Electric (Battery) Other AsiaThe Ray EV. Click to enlarge. Kia Motors has introduced Korea’s first production electric vehicle from a major manufacturer. MORE

Volkswagen is showing the E-Bugster electric vehicle concept, unveiled earlier this year at the Detroit Auto Show ( earlier post ) at Auto China in Beijing for its premiere in Asia. The two-seat Beetle speedster, features an 85 kW electric motor or 38.3 kWh battery pack, and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 10.8 seconds. Volkswagen calls the complete electric drive unit “Blue-e-Motion”. MORE

Hysco) to create a joint venture partnership to develop and to sell hydrogen fuel cells in countries throughout Asia using Hysco’s advanced stack and plate technology. Plug Power Inc. signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Hyundai Hysco Co. Specifically, the proposed five-year joint venture will develop, manufacture and sell fuel cell solutions, products and stacks for applications in Asian markets. MORE

Asia is a driver of growth. Just as it is for cars, Asia is a driver of growth in the two-wheeler segment. Bosch intends to apply its unified systems approach to low-cost models in Asia. MORE

Audi AG has opened its new Audi R&D Center Asia in Beijing, China. The head of the Audi R&D Center Asia is Lorenz Fuehrlinger. The teams get their inspiration from trends in Asia and will transfer new perspectives back to the headquarters in Ingolstadt, where the global design is created. The center is part of Audi’s global R&D and will closely cooperate with the development departments of FAW-Volkswagen. MORE

New data and an accompanying report from the World Bank shows that almost 200 million people moved to urban areas in East Asia from 2000-2010—a figure that would be the world’s sixth-largest population for any single country. MORE

Electric two-wheel vehicle sales by country, Asia Pacific: 2012-2018. China will reach more than 355 million units by 2018, with cumulative electric two-wheel vehicle sales in Asia Pacific will reach more than 381 million units in 2018. —“ Electric Two-Wheel Vehicles in Asia Pacific ”. In Asia Pacific overall, the use of Li-ion batteries in. China will make up the vast majority of the Asia Pacific e-scooter market (more than 15.4 MORE

HaloIPT will work with Chargemaster PLC in Europe and Evida Power Ltd in Asia to bring IPT charging to the worldwide electric vehicle industry within the next 18 months. Evida, which has operations in Europe, Israel and China, is working with HaloIPT to explore the feasibility of manufacturing 40,000 HaloIPT systems in Asia over a five-year period. MORE

Energy demand growth moves to Asia. Together, these changes represent a re-orientation of energy trade from the Atlantic basin to the Asia-Pacific region, according to the report’s scenario. China Forecasts India Oil Other Asia Source: IEA. Click to enlarge. MORE

Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB), a leader in the global specialty chemicals industry, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate conversion assets and supporting business functions currently operated by Jiangxi Jiangli New Materials Science and Technology Co. The transaction includes manufacturing assets located in both Jiangxi and Sichuan, China focused on the production of battery-grade lithium carbonate and lithium hydroxide. MORE

Asia forbidden fruit subcompactThe Honda Pilot is the Japanese carmaker's largest crossover, and the only one currently sold in the U.S. with seven seats. But Honda recently unveiled something with a same number of seats--but a far smaller footprint. Debuting at the 2015 Indonesian Auto Show, the Honda BR-V is a new crossover intended for certain Asian markets. DON'T MISS. MORE

A study by a team of researchers from China and the US has shown that shipping emissions in East Asia accounted for 16% of global shipping CO 2 in 2013, compared to only 4–7% in 2002–2005. Asia’s share of world seaborne trade reached 38.7% for goods loaded and unloaded in 2013, and eight of the top ten global container ports are located in East Asia, as the region continues to dominate the league table for port throughput. MORE

In 2016, the Auto Rider became Asia’s first fully operational AV. It has global presence with offices in Asia, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East and employs about 22,000 employees. Autonomous driving Other AsiaST Engineering announced several initiatives to advance Singapore’s Smart Mobility 2030 vision of a smart transportation network and to strengthen its leadership in the development of autonomous vehicle (AV) technologies. MORE

Asia must scale up sustainable transport development or face a bleak future of congested roads, pollution, ill health and economic damage, which could have ripple effects around the world, the third ADB (Asian Development Bank) transport forum heard earlier this month in Manila. MORE

First rolled out in Europe and Asia, where crowded city driving requires cars to spend more time at a standstill, they switch off the engine when the car's not moving. Some are almost unnoticeable, others make the car shudder each time they activate—but start-stop systems are here to stay. When the driver starts to lift a foot off the brake. combustion cycle Fuel Economy start-stop system starter MORE

