June, 2017

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Michelin Vision concept wheel/tire: airless, connected, rechargeable, organic

Green Car Congress

At Movin’On 2017, Michelin presented its new Vision concept tire. The concept tire—which combines the functions of wheel and tire—is airless, connected, rechargeable, customizable and organic, is both a wheel and a tire. Michelin Group Executive Vice President of Research and Development Terry Gettys said that the VISION concept is achievable as it represents the convergence of innovations already being explored by the Group’s R&D teams.

Recharge 292
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The US Senate once had its own electric cars: two Studebakers that ran underground

Green Car Reports

One advantage of electric cars is that unlike gasoline or steam cars, they have no emissions. More than a century ago, that was why the U.S. Capitol acquired two custom-built electric cars, nicknamed "Tommy" and "Peggy." They were built by Studebaker, an early and hallowed U.S. car brand that finally folded up shop in 1965. DON'T MISS: Electric.

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Top five cars for around £100 a month

Green Cars News

There are many reasons why leasing makes a lot of sense, whether you’re after an executive saloon or a super-frugal supermini, but if your main aim is

Cars 70
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LiquidPiston receives $3M Rapid Innovation Fund award from US Army for 2kW hybrid-electric genset

Green Car Congress

LiquidPiston, Inc. (LPI), a developer of advanced multi-fuel-capable rotary combustion engine technology, has been awarded a $3-million Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF) award from the US Army to develop an innovative ultra-portable 2kW diesel Compact Artillery Power System (CAPS). The RIF process is extremely selective, with only five percent of whitepapers ultimately being selected for the award.

Hybrid 278
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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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Study of 60M US seniors strengthens link between air pollution and premature death

Green Car Congress

A new study of 60 million Americans—about 97% of people age 65 and older in the United States— finds that long-term exposure to airborne fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) and ozone increases the risk of premature death, even when that exposure is at levels below the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) currently established by the US Environmental Protection Agency.

Pollution 265
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Volvo Technology Award for wave piston design

Green Car Congress

The Volvo Group’s new truck engines are more fuel efficient as a result of their new piston design which adds waves to the piston crown to improve the use of oxygen. ( Earlier post.) The engineers (John Gibble, Frank Löfskog, Michael Balthasar, and Jan Eismark) behind the innovation have now received the Volvo Technology Award 2017. The new wave design has now been patented.

Volvo 256

More Trending

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Soletair demo plant produces renewable hydrocarbon fuel from CO2 captured from the air

Green Car Congress

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland and Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT) are beginning testing of the Soletair demo plant, which uses air-captured carbon dioxide to produce renewable fuels and chemicals. The pilot plant is coupled to LUT’s solar power plant in Lappeenranta. The aim of the project is to demonstrate the technical performance of the overall process and produce 200 liters of fuels and other hydrocarbons for research purposes.

Renewable 244
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Ballard awarded $18M follow-on fuel cell deal with Broad-Ocean to support deployment of 400 buses and trucks in China

Green Car Congress

Fuel cell system manufacturer Ballard Power Systems has entered into an $18-million supply contract with Zhongshan Broad-Ocean Motor Co., Ltd. (Broad-Ocean) to support the deployment of 400 FCveloCity fuel cell systems integrated into clean energy buses and trucks in key Chinese cities. The transaction is part of an ongoing program with Broad-Ocean ( earlier post ) to implement Ballard’s fuel cell technology in support of China’s ambitious plan to address environmental concerns and advance the a

China 236
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ARB study compares in-use NOx emissions from diesel, hydraulic hybrid diesel and LNG refuse trucks

Green Car Congress

A team from the California Air Resources Board (ARB), in partnership with the City of Sacramento, has characterized the in-use emissions from model year (MY) 2010 or newer diesel, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and hydraulic hybrid diesel engines during real-world refuse truck operation. A paper on their study is published in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Diesel 231
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Deutsche Post and Ford to manufacture Transit-based electric delivery van

Green Car Congress

Deutsche Post subsidiary StreetScooter GmbH ( earlier post ) and Ford-Werke GmbH are entering a partnership for the manufacturing of battery-electric delivery vehicles. StreetScooter, a start-up spun out of German technical university RWTH Aachen, has already developed a small electric van; the StreetScooter van is powered by a 20.4 kWh Li-ion battery pack and propelled by a 30 kW motor.

