Sat.Mar 15, 2014 - Fri.Mar 21, 2014

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BYD’s Qin plug-in hybrid the best selling automotive EV in China

Green Car Congress

'2 nd -generation Dual Mode (DM II) plug-in hybrid system of the Qin. Click to enlarge. BYD’s second-generation Dual-Mode, plug-in hybrid electric sedan Qin has posted a second month of strong sales in February. Trends in March now make it “China’s Best-Selling Electric Vehicle” according to China’s National Passenger Car Association. In the first weeks of 2014, more than 6,000 Qin vehicles were sold, accounting for more than one-half of the Chinese new-energy vehicle market.

Plug-in 332
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MB2025 – Starting a 100% Renewable Energy Revolution in the South Bay of Los Angeles

Creative Greenius

'Filed under: environment Tagged: 350.org , Andrea Giancoli , Beach Cities Health District , Bill McKibben , Blue Zones , Congressman Henry Waxman , Cordel Stillman , Diane Moss , Go 100% renewable energy , Manhattan Beach , Manhattan Beach City Council , Mayor Amy Howorth , MB2025 , Nathalie Gonzales Nestor , Paul Scott , Plug-In America , Robert Metcalf , Sona Kalapura Coffee , South Bay 350 Climate Action Group. environment 350.

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2016 Chevrolet Volt To Launch Next Year: What We Know So Far

Green Car Reports

'There''s been very little news lately about the Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car, and its sales in 2013 sales were stagnant. In fact, the most recent item of note was a $5,000 price reduction on the 2014 Volt last August, to bring it closer to the center of the volume-car market. But behind the scenes, Chevrolet is preparing the next.

Chevrolet 167
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Renault Twizy stars alongside Matt Damon in The Zero Theorem

Green Cars News

'Renault’s fully electric Twizy is to star in a new film. Terry Gilliam’s The Zero Theorem is the story of a lonely and eccentric IT genius looking for the meaning of life. Set in London, in a dark vision of the future, the Twizy has overtaken as the preferential mode of transport. Starri[.].

London 61
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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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New VW EA288 diesel to debut in 2H 2014 in the MY 2015 Golf, Jetta, Passat and Beetle; MDB comes to the US (updated with diagrams)

Green Car Congress

'Main modules of development of the EA288 diesel. Click to enlarge. Volkswagen of America announced that the new 2.0-liter EA288 diesel engine will power the 2015 Golf, Beetle, Beetle Convertible, Passat, and Jetta, all of which are set to arrive in dealer showrooms in the second half of 2014. The EA288 is based on the Volkswagen MDB, its modular diesel engine toolkit (Modularen Diesel Baukasten) ( earlier post ).

Diesel 307
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Sea-Tac Airport launches major ground support equipment electrification project

Green Car Congress

'The Port of Seattle, along with Alaska Airlines, Western Washington Clean Cities and US Representative Adam Smith unveiled a new project providing nearly 600 electric charging stations throughout the airport for ground support equipment (GSE) such as baggage tugs, bag ramps and pushback vehicles. Converting the GSE from fossil fuel to electric, each year the project is projected to save $2.8 million in airline fuel costs and 10,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions—the equivalent of taking

Alaska 296

More Trending

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MAN prefers “power-to-gas” as an alternative to new power lines

Green Car Congress

'The construction of a new north-south electric power line is being extensively discussed in Germany. MAN SE, one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of commercial vehicles, engines and mechanical engineering equipment, and mostly owned by the Volkswagen Group, prefers “power-to-gas” instead. Power-to-gas, or e-gas as Audi calls it, converts surplus electricity into synthetic natural gas and utilizes the existing gas infrastructure.

Gas 279
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EU approves Mercedes-Benz ECO Thermo engine cover as fuel-saving Eco-innovation

Green Car Congress

'Phantom graphics of the Mercedes-Benz S 300 BlueTEC HYBRID showing ECO Thermo engine cover. Click to enlarge. The European Commission has approved the new ECO Thermo Cover engine compartment encapsulation in the Mercedes-Benz S 300 BlueTEC HYBRID ( earlier post ) as a manufacturer’s Eco-innovation. Insulating buildings saves energy; Mercedes engineers have adopted a similar idea in the car.

