Sat.Feb 23, 2013 - Fri.Mar 01, 2013

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CalBattery licenses Argonne silicon-graphene material for high-energy Li-ion batteries; targeting commercial availability in 2014

Green Car Congress

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and California Lithium Battery , Inc. (CalBattery) have signed a licensing agreement for an Argonne-developed, silicon-graphene composite anode material for high-energy lithium batteries. CalBattery says it plans to move forward rapidly in the commercial scale-up and production of the novel composite anode material and to offer it in commercial production in the US by 2014.

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VOLAR-e Electric Supercar: 1,000 HP McLaren-Beater

Green Car Reports

Okay, so perhaps "McLaren-beater" is a bit of an exaggeration. The recently-unveiled McLaren P1 plug-in hybrid supercar has the looks, the heritage, the quality and indeed a full production run on the way--while the VOLAR-e from Spanish industrial design firm Applus Idiada is just a prototype. But the fact we can make the comparison at all--and to.

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A brief history of electric vehicles

Green Cars News

They might seem like a new development but electric cars have actually been around a long time. The first vehicles appear early in the ninetieth century, with a number of vehicles appearing within a few years of each other. Early on in their career, they achieved great success and even at one time, were more [.].

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New modeling study suggests wind farm power generation capacity has been significantly overestimated

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Research in mesoscale atmospheric modeling by the University of North Carolina (UNC) Charlotte’s Amanda S. Adams and Harvard University’s David W. Keith suggests that the power capacity of large-scale wind farms may have been significantly overestimated. Their open access paper appears in the journal Environmental Research Letters. Large-scale wind farms can comprise hundreds of tower-mounted turbines.

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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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Audi to introduce natural gas A3 Sportback g-tron at year’s end; CO2-neutral e-gas

Green Car Congress

Audi A3 Sportback g-tron. Click to enlarge. Audi will introduce the compact A3 Sportback g-tron—which can be powered by the CO 2 -neutral Audi e-gas, synthetic methane generated from eco-electricity in the Audi e-gas project ( earlier post )—at the end of the year. The e-gas fuel will be produced in the power-to-gas plant in Werlte, Germany.

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California Energy Commission awards $4.5M to ARB for more clean vehicle rebates

Green Car Congress

The California Energy Commission voted to expand the state’s clean-vehicle rebate program with an award of $4.5 million to the California Air Resources Board through an interagency agreement to provide funding for the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project. This funding will be used to support purchases of light-duty zero-emission electric vehicles and light-duty plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.

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More Trending

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XL Hybrids enters installation and distribution partnership with Leggett & Platt Commercial Vehicle Products; expands hybrid drive system to Ford E-series vans

Green Car Congress

XL Hybrids hybrid drive unit in place. Click to enlarge. XL Hybrids, Inc., developer of a low-cost hybrid electric powertrain designed specifically for class 1 to 3 commercial fleet use ( earlier post ), signed a non-exclusive installation partnership and distribution agreement with Leggett & Platt Commercial Vehicle Products (CVP), one of the top commercial vehicle upfitters.

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Showa Denko starts volume production of water-based anode binder for Li-ion batteries

Green Car Congress

Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) has begun volume production of its “Polysol LB Series” water-based anode binder for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The product is a water-based emulsion containing acrylic synthetic resin particles, ensuring lower environmental impact at the time of production compared with solvent-based binders. It provides such advantages as low electrical resistance, good temperature characteristics, and good adhesion to anode collectors, thereby contributing toward extending the life an

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Yamato, Toyota, Hino start trials of battery-electric 1-tonne delivery truck

Green Car Congress

EV Trucks for the trial. Click to enlarge. Yamato Transport Co., Ltd., Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), and Hino Motors, Ltd. (Hino) will begin trials using a small battery-electric truck (EV Truck) in Yamato delivery operations. Developed by Hino, the EV Truck is a one-tonne, ultra-low bed truck featuring a cargo space equipped with compartments for keeping delivery goods refrigerated or frozen.