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

Brief

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Rice study finds Houston intersections with traffic lights 9x more likely to see fatal pedestrian- and bicyclist-automobile crashes

Green Car Congress

A new report from Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research has found that intersections with traffic lights in Houston are nine times more likely to see fatal car crashes with pedestrians and bicyclists than expected by chance. In comparison, intersections with stop signs were only 1.48 times as likely to have a fatal crash incident; noncontrolled intersections were 0.5 times as likely to have a fatal incident.

Houston 225
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Study finds anthropogenic PM and dust undercutting global solar energy production

Green Car Congress

According to a new study led by a team at Duke University, airborne particulate matter and dust are cutting solar photovoltaic energy output by more than 25% in certain parts of the world, with roughly equal contributions from ambient PM and PM deposited on photovoltaic surfaces. The regions hardest hit are also those investing the most in solar energy installations: China, India and the Arabian Peninsula.

Solar 218
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Nemaska Lithium delivers battery-grade lithium hydroxide to Johnson Matthey

Green Car Congress

Canada-based Nemaska Lithium has sent a second shipment of 3.5t of lithium hydroxide to Johnson Matthey, a large and globally recognized cathode manufacturer for lithium-ion batteries. Both Johnson Matthey and Nemaska Lithium confirm that this shipment meets Johnson Matthey's lithium hydroxide specifications. Nemaska Lithium is developing in Québec a spodumene lithium hard rock deposit in the world, important in both volume and grade.

Li-ion 210
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Hydrogenics to provide 1,000 fuel cell bus power modules to Blue-G in China; $50M deal

Green Car Congress

Hydrogenics Corporation, a leading developer and manufacturer of hydrogen generation and hydrogen-based power modules, has signed a Purchase and License Agreement for technology and fuel cells with Blue-G New Energy Science and Technology Corporation (Blue-G) in China. Under the agreement, Hydrogenics will deliver 1,000 fuel cell units to Blue-G to be integrated into zero-emission electric buses and an engineering support component for an aggregate sum payable to the Company of more than US$50 m

Hydrogen 210
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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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Buick adding new eAssist mild hybrid to 2018 Buick LaCrosse as standard powertrain

Green Car Congress

The Buick LaCrosse is adding eAssist light electrification for the 2018 model. This new eAssist system, when coupled with the four-cylinder engine, has a 19% increase in city fuel economy compared to the LaCrosse’s advanced V-6 and leverages a compact lithium-ion battery pack to provide select benefits found in fully electric vehicles, such as torque-assisted launch, energy-saving regenerative braking and exceptionally smooth stop/start.

Buick 210
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US new light-duty diesel sales dropped slightly in 2016 to 280,000 units from 300,000 in 2015

Green Car Congress

The US added more than 280,000 new diesel passenger vehicles across the country in 2016, with Texas, California and Florida having the highest numbers of diesel vehicles, according to a Diesel Technology Forum analysis of the latest Vehicles in Operation (VIO) data compiled by IHS Automotive (December 2016). The number of diesel car, SUV, full-size pickup trucks and vans in operation reached 8 million in 2016.

2016 207
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New low-voltage W-band millimeter-wave technology; applicable for cars, bikes, cellphones

Green Car Congress

Hiroshima University and Mie Fujitsu Semiconductor Limited (MIFS) have developed a low-power millimeter-wave amplifier that feeds on 0.5 V power supply and covers the frequency range from 80 GHz to 106 GHz. It was fabricated using MIFS’s Deeply Depleted Channel (DDC) technology. This is the first W-band (75−110 GHz) amplifier that can operate even with such a low power-supply voltage.

