February, 2018

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SunLine Transit puts new long-range fuel-cell range extended electric bus into service

Green Car Congress

California’s SunLine Transit Agency has put into service a new zero-emission bus that will have the capability to cover any route in its service territory—even with the air conditioner operating at maximum levels in the middle of the summer. With funding from the private sector, the Federal Transit Administration, and the California Energy Commission, SunLine Transit unveiled an electric bus with a fuel cell range extender to support a 250-300-mile daily route.

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Dealers start to worry about ebbing repair income from electric cars

Green Car Reports

The average vehicle on U.S. roads these days is more than 10 years old, despite three successive years of record new-vehicle sales. That's a result not only of the 2008-2010 recession but also vastly more durable and reliable vehicles compared to those of previous decades. All of those vehicles provide a ready stream of service revenue to.

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Is it time to introduce EV Charging at the office?

EV Driver

As the EV revolution rolls on and picks up steam (remember that!) in 2018, more and more businesses are looking into what will be required to keep up. As it is clear that hybrids will be the first step for the majority of adventurous drivers, a lot of new hybrids come with the ability to be plugged in. So, you are surely asking yourself, why not use the little EV engine in a hybrid to reduce your CO2 emissions each and every commute to work you do.

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Ionic Materials raises $65M in Series C; polymer electrolyte for solid-state batteries

Green Car Congress

Ionic Materials has secured $65 million in a Series C financing round from a leading group of financial and strategic investors. The investors include companies from the battery manufacturing, consumer electronic and electric vehicle ecosystem which will be working with the company to speed the development of its solid polymer electrolyte battery material.

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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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Toyota develops first neodymium-reduced, heat-resistant magnet for electric motors

Green Car Congress

Toyota Motor Corporation has developed the world’s first neodymium-reduced, heat-resistant magnet. Neodymium (Nd) magnets are used in various types of motors such as the high-output motors found in electrified vehicles. The new magnet uses significantly less neodymium, a rare-earth element, and can be used in high-temperature conditions. The newly developed magnet uses no terbium (Tb) or dysprosium (Dy)—rare earths that are also categorized as critical materials necessary for highly heat-r

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Rio Tinto’s autonomous haul trucks hit one-billion-tonne milestone

Green Car Congress

Rio Tinto’s fleet of autonomous haul trucks recently hit a significant milestone at the company’s operations in Australia by moving their one-billionth tonne of material. Since commencing trial operations in 2008, haul trucks fitted with Autonomous Haulage System (AHS) technology have now moved more than one billion tonnes of both ore and waste material across five sites in the Pilbara including the newly commissioned Silvergrass mine.

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More Trending

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Novel fluid simulation software enables longer range for EVs by reducing losses in drivetrain

Green Car Congress

Driveline engineering consultancy Drive System Design (DSD) has partnered with software specialists Altair and FluiDyna to develop and enhance FluiDyna’s computer modeling technique, nanoFluidX , that significantly improves the analysis of lubrication flow. nanoFluidX utilizes a Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) methodology and increases the accuracy of analysis while reducing the simulation time from weeks to just a few days, when compared to traditional methods.

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New sensor tech for commercial Lithium-ion batteries could support >5x faster charging without compromising safety

Green Car Congress

Researchers at WMG at the University of Warwick (UK) have developed a method to assess the maximum current for commercial 18650 Li-ion batteries, using novel instrumentation methods enabling in operando measurements. In an open-access paper in the journal Electrochimica Acta , they reported that the maximum charging current that could be safely applied to the evaluated high-energy cells is 6.7 times higher than the manufacturer-stated maximum.

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Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center broadening focus to advanced biofuels

Green Car Congress

The US Department of Energy launched three Bioenergy Research Centers just over ten years ago ( earlier post ). Of them, the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center ( GLBRC ), led by the University of Wisconsin–Madison, had a goal of turning more of the corn plant—the stalk and leaves that makes up the stover—into ethanol, while developing perennial plants like switchgrass and miscanthus (also called silvergrass) into potential feedstocks.

