Green Car Congress

JULY 24, 2014

'The California Energy Commission gave final approval for nearly $50 million in grant awards for hydrogen refueling and electric charging construction projects recommended for funding in notices of proposed awards published in April and May. California’s zero-emission vehicle goal is to get 1.5 million hydrogen, battery electric, and plug-in electric vehicles on the roadway by 2025.

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Hydrogen San Diego California Energy 354

Green Car Reports

JULY 23, 2014

'The last time you could buy a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. for 75 cents was around the late 1970s. If you own an electric car today though, the price you''re paying for electricity is equivalent to about 75 cents per gallon. According to a study by the Northeast Group (via Charged EVs), 25 utilities in 14 states currently offer electricity rates.

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Gasoline-Electric Gasoline Cost Of Electric Cars 167

Green Cars News

JULY 19, 2014

'Toyota has issued a cautionary warning that driverless car could actually add to urban sprawl and pollution. According to The Japan Times, Toyota’s Ken Laberteaux, a senior principal scientist for the carmaker’s North America team, said in an interview on Wednesday that automated car technology wo[.].

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Pollution Toyota North America Cars 62

Creative Greenius

JULY 22, 2014

'When we last wrote about AB 2145 it was after a trip to Sacramento to speak out against the bill at the Senate Energy Committee hearing on it. We told the bill’s author, Assemblyman Stephen Bradford that we wanted to bring Community Choice Power to the South Bay, especially cities like Inglewood and Gardena, where lowering electricity bills will have a big impact on homeowners and business owners.

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Power Powered Climate Change Climate Protection 314

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Norway

Green Car Congress

JULY 25, 2014

'The California Energy Commission (CEC) has selected 11 biofuel projects projects—including gasoline substitutes, diesel substitutes and biomethane projects—for $43,633,421 in awards under a grant solicitation released in January for the development of new, or the modification of, existing California-based biofuel production facilities that can sustainably produce low carbon transportation fuels.

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California Energy Diesel Renewable 316

Green Car Reports

JULY 23, 2014

'Tesla Motors has halted production of the Model S electric car while it upgrades the assembly line for its next vehicle--the Model X crossover. A two-week production hiatus will give the firm enough time to complete a full $100 million upgrade to the plant, before production restarts at increased speed. According to Bloomberg, the upgrade will add.

Tesla 167

Tesla Tesla Motors Motor Motors 167

Green Car Congress

JULY 24, 2014

'A new satellite study finds more than 75% of the water loss in the drought-stricken Colorado River Basin since late 2004 came from underground resources. The extent of groundwater loss may pose a greater threat to the water supply of the western United States than previously thought. The Colorado River Basin (black outline) supplies water to about 40 million people in seven states.

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Colorado Water 2004 Maryland 285

Green Car Congress

JULY 19, 2014

'Bosch has made the EVOII mechanical vacuum pump lighter and much more efficient, putting it on a par with more expensive electric vacuum pumps. The Bosch EVOII offers the best value for money on the market and reliably provides the vacuum for the brake booster, the company claims. The unit costs up to 75% less than comparable electric pumps, and offers CO 2 emissions of less than 0.4 grams per kilometer.

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Gasoline-Electric Downsizing Gasoline Engine 286

Green Car Congress

JULY 22, 2014

'ABB and Volvo Buses are partnering to co-develop and to commercialize electric and hybrid buses with open standards-based direct current (DC) fast charging systems. The cooperation will create a city-wide standardized charging system for electric and electric hybrid buses that can charge buses quickly through an automatic roof-top connection system at bus stops or through cabled charging systems overnight.

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Volvo Hybrid Charging Re-Charge 281

Green Car Congress

JULY 19, 2014

'Petrobras’s June oil production in Brazil averaged 2,008 thousand barrels/day (bpd), up 1.7% from May’s production of 1,975 thousand bpd. Including the production operated by Petrobras for its partners in Brazil, the volume reached 2,135 thousand bpd, up 2.1% from last month’s production of 2,092 thousand bpd. The company’s oil and natural gas production in Brazil in the same month was 2,426 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day (boed), indicating a 1.6% rise from May (2,387 thousand boed)

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Brazil Oil Gas Production 265

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Green Car Congress

JULY 25, 2014

'According to a report from Frost and Sullivan (Kumar, 2013), fleet managers adopted more than half of EVs sold globally up to 2013. A new study of factors influencing fleet managers’ adoption of electric vehicles has found that testing new technologies was the strongest driver of initial EV adoption, followed by lowering environmental impacts; government grants; and improving the organization’s public image.

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Fleet Purchase Automobile Plug-in 257

Green Car Congress

JULY 23, 2014

'The Instituto de Biomecánica de Valencia (Biomechanics Institute - IBV) and its consortium partners in the European project HARKEN have developed a non-intrusive system integrated into smart materials which is capable of monitoring cardiac and respiratory rhythms in order to prevent drivers from falling asleep. The two-year project had its final meeting in June.

