This site uses cookies to improve your experience. To help us insure we adhere to various privacy regulations, please select your country/region of residence. If you do not select a country, we will assume you are from the United States. Select your Cookie Settings or view our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Used for the proper function of the website
Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
Cookie Settings
Cookies and similar technologies are used on this website for proper function of the website, for tracking performance analytics and for marketing purposes. We and some of our third-party providers may use cookie data for various purposes. Please review the cookie settings below and choose your preference.
Strictly Necessary: Used for the proper function of the website
Performance/Analytics: Used for monitoring website traffic and interactions
'DENSO Corporation will begin a ten-month field test of its wireless inductive battery charging system in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The field test is intended to identify any potential operational issues and also look at ways to enhance the convenience of wireless charging. The field test will begin on 24Feb. and end in December 2014. Power transmission and power receiver pads.
'Last night at the Hermosa Beach City Council meeting I heard an ignorant little man reference my favorite Edward Abbey book, “The Monkey Wrench Gang,” which I read the year it came out – in 1975 as a senior in high school. It’s true. I am that young. The little man cited the book to accuse a friend of mine of being an “eco terrorist” because he had used the term “monkey wrench” on his Facebook page.
'Imagine you''re a carmaker, and you found you could build a type of vehicle that customers all absolutely adored. Not just liked. Not just said, "Yeah, it''s fine, it does what I need"--but out-and-out loved, cherished, talked about incessantly, and recommended to everyone they met, all the time. Those cars exist today. They''re called electric cars.
'The e-Golf shown at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in January. Click to enlarge. Volkswagen has launched the battery-electric version of the Golf, the e-Golf, in Germany with immediate availability. ( Earlier post.) In launching the new e-Golf, Volkswagen is bringing the most successful European car ever onto the market as a full production electric vehicle.
'GC-MS chromatogram of the liquid products obtained after hydrodeoxygenation of angelica lactone dimer. Source: Mascal et al. SI. Click to enlarge. Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a process for the production of branched C 7 –C 10 hydrocarbons in the gasoline volatility range from biomass-derived levulinic acid with good yield, operating under relatively mild conditions, with short reaction times.
'Alcoa and Israel-based Phinergy have entered into a joint development agreement to develop further Phinergy ’s aluminum-air batteries. Announced at the Advanced Automotive Battery Conference in Atlanta, the partnership will collaborate on new materials, processes and components to commercialize the aluminum-air battery, which could significantly extend electric vehicle range.
'Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc., is advising the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of plans to conduct voluntary safety recalls of approximately 701,000 Model Year 2010-2014 Prius vehicles to update the motor/generator control ECU and hybrid control ECU software. This is part of a global recall for the issue. According to the information Toyota is providing Prius customers in the US, the problem resides in the Intelligent Power Module (IPM), which is inside the Hybrid Inverte
'Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc., is advising the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of plans to conduct voluntary safety recalls of approximately 701,000 Model Year 2010-2014 Prius vehicles to update the motor/generator control ECU and hybrid control ECU software. This is part of a global recall for the issue. According to the information Toyota is providing Prius customers in the US, the problem resides in the Intelligent Power Module (IPM), which is inside the Hybrid Inverte
'High-density polyethylene (HDPE) grocery bags can be successfully pyrolyzed to alternative diesel fuel, according to a new study by a team from the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service ARS. Pyrolysis of the waste plastic grocery bags followed by distillation resulted in a liquid hydrocarbon mixture with an average structure consisting mostly of saturated
'US Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Joe Manchin (W. Va.) introduced the “National Rare Earth Cooperative Act of 2014” this week, bipartisan legislation to encourage US production of rare earth metals (and thorium), relieving US dependence on China’s rare earth minerals. Noting that thorium is a mildly radioactive element commonly associated with the lanthanide elements in the most heavy rare earth deposits that are located in the United States and elsewhere, and that current regulations regulations
'2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel. Click to enlarge. The 3.6-liter V6 EcoDiesel-powered 2014 Ram 1500 pickup ( earlier post ) has earned a 28-mpg (8.4 l/100 km) rating from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)—the best highway-cycle test result achieved yet by a full-size, half-ton pickup. It also exceeds the EPA highway rating for the top-ranked small pickup.
'Nissan Frontier Diesel Runner Powered by Cummins. Click to enlarge. At the Chicago Auto Show, Nissan debuted a concept diesel-powered mid-size pickup: the Frontier Diesel Runner Powered by Cummins. Based on a Frontier Desert Runner 4x2 model, was created to gauge the market reaction to a Nissan mid-size pickup with a diesel engine and plot a potential future direction for the Frontier.