Mercedes 275
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DOI: latest Gulf of Mexico oil & gas lease sales garner $872M in high bids

Green Car Congress

'Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced that the latest oil and gas lease sales for federal waters in the Gulf of Mexico garnered $872,143,771 million in high bids on 329 tracts covering 1,707,358 acres. The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) offered nearly 40 million acres covering tracts in the Central and Eastern planning areas of the Gulf of Mexico, and opened bids from previously offered acreage in the Western planning area.

Mexico 268
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Bosch offers copper-free brake pads

Green Car Congress

'In response to legislation requiring the reduction of copper in friction formulations, Bosch has announced the use of its first copper-free ceramic material in the premium-grade QuietCast line of braking products. Bosch provides full coverage for US, Asian and European cars, vans and SUVs; one out of every three vehicles on the road today uses Bosch braking component content, the company said.

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

Brief

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Toshiba delivers two SCiB Li-ion grid energy storage systems

Green Car Congress

'Toshiba Corporation has delivered battery energy storage systems integrating the company’s SCiB Li-ion battery ( earlier post ) to Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc., for a demonstration project to expand introduction of renewable energy sources on remote islands. The systems have been installed in substations on Tanegashima Island and Amamioshima Island, in Kagoshima prefecture, and will be used to demonstrate the integration and optimum control of battery energy storage systems deployed to manag

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GM uses lightweight, advanced materials to reduce weight on 2015 Colorado pickup

Green Car Congress

'Mass comparison, 4x4 crew cabs. Click to enlarge. The 2015 Chevrolet Colorado uses engineering techniques and lightweight materials to create fuel-efficient pickup capability in a mass-efficient mid-size package. The 2015 Colorado 4x4 crew cab, which GM expects to be the most popular version of the new trucks, weighs 880 to 1,400 lbs (363 to 635 kg) less than a full-size truck.

Colorado 262
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Jordan signs $2B oil shale investment agreement with Saudi company

Green Car Congress

'The government of Jordan and the Saudi Arabian Corporation for Oil Shale (SACOS) recently signed a $2-billion agreement under which the government grants the Saudi company the right to extract and to develop the oil shale resources in the Attarat Um-AL-Ghudran region covering an area of 11 square kilometers. The Saudi company will use the Russian Oil Shale Technology ( UTT3000 ) which has proved its success internationally in developing oil shale since 1950 in Estonia, which is currently produc

Jordan 257
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BMW orders two more ENGEL moulding machines for body shell components for i3 EV

Green Car Congress

'BMW has awarded ENGEL Austria another contract to supply system solutions to BMW’s Leipzig factory, where ENGEL duo injection moulding machines are used to manufacture car body shell components for the BMW i3 electric vehicle. The latest order includes two large-scale ENGEL duo machines with 40,000 kN clamping force integrated as a double system. In master/slave mode, both machines can be synchronized to injection mould and complete two components at the same time.

BMW 255
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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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Ethanol industry taking challenge to California LCFS to US Supreme Court

Green Car Congress

'Following the January decision by the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals to deny rehearing en banc in the litigation regarding California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) and Growth Energy are petitioning the US Supreme Court for certiorari to make a final determination relating to the LCFS. RFA and Growth Energy moved forward with a Supreme Court challenge after a divided panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a District Court (O’Neill, J.)

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EIA: ethanol production drives growth in overall biomass energy use over past decade

Green Car Congress

'Biomass energy consumption in the United States grew more than 60% from 2002 to 2013, the growth due almost entirely to increased consumption of biomass to produce biofuels, primarily ethanol but also a smaller amount of biodiesel and other biomass-based diesel fuels, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). In 2013, biomass accounted for about half of all renewable energy consumed and 5% of total US energy consumed.

Energy 252
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Volvo Car Group initiates Scandinavian pilot using connected car cloud-based communication for slippery road warnings

Green Car Congress

'When the test car detects an icy or slippery road patch, the information is relayed to other vehicles that are approaching the slippery area. The information is also sent to the road administrator. Click to enlarge. Volvo Car Group, the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration (Statens Vegvesen) are joining forces in a pilot project in which road friction information from individual cars is shared within a cloud-based system.

