May, 2017

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Government of Canada to develop a national Zero-Emissions Vehicle strategy by 2018

Green Car Congress

The Government of Canada is moving forward with provincial and territorial partners, industry and stakeholders, to develop a national strategy to increase the number of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVS)—battery electric, plug-in hybrid, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles—on Canadian roads by 2018. Transportation accounts for about 24% of Canada’s emissions, mostly from cars and trucks.

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Soaring growth of solar power demonstrated in one chart

Green Car Reports

Sometimes a picture is truly worth a thousand words. In the case of the rapidly rising rate of solar generation for electricity, numerous forecasts by internationally respected bodies have proven woefully conservative. The image in the tweet below, created by Auke Hoestra at the Technical University of Eindhoven, in The Netherlands, shows it.

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6,000 UK motorists caught ignoring mobile phone law in one month

Green Cars News

Just one month on from its introduction, UK police caught more than 200 drivers a day using their mobile phones at the wheel despite tougher penalties

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ICCT study examines current & projected use of heavy fuel oil in Arctic shipping; growth in BC emissions points to need for policies

Green Car Congress

A new study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) estimates heavy fuel oil (HFO) use, HFO carriage, the use and carriage of other fuels, black carbon (BC) emissions, and emissions of other air and climate pollutants for the year 2015, with projections to 2020 and 2025. According to the report, potentially large increases in BC emissions may occur in the Arctic, further exacerbating warming, if ships are diverted from the Panama and Suez canals to take advantage of shorter r

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How serious is Norway about climate change? So much that its streetlights self-dim

emissions global warming Norway climate change carbon dioxide youtube lighting

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Swiss team concludes that particulate filters should be mandatory for GDI engines

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Based on a three-year study of toxic and environmentally relevant pollutants from gasoline direct injection (GDI) engines, Swiss researchers have concluded that some GDI engines emit just as many soot particles as unfiltered diesel cars did in the past. Further, the GDI particles carry numerous carcinogenic substances. Based on this current data, they recommend that particulate filters be mandatory for GDI engines.

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Qualcomm demonstrates dynamic electric vehicle charging; supports up to 20 kW at highway speeds

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Qualcomm Incorporate, through its subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., demonstrated dynamic electric vehicle charging (DEVC), which allows vehicles to charge while driving. Based on the Qualcomm Halo wireless electric vehicle charging technology (WEVC), Qualcomm Technologies designed and built a wireless DEVC system capable of charging an electric vehicle (EV) dynamically at up to 20 kW at highway speeds.

More Trending

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BMW’s ReachNow installing Light & Charge locations in Seattle; 100 chargers at 20 new public sites

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ReachNow, the mobility services division of the BMW Group, Woodland Park Zoo, and the City of Seattle celebrated the successful installation of the first of 20 Light & Charge electric vehicle (EV) charging locations that will more than double the number of Fast Chargers publicly available in Seattle. ReachNow announced that the Light & Charge system ( earlier post ) at the zoo is part of a $1.2-million investment by the BMW Group.

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GAC Group begins construction of $6.5B industrial park for electric and intelligent vehicles

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China-based automobile manufacturer Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC Group), the parent company of GAC Motor, has begun construction of a large industrial park for electric and intelligent vehicles as part of its efforts to boost its electric vehicle business. Located in Guangzhou’s Panyu district in China’s southern Guangdong province, the industrial park has a planned area of 5 square kilometers.

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Full thermal characterization of large format Li-pouch for better EV thermal management

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A team a the University of Warwick has fully characterized the thermal behavior of a large-format 20 Ah lithium iron phosphate pouch cell over a wide range of ambient temperatures and C rates during both charging and discharging. The findings, reported in the Journal of Power Sources , are intended to improve understanding of localized aging of the cell—and thus premature aging of battery packs.

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HZB team devises new Ti4O7 cathode material for Lithium-sulfur batteries

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Researchers at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie (HZB), with colleagues from Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and University of Potsdam, have fabricated a nanomaterial made from nanoparticles of a titanium oxide compound (Ti 4 O 7 ) for use as a cathode material in lithium-sulfur batteries. The highly porous nanomaterial features high storage capacity that remains nearly constant over many charging cycles.

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Faurecia and Accenture partner on products and services for connected and autonomous vehicles

Brief

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Researchers develop microwave-driven, energy-efficient process for magnesium production

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Magnesium has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of the structural metals; as such, it is attractive for use in transportation as well as in sustainable battery technologies (e.g, earlier post ). However, its current production through ore reduction using the conventional Pidgeon process emits large amounts of CO 2 and particulate matter (PM 2.5 ).

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Volkswagen apprentices unveil 48V hybrid Golf GTI, enhanced Golf GTE PHEV at at Wörthersee meeting

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At Volkswagen’s Wörthersee meeting this week, 13 apprentices from Volkswagen Wolfsburg and Sitech are presenting the first GTI that also features electric propulsion: the Golf GTI First Decade. A different team of 14 apprentices from Volkswagen Sachsen are also unveiling a Wörthersee show car, the Golf GTE Variant impulsE—a show version of the production plug-in hybrid featuring enhanced all-electric range.

