Sat.Dec 13, 2014 - Fri.Dec 19, 2014

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Renault & partners show research prototypes: 2-cyl. 2-stroke diesel, 48V mild-hybrid diesel, delivery EV

Green Car Congress

'POWERFUL two-cylinder, two-stroke diesel. Click to enlarge. At its recent Innovations@Renault event, the France-based automaker presented three research prototypes developed in tandem with its partners as cooperative projects: a mild-hybrid diesel produced as part of the HYDIVU (Hybrid Diesel for LCVs); a two-cylinder, two-stroke diesel from the POWERFUL (POWERtrain for FUture Light-duty vehicles) project ( earlier post ); and an electric light commercial van developed as part of the du VELUD (

Diesel 341
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Tesla Battery-Swap Pilot Program To Launch Next Week In California

Green Car Reports

'Tesla Motors will shortly announce that it is launching a pilot program next week to test the long-promised battery-pack swapping technology for its Model S electric sedan. The swapping site will be located at a facility across the street from the Tesla Supercharger site in Harris Ranch, California--184 miles south of San Francisco and about 200.

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Scania to test wirelessly charged plug-in hybrid city bus for the first time in Sweden

Green Car Congress

'Starting June 2016 a prototype for a new Scania plug-in hybrid bus (based on Scania Citywide Low Entry) will go into daily operation in Södertälje. Click to enlarge. Scania is undertaking intensive research into various types of electrification technologies that could replace or complement combustion engines. Inductive charging is among the options the company is exploring and would enable vehicles wirelessly to recharge their batteries via electrified roads.

Plug-in 338
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New high-voltage electrolyte additive supports high energy density and stability in LMNC Li-ion battery; 2x energy density over LiCoO2

Green Car Congress

'Discharge capacity and cycle numbers for LMNC cathode with and without DFDEC in the electrolyte. Pham et al. Click to enlarge. A team led by researchers at Chungnam National University (S. Korea) has developed a novel high-voltage electrolyte additive, di-(2,2,2 trifluoroethyl)carbonate (DFDEC), for use with the promising lithium-rich layered composite oxide high-energy cathode material xLi 2 MnO 3 ·(1-x)LiMO 2 (M = Mn, Ni, Co).

Li-ion 329
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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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Volvo’s new Electric Hybrid (PHEV) buses with overhead fast charging enter scheduled service in Hamburg for first time; Innovation Route 109

Green Car Congress

'New Volvo Bus 7900 Electric Hybrid (plug-in hybrid) buses ( earlier post ) began scheduled operation in Hamburg on 18 December, coinciding with the opening of the Innovation Route 109. The public transport company in Hamburg, the Hamburger Hochbahn AG, is using the route to run comparative tests of innovative drive technologies under the strict everyday conditions of scheduled services.

PHEV 316
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Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive reduces lifecycle CO2 emissions by as much as 64% compared to B 180 gasoline model

Green Car Congress

'CO 2 emissions of the B-Class Electric Drive compared with the B 180 gasoline-engine variant [t/car]. Click to enlarge. The Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive ( earlier post ) delivers up to 64% lower CO 2 emissions than the equivalent B 180 gasoline model (when charged with hydroelectricity), according to Mercedes-Benz and TÜV Süd. The 132 kW B Class Electric Drive has a range of some 200 km (124 miles).

More Trending

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Ford CEO: Ford to focus on 5 key areas of innovation: mobility, autonomy, connectivity, customer experience and performance

Green Car Congress

'In a pre-Christmas media event, Ford president and CEO Mark Fields said while 2014 was a good year for the company, 2015 has the potential to be a “ breakthrough year ”. Fields said that Ford’s investments in products, people, plants and technology, combined with industry growth, are not only delivering a year of growth in terms of revenue, pricing power, operating margins and profitability in 2014, but are setting the stage for growth in and beyond 2015.

Ford 268
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Volvo Cars, POC and Ericsson to demo connected car and bike helmet prototype at International CES 2015

Green Car Congress

'Volvo Cars, protective gravity sports gear manufacturer POC and Ericsson will present an innovative safety technology connecting drivers and cyclists at the International CES in Las Vegas next month. The technology consists of a connected car and helmet prototype that will establish 2-way communication, offering proximity alerts to Volvo drivers and cyclists with the goal of avoiding accidents.

