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Drivers trained in mileage-maximizing techniques such as smooth acceleration and coasting to red lights were able to wring 1,445.7 miles out of a single tank of gas during a fund-raising effort in Washington, DC that concluded today. They did it by averaging 81.5 miles per gallon in an off-the-showroom floor, non-modified 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, nearly doubling its EPA rating.
Answering the President’s Call To Serve A Higher Purpose. April 14, 2009 GRID Alternative solar install for Habitat for Humanity. That’s your Creative Greenius in the orange hardhat, and my buddy the Reverend Ron giving the Hang Loose salute, atop the roof of a Habitat for Humanity home we successfully installed a Solar PV system on. And when I say “we&# I mean GRID Alternatives the non-profit whose mission is to empower communities in need by providing renewable energy and en
Say hello again to one of our guest bloggers, Andrew Grin. I just got my electric car back from the shop (for some minor work) and I decided to shoot some video because of the beautiful spring weather. Fully Electric Hyundai Tucson from Island Grin on Vimeo. Tags: EV Videos Inside Track hyndai tuscon.
Honda has pulled the plug on its wholly owned subsidiary Fuelmaker, which made the device for home CNG (compressed natural gas) vehicle refueling, calling a loan, and throwing Fuelmaker into receivership. All Fuelmaker employees were abruptly fired without severance or warning, and given just a few hours to gather up their belongings and leave the premises.
UK-based Electric Car Corporation Plc ( ECC ) has officially launched an all-electric version of the Citroën C1, the C1 ev’ie. The C1 ev’ie. Click to enlarge. The Citroën C1 ev’ie is assembled in the UK from the donor car. The 4-seater electric car offers a range of 60-70 miles when fully charged and a top speed of around 60 mph. Its Li-ion battery pack can be fully charged in 6-7 hours from a domestic 13 amp socket.
Drawing of the proposed advanced microturbine. Source: ETVM Click to enlarge. ETV Motors Ltd. (ETVM), an Israeli start-up developing a range-extended electric vehicle (REEV) technology combining a novel dual-power micro-turbine and a new high-voltage lithium-ion battery chemistry, has closed a US$12-million Series A investment round. The round was led by The Quercus Trust of Newport Beach, California.
Drawing of the proposed advanced microturbine. Source: ETVM Click to enlarge. ETV Motors Ltd. (ETVM), an Israeli start-up developing a range-extended electric vehicle (REEV) technology combining a novel dual-power micro-turbine and a new high-voltage lithium-ion battery chemistry, has closed a US$12-million Series A investment round. The round was led by The Quercus Trust of Newport Beach, California.
Italian motorsport electronics specialist Magneti Marelli and UK high-speed flywheel specialist Flybrid Systems are collaborating to develop a new energy storage solution for Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS). The new product is targeted to be a high-power electrical storage system for hybrid racing cars capable of deep depths of discharge with no performance degradation and a long service life.
Oil and gas major Total has invested an undisclosed amount in the series D round of advanced biofuels company Gevo. Gevo was founded in 2005 by Drs. Frances Arnold, Matthew Peters and Peter Meinhold of the California Institute of Technology. The company is focused on the development of advanced biofuels and renewable chemicals based on isobutanol and its derivatives.
Despite the current enthusiasm for electric vehicles (EVs), hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) will be an important component of the vehicle mix in 2050, according to panelists from Nissan, Toyota and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in a conference session at the SAE 2009 World Congress in Detroit. Dr. Kev Adjemian, Senior Principal Engineer/Senior Manager - Fuel Cell Laboratory, Nissan; Justin Ward, Advanced Powertrain Program Manager, Toyota; and Keith Wipke, Senior Engineer, N
Configuration of the 3.5L V6 EcoBoost Combustion System. A 6-hole fuel injector is mounted between intake ports. The spark plug is at the center of the chamber. The piston has a shallow bowl designed to ensure stable combustion during engine cold-start operations. Source: Ford. Click to enlarge. Ford’s turbocharged, gasoline direct injection EcoBoost engines are targeted to play a significant near-term role in Ford’s efforts to reduce fuel consumption by enabling downsizing.
The Nikkei reports that Toyota and Honda are both making estimated profits of about ¥300,000 (about US$3,100) each on every hybrid they sell, similar to what they make on small, gasoline-engined vehicles. If Honda sells 200,000 Insight hybrids worldwide in the first year of its release, the company would generate sales of more than 350 billion yen [US$3.6 billion].
