Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 23, 2012

Diesel engine torque output as a function of the engine speed (rpm) for the tested fuels. Credit: ACS, Wahlen et al. Click to enlarge. Biodiesel (fatty acid methyl ester) derived from oleaginous microbes—microalgae, yeast, and bacteria—can effectively displace both petroleum diesel and biodiesel produced from plant oils, according to the findings of a new study by a team from Utah State University.

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Diesel Oil Fuel Exhaust 316

Green Car Reports

NOVEMBER 19, 2012

The 2013 Ford C-Max Energi is the first plug-in hybrid from Ford to hit the road, and the company sold 144 of them in October even before letting journalists drive the car. It’s the pricier and more capable of the two C-Max models, and Ford compares it directly to the Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid. That car, which went on sale in February this.

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2013 Plug-in Ford Plug 145

National Green Transportation

NOVEMBER 17, 2012

El Mirage Dry Lake Bed, California (November 16, 2012) - Lightning Motorcycles has set another electric motorcycle land speed record. The 189 miles/hr record on the 1.3 mile course at El Mirage is enough to let Lightning claim.

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Motorcycles Electric Motorcycles Solar Power 104

Green Cars News

NOVEMBER 21, 2012

Motorists in California are the first to get the chance to run their cars using fuel derived from algae. The new SoladieselBD is being sold through the Propel Fuels network of renewable fuelling stations across the Bay Area of California, as part of a month long trial. Developed by Solazyme, the new fuel is derived [.].

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California Fuel Renewable Parts 66

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Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is [link] about $11 million to 20 new projects to help states and local governments to develop the infrastructure, training, and regional planning needed to help meet the demand for alternative fuel cars and trucks, including vehicles that run on natural gas, electricity, and propane. Through the Department’s Clean Cities initiative, these projects address a range of community infrastructure and training needs, such as providing safety and technical training for

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Clean Cleaning Alternative Fuels Fuel 308

Green Car Reports

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

This is starting to look not so good. It appears that two new hybrid cars from Ford--the 2013 C-Max Hybrid hatchback and the 2013 Fusion Hybrid sedan--may not deliver real-world gas mileage that's anywhere near their 47-mpg EPA ratings. Automotive journalists have been quietly discussing this for a few weeks, since Ford began releasing C-Max and.

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EPA Fuel Economy Ford Hybrid 136

Green Cars News

NOVEMBER 21, 2012

Hybrid cars aren’t just more fuel efficient and therefore cheaper to run, they are also less likely to be stolen according to new crime data released in the US. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NCIB) which represents American insurance firms, thieves seem less interested in hybrid models, deterred perhaps by the unique technology [.].

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Hybrid Fuel Cars Prius 59

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 23, 2012

Peugeot has further lowered the fuel consumption of its 1.6 HDi and 1.6 e-HDi diesel engine through a variety of technologies, including: New variable delivery oil pump, making it possible to adjust effort taken from the engine to just what is strictly necessary; new low viscosity engine and gearbox oils so as to reduce the mechanical losses resulting from friction; new generation crankshaft oil seals, allowing reduced sealing load and so of friction; redesigned alternator drive belt pulley for

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Engine Fuel Kits Oil 287

Green Car Reports

NOVEMBER 19, 2012

Being an antique auto historian and appraiser is the greatest job I've ever had. I get to drive all sorts of cars that I've admired from afar, but never actually had a chance to drive before. I've always gotten a kick out of the little, economical Crosley cars built between 1939 and 1952. Cincinnati industrialist Powel Crosley Jr., made his.

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Green Cars Green Cars Auto 128

Honda S2000 EV Conversion

NOVEMBER 17, 2012

Fellow EVers, Join me in tracking your EV at [link]. This is a handy sight a friend of mine put together to track your EV miles, fuel saved, money saved, carbon reduction, etc. You can now follow my EV statistics on right side of this blog. Check it out!

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Miles Carbon Fuel 40

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Green Cars News

NOVEMBER 22, 2012

Just a quick post to let you know about a chance to get on TV (if that’s your thing). If you are serious about to buying an electric car, then Channel 4 is looking for you. Production company Optomen is in the process of filming a new TV Show called ‘Britain’s Shoppers’, which will look [.].

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Electric Cars Cars Buy Electric 59

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 19, 2012

A new report commissioned by the World Bank, and prepared by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) and Climate Analytics, provides a snapshot of recent scientific literature and new analyses of likely impacts and risks that would be associated with a 4 °C global warming within this century. The report— Turn Down the Heat —attempts to outline a range of risks, focusing on developing countries and especially the poor.