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Zipcar places Honda Fit EVs into Portland fleet

Green Car Congress

Zipcar, Inc. has introduced the battery-electric 2013 Honda Fit EV ( earlier post ) into the Zipcar Portland fleet, with the first vehicles located at Portland State University (PSU). Charging stations for the EVs are provided by ECOtality, Inc. The new Honda Fit EVs are located on PSU’s campus at Parking Structure 1, and are available to all Zipcar members ages 21+ for hourly reservations, starting from $10.25 per hour.

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

Brief

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Continental and BMW Group working together to develop freeway-grade highly automated driving

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Continental and the BMW Group are pooling their development capacities to define the long-term prerequisites for series introduction of highly automated driving on European freeways. In January 2013, the two companies signed an agreement to jointly develop an electronic co-pilot for this purpose. The overarching aim of the research partnership is to pave the way to highly automated driving functions beyond the year 2020.

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Hyundai begins limited production of ix35 Fuel Cell vehicle for fleet use; 1,000 planned by 2015

Green Car Congress

Hyundai has begun assembly-line production of the ix35 Fuel Cell vehicle for fleet use; the first ix35 FCV rolled off the line at its Ulsan manufacturing facility today. ( Earlier post.) The vehicle will be displayed at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show. That ix35 Fuel Cell will be one of 17 destined for fleet customers in the City of Copenhagen, Denmark and Skåne, Sweden.

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Johnson Controls modifies automotive PHEV Li-ion batteries for marine application; Torqeedo Deep Blue

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Johnson Controls, Inc. is slated to begin production this spring of Li-ion battery packs for Germany-based electric outboard motor manufacturer Torqeedo to power its electric boat motor, Deep Blue. Deep Blue. Click to enlarge. The Deep Blue motor delivers propulsive power of 29.7 kW (40.5 hp), equivalent, according to Torqeedo, to a 58 kW/80hp gasoline outboard.

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EU “POWERFUL” project developing new low-emission combustion engines

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A European consortium is developing new low-emission spark ignition (SI) and compression ignition (CI) engines for road transport. The EU-funded ‘POWERtrain for FUture Light-duty vehicles’ ( POWERFUL ) project is targeting a 40% reduction in CO 2 emissions for SI (gasoline) engines and a 20% reduction for CI (diesel) with respect to 2005. The four-year, €24.3-million (US$32-million) project, which wraps at the end of this year, also seeks to deliver at least 10% less CO, HC, NO x and PM figures

Emissions 257
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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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Battelle introduces Grid Command Distribution services and software for rapid modeling of smart grid distribution circuits

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Screen shot of a Grid Command Distribution “heatmap” analysis for a neighborhood. Source: Battelle and AEP (data). Click to enlarge. Battelle recently unveiled its new Grid Command Distribution services and software for utilities. The software is a front-end for the open-source GridLAB-D , a distribution system simulation and analysis tool developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), a Department of Energy (DOE) lab managed by Battelle.

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Chevron announces successful test well at deepwater St. Malo in Gulf of Mexico

Green Car Congress

Chevron Corporation announced that it had conducted a successful production test on the St. Malo PS003 well in the prolific Lower Tertiary trend in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. Oil flow rates, though limited by testing equipment constraints, exceeded 13,000 barrels of oil per day. Chevron’s Jack/St. Malo development is located approximately 280 miles (450 km) south of New Orleans, Louisiana, in 7,000 feet (2,134 m) of water.

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New high-performance anode material for Na-ion batteries

Green Car Congress

A team from the University of Technology, Sydney (Australia) and Gyeongsang National University (S. Korea) have developed SnO2 @graphene nanocomposites for use as anodes in sodium-ion (Na-ion) batteries. The nanocomposite exhibited a high reversible sodium storage capacity of above 700 mAh g -1 and excellent cyclability, which the researchers ascribed to the 3D architecture of the SnO 2 @graphene nanocomposite.

