Green Car Congress

APRIL 6, 2014

'Komatsu America Corp. introduced its new HB215LC-2 hybrid hydraulic excavator. This third-generation model is based on iterations of Komatsu hybrid experience; Komatsu was the first in the industry to introduce a hybrid excavator in 2008. ( Earlier post.) Since then, the company has sold more than 2,500 hybrid excavators worldwide. The HB215LC-2 saves an average of 20% fuel with an equivalent reduction in CO 2 emissions as compared to the standard excavator model.

America 326

America Hybrid Fuel Energy Storage 326

Green Car Reports

APRIL 8, 2014

'Overshadowed by their spectacular sales success in March, electric vehicles hit a momentous milestone in Norway last month. Fully one percent of Norway''s passenger-car fleet now consists of battery electric vehicles. And this isn''t a case of rounding up, either – this is a full 1 percent. As reported by Norwegian website Gronn Bil ("Green.

Norway 167

Norway Plug-in Plug Cars 167

Green Cars News

APRIL 7, 2014

'The search for better performing batteries for electric car is an on-going project for many carmakers, as they look to deliver more range per charge, faster recharging times and better durability. Now Nissan has developed a new technique which make it easier to test the durability of batteries as [.].

Nissan 57

Nissan Batteries Battery Recharge 57

Green Car Congress

APRIL 9, 2014

'Specific BSFC improvements from the D-EGR engine relative to baseline engine. Overall, the engine offered a 13.1% improvement in city fuel economy (24.5 to 27.7 mpg) and a 9.2% improvement on the highway (43.6 to 47.6 mpg). Chadwell et al., 2014-01-1190. Click to enlarge. Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) announced preliminary test results of its Dedicated-Exhaust Gas Recirculation (D-EGR) demonstration vehicle ( earlier post ) at the SAE 2014 World Congress in Detroit.

Gasoline 317

Gasoline Emissions Diesel Exhaust 317

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Norway

Green Car Congress

APRIL 10, 2014

'Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have quantified the fuel economy effects of some common driver practices and vehicle accessories or alterations—including underinflated tires, open windows, and rooftop and hitch-mounted cargo. They presented their results in a paper at SAE 2014 World Congress in Detroit. They first subjected a compact passenger sedan and a sport utility vehicle to SAE J2263 coastdown procedures.

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Fuel Economy Economy Cost Of Fuel 313

Green Car Congress

APRIL 11, 2014

'Researchers at Stanford University have developed a nanocrystalline copper material that produces multi-carbon oxygenates (ethanol, acetate and n-propanol) with up to 57% Faraday efficiency at modest potentials (–0.25?volts to –0.5?volts versus the reversible hydrogen electrode) in CO-saturated alkaline water. The material’s selectivity for oxygenates, with ethanol as the major product, demonstrates the feasibility of a two-step conversion of CO 2 to liquid fuel that could be powered by renewab

Fuel 300

Fuel CO2 Carbon Conversion 300

Green Car Congress

APRIL 8, 2014

'Tesla Motors has launched a new business leasing program for the Model S. The Tesla business lease is available through Tesla Finance, a new subsidiary set up especially to offer this new product to business customers. As an example, according to the configurator on Tesla’s site, the monthly lease payment for an 85 kWh model (cash price $79,900) would run $1,199; factoring in gasoline savings (-$261 per month) and the business tax benefit (-$395 per month) brings that to a net $543 per month.

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Tesla Financing Tax Tesla Motors 278

Green Car Congress

APRIL 10, 2014

'New 1.3L Atkinson cycle engine can reach a thermal efficiency of 38%. Click to enlarge. Toyota Motor Corporation has developed a new series of fuel-efficient gasoline engines that achieve improved thermal efficiency. The new engines leverage combustion and loss-reduction technologies Toyota has refined in its dedicated hybrid engines (such as use of the Atkinson cycle) as well as in its conventional engines, and will deliver fuel efficiency improvements of at least 10% over current vehicles (ba

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Gasoline Toyota Engine Fuel 273

Green Car Congress

APRIL 11, 2014

'Chemists at Ludwig Maximilians Universität München report that 20% of the gases produced by the combustion of R1234yf—the approved low global warming potential refrigerant for mobile air conditioning (MAC) systems, the adoption of which has met with resistance from German automakers ( earlier post )—consist of the highly toxic chemical carbonyl fluoride.

