2020

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Toyota moves closer to production with next-generation fuel cell technology for heavy-duty trucks; new Mirai system

Green Car Congress

Toyota’s next generation fuel cell electric technology is now powering a new set of Class 8 heavy-duty trucks. Using the same fuel cell system as the all-new 2021 Mirai sedan that goes on sale this month, the engineers at Toyota Motor North America Research and Development have developed a set of production-intent prototype trucks that are being prepared to run drayage routes at the ports of LA and Long Beach to validate their performance, efficiency and drivability.

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Ford Mustang Mach-E: Green Car Reports’ Best Car To Buy 2021 finalist

Green Car Reports

The idea of applying the Mustang’s pony car heritage to Ford’s first widely available electric vehicle, the Mach-E, might seem like sacrilege to some, or the smartest product decision of the decade to others. Whether you come out on either side of that, or somewhere in the middle like us, the Mustang Mach-E takes electric cars.

Ford 218
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2020 EV Charging Infrastructure Best-in-Test: Rating the DC fast charging user experience

Charged EVs

If EVs are to replace fossil-fuel vehicles, they need to be able to make long highway trips, which means that DC fast charging needs to be reliable, convenient, affordable and ubiquitous. However, as Charged and other media have often reported, we’re still in the early days of public EV charging, and the user experience often leaves much to be desired.

DC 144
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LME copper prices hit 7-year high

Green Car Congress

On 4 December 2020, the LME cash price hit its highest level since March 2013, closing at US$7,742/t. (By 10 December, that dropped back to $7,712/t.) Copper has charted an unlikely trajectory through 2020, notes Roskill. Copper prices plunged 27% to a low of US$4,617/t in late March as the global impact of COVID-19 became apparent, but copper stabilized and then began to rise, completing a full recovery to its January starting point by the end of July.

Price 541
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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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SwRI engineers develop near-zero emissions diesel engine technology; 90% reduction of NOx

Green Car Congress

Southwest Research Institute engineers have developed the next generation of clean diesel engine technology to reduce hazardous nitrogen oxides (NO x ) and carbon dioxide emissions while minimizing fuel consumption. Working with regulatory agencies, vehicle manufacturers and suppliers, SwRI combined engine modifications with integrated aftertreatment technology and control strategies to reach near-zero emissions levels (0.02 g/hp-hr NO x emissions).

Engine 545
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NREL researchers evaluating blockchain for transactive energy applications

Green Car Congress

Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are evaluating the use of blockchain for transactive energy using hardware in the laboratory’s Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF). Distributing grid operational decision-making is revolutionary. It’s really like somebody in the 1980s expounding on the economic opportunity of the Internet.

Energy 545

More Trending

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Intermountain Power Agency orders MHPS JAC Gas Turbine technology for renewable-hydrogen energy hub, operated by LA DWP

Green Car Congress

The Intermountain Power Agency (IPA) has awarded Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) a contract for two M501JAC power trains for the Intermountain Power Plant (IPP) in Delta, Utah. ( Earlier post.). This award marks the first Advanced Class Gas Turbines in the industry specifically designed and purchased as part of a comprehensive plan to sequentially transition from coal, to natural gas and finally to renewable hydrogen fuel, and creates a roadmap for the global industry to follow.

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UCS: ride-hailing trips can produce nearly 70% greater emissions compared to private car trips

Green Car Congress

A new report by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) finds that the rising use of ride-hailing services is increasing carbon emissions, with ride-hailing trips producing nearly 70% greater emissions compared to the trips they are replacing. This significant increase in emissions comes in part from “deadheading”—the miles a driver travels waiting for a ride request or picking up a passenger.

Emissions 543
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Emissions Analytics finds pollution from tire wear can be 1,000x worse than exhaust emissions

Green Car Congress

Pollution from tire wear can be 1,000 times worse than a car’s exhaust emissions, Emissions Analytics has found. Emissions Analytics is an independent global testing and data specialist for the scientific measurement of real-world emissions and fuel efficiency for passenger and commercial vehicles and non-road mobile machinery. Harmful particulate matter from tires—and also brakes—is a growing environmental problem, and is being exacerbated by the increasing popularity of large, heav

Exhaust 537
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CASE unveils first fully electric backhoe loader: the 580 EV

Green Car Congress

CASE Construction Equipment introduced “Project Zeus”: the 580 EV, the construction industry’s first fully electric backhoe loader. The power and performance of the 580 EV is equivalent to other diesel-powered backhoes in the CASE product line and provides considerably lower daily operating costs while also producing zero emissions—a motivating factor for utility and government contractors incentivized to work with equipment that leverages alternative fuels and lowers emissions.

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

Brief

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Toyota develops fuel cell system for maritime applications; first application on Energy Observer

Green Car Congress

Toyota, official partner of Energy Observer and an avid supporter of their project from the start, has developed a fuel cell system for maritime applications, with its first delivery destined for Energy Observer. Embarking in June 2017 from Saint-Malo Port in France, Energy Observer is an electrically propelled vessel of the future that is operated using a mix of renewable energies and an on-board system that produces carbon-free hydrogen from seawater.

Toyota 536
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Airbus and RollsRoyce end E-Fan X hybrid-electric aircraft initiative

Green Car Congress

Airbus and Rolls Royce jointly have decided to end the E-Fan X demonstrator program. ( Earlier post.) Launched in 2017, the E-Fan X project sought to develop a near-term hybrid-electric flight demonstrator for commercial aircraft. … decarbonizing the aviation industry is no small feat. To achieve this, we need to re-focus all of our efforts on technology bricks that will take us there.