Pinnacle’s first engines, jointly developed with its first commercial OEM partner, will launch in Asia in 2014. Pinnacle Engines, developer of a highly efficient 4-stroke, spark-ignited (SI), opposed-piston, sleeve-valve architecture engine ( earlier post ), named Phil Murtaugh as the newest member of its board of directors. MORE

At CES Asia 2015 in Shanghai, Audi is showcasing a piloted driving technology study version of its new R8 e-tron battery-electric sports car, introduced earlier this year at the Geneva show. MORE

New analysis by an international team led by MIT researchers shows that Asia now releases a surprisingly large amount of anthropogenic mercury. While its increased burning of coal was known to exacerbate mercury emissions and air pollution, the MIT-led team estimates that Asia produces more than double the mercury emissions previously estimated. It wasn’t an out-of-the-ballpark result, but it does give you some pause to think about how much mercury could be coming out of Asia. MORE

To prosper over the remainder of the 21st Century, the countries of the Asia Pacific need a new “green” industrial revolution to drive dramatic improvements in resource efficiency, according to a major international report to be released in Canberra next week. This research and its significance for the Asia Pacific region will be discussed at the Australian launch of the report on Tuesday, 27 September at the Hotel Kurrajong in Canberra. MORE

The Tamarind team comprises senior executives with experience across a range of basins in South East Asia. Tamarind Energy, a new exploration and production company headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, announced its formation with a commitment from Blackstone Energy Partners. Tamarind will focus on growing production and reserves from producing oil and gas fields; efficiently developing discoveries; and capturing exploration potential in and around proven plays to build a high-quality portfolio. MORE

have longer commutes than those in Europe and Asia, on average. Drivers in the U.S. In the U.K., short commutes in vehicles with combustion engines—whether gasoline or diesel—pose particularly tough emission problems. That's because the exhaust aftertreatment systems have to warm up fully before they cut emissions to the levels. emissions UK EU nitrogen oxides London regulation gasoline engines MORE

In an overview of the draft report Asia 2050: Realising the Asian Century, [.]. Green credentials Latest news Asia Asia Century Asia Development Bank energy savings energy use Green carsAccording to a new report by the Asian Development Bank, an additional three billion Asians could enjoy higher standards of living by 2050. While this appears to be a good thing on paper, there are concerns about the challenges it will raise. MORE

have developed a simulator able to predict tropospheric ozone concentrations across the whole of South and East Asia. The simulator is expected to contribute with efforts to reduce energy consumption and limit emissions of the substances in South and East Asia that cause atmospheric pollution—one factor in global warming—and thereby bring about significant benefits worldwide. China Emissions India Other Asia MORE

There are more than 43 million internal combustion engines produced in Asia every year, with a majority of these engines produced for automotive applications where automakers continue to struggle to achieve higher fuel economy targets. Scuderi Group, the developer of a split-cycle and engine and air-hybrid variant, has opened a Japan office and hired a Director of Asian Operations, Deryk Langlais. MORE

to begin discussion toward collaboration in the area of motorcycle sharing services in Southeast Asia. Within this trend, signs of the oncoming structural change which will shift emphasis from “ownership” to “shared use” of products has become increasingly visible in the motorcycle market in Southeast Asia as well. Honda Motor Co., recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Grab Inc., MORE

General Motors’ Rayong engine plant in Thailand and Cheongna proving ground in Korea are now landfill-free , bringing the company’s total to 33 sites throughout Asia that recycle, reuse or convert to energy all of their daily waste. GM’s landfill-free facility count in Asia compares to 45 in North America and 22 in Europe. 70% of waste at GM manufacturing plants in Asia is packaging materials such as wood and cardboard. MORE

Airlines in the Asia-Pacific region will lead global demand for larger and more eco-efficient aircraft over the next 20 years, according to Airbus’ latest Global Market Forecast (GMF). In value terms, the region will account for 42% of the global market for new airliners, reflecting the higher proportion of widebody aircraft required in Asia-Pacific. Increasing urbanization from already high levels in the region means that 25 of the 89 mega cities in 2032 will be in Asia-Pacific. MORE

Asia South Korea incentives plug-in cars Incentives and RebatesSouth Korea currently offers electric-car subsidies, but only to shorter-range vehicles. This somewhat unusual provision was put in place in 2012, the government says, to encourage sales of electric cars with convenient charging times. Under the current rule, electric cars that can fully charge in under 10 hours on standard household current. MORE