Hydrogen 259

Hydrogen 2014 Automobile Manufacturer Global 259

Green Car Congress

APRIL 9, 2014

'The US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue, on behalf of the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Biological and Chemical Upgrading for Advanced Biofuels and Products”. ( DE-FOA-0001104 ). The FOA seeks diversification of the BETO portfolio to allow for biological, chemical and hybrid upgrading processes (multi-step, chemical and biological) that will broadly encompass pathways fo

Conversion 256

Conversion IDEA Renewable Concept 256

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 8, 2014

'FEV North America, Inc. is showcasing its most recent transmission design at the SAE World Congress in Detroit, Mich. The plug?in hybrid transmission’s capabilities include a 2?speed all-electric driving mode; use as an ICE range extender in parallel mode for efficient highway driving; and a highly flexible eCVT mode (power split) that features strong launch and creep performance without clutch slippage.

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Congress Plug-in Plug Hybrid 255

Green Car Congress

APRIL 5, 2014

'The staff of the California Air Resources Board (ARB) has posted for public comment current final modifications for the Zero Emission Vehicle Regulation for 15 days. ( Earlier post.) Statutorily, depending upon the comments received, ARB staff may either make further modifications and resubmit to Board for further consideration; failing that, the Board will adopt the new regulatory language.

California 255

California Batteries Battery 2017 255

Green Car Congress

APRIL 8, 2014

'In preparation for the next generation of electric vehicles and advanced battery technologies, General Motors will invest $449 million to upgrade manufacturing processes at its Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly and Brownstown Battery Assembly plants. The investment is the largest to date at both facilities and includes $384 million at Detroit-Hamtramck for new body shop tooling, equipment, and additional plant upgrades to build the next generation Chevrolet Volt and two future products.

Lithium Ion 252

Lithium Ion GM Detroit Batteries 252

Green Car Congress

APRIL 7, 2014

'Main technology trends and the vision share of engines in Europe. [ERTRAC / EUCAR] Click to enlarge. The European Road Transport Research Advisory Council ( ERTRAC ) has published a new roadmap assessing energy carriers and powertrains in the context of the European target to achieve a 60% reduction in CO 2 emissions from transport by 2050. ERTRAC is the European Technology Platform (ETP) for Road Transport recognized and supported by the European Commission.

Gas 246

Gas Energy Power Powered 246

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Guyana

Green Car Congress

APRIL 6, 2014

'ABB and Solar Impulse have formed a technology alliance under which ABB will support Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg in their attempt to fly around the world in a solar-powered airplane in 2015. The two have already demonstrated the first flight through the night with a solar airplane as well as record-breaking missions across Europe, the Mediterranean Sea and the United States. ( Earlier post.).

Solar 246

Solar Power Powered Carbon Fiber 246

Green Car Congress

APRIL 9, 2014

'Maxwell Technologies, Inc. is supplying ultracapacitors to ABB for its recent contract win to upgrade Philadelphia area rail lines. ABB will install a hybrid version of its high-efficiency ENVILINE wayside energy recovery and storage system for the Southeast Pennsylvania Transit Authority’s (SEPTA) light rail system serving the greater Philadelphia area.

Philadelphia 240

Philadelphia Supplies District of Columbia Energy 240

Green Car Congress

APRIL 9, 2014

'The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will award $4.2 million in grant funding for clean diesel projects at six US ports. EPA is also hosting the “Advancing Sustainable Ports” summit to mark the kickoff of a new initiative to recognize ports that take action to improve environmental performance. The grants awarded today will help six ports improve air quality and reduce carbon emissions, by providing $4.2 million in Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) grants to retrofit, replace, or re

EPA 240

EPA Diesel Clean Cleaning 240

Green Car Congress

APRIL 7, 2014

'Ioxus, a manufacturer of premium performance ultracapacitor technology for use in transportation, industrial and energy applications, completed its series C funding with receipt of $21 million from investors. IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector, together with the Westly Group, a venture capital firm based in Menlo Park, California, led the financing.

