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Google and IEEE launch $1M challenge for downsized inverters

Green Car Congress

The grand prize winner will be announced sometime in January, 2016. inverter used in the Fiat 500e has a volume of about 5 liters, while the motor inverter used in the 2010 Prius drivetrain has a volume of about 5.4L (according to a DOE deconstruction.) The peak power density of the 2010 Prius motor inverter is 11.1

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Toyota announces aggressive environmental targets through 2050; cutting new vehicle CO2 by 90% compared to 2010

Green Car Congress

The challenge comprises six individual challenges across three areas: Ever-better cars, quantified as reducing global average new-vehicle CO 2 emissions by 90% by 2050 compared to Toyota’s 2010 global average; ever-better manufacturing (zero CO 2 emissions at all plants by 2050); and enriching the lives of communities. Ever better cars.

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First Drive: 2016 Hyundai Sonata PHEV and HEV

Green Car Congress

Hyundai began the US rollout of the 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) ( earlier post ) and its conventional hybrid sibling (HEV) with a series of media drives in California—one of the main markets for the PHEV, which offers some 24 miles (38.6 The 2016 Sonata PHEV features a 9.8 Earlier post.).

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GM to double models with 40 mpg highway or better by 2017; ongoing manufacturing efficiency improvements

Green Car Congress

GM’s fuel-economy plan through the 2016 model year focuses on a reduction in vehicle mass and aggressive investment in advanced materials, such as high-strength steel, carbon fiber and aluminum, enabled in part by our industry-first aluminum welding technology. since 2010, making progress toward its 20 percent reduction commitment by 2020.

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Nissan’s Intelligent Mobility vision builds on electrification, autonomous drive and vehicle intelligence

Green Car Congress

This enabled Nissan to introduce the breakthrough LEAF, the world’s first mass production EV, in 2010— years before any of our competitors. An on-road demo event in Europe in 2016, will showcase the maturity of Nissan’s autonomous drive technology. Nissan Intelligent Power. Nissan Intelligent Integration.

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Update on Nissan’s new front-engine, front-wheel drive hybrid system

Green Car Congress

As background, in 2010, Nissan introduced the FR-Hybrid system, a front-engine, rear-wheel drive one-motor, two clutch powertrain offered in the Infiniti M. There is an efficiency gain due to downsizing at low load and middle speed driving while still retaining abundant torque in the high load driving. Earlier post.)

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U Toronto team assess the climate trade-off between reduced CO2 and increased Black Carbon from GDI engines

Green Car Congress

The upside of gasoline direct injection (GDI) engines is widely seen as being improved fuel economy coupled with an increase in specific power (especially with turbocharging), enabling significant downsizing. A significant fraction of the GDI PM 2.5 Credit: ACS, Zimmerman et al. Click to enlarge. They assumed a baseline fuel economy of 21.4

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