A new study on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the conversion and degradation of peatland in palm oil plantations in Southeast Asia has determined that past studies have generally significantly underestimated emissions associated with palm oil grown on peatland. The University of Leicester researchers carried out the first comprehensive literature review of the scale of greenhouse gas emissions from oil palm plantations on tropical peatland in Southeast Asia. MORE

Right-hand drive Tesla Model S electric cars have already begun to trickle out in the United Kingdom, but now they''re hitting the Asian markets too. The first Asian right-hand drive Model S have now been delivered to the first eight customers in Hong Kong. MORE

Autonomous driving Other AsiaAutonomous vehicle (AV) software developer nuTonomy ( earlier post ) and Groupe PSA have entered a strategic partnership through which nuTonomy will seamlessly integrate its software system into customized PEUGEOT 3008s for on-road testing of fully autonomous cars in Singapore. The PEUGEOT 3008 was recently named 2017 European Car of the Year. MORE

China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has taken delivery of Asia’s first tugboat Hai Yang Shi You 525 , designed to operate solely on liquefied natural gas (LNG) as ship’s fuel. Hai Yang Shi You 525 , the first of two tugs built by the Zhenjiang shipyard for CNOOC, features a propulsion package based on twin Rolls-Royce Bergen C26:33L9PG engines and a pair of Rolls-Royce US 205 CP azimuth thrusters to ensure the tugs have rapid maneuvering and strong bollard pull capabilities. MORE

Mitsubishi has chosen to enter its Outlander Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) in this year''s Asia Cross Country Rally--a grueling event that runs from Thailand to Cambodia over mountains, through forests, across rivers and through swamps. MORE

In an open-access paper published in the journal Environmental Research Letters , researchers find that urban populations across the whole of East-Southeast Asia have grown more rapidly than the expansion of urban areas, leading to increased population densities in some of the most populated yet vulnerable regions in the world. Our results have shown that East-Southeast Asia is undergoing unprecedented urbanization and urban expansion. MORE

The Smart Fortwo is a car that heavily divides opinion. In the U.S, it''s been less than successful. Sales have been much better in Europe, but even so other manufacturers have hardly rushed out to release competitors for the two-seat city car. Until now, that is. We revealed initial details of Yamaha''s Motiv not so long ago, a car co-developed MORE

Autonomous driving Fleets Heavy-duty Other Asia Ports and MarineScania will design the world’s first full-scale autonomous truck platooning operations, based on its own advanced technology. The platoon will traffic public roads while transporting containers between port terminals in Singapore. MORE

The agreement grants Mitsui the right to build a number of biomass refineries in Southeast Asia using Inbicon’s technology. Tags: Cellulosic ethanol Other Asia Inbicon biomass refinery. Click to enlarge. MORE

Total PEV sales in Asia-Pacific. Unit sales of all electrified vehicles in Asia-Pacific will surpass 1.2 The Asia-Pacific electrified vehicle market will generate an aggregate demand of nearly 8.8 Tags: China Electric (Battery) Forecasts Japan Other Asia Plug-ins MORE

Under the terms of the agreement, BioAmber and CJCJ plan to establish a joint venture in China to produce up to 36,000 metric tons of bio-succinic acid annually and commercialize the output in Asia. BioAmber Inc. has signed a non-binding letter of intent with South Korean-based CJ CheilJedang Corporation (CJCJ). MORE

The biggest market growth sectors for the automobile industry is undoubtedly in Asia, with China spearheading this growth backed by government stimulus and a greater deal of control over the local market. MORE

Electric cars The Green Piece Asia car electric markets. Tuesday 18 October, 2011. The Green Piece Column. When it comes to electric cars, many have said that it is the emerging economies, not shackled by convention, that will lead the way in electric car uptake. But a recent report by Ernst & Young suggests that it is Europe that will become the first mass [.]. Europe U.S MORE

This new research program will be conducted at the Future Mobility Research Lab located on the NTU campus, which is the BMW Group’s first joint lab in Southeast Asia. The new research program will focus on two new areas, Electromobility in Asia and also Smart Materials. MORE

California-based Greenlots, a global provider of open standards-based technology solutions for electric vehicle (EV) networks, has partnered with BMW Group Asia to provide Singapore with its first Home and Public Charging network as part of BMWs 360 ELECTRIC program. This partnership and rollout has been synchronized with BMW is first market launch in Southeast Asia and the first publicly available commercial EV to hit Singapore streets. MORE