Green Car Congress

APRIL 18, 2016

A new study by a team from the University of Edinburgh and independent engineering company INNAS BV has found that, when factoring in the additional weight and non-exhaust PM factors, total PM 10 emissions from electric vehicles (EVs) are equal to those of modern internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs). Non-exhaust PM factors include tire wear, brake wear, road surface wear and resuspension of road dust.

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Green Car Reports

APRIL 19, 2016

Electric-car advocates are often passionate, with memories long enough to remember GM's 2004 destruction of its pioneering fleet of EV1 electric cars. Since then, the company has built and sold two generations of the Chevrolet Volt, with the launch of the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV imminent within a year—before Nissan, Tesla, BMW, or any other.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 19, 2016

While other major automakers have either introduced (Hyundai, Honda) or are in serious development of new hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for the market, Toyota continues to take the point in not just promoting, but also supporting the broader technical (and infrastructure) development required for a large-scale realization of hydrogen-based electromobility.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 22, 2016

French transport tech developer Adgero will unveil the regenerative braking-powered UltraBoost ST—an ultracapacitor-based kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) installed on a curtainsider semi-trailer—that aims to cut fuel and carbon emissions by up to 25% at the Commercial Vehicle Show in Birmingham, UK. Adgero’s hybrid technology consists of an electrically-driven axle-mounted unit under the semi-trailer, powered by a bank of ultracapacitors, and controlled by intelligent managemen

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 20, 2016

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) has admitted to manipulating fuel consumption testing data for some 625,000 mini-cars it manufactured for sale in Japan by itself and partner Nissan. Nissan was the one who identified the discrepancies. In a statement, MMC said that with respect to the fuel consumption testing data submitted to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), MMC conducted testing improperly to present better fuel consumption rates than the actual rates; and

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 22, 2016

by Professor Andrew Alfonso Frank, CTO Efficient Drivetrains Inc. and UC-Davis Emeritus and Bruce R. Thomas. Abstract. The Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle with Long Electric Range (PHEVLER - pronounced “fevler”) is a new category emerging in the electric vehicle marketplace. PHEVLERs are defined as PHEVs with sufficient battery capacity for all electric driving of twice the average daily distance. [ 1 ] The average daily driving distance in the USA is 30 miles (48 km), so PHEVLERs are vehicles w

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 21, 2016

Honda announced that the upcoming Clarity Fuel Cell ( earlier post ) will be joined by two additional electrified variants, the Clarity Electric and Clarity Plug-in Hybrid, launching in the US in 2017. In addition to the Clarity series, a reengineered 2017 Accord Hybrid will go on-sale this spring. On a global basis, Honda is aiming to have electrified vehicles account for two-thirds of its vehicles sales around 2030.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 20, 2016

NASA has awarded Aerojet Rocketdyne a $67-million contract to design and develop an Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) for spaceflight. Work performed under the contract could potentially increase spaceflight transportation fuel efficiency by 10 times over current chemical propulsion technology and more than double thrust capability compared to current electric propulsion systems.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 18, 2016

Siemens and Valeo have signed an agreement to form a joint venture in high voltage powertrains for the entire range of electric vehicles including hybrids, plug-in hybrids and full electric vehicles. Building upon the complementary scope and portfolio of the partners, the joint venture will provide substantial synergies in manufacturing and sourcing and create a base for sustained growth and profitability.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 18, 2016

The 2016 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid ( earlier post ) is EPA-rated at 46 mpg (5.11 l/100 km) combined, 47 mpg city and 46 mpg highway; the powertrain shares the transmission architecture with the 2016 Chevrolet Volt extended range electric vehicle (EREV), but includes changes to optimize the system for engine-driven charge-sustaining operation in the range of conditions represented by the US EPA 5 cycle fuel economy tests.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 18, 2016

Decreases in ambient air pollution levels over the past 20 years in Southern California were associated with significant reductions in bronchitic symptoms in children with and without asthma, according to a study by researchers at the University of Southern California published in JAMA. Childhood bronchitic symptoms are significant public and clinical health problems that produce a substantial burden of disease.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 17, 2016

Excellance Inc, producer of custom ambulances and emergency vehicles, will showcase a CNG-powered ambulance at FDIC International in Indianapolis. This CNG powered ambulance, custom-built for the City of Bossier City Fire Department in Louisiana, features a medium-duty Ford F-650 chassis with lower fueling costs, saving a minimum of 50% over gas and diesel powered engines.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 16, 2016