Volvo 259
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BMW to show 360-degree collision avoidance and fully-automated remote parking in multi-story garages at CES

Green Car Congress

'The driver has the i3 park itself in a multi-story garage using a smartwatch. Click to enlarge. BMW will demonstrate new driver assistance and automated control functions including 360-degree collision avoidance and fully-automated parking in multi-story parking garages at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2015 in January. The platform for 360-degree collision avoidance is secure position and environment recognition; the research vehicle is a BMW i3.

BMW 257
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California to award up to $4M for projects to advanced smart charging and V2G technologies

Green Car Congress

'The California Energy Commission has issued a solicitation ( PON-14-310 , Driving the Integration of Electric Vehicles to Maximize Benefits to the Grid) to fund Applied Research and Development projects that will advance technologies and strategies for smart and efficient charging and vehicle-to-grid communication interfaces that will provide maximum benefits to both the electricity grid and the plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) market.

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

Brief

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Sandia Labs and Linde partner to expand hydrogen fueling network; performance-based design for stations

Green Car Congress

'New Linde hydrogen station. Click to enlarge. Sandia National Laboratories and Linde LLC have signed an umbrella Cooperative Research & Development Agreement (CRADA) they expect to accelerate the development of low-carbon energy and industrial technologies, beginning with hydrogen and fuel cells. The CRADA will begin with two new research and development projects to accelerate the expansion of hydrogen fueling stations to continue to support the market growth of fuel cell electric vehicles now

Hydrogen 246
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PBL/JRC: Global CO2 emissions increase to new all-time record in 2013, but growth is slowing down

Green Car Congress

'Global CO 2 emissions from fossil fuel use and cement production reached a new all-time high in 2013, according to the annual report “Trends in global CO2 emissions”, released by PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency and the European Joint Research Centre (JRC). This was mainly due to the continuing steady increase in energy use in emerging economies over the past ten years.

2013 240
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Lomiko Metals investing in startup commercializing graphene supercapacitor technology

Green Car Congress

'Lomiko Metals Inc., a company focused on the exploration and development of minerals for the “new green economy”, will invest in a new graphene-related venture, Graphene Energy Storage Devices (Graphene ESD). In December 2013, Lomiko reported on a successful conclusion to Phase I of its Graphene Supercapacitor Project which involved Graphene Laboratories and Stony Brook University.

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UMTRI analysis finds distance driven per GDP has been decreasing steadily since early 1990s

Green Car Congress

'The sixth in a series of reports on peak motorization in the US by Dr. Michael Sivak at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) finds that distance driven per GDP reached its highest values in a broad plateau from the early 1970s through the early 1990s, and then decreased steadily. By 2012, the value of this measure decreased by 22% from its absolute maximum, which was reached in 1977.

2014 239
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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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rFpro simulator software for ADAS/autonomous vehicle development features low-latency, high-quality graphics for improved testing

Green Car Congress

'rFpro, a provider of Driver-In-The-Loop simulators for vehicle dynamics engineering, is offering driving simulator software, originally developed for Formula 1, that will enable vehicle manufacturers to test ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) technologies more accurately than before. The company says that many of the challenges faced by ADAS developers can be reduced by validating the control system response more comprehensively with a driver-in-the-loop (DIL) prior to installation on th

Monaco 236
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Purdue process converts lignin in intact biomass to hydrocarbons for chemicals and fuels

Green Car Congress

'A team of researchers from Purdue University’s Center for Direct Catalytic Conversion of Biomass to Biofuels, or C3Bio, has developed a process that uses a bimetallic Zn/Pd/C catalyst to convert lignin in intact lignocellulosic biomass directly into two methoxyphenol products (phenols are a class of aromatic hydrocarbon compounds used in perfumes and flavorings) leaving behind the carbohydrates as a solid residue.

Convert 231
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Hyundai launches all-new Sonata Hybrid with GDI engine; plug-in hybrid variant coming next year

Green Car Congress

'Hyundai Motor Company unveiled the all-new Sonata Hybrid in Seoul, Korea. The new Sonata Hybrid features an upgraded powertrain incorporating a new hybrid system with a new gasoline direct injection engine that delivers fuel economy of 18.2 km/l (43 mpg US or 5.5 l/100 km). A plug-in hybrid variant—to be Hyundai Motor’s first PHEV—will join the lineup next year.

