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USA Rare Earth acquires US rare earth permanent magnet manufacturing capability from Hitachi; mine-to-magnet

Green Car Congress

USA Rare Earth, LLC, the funding and development partner of the Round Top Heavy Rare Earth and Critical Minerals Project in West Texas, has purchased the neodymium iron boron (NdFeB) permanent magnet manufacturing equipment formerly owned and operated in North Carolina by Hitachi Metals America, Ltd.

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BMW Group enters long-term €2B supply contract with Northvolt for battery cells from Europe

Green Car Congress

The BMW Group has signed a long-term supply contract worth €2 billion for battery cells with the Swedish company Northvolt. Northvolt will obtain 100% of the energy needed to produce the battery cells regionally in northern Sweden and exclusively from wind and hydroelectric power. —Andreas Wendt.

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BMW Group begins series production of the BMW i3 electric car in Leipzig

Green Car Congress

The BMW Group has begun series production of the BMW i3 electric vehicle ( earlier post ) at its plant in Leipzig. By industrializing the manufacturing process for CFRP, the BMW Group says it has become the first company worldwide to make its use in vehicle production economically viable. i3 body about to be mated to drivetrain.

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Study suggests widespread use of EVs may negatively impact land use

Green Car Congress

In an open-access study published in the journal Sustainable Cities and Society , Francesco Orsi, of the Landscape Architecture and Spatial Planning Group, Wageningen University & Research, the Netherlands, suggests that widespread adoption of electric vehicles may have a negative impact on land use.

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BMW Group and Vattenfall Europe begin second phase of MINI E fleet test in Berlin

Green Car Congress

BMW Group and Vattenfall Europe have begun a second phase of the Mini E test fleet in Berlin, with the transfer of 70 MINI E electric vehicles to private customers (30 units) and fleet users (40 units). Three out of four Berlin MINI E users advocated an exclusive use of renewable energy sources for electric vehicles in the future.

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University of Tennessee to head $250M advanced composites manufacturing institute; Ford, Honda and Volkswagen members

Green Car Congress

In the wind energy industry, advances in low-cost composite materials will help manufacturers build longer, lighter and stronger blades to create more energy. —Matthias Erb, Executive Vice President, Engineering & Planning, Volkswagen Group of America. Milacron Plastics Technologies Group; Momentive; North Coast Tool & Mold Corp.;

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Fusion Is Having a Moment

Cars That Think

As Earth’s inhabitants suffer through what may wind up being the hottest year on record , there’s a Promethean spark of hope. That crucial engineering step will be accomplished by some other group. Virtually unlimited fusion energy appears to be, if not right around the corner, at least within hailing distance.

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