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NETL says rare earth recovery projects meeting and exceeding expectations

Green Car Congress

Four rare earth elements (REEs) recovery projects managed by the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) ( earlier post ) have made significant progress in the development of a domestic supply of REEs from coal and coal by-products by successfully producing REE concentrates. DOE research has identified coal and coal by-products as a promising domestic source of REEs, which are critical elements in numerous modern technologies s

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

Brief

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ICCT assesses impact of EV battery manufacturing life-cycle emissions debt; policy implications

Green Car Congress

Analysts at the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) have reviewed recent research into the greenhouse gas emissions from the manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. The ICCT analysis is in the overall context of life-cycle emissions of electric cars as compared to conventional internal combustion vehicles in Europe.

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Toyota introducing new powertrain units based on TNGA; transmissions, engine, hybrid system, 4WD

Green Car Congress

Toyota Motor Corporation has developed a new continuously variable transmission (CVT) featuring a launch gear; a new 6-speed manual transmission; a new 2.0-liter engine with 40% thermal efficiency (41% in hybrid applications); a new 2.0-liter hybrid system; and new 4WD systems—one for gasoline-engined cars, one for hybrids—based on the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA).

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Study: consumer products overtake transportation as largest source of VOCs air pollution in cities

Green Car Congress

Consumer products such as shampoo, cleaning products and paint now contribute as much to emitted volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in cities as tailpipe emissions from vehicles, according to a new study led by NOAA. The results, published in an open-access paper in the journal Science , suggest that the focus of efforts to mitigate ozone formation and toxic chemical burdens need to be adjusted, the authors suggested.

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DOE awarding $6.5M to 9 large-scale Phase I pilot coal projects

Green Car Congress

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) have selected nine projects to receive approximately $6.5 million in federal funding for Phase I of the Fossil Fuel Large-Scale Pilots funding opportunity announcement (FOA). This FOA, issued in August 2017, is a $50-million funding opportunity for projects supporting cost-shared research and development to design, construct, and operate two large-scale pilots to demonstrate tran

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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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GM turns to Titan supercomputer for more detailed diesel combustion modeling

Green Car Congress

Ronald Grover, staff researcher at General Motors (GM) Research and Development and GM colleagues Jian Gao, Venkatesh Gopalakrishnan, and Ramachandra Diwakar are using the Titan supercomputer at the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (LCF), a US Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility at DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), to improve combustion models for diesel passenger car engines with an ultimate goal of accelerating innovative engine designs while meeting strict em

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Bespoke higher power version of GKN eAxle for London Taxi range-extended EV

Green Car Congress

A bespoke development of GKN’s coaxial eAxle powers the rear wheels of the LEVC (London EV Company, formerly known as London Taxi Company)’s electrified TX model. GKN Driveline launched its coaxial eAxle in its first application across Volvo’s range of T8 Twin Engine plug-in hybrids, picking up an Automotive News PACE Innovation Award in 2016. In these models, GKN’s system has an axle-split secondary drive role, with a 60 kW e-motor providing motive power to the rear wheels, working in conjuncti

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TOAR shows present-day global ozone distribution and trends relevant to health; public database

Green Car Congress

Ozone levels across much of North America and Europe dropped significantly between 2000 and 2014. Even so, during 2010-2014, people in parts of California, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, the Midwest and the Middle Atlantic still experienced more than 15 days a year in which ozone levels exceeded the US health-based air quality standard of 70 parts per billion (ppb) averaged over eight hours.

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Study finds catalyzed gasoline particulate filters effective at reducing particulate and PAH emissions from GDI engines

Green Car Congress

A new study by researchers at the Bourns College of Engineering, University of California, Riverside (UCR) and colleagues at the Manufacturers of Emission Controls Association (MECA) has found that catalyzed gasoline particulate filters (GPF) are effective not only at reducing particulate mass, black carbon, and total and solid particle number emissions in gasoline direct injection engines (GDI) but also polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitrated PAHs.