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Rice team devises Li metal anode that completely suppresses Li dendrite formation

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Rice University scientists have used a seamless graphene-carbon nanotube (GCNT) electrode to store lithium metal reversibly and with complete suppression of dendrite formation. The GCNT-Li capacity of 3351 mAh g -1 GCNT-Li approaches that of bare Li metal (3861 mAh g -1 Li )—indicating the low contributing mass of GCNT—while yielding a practical areal capacity up to 4 mAh cm -2 and cycle stability.

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First China-built Volvo S90 sedans arrive in Europe via rail link

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Volvo Cars has become the first automaker in the world to export China-made cars to Europe by train via China’s new “One Belt, One Road” trade initiative. The first S90 premium sedans, built at Volvo’s Daqing plant in China, will arrive at a distribution centre in Zeebrugge, Belgium this week. The cars have been transported to Belgium via the recently opened, China-Europe railway link.

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ExxonMobil announces 6th oil discovery offshore Guyana with Ranger-1; Guyana may move from non-producer to regional powerhouse

Oil

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Audi to launch 3 new electric models by 2020; subsequent electrification in renewed core; targeting 1/3 electrified unit sales by 2025

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At Audi’s Annual General Meeting yesterday in Neckarsulm, Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi AG said that Audi plans to launch three new electric models by 2020, after which the brand will gradually electrify models in each of its core series. First up will be the production version of the e-tron quattro SUV, due next year. ( Earlier post.).

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New international study finds lab testing of diesel NOx emissions underestimates real-world levels by up to 50%

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A new international study has found that laboratory tests of nitrogen oxide emissions from diesel vehicles significantly underestimate the real-world emissions by as much as 50%. A paper on the work is published in the journal Nature. The research, led by the International Council on Clean Transportation and Environmental Health Analytics, LLC., in collaboration with scientists at the University of York’s Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI); University of Colorado; and the International Instit

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International team uncovers mechanisms of VW, Fiat software defeat device code

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An international team of researchers has uncovered the mechanisms of two families of software defeat devices for diesel engines: one used by the Volkswagen Group to pass emissions tests in the US and Europe, and a second found in Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. To carry out the analysis, the team developed new static analysis firmware forensics techniques necessary automatically to identify defeat devices and confirm their function.

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Six mobility start-ups launching Volkswagen’s incubator program at Transparent Factory

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Volkswagen has selected the first six teams for the new start-up incubator at Volkswagen’s Gläserne Manufaktur (Transparent Factory, earlier post ) in Dresden: the start-ups Smart City System from Nuremberg; LoyalGo from Dortmund; Tretbox from Berlin; and Ekoio from Leipzig were declared winners on Thursday evening following a pitch competition at the factory.

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Honeywell starts up $300M plant for HFO-1234yf low-GWP MAC refrigerant

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Honeywell has started commercial operations at its new manufacturing plant in Geismar, La., to meet the growing global demand for its next-generation mobile air conditioning (MAC) refrigerant. With this start-up, the plant has become the world’s largest site for producing HFO-1234yf—sold commercially as Solstice yf—a low-global-warming-potential (GWP) refrigerant. ( Earlier post.).

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Saft team develops first metal hydride - sulfur Li-ion battery

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Researchers at France-based battery major Saft, along with colleagues at Université Paris Est, have, for the first time, used a nanocomposite metal hydride as the anode in a complete solid-state battery with a sulfur cathode and LiBH 4 electrolyte. The cell shows a high reversible capacity of 910 mAh g −1 with discharge plateaus at 1.8 V and 1.4 V. Capacity remains at 85% of the initial value over the 25 first charge/discharge cycles.

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Big Oil Betting On Electric Vehicles

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by Jon LeSage for Oilprice.com. Speaking this week at the Bloomberg New Energy Finance conference in New York, Total SA’s chief energy economist, Joel Couse, forecasted that EVs will make up 15 to 30 percent of global new vehicle sales by 2030. Oil demand for transportation fuel see its “ demand will flatten out ,” after 2030, Couse said. “ Maybe even decline. ”.

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Daimler receives Porsche Prize for diesel aftertreatment system in OM 654

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The Professor Ferdinand Porsche Prize was awarded by Vienna University of Technology to Anke Kleinschmit, Head of Corporate Research & Sustainability and Environmental Officer for Daimler AG, for the development of the innovative exhaust gas aftertreatment system in the new OM 654 four-cylinder diesel engine ( earlier post ). The went into series production in 2016 and stands out for the fact that NO x emissions stay low in real operating conditions.

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Hawaii study finds vehicle-to-grid discharge detrimental to EV batteries

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Results of a study by a team at the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute, SOEST, University of Hawaii at Manoa, suggest that the additional cycling to discharge vehicle batteries to the power grid in a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) scenario, even at constant power, is detrimental to EV battery cell performance. This additional use of the battery packs could shorten the lifetime for vehicle use to less than five years, the researchers said in a paper published in the Journal of Power Sources.