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Climate Change Global Climate Africa 285

Green Car Reports

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

It isn't easy to impress Consumer Reports. Fisker Automotive knows this better than most, after its Karma range-extended sedan was savaged by the magazine earlier this year. In contrast, the 2012 Tesla Model S looks to have gone down rather well, CR describing it as "a revelation". High praise indeed, and it's sure to join Motor Trend's 'Car of.

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2012 Karma Fisker Tesla 122

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 22, 2012

Renault Trucks, a member of the Volvo Group, is exploring the use of a Rankine-cycle-based waste-heat-recovery system for its long-haul trucks. The Rankine cycle is a simple closed thermodynamic cycle that converts heat from an external source into work. With the system, enthalpy of the vehicle’s exhaust gases is recovered and then converted into electricity by a generator incorporated into the turbine.

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Waste Exhaust Convert Volvo 281

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Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

Nissan’s grain boundary diffusion process allows it to reduce the use of dysprosium in the traction motor in the updated LEAF by 40%. Click to enlarge. Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. released the updated Nissan LEAF electric vehicle (EV) in Japan. The battery-electric LEAF, now in its second iteration, is now available at Nissan dealers nationwide. With the updates, range at full charge on the JC08 cycle is expected to be 228 km (141 miles)—a 14% improvement over the original version of the LEAF w

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Japan Nissan Available Motor 274

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

General Motors is leveraging two separate organizations—its internal R&D group and the recently formed GM Ventures—to accelerate innovation and to introduce new technology to keep the company on the forefront of the technology revolution now taking place in the automotive industry, according to John Lauckner, GM’s Chief Technology Officer; Vice President, Global Research & Development; and President, GM Ventures.

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Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 21, 2012

Voltage profile of LMFP. Source: DEM. Click to enlarge. Dow Energy Materials (DEM), a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company, has introduced a newly developed phosphate-based battery material, Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate (LMFP), which increases energy density by 10—15% in battery cells over iron phosphate material [LFP]. As a result, this technology can enable energy storage systems to weigh less and require fewer cells, which in turn can lower cost.

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Energy Li-ion Batteries Battery 268

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 23, 2012

A team from the Tokyo University of Science and Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI) reports that the use of a crop-derived polysaccharide as a binder in silicon-graphite electrodes “drastically” improves electrode performance compared to the conventional binder PVdF. Click to enlarge. A paper on their work is published in the journal ChemSusChem.

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Li-ion Lithium Ion Polymer Japan 265

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 22, 2012

A report released by the International Transport Forum (ITF) at the OECD highlights. the role of national governments in improving pedestrian mobility and proposes 12 sets of measures to create safer walking environments. Walking is inexpensive, emission-free, uses no fossil fuel, offers important health benefits and, for those without substantially impaired mobility, is accessible regardless of income.

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International Transportation Environment Legal 265

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 22, 2012

At the 10 th China (Guangzhou) International Automobile Exhibition, Honda announced it was introducing the Insight and the Fit Hybrid to the China market, in addition to the CR-Z, which was launched in July. Honda also announced its plans to further expand its lineup of hybrid models in China. In order to offer its hybrid models to Chinese customers at more affordable prices, Honda will begin preparation for local production of hybrid models in China in 2014.

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Insight Honda China Hybrid 265

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 18, 2012

Average of product distribution from the fast pyrolysis of pine without and with torrefaction pretreatment. Srinivasan et al. Click to enlarge. Researchers at Auburn University and North Carolina State University have shown that using a simple pretreatment process—torrefaction—improves the quality of bio-oil produced via catalytic fast pyrolysis.

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Oil North Carolina Fuel Universal 253

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

A status review of California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) ( earlier post ) for the period of 2011 and the first quarter of 2012 by Dr. Sonia Yeh at the Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis and Julie Witcover found that regulated parties in the LCFS—i.e., oil producers and importers to California—exceeded the standard in 2011 and the first quarter (Q1) of 2012 by a substantial margin.

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Standards California 2012 2011 247

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 19, 2012

VayuGrid, a biofuel supply chain company based in Bangalore, India has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to create a biofuel cluster around its VayuSap, an elite, high-yield Pongamia (a leguminous, oilseed-bearing tree), in Ethiopia Africa. The cluster will create a $2.5M biofuel investment opportunity and is part of a larger government plan to develop a biofuel park in Ethiopia.

