Sat.Sep 05, 2015 - Fri.Sep 11, 2015

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Bosch presenting new heat pump EV thermal management system at IAA; up to 25% increase in effective range

Green Car Congress

At IAA next week, automotive supplier Bosch is presenting a new heat-pump-based thermal management system for EVs that it says can enable an increase in effective range of up to 25% without modifications to the battery. In battery-driven powertrains, heating and cooling can play a significantly greater role than in gasoline or diesel engines, since without a combustion engine, the vehicle does not have a generous supply of heat.

Range 269
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Mercedes Confirms All-Electric Luxury Car To Fight Tesla 'Very Soon'

Green Car Reports

By now, it's well known that the German prestige brands--Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche--will all offer at least one battery-electric luxury sedan or crossover utility vehicle sometime between 2017 and 2021. It's all in response to the startling success of Silicon Valley electric-car maker Tesla Motors. Now another piece of evidence has.

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FAA awards $100M to 8 companies for CLEEN II development; lower fuel consumption, emissions and noise

Green Car Congress

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has awarded $100 million in contracts to eight companies to develop and to demonstrate aviation technologies that reduce fuel consumption, emissions, and noise under the second phase of its Continuous Lower Energy, Emissions, and Noise (CLEEN II) program. (The CLEEN II solicitation was posted in October 2014.).

Emissions 244
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Jaguar Land Rover investigating energy-efficient vehicle heating and cooling; Air Bubbles and Air Blankets

Green Car Congress

Because heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC) consume substantial amounts of energy—and therefore fuel, or electrical energy stored in the battery of a Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV)—Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is working on research projects that could significantly reduce the energy consumed when heating and cooling a vehicle.

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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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Rice team demonstrates plasmonic hot-electron solar water-splitting technology; simpler, cheaper and efficient

Green Car Congress

Researchers at Rice have demonstrated an efficient new way to use solar energy for water splitting. The technology, described in a paper in the ACS journal Nano Letters , relies on a novel plasmonic photoelectrode architecture of light-activated gold nanoparticles that harvest sunlight to drive photocatalytic reactions by efficient, non-radiative plasmon decay into “hot carriers”—highly excited electrons.

Water 233
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Bosch leading Direct4Gas consortium to develop direct injection for monovalent natural gas engines

Green Car Congress

Bosch is leading a consortium in a German government-funded project to develop a direct injection system for monovalent natural gas engines—i.e., engines that run exclusively on CNG. Compared with present systems that use manifold gas injection, a direct injection system for natural gas could deliver as much as 60% more torque at low rpm, and offer the prospect of an even more dynamic driving experience in the CNG cars of the future.

Gas 228

More Trending

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IHS cuts 2015 light vehicle sales forecast in China to 23.4 million; deeper cut for 2016

Green Car Congress

IHS revised downward its forecast for light vehicle sales in China, projecting a decline of 3 to 4 percent from previous estimates for 2015. IHS Automotive has reduced its full year 2015 light vehicle sales forecast for China to 23.4 million units, reflecting a growth rate over 2014 of just 1.4 percent, compared with its previous forecast of 4.4 percent year-over-year growth.

Light 220
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Route Monkey partners with Heriot-Watt University to develop new algorithms for route optimization

Green Car Congress

Scotland-based route optimization company Route Monkey is teaming up with Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh to develop new algorithms to optimize the use of vans, trucks and passenger cars. The partnership with Heriot-Watt University will initially focus on delivering the £1.5-million (US$2.3-million) National Scheduling Platform project—an on-demand route optimization and scheduling solution that can be easily accessed via a web portal.

Universal 218
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AT&T’s first vehicle OBD-plug-in Wi-Fi hotspot ZTE Mobley connects up to 5 devices

Green Car Congress

AT&T and ZTE USA are now offering the ZTE Mobley, AT&T’s first plug-in vehicle Wi-Fi hotspot, starting 11 Sept., in AT&T stores and online at www.att.com/mobley. The ZTE Mobley allows up to five devices to connect to the internet. The ZTE Mobley plugs into the vehicle's OBD II (on-board diagnostics) port. It works with most vehicles 1996 and newer. Once plugged in, there is no need for charging cables for the device.

