean Energy Fuels Corp., North America’s largest provider of natural gas for transportation, will co-develop compressed natural gas (CNG) stations at select Covanta facilities throughout the US. Covanta Energy operates more than 40 facilities that convert trash into energy. The company also operates an additional 13 solid waste transfer stations.

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Clean Cleaning Energy Gas 218

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 2, 2013

Avis Budget sees car-sharing as a rapidly growing component of the mobility industry, with Zipcar well positioned for the opportunity. Source: Avis Budget. Click to enlarge. Rental car company Avis Budget Group, Inc. has agreed to acquire car-sharing company Zipcar for $12.25 per share in cash, a 49% premium over the closing price on 31 December 2012, representing a total transaction value of approximately $500 million.

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