The US Department of Energy will award $300 million in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to state and local governments, and transit authorities to expand the US’ fleet of clean, sustainable vehicles and the fueling infrastructure necessary to support them. This funding adds to the $11 billion already announced by the Department of Energy to bolster state and local government energy efficiency programs and weatherize low-income homes.
DENSO extended the length of the probe and developed a vibration-resistant structure to support it. Click to enlarge. DENSO Corporation has improved the temperature detection accuracy of its newly developed diesel exhaust temperature sensor. The new sensor, which is located in front of the diesel particulate filter (DPF) and used to control temperature for DPF regeneration, helps reduce harmful diesel emissions and improves fuel efficiency by enabling more precise control of aftertreatment syste
Some of the vehicles in the 2009 Shell Eco-Marathon Americas. Click to enlarge. The student team from Laval University (Quebec, Canada) took the grand prize in the “Prototype” category at the 2009 Shell Eco-Marathon Americas , held 15-18 April at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA, with 2,757.1 miles per gallon (0.085 L/100km). The team from Mater Dei High School (Evansville, Ind.) took the grand prize in the new “UrbanConcept” by achieving 433.3 mpg (0.543 L/100km).
Capacity of Texas has introduced a Pluggable Hybrid Electric Terminal Tractor (PHETT). The PHETT is a charge-sustaining series hybrid that utilizes a 40 hp constant rate generator to supply power, reducing fuel consumption by 60% and audible db by 30%. The PHETT. Click to enlarge. The PHETT incorporates a 225 hp (168 kW) 3-phase AC traction motor that develops 1,376 lb-ft (1,865 N·m) of torque and 220V single-phase 40 amp on-board grid-charging system.
BMW has introduced a new entry-level version of the BMW X3 Sports Activity Vehicle for European markets. The X3 xDrive 18d features a 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesel that produces 105 kW (143 hp) and offers combined cycle fuel consumption of 6.2 L/100km (38 mpg US), with CO 2 emissions of 165 g/km. The X3 xDrive 18d. Click to enlarge. Maximum torque from the 2.0 liter engine is 350 Nm (258 lb-ft), and the new X3 accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 10.3 seconds, with a maximum speed of 195 km/h (121
Transmission electron micrograph of one of the smallest known eukaryotic algae, Micromonas. Credit for TEM: A.Z. Worden, T. Deerinck, M. Terada, J. Obiyashi and M. Ellisman (MBARI and NCMIR). Click to enlarge. Scientists from two-dozen research organizations led by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI) and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) have decoded the genomes of two strains of the photosynthetic algal genus Micromonas , highlighting the genes enab
The Hyundai Nuvis. Click to enlarge. Hyundai introduced its Nuvis concept crossover vehicle at the New York International Auto Show. The Nuvis, which Hyundai said hints at future-generation crossover design that blends attributes of a tall urban car and a premium utility vehicle, is powered by Hyundai’s Hybrid Blue Drive architecture, with lithium polymer battery technology from LG Chem. ( Earlier post.).
Nestlé Waters North America has installed 32 Plug Power GenDrive hydrogen fuel cells, purchased in 2008, in its materials-handling fleet at their Dallas, Texas bottling facility. As a result, Nestle Waters has converted its entire fleet of sit-down counterbalanced lift trucks from internal combustion (IC) engines powered by liquid petroleum gas (LPG) to Yale class I electric lift trucks powered by GenDrive power units.
In a conference call organized by GM, Tony Posawatz, Chevrolet Volt and Global Electric Vehicle Line Director; Mark Duvall, Director of Electric Transportation, EPRI; and Bob Hayden, Clean Transportation Advisor, Department of Environment, City and County of San Francisco described the nature and role of the “plug-in ecosystem” required to support one million and more plug-ins on the road in the US.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has officially registered Amyris’s renewable diesel fuel, making it the first time a hydrocarbon-based fuel made from plant-derived resources ( earlier post ) has been registered for commercial sale. Amyris engineers new metabolic pathways in industrial microbes (bacteria or yeast) to produce a large range of molecules (isoprenoids) used in energy, pharmaceutical, and chemical applications via fermentation of sugar from plant-based feedstocks.
CPT electric supercharger test rig. Click to enlarge. Smoke emissions produced by turbocharged diesel engines under heavy load conditions—such as when accelerating from low engine speeds and other similar transient manoeuvres—can be all but eliminated under certain operating conditions by the addition of a relatively simple and low cost electric supercharger, suggests Controlled Power Technologies (CPT).