Diamond Green Diesel (DGD)—a joint venture between Valero Energy Corporation and Darling Ingredients—will expand its annual production capacity at its plant in Norco, LA from 160 million gallons of renewable diesel to 275 million gallons. The company estimates that the incremental cost per gallon of renewable diesel production for the expansion will be approximately one-half of the greenfield construction cost due to significant logistics and processing facilities already in place.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 16, 2016

Over the next 18 months, AZRA will invest C$40 million (US$31 million) to install 2,000 new electric charging stations and deploy the Twizy, Renault’s first 100% electric vehicle in Canada. This small battery-electric city car designed by the Renault Sport team has a type-1 charging cable and side reflectors. Certified since 1 March 2016 by Transport Canada, its speed is capped at 40 km/h (25 mph) to come under the category of low-speed vehicles.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 22, 2016

The California Energy Commission will host a workshop Monday, 25 April, in which executives from four companies including ChargePoint and Green Charge Networks, two non-profits, one municipal utility district and one state agency will discuss the successes and challenges of developing electric vehicle charging technology in California. This workshop will influence future funding opportunities at the Commission through its Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program, which provi

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 22, 2016

A German inquiry launched as a result of the Volkswagen diesel emission scandal has found that there is a large gap between homologated emissions values from lab testing and real-world driving results for all German manufacturers. German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt, who presented the results of the inquiry on Friday, said that only Volkswagen had used a software defeat device that detected test cycles (Prüfzykluserkennung) and altered calibrations accordingly.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 22, 2016

Baidu, Inc., China’s leading search engine, has formed a self-driving car team in Silicon Valley focused on research, development and testing. The team will be part of Baidu’s newly-created Autonomous Driving Unit (ADU). Baidu plans to grow the team to more than 100 researchers and engineers by the end of the year. The team will include machine-learning researchers as well as hardware and software engineers across a variety of technical domains, from robotics and computer vision to onboard compu

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 22, 2016

Daimler AG has commenced deliveries of Mercedes-Benz stationary energy storage units ( earlier post ) for use in private homes. The lithium-ion batteries are being manufactured by the Daimler subsidiary Deutsche ACCUMOTIVE and distributed through selected sales partners and partner companies. At present, the company’s partners include the energy service provider Energie Baden-Württemberg (EnBW), the solar technology specialist SMA, as well as a number of wholesale traders.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 22, 2016

SAKOR Technologies recently won a competitive Small Company Innovation Program (SCIP) grant awarded by the Michigan Corporate Relations Network (MCRN), and will use the grant for research necessary to develop a thermal transient anemometer (TTA), a device used to measure airflow moving through a running vehicle. The research will be conducted in collaboration with Michigan State University’s Turbulent Shear Flows Laboratory.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 22, 2016

Volkswagen has signed a strategic partnership with Coodriver GmbH , a cloud-based application service provider for traffic safety, on the integration of a connected vehicle application into new Volkswagen models that will help motorists to see children on the road in time to avoid dangerous situations. Coodriver developed the “Schutzranzen” (protection satchel) app that uses smartphone or GPS transmitters to alert drivers in time about hazardous situations visually and/or audibly.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 22, 2016

Daimler AG announced that it is conducting an internal investigation regarding its certification process related to exhaust emissions in the United States upon the request of the US Department of Justice (DOJ). Daimler said it is cooperating fully with the authorities. Daimler will consequently investigate possible indications of irregularities and “take all necessary actions.”.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 21, 2016

Proterra, the market leader of zero-emission, battery-electric buses in North America, announced that SEPTA, Foothill Transit and King County Metro will use their Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Low or No Emission Vehicle Deployment Grants (Low-No) ( earlier post ) to purchase 33 Catalyst electric buses and charging infrastructure. These latest orders bring Proterra’s total number of orders to 155 vehicles from 16 transit agencies across the United States.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 21, 2016

Volkswagen AG confirmed that it has reached an agreement in principle with the Department of Justice (Environmental Division); the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); and the California Air Resources Board (CARB); with the full involvement of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) concerning the diesel emissions issue. The agreement in principle will be incorporated into binding consent decrees by the Department of Justice and the FTC in the coming weeks.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 21, 2016