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Researchers use magnesium salt electrolyte additive to suppress growth of Li dendrites; more work needed to enhance Coulombic efficiency

Green Car Congress

Researchers from Shinshu University in Japan have developed a method to suppress the growth of lithium dendrites in Li-S and Li-air batteries. As reported in a paper in the RSC journal Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics , they used magnesium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)amide [Mg(TFSA) 2 ] as an electrolyte additive to suppress the growth of Li dendrites, leveraging the occurrence of an alloying reaction between the initially substrate-deposited Mg and the subsequently deposited Li.

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Tesla reports largest quarterly loss, maintains Musk’s Model 3 revised production targets

Green Car Congress

In Q4 2017, Tesla posted its largest quarterly loss yet, even while combined Model S and Model X deliveries in Q4 grew 10% globally compared to the prior record in Q3 and 28% compared to Q4 2016. In Q4, Tesla delivered 28,425 Model S and Model X vehicles and 1,542 Model 3 vehicles, totaling 29,967 deliveries. Telsa reported a GAAP Q4 2017 net loss of $675.35 million, with a full-year loss of $1.961 billion.

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Porsche testing blockchain applications in cars

Green Car Congress

In collaboration with the Berlin-based start-up XAIN , Porsche is currently testing blockchain applications directly in vehicles—making Porsche the first automobile manufacturer to implement and successfully test blockchain in a car. Transactions based on this technology are both secure and can be processed far more quickly than anything that has come before.

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ABI Research: implementing DSRC above cellular is more cost-effective than implementing C-V2X

Green Car Congress

New analysis of V2X (vehicle to everything) conducted by ABI Research finds that the cost of implementing DSRC (Dedicated Short-Range Communication) above cellular communications is expected to be $13.50 to $15 lower per Telematics Control Unit than implementing a C-V2X (CellularV2X) solution. The global automotive industry has been extensively comparing DSRC and C-V2X as technology alternatives for enabling V2X in vehicles in order to prevent accidents.

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DOE awarding ~$44M to seven carbon capture projects

Green Car Congress

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy has selected seven projects to receive approximately $44 million in federal funding for cost-shared research and development through the funding opportunity announcement, Design and Testing of Advanced Carbon Capture Technologies. The projects will target one of two areas: 1) engineering-scale testing of transformational solvent- or membrane-based carbon dioxide (CO?

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Ford’s redesigned Transit Connect Wagon gets 1.5L EcoBlue diesel option in US

Green Car Congress

Ford unveiled the redesigned Transit Connect Wagon at the Chicago Auto Show. The wagon, which comes in 5- or 7-passenger models, offers a choice between a new 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine with direct injection with Auto Start-Stop as standard equipment, or the new 1.5-liter EcoBlue diesel, both paired with a new 8-speed automatic. Ford is targeting the 1.5L EcoBlue diesel to deliver an EPA-estimated fuel economy rating of at least 30 mpg (7.8 l/100 km) highway; final EPA 2019 Transit

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Study finds rapid increases in nitrogen oxides may be as harmful to the heart as sustained levels

Green Car Congress

Rapid increases in pollution may be as harmful to the heart as sustained high levels, according to new research published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. The authors urgently call for confirmatory studies as even residents of clean air cities could be at risk. There is longstanding evidence that exposure to high concentrations of air pollution increases the risk for several diseases including heart attacks; accordingly, European Union (EU) statutory pollution limits are based o

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XL Hybrids unveils first hybrid-electric Ford F-250 at 2018 NTEA Work Truck Show

Green Car Congress

XL Hybrids will display three fleet-ready, electrified pickup truck solutions at NTEA’s Work Truck Show next week in Indianapolis. XL is unveiling the industry’s first XLH hybrid-electric F-250 pickup in its booth, while also displaying an XLP plug-in hybrid-electric F-150. Both trucks in XL’s booth will be displayed on vehicle lifts so attendees can step under the trucks and see how easily XL systems integrate with the Ford trucks.