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DOE: China alone accounted for 42% of global plug-in vehicle sales in 2016

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About 756,000 plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) were sold in the world in 2016, with 95% of those sales in China, Europe, the United States, Japan, and Canada, according to figures compiled by the US Department of Energy (DOE). China alone accounted for 42% of sales (316,800 units). China’s 2016 PEV sales grew by 53% from 2015’s 207,000 units—most of which were all-electric vehicles (EV) (244,400 units, or 77%).

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IAV develops new close-coupled diesel exhaust gas aftertreatment system for improved emissions reduction

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IAV has developed a particularly closed-coupled diesel exhaust gas aftertreatment (EAT) system. The design allows the diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) and particular filter/selective catalytic reduction (DPF/SCR) units to reach optimum working temperature more quickly which, even when driving in the low-load range, significantly cuts emissions. Under the EU6 standard, diesel engines are still allowed to emit up to 80 mg NO x /km milligrams of nitrogen oxides per kilometer—not only under the

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Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center launches 5-year, $35M program on autonomous and connected vehicle technologies

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Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center ( CSRC ) formally launched the next phase of its research mission, following on the successful conclusion of its first five years of auto safety research. The new research effort, named CSRC Next, will focus on the challenges and opportunities of autonomous and connected vehicle technologies over the next decade.

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INFINITI selects 9 Internet of Things (IoT) and smart city startups for INFINITI LAB program in Canada

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INFINITI LAB Toronto, an Internet of Things (IoT) and smart cities accelerator program from premium car brand INFINITI, announced the nine startups that will participate in the inaugural four-week accelerator program in Toronto. The nine participating startups have raised $2.7 million in funding between them, and during the program they will receive education, mentorship and access to technology from corporate and technology partners including new partners IBM Canada and TribalScale, and existin

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Audi puts steel back in the new A8

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The new Audi A8, scheduled for release in 2018, features a multi-material body structure ( earlier post ) consisting of more than 40% steel. That’s a marked turnaround from the all-aluminum body-in-white which Audi developed for the A8 in 1994, in which steel was essentially used for the B-pillars alone, and accounted for about 8% of the body structure.

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Volkswagen Group and CNG operators join to support growth of CNG mobility; 10x increase in German CNG fleet by 2025

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The Volkswagen Group and operators of CNG filling stations and gas networks in Germany have signed a joint declaration of intent, committing themselves to the extension of CNG mobility. The signers, together with other vehicle manufacturers, are working to grow the CNG vehicle fleet in Germany tenfold to 1 million vehicles by 2015. Further, the initiative aims to increase the filling station network in Germany from 900 locations today to 2,000 by 2025.

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UPS to deploy prototype Class 6 extended range fuel cell electric vehicle delivery truck; trials begin in Q3

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UPS will deploy a prototype extended range Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) in its Rolling Laboratory fleet of alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles. UPS is working with the US Department of Energy (DOE) and other partners to design a first-of-its-kind, zero tailpipe emissions, Class 6 medium-duty delivery truck that meets the same route and range requirements of UPS’ existing conventional fuel vehicles.

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Roland Berger “Automotive Disruption Radar” focused on MADE: mobility, autonomy, digitalization, electrification

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Germany-based international consultancy Rolad Berger had launched a new publication—the “ Automotive Disruption Radar ”—to monitor the radical transformation of the automotive industry being driven by four concurrent megatrends: mobility services, autonomous driving, digitalization and electrification (MADE). The Radar analyzes the transformation via 25 selected indicators in five dimensions: Customer interest (e.g. via more than 10,000 end-user interviews); regulation; technology; i

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Proterra begins first autonomous bus program in the US

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Electric bus manufacturer Proterra is initiating the industry’s first autonomous bus program with the University of Nevada, Reno and its Living Lab Coalition partners including the Regional Transportation Commission of Washoe County (RTC), the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, the Nevada Governor’s Office for Economic Development, Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems IVI, and the cities of Reno, Sparks and Carson City, Nev.

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Ronn Motor Group launching Reg A+ Mini-IPO to fund all-electric roadster with hydrogen fuel cell range extender

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Ronn Motor Group (RMG), the developer of the Scorpion exotic sports car featuring supplementary hydrogen fuel injection to improve the performance and fuel consumption of its gasoline engine ( earlier post ) announced a Regulation A+ Mini-IPO that gives anyone the opportunity to invest in its company. RONN Motor Group plans to evolve the Scorpion into an all-electric roadster called the Phoenix through its equity crowdfunding effort.

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Researchers find that high pressure is key to high-entropy alloys

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Researchers from Stanford University and the University of Tennessee report that high pressure could be the key to making advanced high-entropy alloys (HEAs, near-equiatomic solid solutions of multi-principal-elements that are promising for high-temperature applications, earlier post ) that are lighter, stronger and more heat-resistant than conventional alloys.

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