Connect 209
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New engines in Porsche 911 Carrera boost power and torque; almost 12% more efficient

Green Car Congress

The new Porsche 911 Carrera features a set of new engines that increase power and torque while also decreasing fuel consumption. The completely new engine generation with bi-turbo charging offers 370 hp (272 kW) at the rear of the 911 Carrera and 420 hp (309 kW) in the 911 Carrera S. In both cases this represents a power increase of 20 hp (15 kW). Both engines have a displacement of three liters.

Porsche 209
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Faurecia and Accenture partner on products and services for connected and autonomous vehicles

Brief

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10 automakers commit to making automatic emergency braking standard in US

Green Car Congress

Ten major vehicle manufacturers have committed to making automatic emergency braking (AEB) a standard feature on all new vehicles built, the US Department of Transportation, its National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) announced today. The announcement, made at the dedication of IIHS’s newly expanded Vehicle Research Center, represents a major step toward making crash-prevention technologies more widely available to consumers.

Standards 207
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Intelligent Energy showcasing fuel cell range-extended light commercial vehicle at LCV2015

Green Car Congress

Fuel cell technology provider Intelligent Energy is displaying and demonstrating a fuel-cell range-extended electric light commercial development vehicle at LCV2015 in the UK. The prototype ZERE (Zero Emissions Range Extender) van is the first stage in an on-going UK consortium project that is supported by funding from the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) to develop a new class of range-extended commercial vehicle.

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DEINOVE and Tyton partner to combine bacterial fermentation solutions with energy tobacco feedstock for biofuels and bio-based chemicals

Green Car Congress

DEINOVE, a biotech company developing innovative processes for producing biofuels and bio-based chemicals using Deinococcus bacteria as host strains ( earlier post ), and Tyton BioEnergy Systems , an agricultural biotech company with novel tobacco technology used to produce green chemicals and agricultural products, have entered into a technology and commercialization partnership.

Energy 203
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Toyota and public and private partners in Japan to trial renewable CO2-free hydrogen supply chain

Green Car Congress

Major corporate and public sector partners in Japan are launching an effort to test a full carbon-neutral hydrogen supply chain powered by renewable wind energy. The trials are planned to take place near the cities of Yokohama and Kawasaki in the Keihin coastal region. On the public sector side, the project is being implemented by the Kanagawa Prefectural Government, Yokohama City, and Kawasaki City.

Hydrogen 203
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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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Volkswagen Group inaugurates its own engine plant in Russia

Green Car Congress

Following three years of construction, the Volkswagen Group today inaugurated its new engine plant at Kaluga, Russia. The plant will produce the newly developed 1.6-liter EA211 gasoline engine—the most modern engine technology of the Volkswagen Group. The engines are for the Volkswagen Polo and the ŠKODA Rapid produced in Kaluga, as well as for the Volkswagen Jetta and the ŠKODA Octavia and Yeti, built jointly with GAZ in Nizhny Novgorod.

Russia 203
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Audi donating €1 million in emergency aid for refugees in Europe

Green Car Congress

Audi is providing €1 million (US$1.1 million) in emergency aid available for refugees in Europe. The company is using the funds to support aid initiatives at its production sites in Ingolstadt, Neckarsulm, Brussels and Győr. We have been shocked by the great suffering of the refugees in Europe. People at our doorsteps are in need – and we therefore want to offer help quickly and avoid red tape.

Audi 199
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ITM Power to site three Hydrogen Refueling Stations on Shell retail forecourts in UK

Green Car Congress

ITM Power has signed a strategic siting partnership with Shell for the delivery of Hydrogen Refueling Stations (HRS) on three Shell retail forecourts in the UK. These three HRS deployments will be the first to be integrated onto forecourts in the UK. ITM Power announced on 28 March 2015 that it had been awarded £1.89 million (US$2.9 million) by OLEV (Office for Low Emission Vehicles) to invest in two new HRS in London at strategic locations suitable for use by Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV).