Hyundai 231
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U Texas Austin team finds P2S5 electrolyte additive enables use of Li2S bulk particles for high-capacity cathodes in lithium-sulfur batteries; ~800 mAh/g

Green Car Congress

'Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, led by Prof. Arumugam Manthiram, have found that using phosphorus pentasulfide (P 2 S 5 ) as an electrolyte additive. enables the direct use of commercially available bulk Li 2 S particles as high-capacity cathode materials for rechargeable Li?S batteries, without intricate synthesis or application of a high charging cut-off voltage that deteriorates the electrolyte stability and safety.

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Iogen and Raízen begin production of cellulosic ethanol in Brazil

Green Car Congress

'Cellulosic biofuel technology developer Iogen Corporation and Raízen, one of the world’s largest producers of sugarcane ethanol, have begun production of cellulosic ethanol on schedule at Raízen’s newly expanded Costa Pinto sugar cane mill in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. Raízen broke ground on the $US100 million “biomass-to-ethanol” expansion just over one year ago.

Brazil 230
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DOT and Battelle release findings and lessons learned from V2X Transit Safety Retrofit Package project

Green Car Congress

'The US Department of Transportation (DOT) and Battelle have released the latest findings and lessons learned from the Transit Safety Retrofit Package (TRP). The TRP project aimed to design and develop safety applications for transit buses that can communicate using vehicle-to-vehicle as well as vehicle-to-infrastructure connected vehicle technologies for enhanced transit bus and pedestrian safety.

Michigan 230
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Johnson Controls’ Lithium-ion batteries power Hybrid Range Rover

Green Car Congress

'Johnson Controls is supplying the Lithium-ion battery pack for the Hybrid Range Rover ( earlier post ), announced in 2013. Production of the cells and complete battery systems is underway at Johnson Controls’ manufacturing facility in Holland, Michigan. Cutaway of the Li-ion battery pack for the Range Rover. Click to enlarge. The Range Rover Hybrid powertrain features three driver-selectable modes and combines Land Rover’s popular 3.0-liter SDV6 diesel engine with a 35kW electric motor integrat

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Lux Research: wide variance in cost of cellulosic feedstocks for bio-based fuels and chemicals

Green Car Congress

'In a new report , Lux Research analysts have examined the costs and availability of cellulosic biomass sources for use as feedstock in bio-based fuels and chemicals. They found that while there are 2.4 billion tons of cellulosic biomass available today—led by 1.2 billion tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) costs vary widely. Corn stover costs $91/MT, palm fruit bunches and fronds vary from $75/MT to $105/MT, while wood residues at $33/MT and bagasse $38/MT.

Cost Of 225
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Jaguar Land Rover developing transparent pillar and ‘follow-me’ ghost car navigation

Green Car Congress

'Jaguar Land Rover has launched a research project to develop technologies that will offer drivers a 360? view out of their vehicle (“360 Virtual Urban Windscreen”), uninterrupted by the pillars that support the roof. The company is also exploring “Follow-Me Ghost Car Navigation”, which uses a “ghost car” projected in front of the car for a driver to follow, aiding navigation on busy urban roads.

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Toshiba supplies Li-ion traction energy storage system for Tobu Railway

Green Car Congress

'Toshiba Corporation has supplied a Li-ion battery traction energy storage system (TESS) to Tobu Railway Co., Ltd. TESS stores traction energy generated by decelerating trains as they enter a station and releases it as needed when trains accelerate from the station. The system is planned to operate from 22 December. Toshiba’s TESS is installed at Unga station on the Tobu Urban Park Line, and utilizes Toshiba’s SCiB rechargeable Li-ion batteries to store regenerated power.

Li-ion 218
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Graphene sheet-sulfur/carbon composite cathode for higher performance Li-sulfur batteries

Green Car Congress

'Cycling performance of the GS-S/C ZIF8-D composite and the unwrapped S/C ZIF8-D composite. Chen et al. Click to enlarge. A team of researchers led by Dr. Vasant Kumar at the University of Cambridge and Professor Renjie Chen at the Beijing Institute of Technology has devised a three-dimensional hierarchical sandwich-type graphene sheet-sulfur/carbon (GS-S/C ZIF8-D ) composite to address performance-related issues in Lithium-sulfur batteries such as low efficiency and capacity degradation.