Vehicles 257

Vehicles Estonia Concept Ford 257

Green Car Congress

JULY 25, 2014

'Charge–discharge profiles of ion-exchanged MgFeSiO 4. Three-electrode cells using Mg metal counter electrode and silver reference electrode were used. Electrolyte was 0.5 M magnesium (trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (Mg(TFSI) 2 ) in acetonitrile (solvent). Measurement temperature was 55°C. Current density was 6.62 mA·g ?1 (MgFeSiO 4 ). Orikasa et al.

Recharge 252

Recharge Li-ion Energy Batteries 252

Green Car Congress

JULY 21, 2014

'CALEB Technology and California Lithium Battery ( CalBattery )—both based in California— signed an MOU to establish a joint venture to produce a new line of safe, high performance lithium ion batteries for consumer electronic devices, power tools, and electric vehicles (EVs). The new line of advanced LIBs will initially be made in the Los Angeles area starting in 2016.

Li-ion 247

Li-ion Los Angeles Lithium Sulfur Batteries 247

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Green Car Congress

JULY 25, 2014

'The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) said that the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) database severely under-represents the number of stations selling E85. RFA says it uncovered nearly 1,000 missing stations as it compared the 2,391 stations found in the database as of 22 July 2014 to the 3,349 retail locations found on the “crowd-sourced” website E85prices.com.

Renewable 247

Renewable Fuel 2014 Alternative Fuels 247

Green Car Congress

JULY 23, 2014

'Miscanthus, a perennial grass with vast potential to produce biomass, would deliver even better yields than once thought in Iowa, according to research by agronomists at Iowa State University. The research indicates that miscanthus could have a major role to play in the future of Iowa agriculture, both as a source of biomass for energy and as a means of protecting the environment, said Emily Heaton, an assistant professor of agronomy, project leader and co-author of the study.

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Iowa USA 2014 Hybrid 246

Green Car Congress

JULY 25, 2014

'BASF Shanghai Coatings Co., Ltd. opened its new automotive coatings plant at the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park in Shanghai, China. The €50-million (US$67-million) expansion of its automotive coatings production capacity is equipped with advanced ventilation and off-gas treatment. In addition, it is specially designed to have a closed handling of ingredients.

South America 236

South America North America Asia America 236

Green Car Congress

JULY 23, 2014

'The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) released a white paper, “ Transportation Electrification: Utility Fleets Leading the Charge ,” that focuses on the electric power industry’s effort to accelerate the expansion of electric transportation in commercial and retail markets, beginning with electric utility fleets. The paper encourages investor-owned electric utilities to meet an industry-wide goal to spend at least 5% of annual fleet acquisition budgets on plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and tech

Plug-in 236

Plug-in Fleet Plug Portland 236

Green Car Congress

JULY 22, 2014

'Voith GFRP energy absorber: 60% weight reduction compared with standard steel absorbers. Click to enlarge. Voith is introducing a lateral energy absorber made of glass fiber reinforced plastics (GFRP) and aluminum. Compared with standard steel absorbers a weight reduction of 60% could be achieved. This new lightweight energy absorber is part of the mutable vehicle head concept Galea, but it can just as well be integrated into other front end systems.

Energy 236

Energy Carbon Fiber Standards Concept 236

Green Car Congress

JULY 22, 2014

'Shanghai GM previewed the all-new Buick Envision, announcing its Chinese name as “Ang Ke Wei” (???); the new high-end midsize SUV will go on sale across China later this year. Envision is equipped with a 2.0T direct injection turbocharged engine—named one of Ward’s 10 Best Engines in 2013—which generates maximum output power of 191 kW (256 hp) and peak torque of 353 N·m (260 lb-ft).

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SUV GM Buick Brazil 236

Green Car Congress

JULY 21, 2014

'The United States Advanced Battery Consortium LLC (USABC), a collaborative organization operated by Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Company and General Motors, has awarded a $7.7-million advanced battery technology development contract for electric vehicle applications to Envia Systems. The competitively bid contract award is co-funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and includes a 50% Envia Systems cost-share.

Lithium Ion 236

Lithium Ion Batteries Battery United States 236

Green Car Congress

JULY 20, 2014

'The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy will award $9 million over five years to organizations to assist it in building domestic and international consensus on future fossil energy technologies ( DE-FOA-0001111 ). The Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) anticipates two awards being made: the first for $7 million in the area of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and fossil-fuel-based Clean Energy Systems (CES); the second for $2 million in the area of international oil and n

Energy 236

Energy Future Oil Gas 236

Green Car Congress

JULY 21, 2014

'The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute has been awarded two federal contracts worth a combined potential $55 million to further study safety efforts for commercial truck drivers and break new ground in the burgeoning field of automated vehicles. The contracts are being awarded by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) with a ceiling of $30 million for a five-year period, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) at a maximum of $25 million during a five

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Virginia Commercial Vehicles Google 231

Green Car Congress

JULY 21, 2014

'Bosch has produced a compact chart outlining the information drivers need to choose between gasoline or diesel powertrains. The advantages of the two powertrains are compared, and those who are uncertain can decide whether their individual driving profile is best suited to the diesel or gasoline variant. A diesel-powered car consumes up to 25% less fuel, but gasoline-powered cars are often cheaper in terms of purchase price, insurance, and running costs.