Honolulu 207
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Study finds Neste renewable diesel significantly reduces PM emissions in off-road mobile machinery; lower number and mass

Green Car Congress

A study led by researchers at Tampere University of Technology in Finland found that the use of neat Neste MY Renewable Diesel in working machines—a Wille 355B compact utility machine and Wille 855C multi-purpose wheel-loader—efficiently reduces particulate matter emissions compared to EN590 diesel with 7% biodiesel. With renewable diesel, both the number of particles as well as particulate mass were reduced in nearly all of the operating cycles of the working machines.

Renewable 199
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ZF showcases mSTARS electric axle system for axle hybrids or fully electric vehicles

Green Car Congress

ZF is using its plug-in Vision Zero concept vehicle to showcase a number of new safety and zero local emissions technologies. The vehicle features a 150 kW electric axle drive system for dynamic acceleration. The entire propulsion system, including the integrated power electronics, is housed in an innovative, space-saving modular ZF rear axle system called mSTARS (modular Semi-Trailing Arm Rear Suspension).

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Audi A8 fully active electromechanical suspension powered by 48V electrical system; predictive adjustment using front camera

Green Car Congress

The new Audi A8 will feature a fully active, electromechanical suspension system which drives each wheel individually and adapts to the prevailing road conditions. Each wheel has an electric motor which is powered by the A8’s 48-volt electrical system—used for the first time as the main electrical system. (The Audi SQ7 TDI introduced in 2016 offered a 48V subsystem as well as a 12V system for the alternator.

Audi 199
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Climeworks launches world’s first commercial plant to capture CO2 from air; potential for CO2-neutral fuels

Green Car Congress

Switzerland-based Climeworks, a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH), recently launched the world’s first commercial plant that captures atmospheric CO 2 for supply and sale to a customer. The Swiss direct air capture company—which has also partnered with Audi in that company’s e-fuels initiative ( earlier post )—launched the commercial-scale Direct Air Capture (DAC) plant, featuring its patented technology that filters carbon dioxide from ambient a

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Renault and Powervault in EV battery “second-life” partnership trial

Green Car Congress

In the UK, Renault and Powervault are partnering to re-use electric vehicle (EV) batteries in home energy storage units. This partnership will reduce the cost of a Powervault smart battery unit by 30%, helping Powervault to bring home energy storage to the tipping point of mass-market roll-out in the UK. Powervault is placing 50 trial units, powered by second-life batteries provided by Renault, in the homes of customers who already have solar panels installed.

Battery 199
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CMU study finds SOA levels in cities like LA will remain high despite cleaner cars; nonlinear relationship between SOA and NOx

Green Car Congress

The findings of a study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, with colleagues at UC Berkeley, suggest that changing atmospheric NO x levels over the next two decades will likely significantly reduce the effectiveness of stricter new gasoline vehicle emissions standards in reducing concentrations of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). The study is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Cleaner 191
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Report: Hyundai to boost production of new fuel cell vehicle 15x to 3,600 units

Green Car Congress

Citing “industry sources,” Business Korea reports that Hyundai has decided to boost production of a new fuel cell vehicle ( earlier post )—to be released early next year—by 15 times to 3,600 units. Hyundai sold 242 fuel cell vehicles last year; Toyota, the market leader with its Mirai, is targeting 3,000 fuel cell vehciles sold this year.

Hyundai 191
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10th Generation Honda Accord launching this year with advanced new powertrain lineup; next-gen two-motor hybrid

Green Car Congress

Honda will launch the tenth-generation Accord ever later this year. A new-from-the-ground-up design that features a more aggressive stance and proportion than any previous Accord complements the lineup of three advanced new powertrains. The Accord is the US’ best-selling midsize sedan, the number one choice of individual American car buyers cumulatively since 2010 (according to Urban Science cumulative cumulative retail sales data for all car models in the industry for 2010-2017CYTD May).