Volvo 246
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Researchers progress with engineering E. coli to produce pinene for biosynthetic alternative to rocket fuel

Green Car Congress

'Energy density of petroleum-based fuels and advanced biofuels. Shown is the heating value of petroleum-based fuels (black) and advanced biofuels (green) as a function of density. Pinene dimers (red) have density and heating value similar to that of JP-10. Credit: ACS, Sarria et al. Click to enlarge. Recent progress in engineering microbes has resulted in the production of biosynthetic alternatives to gasoline, diesel, and diesel precursors.

Engine 240
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Freescale introduces new ARM-based microcontrollers for automotive market

Green Car Congress

'Freescale Semiconductor is introducing its ARM-based Kinetis series of microcontrollers (MCUs) into the automotive market. The new Kinetis EA series of MCUs, which integrates the broadly adopted ARM Cortex architecture, is expected to be especially well accepted in China, where time-to-market is paramount and developer familiarity with the ARM architecture is strong.

Market 239
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Valero purchases 11th ethanol plant; increases total capacity to 1.3B gallons per year

Green Car Congress

'Valero Renewable Fuels Company, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Valero Energy Corporation, has purchased a corn ethanol plant in Mount Vernon, Ind. from Aventine Renewable Energy-Mt. Vernon, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Aventine Renewable Energy Holdings, Inc. The plant has an annual production capacity of 110 million gallons and uses Delta-T technology, similar to the process already in use at Valero Renewables’ ethanol plant in Jefferson, Wis.

Purchase 236
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Nanoparticle-based coating for aircraft engines may triple service life and reduce fuel consumption

Green Car Congress

'Researchers at University West in Sweden have started using nanoparticles in the heat-insulating surface layer that protects aircraft engines from heat. In tests, this increased the service life of the coating by 300%. The new layer could be used in both aircraft engines and gas turbines within two years. To increase the service life of aircraft engines, a heat-insulating surface layer is sprayed on top of the metal components.

Engine 236
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Mie University team working on aqueous li-air batteries; 300 Wh/kg

Green Car Congress

'Researchers at Mie University in Japan have developed a new protected lithium electrode for aqueous lithium/air rechargeable batteries. Lead researcher Nobuyuki Imanishi said that the system has a practical energy density of more than 300 Wh/kg, about twice that of many commercial lithium-ion batteries. They presented their work at the 247 th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Dallas.

Universal 236
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Toyota beginning consumer trials of i-Road EV in Greater Tokyo area

Green Car Congress

'Toyota Motor Corporation is beginning consumer trials of the “i-Road” personal mobility vehicle ( earlier post ) in the Greater Tokyo Area. The limited trials, which aim to gauge the effectiveness of the electric vehicle in everyday situations in urban areas, will run from 24 March through early June. The all-electric powertrain uses a lithium-ion battery to power two 2 kW motors mounted in the front wheels, giving brisk acceleration and near-silent running.

Toyota 230
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Ford EcoBoost engine powers to victory in 12 Hours of Sebring; first Ford win since 1969

Green Car Congress

'Ford’s 3.5-liter twin-turbocharged EcoBoost V6 engine powered a Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Riley Prototype to victory Saturday in the 2014 Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring. Marino Franchitti piloted the Nº 01 Telcel Riley-Ford across the finish line first to earn victory in his team’s first appearance at the legendary endurance race. Teammates were Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas.

Ford 230
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Cellulosic fuels company KiOR reveals “substantial doubts” about its viability; funding needed by 1 April

Green Car Congress

'In its Form 10-K (annual report) filed with the SEC on 17 March, cellulosic renewable fuels company KiOR said it has “ substantial doubts about [its] ability to continue as a going concern ”. Ongoing viability will require additional capital to provide additional liquidity. ( Earlier post.). On 16 March, the company received a $25-million investment commitment from Vinod Khosla (one of the company’s investors), conditioned on the achievement of certain performance milestones to be mutually agre

Columbus 225
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Partnership opens first of 3 public CHAdeMO fast charging stations in Berlin

Green Car Congress

'Project partners The New Motion , e8energy , Citroën and Total recently opened the first of three public fast charging stations in Berlin. The stations use the e8energy @fix fast charger, featuring an integral Type 2 connector (AC, up to 22 kW) and fast charging CHAdeMO (JEVS G105) socket (DC, up to 20 kW). The @fix charging station is also available with the CCS Combo 2 (IEC 62196-3) output jack.