NanoSteel, a leader in nanostructured steel materials ( earlier post ), announced the delivery of its first advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) to General Motors for initial testing. GM Ventures invested in NanoSteel in 2012. ( Earlier post.). Designed to provide automakers with a new standard in material performance, the sheet steel is poised to accelerate vehicle lightweighting initiatives focused on affordably meeting rising global fuel-economy regulations.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 21, 2016

China-based LeEco introduced four different products in four distinct categories at a major launch event in Beijing, including the autonomous LeSEE electric vehicle (EV) concept car. LeEco founder and CEO Yueting Jia and LeSEE co-founder Lei Ding punctuated the event with the grand reveal of the EV concept, featuring fully autonomous capabilities, including machine learning.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 21, 2016

Global Bioenergies has delivered isobutene produced at its industrial pilot to ARLANXEO—a joint venture of LANXESS and Saudi Aramco and world leader in high‐quality synthetic rubbers headquartered in the Netherlands. Global Bioenergies’ most advanced program consists in the production of high‐purity isobutene from renewable resources. Currently produced from fossil oil, isobutene is one of the major building blocks of the petrochemical industry with a multi‐billion dollar market.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 21, 2016

Next month, Toyota will become the first automaker to use biohydrin, a newly-developed biosynthetic rubber product, in engine and drive system hoses. Jointly developed by Toyota, Zeon Corporation , and Sumitomo Riko Co., Ltd., biohydrin rubber is manufactured using plant-derived bio-materials instead of epichlorohydrin, a commonly-used epoxy compound.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 21, 2016

Volvo Cars aims to sell a total of up to one million electrified cars by 2025. The Swedish company plans to achieve this aim by offering at least two hybrid versions of every model in its range and releasing the first all-electric car in 2019. Volvo Cars has been readying itself for the emergence of electrified vehicles for the last five years. It has developed two all new vehicle architectures for larger and smaller cars—Scalable Product Architecture (SPA) ( earlier post ) and Compact Mod

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 21, 2016

The largest public multi-standard electric vehicle charging facility in California officially opened in Santa Clara. The Santa Clara Electric Vehicle Charging Center, located at the city’s Tasman Parking Garage, features 48 Level 2 chargers and one DC Fast Charger. Santa Clara’s municipal electric utility Silicon Valley Power (SVP) collaborated with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Joint Venture Silicon Valley, ChargePoint and MJR Electric to obtain a grant of $393,000 from the Cali

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 21, 2016

Wrightspeed Inc. announced a US$30M deal with Infratil-owned NZ Bus, New Zealand’s largest operator of urban bus services. Under the terms of the deal, Wrightspeed will provide its Route 500 heavy-duty range-extended electric powertrain technology to NZ Bus. The move marks Wrightspeed’s first expansion beyond refuse and delivery applications into mass transit, signaling multinational and multimodal demand for the company’s powertrain technology.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 21, 2016

Volkswagen has opened a competence center for technology and innovation and its Wolfsburg plant. Volkswagen employees will develop and test new production technologies on-site in the center’s near-production environment. The innovation center has six sections: digital way; human-machine interaction (HMI); material flow and material handling; body construction; assembly; and ergonomics.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 21, 2016

Over the past three years, the amount of advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) used each year in automotive applications has been 10% higher than forecasted by Ducker Worldwide, the Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI) announced. SMDI is a business unit of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI). According to a study conducted by Ducker Worldwide, AHSS continues its growth trajectory with approximately 254 pounds per vehicle in 2014, surpassing estimates in 2010 for 2014 by more than 20

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 20, 2016

In a cost-shared program supported by the US Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and the Ohio Coal Development Office (OCDO) of the Ohio Development Services Agency (ODSA), a team at Battelle is demonstrating a new, hybrid, direct coal-to-liquids process for producing jet fuel using biomass-derived coal solvents. The conversion of coal to syncrude is carried out at a relatively low pressure without requiring gaseous hydrogen or a catalyst.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 20, 2016

Royal DSM has introduced an innovative new high performance material based on Stanyl polyamide 46. This new material, Stanyl HGR1, reduces frictional torque in automobile engine timing systems and will provide OEMs with a cost-effective tool for reducing fuel consumption. Automobile makers are constantly trying to improve the torque they can obtain from their engines, so that they can reduce engine capacity—and hence fuel consumption—without loss of mechanical performance.

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