Honda 191
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Statoil to build the world’s first floating wind farm: Hywind Scotland

Green Car Congress

Statoil has made the final investment decision to build the world’s first floating wind farm: The Hywind pilot park offshore Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The decision triggers investments of around NOK 2 billion (US$238 million), realizing a 60-70% cost reduction per MW from the Hywind demo project in Norway. Statoil will install a 30 MW wind turbine farm on floating structures at Buchan Deep, 25 km offshore Peterhead, harnessing Scottish wind resources to provide renewable energy to th

Wind 191
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BASF & Nornickel to cooperate on raw materials for Li-ion batteries in Europe; BASF to invest €400M in cathode materials plants

Green Car Congress

BASF and Russia-based PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel ( Nornickel ) signed a Memorandum of Understanding and entered exclusive negotiations to cooperate on the supply of raw materials for future battery materials production for lithium-ion batteries in Europe. The Nornickel Group is the world’s largest producer of nickel and palladium and one of the world’s leading producers of platinum and copper.

Europe 186
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Germany launches €60M, 3-year consortium project on high-volume production of automotive fuel cells; BMW, Daimler, Ford, VW

Green Car Congress

Germany has launched a ~€60-million, three-year consortium of leading industrial companies to investigate high-volume production of automotive fuel cell stacks. The “AutoStack-Industrie” project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure ( BMVI ), with €21.3 million in the first year. The “AutoStack Industry” project is a joint initiative of the German automotive and supply industries and aims to provide the technical, economic and technological basis for the comme

Germany 186
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BMW Spartanburg plant now largest manufacturing facility in the BMW Group production network

Green Car Congress

On 23 June 1992, the BMW Group announced its decision to build its US plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Continuous expansion of the plant with extensive additions and the decision to build the successful BMW X models in Spartanburg have made the plant the largest manufacturing facility in the BMW Group production network within the space of 25 years.

BMW 186
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New efficient, low-temperature catalyst for converting water and CO to hydrogen and CO2

Green Car Congress

Scientists in the US and China have developed a new low-temperature catalyst for producing high-purity hydrogen gas while simultaneously using up carbon monoxide (CO) via the water-gas shift (WGS) reaction. The discovery—described in a paper in the journal Science —could improve the performance of fuel cells that run on hydrogen fuel but can be poisoned by CO.

Water 186
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Frost & Sullivan: safety & emission regulations drives top 30 tech features of N. American OEMs

Green Car Congress

Frost & Sullivan’s latest Analysis of Top 30 Features of Mass Market and Luxury OEMs in North America, 2016-2025 , finds that government mandates on emission and safety innovation in automotive technology is driving OEMs to make major investments in technology development across six clusters including powertrain; chassis; safety; comfort; connectivity; and EV technology within the mass and luxury OEMs market in North America.

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Park City Transit deploying six Proterra electric buses; battery-lease financing model

Green Car Congress

Park City Transit has deployed Utah’s first zero-emission, battery-electric mass transit fleet, which will include six Proterra Catalyst FC+ buses. Selected to serve the region’s renowned ski resort community, the Proterra fleet supports Park City’s and Summit County’s transition toward renewable energy and the reduction of its overall carbon footprint.

Financing 186
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Lightning Systems receives California ARB executive order for aftermarket hydraulic hybrid vehicle conversions for Ford E-450s

Green Car Congress

Lightning Systems announced that its LightningHybrids hydraulic hybrid system has received an Executive Order from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) allowing aftermarket conversions of gasoline-powered 2016 model year Ford E-450 vehicles. The LightningHybrids hydraulic system for the Ford E-450 is now available for public or private fleets in California and throughout the United States that operate shuttle and paratransit buses, logistics and delivery trucks, and food and beverage vehicl

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EIA: US refineries running at record-high levels; increased capacity; inventory, product and exports

Green Car Congress

Gross inputs to US petroleum refineries (refinery runs) averaged a record high 17.7 million barrels per day (b/d) for the week ending 26 May, before dropping slightly to 17.5 million b/d for the week ending 2 June and 17.6 million b/d for the week ending 9 June, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Product supplied to the US market as well as inventories and exports are also at relatively high levels.