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Gasoline Diesel Insight Affordable 230

Green Car Congress

JULY 23, 2014

'Taking a page out of Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk’s Twitter-based announcement style, Opel CEO Karl-Thomas Neumann (@KT_Neumann) tweeted today (in both English and German) that after the run-out of the current generation Ampera plug-in hybrid, Opel will introduce a successor product in the EV segment as part of its major model offensive from 2014-2018 (27 new vehicles).

2014 225

2014 2018 Tesla Motors Affordable 225

Green Car Congress

JULY 23, 2014

'2014 ECOTEC 2.5L I-4 iVLC DI (LKW) with stop/start. Click to enlarge. Ninety-seven percent of customers in the US who purchased a 2014 or 2015 Malibu—accounting for about 83,000 vehicles—opted for the 2.5-liter, 4-cylinder base engine (LKW) equipped with standard stop/start technology, according to GM. ( Earlier post.) This marks the the most aggressive rollout of stop/start technology in the US by an American automaker.

2014 225

2014 2015 Engine Fuel Economy 225

Green Car Congress

JULY 25, 2014

'The UK’s 10-year, £1-billion (US$1.7-billion) Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) ( earlier post ) has selected the University of Warwick as the site for its Hub location, supporting the industry and government commitment to the development of low carbon propulsion systems. The central Hub together with a national Spoke structure is intended to provide the UK automotive industry with resources and facilities to develop advanced propulsion systems and supply chains.

Industrial 218

Industrial Industry 2013 Carbon 218

Green Car Congress

JULY 25, 2014

'Ethanol producer East Kansas Agri-Energy LLC (EKAE) intends to integrate renewable diesel production at its ethanol plant in Garnett, Kansas. Renewable diesel will be made from the corn distillers oil (CDO) already produced at the plant along with other feedstocks purchased on the market. WB Services is the technology provider for the catalytic renewable diesel process.

Renewable 218

Renewable Diesel Oil Production 218

Green Car Congress

JULY 24, 2014

'Continental’s eBike System will enter production in the fourth quarter of 2014 and will be on display at the Eurobike trade fair from 27-30 August; the company had presented a prototype of the system at the Eurobike trade fair in 2013. The complete drive system, with a mid-mounted motor, display, remote and battery, powers e-bikes and pedelecs. The company will also present its service concept for manufacturers and dealers, as well as the optimized Conti Drive System. ( Earlier post.).

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Production Dealers 2014 2015 218

Green Car Congress

JULY 24, 2014

'The new generation of the Cayenne will enter the market later this year in five versions: Cayenne S, Cayenne Turbo, Cayenne Diesel, Cayenne S Diesel and—in a world premiere—the Cayenne S E-Hybrid, the first plug-in hybrid in the premium SUV segment. The introduction of this model, together with the Panamera S E-Hybrid ( earlier post ) and the 918 Spyder, will give Porsche three production plug-in hybrid models.

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Cayenne Porsche Plug-in Plug 218

Green Car Congress

JULY 24, 2014

'UK-based GKN Aerospace is to lead a consortium of UK companies in a 3½-year £13.4-million (US$23-million) research and development program called Horizon (AM) that builds on GKN Aerospace’s extensive and fast-developing additive manufacturing capability. The Horizon (AM) team includes GKN Aerospace, Renishaw, Delcam, and the Universities of Sheffield and Warwick.

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Manufacturer Buy Parts Universal 218

Green Car Congress

JULY 23, 2014

'The new $148-million lightweight metals manufacturing institute announced in February by President Obama ( earlier post ) will locate in the Corktown neighborhood of Detroit, officials from the American Lightweight Materials Manufacturing Innovation Institute (ALMMII) and the city announced today. ALMMII is a public-private partnership led by Ohio-based manufacturing technology nonprofit EWI, the University of Michigan and Ohio State University.

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Detroit Ohio Michigan Kentucky 218

Green Car Congress

JULY 22, 2014

'Global Bioenergies (GBE), a leading developer of one-step fermentation processes for the direct and cost-efficient transformation of renewable resources into light olefins ( earlier post ) has received an fermentation unit and its associated devices optimized for the fermentative production of gaseous hydrocarbons. The elements were first assembled at the manufacturer in order to run stress tests, which took place without incident early in July.

Global 218

Global Renewable Light Industrial 218

Green Car Congress

JULY 22, 2014

'The TFF. Click to enlarge. To support the fair sale of gaseous hydrogen as a vehicle fuel, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a prototype Transient Flow Facility (TFF) to test the accuracy of hydrogen fuel dispensers. The TFF generates transient flow, pressure, and temperature conditions similar to those that occur when a hydrogen-powered vehicle is refueled.

Hydrogen 218

Hydrogen Gasoline 2014 Standards 218