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Audi and BMW Group join Aluminium Stewardship Initiative; seeking a standard for sustainable aluminum

Green Car Congress

AUDI AG and the BMW Group, along with Hydro and Rexam, have joined the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI) to help develop a global standard for sustainable aluminum. Aluminium is the world’s second most used metal after steel, and is of specific importance to the automotive industry due to its combination of its light weight, durability and strength.

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Engineered E. coli from Rice University part of USDA-funded project to develop drop-in fuels from biomass

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A process developed by researchers at Rice University is part of a USDA-funded $6.6-million project to convert lignocellulosic biomass to infrastructure-compatible renewable diesel, bio-lubricants, animal feed and biopower. ( Earlier post.). Patent-pending fermentation processes created by Rice bioengineer Ka-Yiu San and his colleagues use genetically modified E. coli bacteria to produce fatty acids from hydrolysates.

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Boeing joins Univ. of British Columbia in composites research

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Boeing has become the founding industrial member of the University of British Columbia’s Composites Research Network (CRN). The CRN will collaborate with other composite initiatives, such as the Canadian Composites Manufacturing Research and Development Consortium hosted by the Composites Innovation Centre in Manitoba. This collaboration has the potential to generate new applications of composite processing technology not only within Canada’s aerospace industry, but in other fields such as the a

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Mercedes-Benz A-Class engine cover in bio-based polyamide from DSM

Green Car Congress

Mercedes-Benz has chosen a high performance polyamide largely made from renewable resources for the engine cover of the brand-new Mercedes-Benz A-Class. Around 70% of the raw materials used to make the polyamide 410 in DSM’s EcoPaXX Q-HGM24 reinforced compound are derived from the castor plant ( Ricinus communis ). Mercedes-Benz A-Class engine cover in bio-based polyamide from DSM.

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Westport and China’s ENN Group enter global co-marketing agreement for natural gas transportation systems and fuel

Green Car Congress

Westport Innovations Inc. and China-based ENN Group have entered a global co-marketing agreement aimed at the proliferation of natural gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) transportation solutions and fuel for on-road, off-road, rail and marine applications. ENN is one of China’s largest private companies. Other highlights of the agreement include: Mutual acknowledgement of long-term commitment to LNG infrastructure: ENN is expecting to engage in building liquefaction plants in North America and

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Westport launches Ford F-450 and F-550 with Bi-Fuel Westport WiNG Power System

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Westport Innovations Inc. announced that its Westport WiNG Power System, a compressed natural gas (CNG) bi-fuel system, will be available for order on the Ford F-450 and F-550 Super Duty Chassis Cab trucks starting 1 April 2013. ( Earlier post.) The trucks will make their debut at next week’s National Truck Equipment Association Work Truck Show in Indianapolis, Indiana.

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Cabot launches first graphene-based additive to improve energy density of lithium-ion batteries

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Cabot Corp. launched LITX G700, the company’s first graphene-based additive for high energy density lithium-ion battery applications. ( Earlier post.) Utilizing graphene material developed on the basis of a new technology platform, this new additive helps lithium-ion battery manufacturers improve cell performance. The LITX G700 conductive additive is a graphene-based additive designed for use in electric vehicle and high-end consumer electronics in which better driving range and longer run times

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Consortium seeks to show total cost of EVs can be less than combustion engine reference car

Green Car Congress

EVs for use by Michelin and Siemens staffers in the project. (Photo: Sandra Göttisheim) Click to enlarge. Michelin and Siemens, in cooperation with research partners at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI, are launching a project to demonstrate that the total cost of electric vehicles can be less than that of a conventional combustion-engined car.

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$1.3B methanol plant slated for South Louisiana

Green Car Congress

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, South Louisiana Methanol (SLM) CEO Barry Williamson and Todd Corp. Group CEO Jon Young announced that South Louisiana Methanol LP will invest $1.3 billion in a new methanol production facility on the banks of the Mississippi River in St. James Parish. The South Louisiana Methanol site will be the largest of its kind in North America.