'Sumitomo Corporation has developed and installed the first large-scale power storage system which utilizes used batteries collected from electric vehicles. This commercial scale storage system, built on Yume-shima Island, Osaka, will begin operating in February 2014. Sumitomo Corporation created the joint venture company, 4R Energy Corporation , in collaboration with Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. in September 2010, to address the secondary use of EV lithium-ion batteries. ( Earlier post.
'The US Department of Energy (DOE) will award ( DE-FOA-0000996 ) up to $12 million in funding to advance the development of a cost-competitive pathway to produce high-performance carbon fiber for vehicle lightweighting from renewable non-food biomass. Reducing a vehicle’s weight by just 10% can improve fuel economy by 6% to 8%. Carbon fiber composites are lightweight, yet strong, materials that can greatly improve vehicle fuel efficiency when incorporated into structural and non-structural compo
'Global electric vehicle production forecast for 2014. Source: IHS Automotive. Click to enlarge. Driven by tighter emission standards in Europe, worldwide production of plug-in electric vehicles(PEVs)—including both battery-electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models—will increase by 67% this year, according to IHS Automotive, driven by Polk.
'Nissan has entered into an agreement with the Royal Government of Bhutan with the shared goal of achieving the nation’s transition to an electric vehicle fleet. The agreement follows talks between the Prime Minister of Bhutan Tshering Tobgay and Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn in Thimphu last year. Ghosn returned to the capital of Bhutan to make the announcement alongside the Prime Minister.
'A study by researchers at the Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands) examining the impact of financial incentives and other socio-economic factors on electric vehicle (both plug-in hybrids and battery electrics) adoption in 30 countries found that financial incentives; the number of charging stations (corrected for population); and the presence of a local manufacturing facility were positive and significant in predicting EV adoption rates for the countries studied.
'The US Department of Energy (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) is awarding $30 million in funding to 12 projects through its Full-Spectrum Optimized Conversion and Utilization of Sunlight (FOCUS) program, which is aimed at developing new hybrid solar energy converters and hybrid energy storage systems that can deliver low-cost, high-efficiency solar energy on demand. ( Earlier post.).
'The planned cell output of the Gigafactory in 2020 exceeds 2013 global production by current manufacturers, Tesla said. Click to enlarge. Via a post on its website, Tesla Motors outlined its plan for its future battery “Gigafactory”, projected to require between $4-5 billion in investment from Tesla and its partners by 2020, with a resulting cell capacity of up to 35 GWh/year and pack capacity of up to 50 GWh/y to service a projected 500,000 Tesla electric vehicles per year.
'Adaptive control of range resources. Drivers compare the current range situation with their range level reference values, which are driven by certain trait and coping skill variables. As a result, coping strategies are adapted (e.g., drive more economically, do not use EV). This leads to a certain efficiency of range utilization. Source: Franke (2014) Click to enlarge.
'Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) will supply two electric buses to serve in a transportation system being planned by the city of Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The buses—full-size, low-floor models for the city’s regular route network—will operate on MHI’s high-performance “ MLIX ” lithium-ion rechargeable batteries. In combination with a lighter body enabled by the partial adoption of carbon fiber construction, the new buses will be able to operate continuously over
'Elio Motors has selected Comau Inc., a global leader in the development and implementation of engineering solutions for sustainable automation and production, as its automation partner to build its three-wheel, high efficiency vehicle. Comau will provide Elio with powertrain and automated assembly systems. Slated to begin production in the fourth quarter of 2014 and available in the US by the first quarter of 2015, the Elio will be built in a plant in Shreveport, LA.
'MILA Blue. Click to enlarge. To showcase its capabilities, global automotive supplier Magna International Inc. will showcase the MILA Blue vehicle concept at the Geneva Motor Show 2014. MILA Blue is a natural-gas powered, A-segment lightweight vehicle that produces less than 49g CO 2 /km. MILA Blue, the seventh concept vehicle in the MILA family , represents a new lightweight design approach.