Carbon 218
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Electrochemical Society & Toyota announce ECS Toyota Young Investigator Fellowship for projects in green energy technology

Green Car Congress

'ECS, in partnership with the Toyota Research Institute of North American (TRINA), a division of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. (TEMA), has launched the ECS Toyota Young Investigator Fellowship and is requesting proposals from young professors and scholars pursuing innovative electrochemical research in green energy technology.

Toyota 218
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Researchers develop dual-performance anode material for both Li-ion and Li-S batteries

Green Car Congress

'A team at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland has developed a new type of anode material, MSnS 2 (M = Fe, Cu), that is able to cycle in both lithium-ion and lithium-sulfur batteries. A paper on the material is published in the Journal of the Electrochemical Society. By tuning the potential window, they attained specific charges greater than 750 mAh/g and 500 mAh/g for the Li–S and Li–ion system, respectively, after 400 cycles.

Li-ion 218
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FuelCell Energy hits 3 billion kWh mark from its DFC plants since 2003

Green Car Congress

'FuelCell Energy, Inc., a provider of direct fuel cell power plants, has generated a cumulative three billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity from its Direct FuelCell (DFC) power plants since the first commercial installation in 2003. FuelCell Energy has customers in nine countries in North America, Asia and Europe; three billion kWh of electricity is adequate to power approximately 271,000 US homes for one year, or about 679,000 German homes or 837,000 South Korean homes.

2003 218
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Toyota converting biogas to power for Georgetown plant

Green Car Congress

'Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, with help from Waste Services of the Bluegrass , is converting methane from a local landfill into renewable electricity to power Toyota’s Georgetown assembly plant. Landfill gas is comprised of both methane and carbon dioxide, in addition to varying amounts of other contaminants. With the increasing number of landfills in the United States, the effect of landfill gas on the environment can be detrimental.

Convert 218
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MHTL to partner with G2X, negotiate methanol offtake agreement from G2X methanol-to-gasoline plant

Green Car Congress

'G2X Energy, Inc. and Methanol Holdings Trinidad Limited (MHTL) announced that MHTL intends to partner with G2X Energy to construct the world-scale methanol-to-gasoline (MTG)-ready, methanol production facility being developed by G2X Energy in Lake Charles, Louisiana. ( Earlier post.). MHTL is one of the largest methanol producers in the world with a total capacity of more than 4 million metric tons annually from its five (5) methanol plants located at the Point Lisas Industrial Estate on the tw

Trinidad 210
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Toyota planning $126M expansion of SE Michigan R&D campuses; powertrains and vehicle design

Green Car Congress

'Toyota is planning a further $126-million expansion of its Southeast Michigan R&D campuses—the third time in just over a year that Toyota has announced plans to increase employment and investment in Michigan. Under the plan, Toyota will expand its powertrain operations at its Ann Arbor campus and consolidate vehicle development operations at a new facility on its York Township campus.

Michigan 210
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Rice U team uses new computational methodology to identify high capacity MOFs for on-board natural gas storage

Green Car Congress

'Researchers from Rice University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and UC Berkeley have developed a computational methodology to support the experimental exploration of potential high-capacity metal organic frameworks (MOFs) for use in on-board storage of natural gas. The advantages to using MOFs as a storage medium are many and start with increased capacity over the heavy, high-pressure cylinders in current use.

Gas 210
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EIA: US household gasoline expenditures in 2015 tracking to be lowest in 11 years

Green Car Congress

'The average US household will spend about $550 less on gasoline in 2015 compared with 2014, as annual motor fuel expenditures are on track to fall to their lowest level in 11 years, according to projections by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Lower fuel expenditures are attributable to a combination of falling retail gasoline prices and more fuel-efficient cars and trucks that reduce the number of gallons used to travel a given distance.

2015 210
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ARPA-E invests $60M in 22 new projects to detect and measure methane emissions and develop local thermal management systems

Green Car Congress

'DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) announced $60 million in funding for 22 new projects aimed at detecting and measuring methane emissions and developing localized thermal management systems that reduce the energy needed to heat and cool buildings. The projects are funded through ARPA-E’s two newest programs: Methane Observation Networks with Innovative Technology to Obtain Reductions (MONITOR) and Delivering Efficient Local Thermal Amenities (DELTA).

Emissions 210