China 240

China Companies Asia Financing 240

Green Car Congress

APRIL 11, 2014

'Golf Sportwagen. Click to enlarge. Volkswagen of America, Inc. will debut a concept version of the latest SportWagen model featuring a 4MOTION all-wheel drive system and the new EA288 TDI Clean Diesel engine ( earlier post ) at the New York Auto Show. The concept previews the new Golf SportWagen that will go on sale in early 2015. Based on the new MQB (modular transverse matrix) architecture, the Golf SportWagen will continue the trend introduced by the seventh generation Golf whereby it is lig

New York 239

New York Concept Diesel Fuel Economy 239

Green Car Congress

APRIL 10, 2014

'NASA is seeking proposals for the development of new, more capable, energy storage technologies to replace the battery technology that has long powered the US space program. The core technologies solicited in the call for proposals will advance energy storage solutions for the space program and other government agencies, such as the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E) through ongoing collaboration with NASA and industry.

Energy Storage 239

Energy Storage Batteries Battery Affordable 239

Green Car Congress

APRIL 9, 2014

'2015 Focus four-door sedan. Click to enlarge. Ford unveiled the new Ford Focus four-door sedan prior to its debut at the 2014 New York International Auto Show next week. The debut of the new Focus four-door sedan and the Focus Electric in New York follows the Geneva Motor Show debut in March of the Focus three- and five-door hatchback and wagon. ( Earlier post.

2015 236

2015 Ford 2013 Connect 236

Green Car Congress

APRIL 7, 2014

'A recently completed European project coordinated by Centro Ricerche Fiat (CRF) demonstrated the technical feasibility of a Bi 2 Te 3 -based thermoelectric generator (TEG) for waste heat recovery for application to a diesel light-duty truck (LDT). The project “Reduced energy consumption by massive thermoelectric waste heat recovery in light-duty trucks” ( HeatReCar ) focused on thermoelectrics to provide electricity, either to on-board components or to the power train of hybrid electric vehicle

Waste 236

Waste Cheap MPH Gasoline-Electric 236

Green Car Congress

APRIL 7, 2014

'Bosch Engineering GmbH will present a new fuel cell control unit (FCCU) for off-highway applications such as airport ground support equipment such as baggage towing tractors at the MobiliTec specialist trade show at the 2014 Hannover trade fair. Control Unit for fuel cell system for off-highway vehicles Bosch Engineering GmbH is offering a fuel cell control unit for zero-emission off-highway applications such as baggage towing tractors.

Engine 230

Engine Fuel 2014 Hydrogen 230

Green Car Congress

APRIL 11, 2014

'Danish start-up ECOmove has developed a technology which it says makes it possible to manufacture a carbon-fiber chassis without using special equipment. The first unit has already been shipped to a company in Germany. The greatest challenge for most electrical car manufacturers is to increase the overall range. One solution is to decrease the overall weight of the car, hereby reducing the energy consumption.

Carbon Fiber 225

Carbon Fiber Carbon Manufacturer 2009 225

Green Car Congress

APRIL 9, 2014

'Quebec-based B3CG Interconnect Inc., a manufacturer of harness assemblies and electromechanical components, has partnered with EnerDel Inc., a supplier of lithium-ion batteries, to develop and manufacture traction batteries for Lion Bus Inc., Canadian school bus producer. The Quebec Ministry recently awarded Lion Bus a project to develop an all-electric school bus.

Li-ion 225

Li-ion Lithium Ion Batteries Battery 225

Green Car Congress

APRIL 8, 2014

'The US Department of Energy (DOE) released its five-year 2014-2018 Strategic Plan. The plan is organized into 12 strategic objectives aimed at three distinct goals: Science and Energy; Nuclear Security; and Management and Performance. These objectives represent broad cross-cutting and collaborative efforts across DOE headquarters, site offices, and national laboratories.