'The E.ON Energy Research Center at RWTH Aachen University, E.ON electric utility company, battery manufacturers Exide and beta-motion and inverter manufacturer SMA Solar Technology AG (SMA) have joined forces to build the first multi-technology, modular large-scale 5MW battery storage system. The unique feature of the M5BAT (Modular Multimegawatt, Multitechnology Medium-Voltage Battery Storage System) storage system lies in its modular design, which combines different battery technologies for o
'Audi investigating its e-fuels in an optical research engine using laser-induced fluorescence. Click to enlarge. Audi testing of synthetic ethanol (Audi e-ethanol = Joule Sunflow-E) and synthetic diesel (Audi e-diesel = Joule Sunflow-D), produced in partnership with Joule ( earlier post ) in a pressure chamber and optical research engine has shown that the Audi e-fuels often perform better than their conventional counterparts.
'The nation’s major freight railroads joined US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in announcing a rail operations safety initiative that will institute new voluntary operating practices for moving crude oil by rail. The announcement only covers steps related to crude by rail operations; additional issues, such as tank car standards and proper shipper classification of crude oil, are being addressed separately.
'Tesla Motors announced record deliveries of 6,892 Model S vehicles worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2013, with 22,477 vehicles in the full year. For the quarter, non-GAAP revenue was $761 million, up 26% from Q3. GAAP revenue for Q4 was $615 million, up 43% from Q3. Q4 non-GAAP net income was $46 million, or $0.33 per share, while Q4 GAAP net loss was $16 million or $(0.13) per share.
'Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) will begin verification testing of its newly developed wireless battery charging system for plug-in electric vehicles—such as plug-in hybrids and battery-electric vehicles—in late February in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The system can charge a vehicle parked in alignment over a coil on the surface of the ground, making the charging process simpler and more convenient.
'Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has developed a prototype electric vehicle (EV) motor drive system with a built-in silicon-carbide inverter. The EV motor drive system, the smallest of its kind, will enable manufacturers to develop EVs offering more passenger space and greater energy efficiency. Prototype motor. Click to enlarge. Mitsubishi Electric plans to commercialize its new EV motor system after finalizing technologies for motor/inverter cooling, further downsizing and additional efficienc
'Oregon Governor Kitzhaber recently announced a new initiative to maximize the economic development potential of clean fuels in Oregon, directing the Department of Environmental Quality to move forward with full implementation of Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program and announcing a new Clean Fuels Work Advisory Committee. Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program currently is in a state of suspended animation, the governor’s office said.
'Tata 5L engine with GEMdi. Click to enlarge. Westport Innovations Inc. unveiled its newest proprietary dual-fuel technology: Westport gas enhanced methane diesel (Westport GEMDi), applied to Tata Motors’ new 5-liter dual-fuel methane-diesel engine. Westport GEMDi technology enables engine original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to offer a fully integrated, high performance engine optimized for dual fuel operation.
'Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced a voluntary recall of the all-new Fit Hybrid ( earlier post ) and Vezel Hybrid ( earlier post ) produced in Japan from July 2013 through February 2014 due to a problem with the software program controlling the 7-speed dual clutch transmission (DCT) which could cause non-engagement of gears, a delay in the ability to begin driving or the inability to move at all.
'Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has built a demonstrator vehicle, based on a 2012 Buick Regal GS, incorporating the latest D-EGR (dedicated EGR) technology ( earlier post ), an outgrowth of SwRI’s HEDGE (High Efficiency Dilute Gasoline Engine) consortium projects ( earlier post ). The vehicle is currently delivering about a ~13% improvement on the FTP and 10% on the HwFET cycles, according to Dr.
'Advance sales of the Audi A3 g-tron began at dealerships in Germany, at a base price of €25,900 (US$35,400). Its 1.4-liter TFSI engine developing 81 kW (110 hp) can be operated using either natural gas, e-gas generated by Audi ( earlier post ) or gasoline. In pure e-gas mode, using the Audi e-gas fuel card, the g-tron is CO 2 -neutral, Audi says. Audi A3 g-tron.
'The Next Two prototype. Click to enlarge. Renault has unveiled the Next Two concept—the company’s current vision of an autonomous drive (AD) capable electric vehicle for the year 2020. The Next Two prototype—based on a Renault ZOE—focuses on two areas: the delegation of driving functions under certain conditions and connectivity. Using sensor technologies, Next Two enables the delegation of driving functions from the driver to the car in congested traffic up to km/h (18.6 mph)
We organize all of the trending information in your field so you don't have to. Join 5,000+ users and stay up to date on the latest articles your peers are reading.
You know about us, now we want to get to know you!
Let's personalize your content
Let's get even more personalized
We recognize your account from another site in our network, please click 'Send Email' below to continue with verifying your account and setting a password.
Let's personalize your content