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Ethiopia India Africa Supplies 247

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 22, 2012

Commonwealth countries can cut their cumulative oil bill by £2 trillion (US$3.2 trillion) through to 2050 and can help cut the world’s road transport energy use and CO 2 emissions by nearly half in that same time, by improving vehicle fuel economy, according to an opinion paper recently published by the Commonwealth Advisory Bureau (CAB) and sponsored by the Global Fuel Economy Initiative (GFEI).

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Fuel Economy Economy Oil Trinidad 246

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

CLEVER, a leading electric mobility operator (EMO) in Denmark has chosen ABB to supply 50 Terra 51 DC fast chargers at multiple locations throughout Denmark. ABB’s Terra 51 is specially designed for freeway driving and is capable of charging an electric vehicle in 30 minutes or less. The first six ABB Terra 51 fast charge stations are due to be delivered and installed this week and represent the largest deployment of smart electric vehicle chargers in Denmark.

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Denmark DC Supplies Connect 246

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 19, 2012

BAE Systems has awarded Saft $1.3 million in new funding for the continued development of a Li-ion energy storage system for the US Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) program. ( Earlier post.) Saft, which is designing and building ultra- high-power cells for the vehicle’s hybrid electric drive system, has already completed the demo battery system including hardware and software.

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Li-ion Energy Storage Energy North America 246

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 22, 2012

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) (DE-FOA-0000796) to garner input from researchers in industry, academia, and other interested biofuels stakeholders to identify key technical barriers in converting biomass via thermochemical direct liquefaction pathways to transportation fuels in the gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel ranges.

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Conversion Transportation Fuel Oil 244

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) released the results of California’s first quarterly auction under the cap-and-trade program. One allowance permits the release of one metric ton of carbon dioxide. Of the 23,126,110 allowances offered for the Current Auction (2013 Vintage), 23,126,110 were sold with a settlement price of $10.09 (auction reserve price was $10.00).

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CO2 Climate Change 2013 Gas-Electric 244

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

One of the Station Location Area maps showing the use of “polygons” (see below) to rank desirability of location via scoring. Click to enlarge. The California Energy Commission has issued a competitive grant solicitation ( PON-12-606 ) to award up to a combined $28.59 million for new hydrogen refueling stations in 25 selected areas. The goal is to expand the network of publicly accessible hydrogen fueling stations to serve the current population of fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) and to accommodate th

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Hydrogen California Energy Renewable 244

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 19, 2012

Theoretical flowchart linking SP to HREP. * Indicates motivation to act environmentally for the benefit of the valued object: other human beings (voting and political actions). Credit: ACS, Kerret and Shvartzvald. Click to enlarge. A country’s social policy (SP) plays an important role in explaining differences in the environmental performance (EP) of countries, according to a new study by Dorit Kerret and Renana Shvartzvald at Tel-Aviv University.

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2012 Global Connect Connected 244

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 19, 2012

Overview of the work packages in SmartBatt. Click to enlarge. The European SmartBatt (Smart and Safe Integration of Batteries in Electric Vehicles) consortium has produced a prototype optimized battery pack targeted at small electric vehicles; the pack is currently on display at the European Electric Vehicle Congress (EEVC) in Brussels. The objective of the two-year, €3-million (US$3.8 million) SmartBatt project, which ends in December, is to develop and proof an innovative, multifunctional, lig

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Electric Vehicles Batteries Battery Future 244

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 17, 2012

When airborne particles (green) form before PAHs adhere, both the pollutants and particles dissipate quickly, as shown in the top row. But when the particles form in the presence of pollutants, which is what likely happens in nature, the longer-lasting particles enable the long-range transport of the pollutants (bottom). Credit: ACS, Zelenyuk et al.

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Pollution Transportation Range Escape 244

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 22, 2012

GE Aviation has acquired the assets of Morris Technologies, and its sister company, Rapid Quality Manufacturing, precision manufacturing companies operating in suburban Cincinnati, Ohio. Terms were not disclosed. The two privately-held companies, with about 130 Cincinnati-area employees specialize in additive manufacturing, an automated process for creating rapid prototypes and end-use production components.

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Manufacturer Companies Ohio France 236

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 22, 2012

The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) has launched an interdisciplinary research institute to promote a technologically advanced and globally competitive manufacturing base in the United States. Under this new initiative, the Manufacturing Research Center has been renamed the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute and has expanded to engage researchers from all of Georgia Tech’s colleges, the Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI²) and the Georgia Tech Research Institute.

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Georgia Manufacturer United States Industrial 236