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DOE awards $10.6M to ROGUE to engineer energycane, Miscanthus to produce oil for biodiesel, biojet fuel

Green Car Congress

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded the University of Illinois a $10.6-million, five-year grant to transform two of the most productive crops in the US into sustainable sources of biodiesel and biojet fuel. The new research project Renewable Oil Generated with Ultra-productive Energycane (ROGUE) kicked off on 25 February with a team meeting held in conjunction with the 2018 Genomic Sciences Program Annual Principal Investigator Meeting in Tysons, Virginia.

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Nissan’s global sales driven by strong momentum in crossover and SUV models

Green Car Congress

Nissan’s global crossover and SUV sales increased more than 12% in 2017 to more than 2 million vehicles (more than 34% of total Nissan sales for the year), driven by the all-new Nissan Kicks small crossover, the Rogue, X-Trail and Qashqai compact models, a refreshed Armada full-size SUV and the INFINITI QX30 compact luxury crossover. Nissan’s global crossover and SUV models increased nearly 13%, while INFINITI luxury crossovers and SUVs were up almost 9% in 2017.

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Motiv Power Systems debuts EPIC all-electric family of chassis for medium-duty trucks and buses

Green Car Congress

Responding to fleet market demand for complete, body-ready chassis, Motiv Power Systems is introducing the EPIC (Electric Powered Intelligent Chassis) all-electric family of chassis for 2018. Debuting at Ford’s booth and based on the E-450, F-59, and F-53 platforms, the EPIC all-electric chassis are production-line ready, drop-in replacements for the equivalent ICE chassis and are available for a wide range of medium-duty body applications including walk-in vans, box trucks, school buses, shuttl

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Lightning Systems using predictive analytics to calculate vehicle fleet fuel consumption and tailpipe emissions

Green Car Congress

Engineers from Colorado-based Lightning Systems are using artificial neural networks to predict accurately the fuel economy and tailpipe emissions of fleet vehicles. Artificial neural networks are computing systems comprising a number of highly interconnected processing elements that process information and predict outcomes. A global developer of efficiency and emissions improvement solutions for fleets, Lightning Systems ( earlier post ) is deploying this form of artificial intelligence to make

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US Air Force demonstrating hydrogen as alternate fuel source

Green Car Congress

The US Air Force is demonstrating the use of hydrogen as an alternate fuel source at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. In a recent visit to JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, members of the Air Force Civil Engineer Center’s Energy and Operations directorates were given a tour of the installation’s hydrogen production facility and shown several of the vehicles that use this alternative fuel.

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ANL: life-cycle water consumption of fuel cell vehicles can be cut in half compared to that of conventional ICE vehicles

Green Car Congress

The life-cycle water consumption of fuel cell electric vehicles using hydrogen produced from natural gas with steam methane reforming is almost 50% less than the life-cycle water consumption of conventional internal combustion engine vehicles using gasoline, according to a study by researchers at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). If the hydrogen is produced from solar power and water, the life-cycle water consumption is almost 60% less.

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Joby Aviation secures $100M in Series B for electric VTOL; Intel, EDBI, JetBlue and Toyota

Green Car Congress

Venture-backed startup Joby Aviation has secured $100 million in Series B financing to take its all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) passenger aircraft into pre-production and certification. The financing was led by Intel Capital, and includes strategic investors Singapore-based EDBI, JetBlue Technology Ventures, and Toyota AI Ventures.

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UPS collaborating with Workhorse to deploy 50 electric trucks; rivaling acquisition cost of conventional; no subsidies

Green Car Congress

UPS plans to deploy 50 plug-in electric delivery trucks that will be comparable in acquisition cost to conventional-fueled trucks without any subsidies—an industry first that would breaki a key barrier to large scale adoption of electric fleets. The company is collaborating with Workhorse Group, Inc. to design the vehicles from the ground up. Workhorse claims these vehicles provide nearly 400% fuel efficiency improvement as well as optimum energy efficiency, vehicle performance and a bette

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