Charging 225
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VeDeCoM Institue begins operation; focus on low-carbon connected vehicle systems

Green Car Congress

'Recently, the France-based VeDeCoM Institute announced its operational launch as an Institut de la Transition Energétique (ITE - Energy Transition Institute) of the “Investment for the Future” program following the signing of an agreement with the French National Research Agency (ANR). VeDeCoM (Véhicule Décarboné Communiquant et sa Mobilité) is dedicated to car transport and individual mobility, the aim being to address three challenges: the need to reduce the energy impact and greenhouse gas e

Connect 225
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Average Carbon Intensity of crude to California refineries in 2012 down very slightly from 2010 baseline

Green Car Congress

'Staff of the California Air Resources Board (ARB) has posted its calculation of the average 2012 annual carbon intensity of crudes supplied to California refineries. The average value is 11.36 gCO 2/MJ, calculated by weighting the carbon intensity value for each crude by the volume supplied to California refineries during 2012. The 2010 baseline Crude Average CI value is 11.39 g/MJ.

2012 220
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Cenovus receives approval for Grand Rapids oil sands project; capacity to reach 180,000 bbls/d

Green Car Congress

'Cenovus Energy Inc. received approval from the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) for its 100%-owned Grand Rapids thermal oil sands project. The proposed project is located approximately 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Edmonton, within the company''s Greater Pelican Region in northern Alberta. Grand Rapids is expected to have production capacity of 180,000 barrels per day (bbls/d) and be developed in multiple phases.

Oil-Sands 220
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Peugeot 308 adds new fuel-efficient 3-cylinder 1.2L e-THP engine

Green Car Congress

'The Peugeot 308, recently awarded European Car of the Year 2014, completes its range with the arrival of the new PureTech e-THP 1.2-liter turbo gasoline engine ( earlier post ), producing 130 bhp (97 kW). In official witnessed tests, it achieved fuel economy of 82.5 mpg US (2.85 l/100 km) and 1,124.7 miles (1,810 km) on a full tank of fuel. This was achieved at the Almeria circuit in Spain, officially witnessed by the authority UTAC (Union Technique de l’Automobile, Motocycle et Cycle).

Engine 220
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Antimony nanocrystals as high-capacity anode materials for both Li-ion and Na-ion batteries

Green Car Congress

'TEM image (false colored) of monodisperse antimony nanocrystals. (Photo: Maksym Kovalenko Group / ETH Zürich) Click to enlarge. Researchers from ETH Zürich and Empa have succeeded for the first time in producing uniform (monodisperse) antimony (Sb) nanocrystals (NCs). The nanocrystals possess high and similar Li-ion and Na-ion charge storage capacities of 580?

Li-ion 220
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Johnson Controls and Fraunhofer Gesellschaft collaborate on next-gen cooling systems for Li-ion battery packs; focus on 48V micro-hybrid system

Green Car Congress

'Johnson Controls and Fraunhofer Gesellschaft have signed a collaboration agreement to develop the next generation of more energy efficient, cost-effective cooling systems for vehicle batteries. The scope of the work will initially focus on 48V Micro Hybrid battery technology, which is designed to deliver strong fuel and emissions efficiency, and load management at a lower price than hybrid and electric vehicle technology. ( Earlier post.).

Li-ion 218
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Kienbaum study forecasts 25% new car market share for EVs in Germany in 2025

Green Car Congress

'A study by German management consultancy Kienbaum forecasts that electric vehicles will have a 25% share of the new car market in Germany in 2025—i.e., one out of every four new cars will be electric. Kienbaum interviewed more than 350 senior executives, industry experts and scientists in Europe, North America and Asia for the report. In 2020, approximately 800,000 electric cars will roll through the streets of Germany, the Kienbaum study predicts—falling short of Chancellor Angela

Germany 218
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BlackPak awarded $4.6M ARPA-E project for container-less natural gas fuel tank technology development

Green Car Congress

'The Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) has awarded BlackPak, Inc., a private technology company developing innovative packaging solutions for natural gas fuel sources, a $4.6-million cooperative agreement for the development of its natural gas fuel tank technology under ARPA-E’s Methane Opportunities for Vehicular Energy (MOVE) Program.

Gas 210