Hydrogen 199
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ANSYS and Cray set new supercomputer simulation record; 4x last record

Green Car Congress

Simulation software provider ANSYS and Cray Inc., working in conjunction with two supercomputing centers—the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) and the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC)—have toppled the previous simulation world record by scaling ANSYS Fluent to 129,000 compute cores, nearly 4x the previous record of 36,000 cores (achieved less than a year ago with NCSA).

2005 199
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Opinion: The Default Next Move For Oil Is Downwards, And Here’s Why

Green Car Congress

by Martin Tillier of Oilprice.com. As traders, investors and pundits, we all like to think that what we do is akin to a science. We believe that by working harder and being smarter we can give ourselves an edge, that enough research will reveal to us the next move, either a long term trend or an intraday blip on a chart, and that we can profit from that knowledge.

Oil 199
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NSF-funded supercomputing project to combine physics-based modeling with massive amounts of data

Green Car Congress

The National Science Foundation will provide $2.42 million to develop a unique facility for refining complex, physics-based computer models with big data techniques at the University of Michigan. The university will provide an additional $1.04 million. The focal point of the project will be a new computing resource, called ConFlux , which is designed to enable supercomputer simulations to interface with large datasets while running.

Universal 197
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USDA announces state finalists for $100M Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership for pumps with higher ethanol blends

Green Car Congress

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that 21 states will receive $100 million in grants through the Biofuel Infrastructure Partnership (BIP) to add infrastructure needed to supply more renewable fuel to drivers in the US. Since announcing the program in May 2015, the US. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) received applications requesting more than $130 million, outpacing the $100 million that is available.

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Achates Power proposes EPA/NHTSA medium- and heavy-duty engine standard require 15% decrease in fuel consumption and emissions

Green Car Congress

Achates Power, Inc., the developer of a family of efficient compression-ignition opposed-piston two-stroke (OP2S) engines ( earlier post ), proposed more stringent engine fuel efficiency and emission standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles at a recent public hearing held by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on “Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles – Phase 2”.

EPA 197
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DOE to award up to $11M for medium- and heavy-duty vehicle powertrain electrification and dual fuel fleet demonstration

Green Car Congress

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a funding opportunity ( DE-FOA-0001349 ) announcement for up to $11 million to support projects covering two areas of technical interest. The first is medium- and heavy-duty powertrain electrification; the second is a dual fuel fleet demonstration. DOE anticipates making approximately 2 to 4 awards under this FOA, with the majority of funding going to electrification projects.

Fleet 197
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Enerkem has raised C$152.6M, starts waste-to-biomethanol production

Green Car Congress

Canada-based Enerkem Inc., a waste-to-biofuels and chemicals producer, has raised C$152.6 million (US$115 million) and has initiated the production of biomethanol from non-recyclable household garbage at the Enerkem Alberta Biofuels full-scale facility in Edmonton, Canada. The financings comprise a recently accessed C$29-million (US$22-million) debt facility from Integrated Asset Management Corp.’s (IAM) Private Debt Group as well as C$50 million (US$38 million) in private placements from curren

Waste 197
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Volvo Buses unveiling Volvo 7900 Electric bus at Busworld in October

Green Car Congress

When Volvo Buses participates in the Busworld exhibition in Kortrijk, Belgium in October, the company will unveil the Volvo 7900 Electric—Volvo’s first series-produced electric bus under its own brand. The electric model is around 80% more energy-efficient than a conventional diesel bus. The bus’s batteries are charged through the energy generated during engine braking, as well as at bus stops via the power grid.

Volvo 197
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Toyota Tsusho becomes official partner for EFOY Pro direct methanol fuel cells in Japan

Green Car Congress

SFC Energy AG, a provider of hybrid power solutions to the stationary and mobile power generation markets, has signed a new partner agreement with Toyota Tsusho Corporation through which Toyota Tsusho will become an official representative of SFC in Japan. A first order of EFOY Pro direct methanol fuel cells has already been shipped for sale by Toyota Tsusho in Japan.