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California Energy Commission awards $5M to sugar beet ethanol biorefinery demo

Green Car Congress

The California Energy Commission has awarded $4,998,399 to Mendota Bioenergy, LLC to support the design, construction and operation of an advanced biorefinery demonstration plant in the Mendota area (Fresno County), where sugar beets will be used to create advanced biofuel ethanol. The project is slated to use advanced enzyme and microbial techniques to convert 10,000 tons of sugar beets harvested throughout the year into 285,000 gallons of advanced biofuel ethanol.

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Land Rover to demonstrate ZF 9-speed automatic transmission; up to 16% fuel savings over standard 6-speed automatic

Green Car Congress

The ZF 9HP 9-speed. Source: ZF. Click to enlarge. At the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, Land Rover will announce the first 9-speed automatic transmission for a passenger car; Land Rover is the lead partner on the project, working together with ZF. The ZF 9HP transmission ( earlier post ) is specifically designed for transverse applications and front or four-wheel drive and can thus be installed in 75% of all cars produced worldwide, ZF notes.

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VW to introduce electric transporter concept at Geneva show

Green Car Congress

At next week’s Geneva International Motor Show, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles will be showing an electric transporter concept vehicle: the e-Co-Motion. The concept offers large cargo capacity and 800 kg (1,764 lbs) of payload. Electric mobility—especially in light commercial vehicles—could play a crucial role in meeting the growing transport needs of the world’s megacities.

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NASA begins ACCESS flight research to study effects of biojet fuels on engine performance, emissions and contrails

Green Car Congress

NASA researchers have begun a series of flights using the agency’s DC-8 flying laboratory to study the effects of alternate biofuel on engine performance, emissions and aircraft-generated contrails at altitude. The Alternative Fuel Effects on Contrails and Cruise EmiSSions (ACCESS) research involves flying the DC-8 as high as 40,000 feet while an instrumented NASA Falcon HU-25 aircraft trails behind at distances ranging from 300 feet to more than 10 miles.

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Volvo Trucks introducing new version of I-See for improved fuel economy

Green Car Congress

Volvo Trucks is introducing a new version of I-See, a system in the new Volvo FH that saves fuel when driving in hilly terrain. ( Earlier post.) The new version remotely obtains up-to-date information about the road’s topography from a central server, so all trucks with I-See have access to the same fuel-saving information. The original I-See system harnessed the truck’s own kinetic energy to “push” the vehicle up hills.

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Chrysler Group to invest $374M to increase production of 8- and 9-speed transmissions in North-Central Indiana

Green Car Congress

Chrysler Group LLC will invest nearly $374 million to boost transmission production in north-central Indiana, making it the largest transmission installation in the world. Investments include: Kokomo Transmission, Kokomo Casting and Indiana Transmission I Plants: $212 million for additional tooling and equipment to produce eight- and nine-speed transmissions.

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New low-temperature catalytic process for producing hydrogen from methanol; potential future application for fuel cell vehicles

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(a) Schematic pathway for a homogeneously catalyzed methanol reforming process via three discrete dehydrogenation steps. (b) Best performing catalysts. Nielsen et al. Click to enlarge. Researchers from Germany and Italy have developed an efficient low-temperature catalytic process to produce hydrogen from methanol. Hydrogen generation by this method proceeds at 65–95 °C (149-203 °F) and ambient pressure with excellent catalyst turnover frequencies (4,700 per hour) and turnover numbers (e

Hydrogen 225
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BASF to open R&D laboratory and application technology center for battery materials in Japan

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BASF will open a new research and development laboratory and an application technology center for battery materials in Amagasaki, Japan. The facilities will be fully operational by the end of 2013. The laboratory will focus on researching electrolytes and electrode materials for high-performance batteries as part of BASF’s global R&D network. The Application Technology Center will aim to enhance service and to develop tailor-made solutions for the battery industry in Japan.

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