article thumbnail

Toyota introduces second-generation Mirai fuel cell electric vehicle as design and technology flagship

Green Car Congress

In the Toyota Mirai, compressed hydrogen fuel is stored in three 10,000-psi carbon-fiber-reinforced high-pressure tanks: one mounted longitudinally in the center of the car; another mounted transversely under the rear seat, and a third below the battery. The three tanks together hold about 11 pounds (5 kg) of hydrogen. seconds.

Toyota 448
article thumbnail

XL1 dive and drive: Volkswagen aggressively optimizes for efficiency in its sleek diesel plug-in hybrid

Green Car Congress

The XL1 is aggressively optimized for efficiency in all areas of its design and technology—from materials (carbon fiber reinforced polymer monocoque); to powertrain (0.8L The ceramic brakes make a sound similar to sliding out on gravel, or swooshing through water. two-cylinder diesel, 20 kW electric motor and 5.5

Plug-in 324
article thumbnail

DOE to Award Up to $27M in Phase III Small Business Awards; Algae Processing, Fuel Cells, Improved Materials for Motors, Synthetic Fuels Among Areas of Interest

Green Car Congress

Algae cultures tend to be relatively dilute, and the energy requirement to remove water from the cultures can be a significant portion of the energy balance. saline water). Technologies to Address Internal Heating in DC Bus Capacitors Capacitors suitable for harsh automotive environments must suffer extreme environmental conditions.

Fuel 210
article thumbnail

Toyota pops the hood on the technology of the fuel cell Mirai at SAE World Congress

Green Car Congress

The papers provide technical details on the high performance fuel-cell (FC) stack; specific insights into FC separator, and stack manifold; the newly developed boost converter; and the new high-pressure hydrogen storage system with innovative carbon fiber windings. Conventional flow field structure. Konno et al. Click to enlarge.

Congress 150
article thumbnail

ARPA-E awards $175M to 68 novel clean energy OPEN 2021 projects

Green Car Congress

The system takes three main inputs: ambient air, water, and a sustainable energy source, and produces butanol with high selectivity. 3D-Printed Ceramic Thermocatalytic CO 2 Reactor with High Carbon Conversion and Energy Efficiencies - $3,100,104. Ultra Light-weight Bidirectional DC-DC Converters for Electric Aircraft - $1,195,345.

Clean 284
article thumbnail

Toyota FCV Mirai launches in LA; initial TFCS specs; $57,500 or $499 lease; leaning on Prius analogy

Green Car Congress

The amount of water on fuel cell electrolyte membranes has a substantial influence on electricity generation efficiency. Two tanks with a three-layer structure made of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic and other materials are used to store hydrogen at 70 MPa (approximately 700 bars or 10,000 psi). mm and weight of 102 g.

Prius 296
article thumbnail

The technology behind Ford’s Lightweight Concept Vehicle; prospects for Mach-II with 50% mass reduction difficult

Green Car Congress

Designing the Mach-II to achieve the targeted reduction of 50% from baseline is difficult, and the team has not reached the goal of 761 kg curb weight yet, said Tim Skszek from Vehma during his presentation on the Mach-II project at the DOE Annual Merit Review this week in Washington, DC. The cast aluminum or carbon fiber wheels saved 30%.

Concept 284