2014 225

2014 2018 Energy Climate Change 225

Green Car Congress

APRIL 7, 2014

'Researchers at Iowa State University explored the separate recovery of sugars and phenolic oligomers produced during fast pyrolysis with the effective removal of contaminants from the separated pyrolytic sugars to produce a substrate suitable for fermentation without hydrolysis. The results suggest that the sugars recovered are promising alternatives for fermentation to ethanol, whereas the phenolic oligomers show potential for the production of aromatic chemicals, resins, binders, coatings, ad

Carbon Fiber 225

Carbon Fiber Iowa Water 2014 225

Green Car Congress

APRIL 7, 2014

'BRUSA Elektronik AG has doubled the power density of its wireless ICS inductive charging system for plug-in vehicles ( earlier post ) to 7.2 kW while retaining the same compact footprint. BRUSA said the increase in power density was due to a special technology it patented. An initial prototype of the second-generation ICS is to be presented publicly as early as Autumn 2014, with a launch date scheduled for 2017.

Power 225

Power Powered Charging DC 225

Green Car Congress

APRIL 11, 2014

'Schematic of mesoporous silicon Image: Donghai Wang/Penn State. Click to enlarge. Researchers at Penn State have devised a new process for the bottom-up synthesis of mesoporous crystalline silicon materials with high surface area and tunable primary particle/pore size via a self-templating pore formation process. The nanosized crystalline primary particles and high surface areas enable an increased rate of photocatalytic hydrogen production from water and extended working life.

Li-ion 218

Li-ion Sodium Lithium Ion Production 218

Green Car Congress

APRIL 10, 2014

'Syngenta announced an agreement with Cellulosic Ethanol Technologies, LLC to license its ACE (Adding Cellulosic Ethanol) technology, a new process for ethanol plants. ACE technology has been shown to significantly increase a plant’s ethanol production while delivering other benefits such as increased corn oil production and higher protein content in Dried Distillers Grains (DDGs), an ethanol by-product used for animal feed.

Production 218

Production Iowa Fuel 2014 218

Green Car Congress

APRIL 10, 2014

'EaglePicher Technologies, LLC, (EPT), an OM Group, Inc. company, and a leading supplier of specialty batteries and energy storage solutions for the defense, aerospace, medical, commercial and grid energy storage markets, will receive a $3-million award from the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy to further develop their catalytic energy storage technology.

Sodium 218

Sodium Energy Storage Batteries Battery 218

Green Car Congress

APRIL 10, 2014

'World ethanol and biodiesel production. Source: Worldwatch. Click to enlarge. In 2012, the combined global production of ethanol and biodiesel fell for the first time since 2000, down 0.4% from the figure in 2011, according to the Worldwatch Institute’s latest Vital Signs Online report. Global ethanol production declined slightly for the second year in a row, to 83.1 billion liters (22 billion gallons US), while biodiesel output rose fractionally, from 22.4 billion liters in 2011 to 22.5 billio

2000 218

2000 2012 Global Production 218

Green Car Congress

APRIL 9, 2014

'Luxury automaker Bentley, a member of the Volkswagen Group, unveiled its Bentley Hybrid Concept—a preview of Bentley’s first production plug-in hybrid model, which is planned to be a dedicated version of the all-new SUV available in 2017. The Bentley Hybrid Concept will be on display at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition later this month.

Bentley 218

Bentley Plug-in Concept Plug 218

Green Car Congress

APRIL 9, 2014

'At SAE World Congress in Detroit, Granta Design announced the launch of the Automotive Material Intelligence Consortium ( AutoMatIC ). This new industry collaboration will bring together OEMs and suppliers in the automotive and off-highway vehicle sectors to develop best practice for materials information and its use. AutoMatIC is modeled on two projects that have pioneered the industrial application of materials information technology: the Material Data Management Consortium (MDMC) and the Env

Design 218

Design Manufacturer Global Emissions 218