Dynamotive Energy Systems Corporation has successfully produced renewable gasoline and diesel from biomass at its research facility in Waterloo Ontario through a novel two-stage upgrading process of its pyrolysis oil, BioOil. The BINGO (Biomass INto GasOil) process involves pyrolysis of lignocellulosic biomass to produce a primary liquid fuel, BioOil, which is then hydroreformed to a Stage 1 gas-oil equivalent liquid fuel that can either be directly utilized in blends with hydrocarbon fuels for
Maxwell BMOD0165 P048 module. Click to enlarge. Maxwell Technologies Inc. has received purchase orders with a total value of approximately US$13.5 million from three of China’s leading transit bus producers for BOOSTCAP ultracapacitor modules to support braking energy recuperation and torque assist functions in diesel-electric hybrid transit buses. David Schramm, Maxwell’s president and chief executive officer, said that deliveries of the company’s 48-volt BMOD0165 P048 modules, which are assemb
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is partnering with Nissan in Tennessee to promote the development of zero-emission vehicles and a complementary charging infrastructure. This expands the scope of an existing partnership between Nissan and the State of Tennessee, which also includes the Tennessee Valley Authority. ( Earlier post.). Nissan will introduce zero-emission vehicles in the United States in 2010 and will mass market them globally two years later.
AG Holdings Limited has acquired the entire business of Axeon Holdings Plc, which was in administration, including 100% of the share capital of the following companies: Axeon Power Limited; Axeon Technologies Limited; Axeon AG; Elektro Montage Bau GmbH (EMB); SAT Akkumulatoren Technik AG (SAT); Zaklad Montazu Ukladow Zasilajacych MAZ Sp Z.o.o. (MAZ).
Nikkei. As part of a reorganization effort designed to optimize its lithium-ion battery businesses, Hitachi will consolidate all its automotive battery work to Hitachi Vehicle Energy Ltd, its joint venture formed in 2004 with Shin-Kobe Electric Machinery Co. Ltd. and Hitachi Maxwell Ltd. Hitachi Vehicle Energy Ltd. Li-ion cell and module. Click to enlarge.
BASF Fuel Cell GmbH —formed in March 2007 by merging the fuel cell activities of PEMEAS and Engelhard with those of BASF—will introduce a new high-temperature membrane electrode assembly (MEA) and a new fuel cell electrode catalyst product line at Hannover Fair 2009 next week. Celtec is BASF’s family of high temperature MEAs. In Hanover, BASF will introduce the Celtec-P2100 MEA.
Vision Industries Corp. ’s prototype plug-in electric/hydrogen fuel cell Class 8 Tyrano truck completed the second stage of its performance testing at the Los Angeles Freightliner facilities in Whittier, CA. Vision was formerly known as Cheetah Consulting. Vision designed the Tyrano to replace short haul diesel trucks operating in the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
The California Air Resources Board has awarded Mebtahi Station Services, San Francisco Airport, Shell Hydrogen and UCLA $1.7 million each to supplement their construction of hydrogen refueling stations, doubling the amount of hydrogen available to the public. The grants, provided by the California legislature and distributed by the ARB through a competitive bid process, are aimed at increasing the use of alternative fuels.
Perspective by Professor Bruce Dale, Michigan State University. Until early last year, it was widely accepted that biofuels such as ethanol significantly reduce total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to gasoline. Then, a high-profile study using indirect land use change (ILUC) analysis suggested biofuels may have worse GHG performance than petroleum-based fuels.
US Congressman Dan Boren (D-OK-02), Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson (D-CT-01), Congressman John Sullivan (R-OK-01) have introduced a bill to expand the use of natural gas as an alternative to conventional transportation fuel. Provisions of the New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions Act, or NAT GAS Act (H.R. 1835) include: An 18-year extension of three critical tax incentives that focus on natural gas as a transportation fuel, the purchase of natural gas-fueled vehicles
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called for the aviation industry and governments to bring an aligned global approach on aviation carbon emissions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) conference to be held this December in Copenhagen. Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO made the remarks in an opening address to the annual Aviation and Environment Summit being held in Geneva by the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG).
Chairman Henry A. Waxman of the Energy and Commerce Committee and Chairman Edward J. Markey of the Energy and Environment Subcommittee on Tuesday released a draft of far-reaching energy and climate legislation that targets job creation, promotes renewables and energy efficiency, and places limits on emissions of greenhouse gases. The bill also establishes an interagency council to ensure an integrated federal response to adapting to the effects of global warming.
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