Japan 197
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Global Bioenergies joins aireg to push jet fuel application of its isobutene process; isododecane

Green Car Congress

France-based Global Bioenergies, a company developing a processes to convert renewable resources into hydrocarbons through fermentation, has joined aireg (Aviation Initiative for Renewable Energy in Germany e.V.) aireg, an organization promoting the development and use of renewable liquid fuels in aviation, aims to replace 10% of German jet fuel demand with sustainable, alternative aviation fuels by 2025.

Global 197
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Ford launches Hsuehshan Tunnel Transformer Challenge in Taiwan; Mobility Challenge Series 2.0

Green Car Congress

Building on the success of Ford’s Innovate Mobility Challenge Series (IMCS) 1.0 in 2014 ( earlier post ), Ford has launched the Hsuehshan Tunnel Transformer Challenge in Taiwan, which asks developers to submit traffic-busting solutions for the main highway artery between Taipei and popular tourist destination Yilan. The Hsuehshan Tunnel Transformer Challenge will task developers with optimizing traffic between the Taipei metropolitan area—home to seven million residents—and Yilan, a

Taiwan 188
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Ensyn receives EPA regulatory approval for its cellulosic renewable diesel RFDiesel

Green Car Congress

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently granted Ensyn Corporation ( earlier post ) Part 79 registration for its renewable diesel product, RFDiesel. This registration, pursuant to Title 40 CFR Part 79 of the Clean Air Act, is required for the sale of RFDiesel in the US. RFDiesel, a drop-in diesel transportation fuel, is created by processing Ensyn’s renewable crude (RFO), a liquid cellulosic feedstock, with customary petroleum feedstocks in conventional petroleum refineries (RFO Cop

Renewable 188
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TM4 introducing new controller for electric and hybrid vehicles

Green Car Congress

TM4 is launching a new fully programmable controller—TM4 NEURO 200—designed specifically for electric and hybrid vehicles. Engineered according to ISO26262 principles for the latest safety and quality standards, it enables the development of multiple control features by interacting closely with the man-machine interface, traction system and other components.

Hybrid 188
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Peak emissions at London Paddington rail station worse than road-side equivalents

Green Car Congress

Peak-time emissions from diesel trains at London’s Paddington Station exceed the European recommendations for outdoor air quality, and are higher than nearby roadsides on the majority of days, according to a new study published as an open access paper in the IOP journal Environmental Research Letters. Air quality has been linked to a variety of health effects, and as such, guidelines in place in Europe to control outdoor air quality have driven reduced emissions from road vehicles.

London 188
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DOE awards MSU $5M to study how biofuel crops acquire nitrogen; potential to reduce fertilizer use

Green Car Congress

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has [link] Michigan State University a $5-million grant to study how biofuel crops acquire nitrogen, insights that could help maximize yields while minimizing fertilizer use. Sarah Evans, an integrative biologist at MSU’s Kellogg Biological Station, and a team of MSU colleagues will study how plants interact with microbes living near their roots to obtain nutrients, especially biofuel crops growing in abandoned farmlands, or marginal lands.

Wisconsin 188
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New class of high-capacity cation-disordered oxides for Li-ion battery cathodes; up to 250 mAh/g

Green Car Congress

Researchers from MIT, Argonne National Laboratory and UC Berkeley led by Dr. Gerbrand Ceder (now at UC Berkeley/Lawrence Berkeley Lab as of 1 July, formerly at MIT) have developed a new class of high capacity cation-disordered oxides—lithium-excess nickel titanium molybdenum oxides (Li-Ni-Ti-Mo, or LNTMO)—for Li-ion cathode materials which deliver capacities up to 250 mAh/g.

Li-ion 188
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Toyota unveils new 2016 Prius; first global vehicle based on TNGA

Green Car Congress

Toyota fully unveiled its fourth-generation Prius in an outdoor event Tuesday night in Las Vegas. The new Prius is lower, longer, and wider. The vehicle features smaller, lighter hybrid system components; higher energy density in the batteries; and an internal combustion engine with a thermal efficiency of more than 40%. Toyota did not provide specifics of fuel consumption and electric range, but confirmed that it expected a 10% improvement in EPA-estimated MPG on core models (51 mpg city, 48 mp

Prius 188