Hybrid 533
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Transdev Canada purchasing 27 new electric Lion school buses

Green Car Congress

Transdev Canada is investing close to CAD$4.5 million in its fleet of electric school buses with the Québec company Lion, thus becoming, with a total of 31 vehicles, the largest private operator of electric school buses in North America to date. This major investment is made possible by the Québec government’s proactive support policy. The entire new fleet will be gradually introduced on the school transport networks operated by Transdev from the start of the school year in September 2020, in th

Canada 532
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Alstom signs first contract for battery-electric regional trains in Germany

Green Car Congress

Alstom will manufacture , deliver and maintain until 2032 eleven Coradia Continental battery-electric trains for regional traffic on the Leipzig-Chemnitz route on behalf of VMS (Verkehrsverbund Mittelsachsen) and with the support of ZVNL (Zweckverband für den Nahverkehrsraum Leipzig), the two authorities responsible for this line. The contract is worth approximately €100 million.

Germany 532
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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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Hamburger Hochbahn issues tender for 50 fuel cell buses

Green Car Congress

Hamburger Hochbahn AG has launched a tender for the delivery of up to 50 fuel cell buses for the years 2021 to 2025. The invitation to tender consists of four lots. Hochbahn will purchase both pure fuel cell hybrid buses and battery-electric buses in which the fuel cell serves as a range extender. Both solo and articulated buses are tendered for both technical solutions.

Fuel 526
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Volvo Cars inaugurates new battery assembly line at Ghent manufacturing plant

Green Car Congress

Volvo Cars formally inaugurated a new battery assembly line at its Belgian manufacturing plant in Ghent, where it will start building its first fully electric car, the XC40 Recharge P8, later this year. Volvo XC40 Recharge powertrain. The XC40 Recharge P8 is the first of a family of fully electric Volvos. It is the company’s first fully electric car and the first Volvo with a brand new infotainment system powered by Google’s Android operating system.

Volvo 530
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New USGS methodology identifies 23 mineral commodities the supply of which poses greatest risk to manufacturing

Green Car Congress

Researchers at the US Geological Survey (USGS) and its partners have developed a new methodology to identify which mineral commodities important to US manufacturing are at greatest risk to supply disruption. The risk tool identified 23 mineral commodities posing the greatest risk. The methodology evaluated the global supply of and US demand for 52 mineral commodities for the years 2007 to 2016.

Supplies 529
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Researchers demonstrate fossil fuel-free jet propulsion with air plasmas

Green Car Congress

A team of researchers at the Institute of Technological Sciences at Wuhan University has demonstrated a prototype design of a propulsion thruster that utilizes air plasma induced by microwave ionization. Such a jet engine simply uses only air and electricity to produce high temperature and pressurized plasma for jet propulsion. An open-access paper on their work is published in the journal AIP Advances.

Fuel 525
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Moscow launches its 500th electric bus; largest electric bus fleet in Europe

Green Car Congress

Moscow, Russia has launched its 500 th electric bus—a KAMAZ 6282 electric bus. The KAMAZ 6282 uses lithium-titanate batteries, and has a range of 70 km on one charge. The electric bus is charged in 6-12 minutes with ultrafast charging stations using a half-pantograph. In addition, an on-board charger allows charging the drive from a three-phase 380 V alternating current (“night charge”).

Fleet 521
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Amazon orders more than 1,800 EVs from Mercedes-Benz Vans

Green Car Congress

Mercedes-Benz Vans and Amazon announced the largest order for Mercedes-Benz electric vehicles to date: more than 1,800 battery-electric eVito and eSprinter from Mercedes-Benz Vans will be delivered to Amazon starting this year to be used across Europe. The order includes around 600 medium-sized eVito and more than 1,200 vehicles of the large-size van eSprinter.

Mercedes 522
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Lightning Systems debuts new electric Ford F-550 for shuttle buses, delivery trucks

Green Car Congress

Lightning Systems has introduced an all-electric powertrain for the popular Ford F-550 Chassis Cab. The new Lightning Electric Ford F-550 will be available in gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) of 17,500 to 19,500 pounds. Orders from fleets are being accepted immediately. The new Lightning Electric Ford F-550 model will offer peak power of 180 kW (241 hp).

Ford 522
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Fountain Valley, CA hydrogen station opens; 100% renewable H2

Green Car Congress

The Fountain Valley, California hydrogen station has opened. The Fountain Valley True Zero station, located in Orange County, was developed by FirstElement Fuel. It will be open 24 hours a day and is located at 18480 Brookhurst Street, Fountain Valley, CA 92708. The Fountain Valley hydrogen station capacity is 1200 kilograms; it has four fueling positions with a total of five nozzles (four H70 nozzles and one H35 nozzle).

Hydrogen 523
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UCR researchers find commercial fast-charging damages EV batteries, propose new internal-resistance-based technique

Green Car Congress

Commercial fast-charging stations subject electric car batteries to high temperatures and high resistance that can cause them to crack, leak, and lose their storage capacity, according to researchers at the University of California, Riverside (UCR) in a new open-access study published in the journal Energy Storage. To remedy this, the researchers have developed a method for charging at lower temperatures with less risk of catastrophic damage and loss of storage capacity.

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Successful first flight of the world?s largest all-electric aircraft: Cessna Grand Caravan 208B

Green Car Congress

magniX, a company developing electric propulsion systems for aircraft, and AeroTEC, a leading independent company focused on aerospace testing, engineering and certification, announced the successful flight of an all-electric Cessna Grand Caravan 208B. The successful flight of the eCaravan, enabled by a 750-horsepower (560 kW) magni500 propulsion system, took place at the AeroTEC Flight Test Center at the Grant County International Airport (KMWH) in Moses Lake, Washington on Thursday.

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New Road Map to a US Hydrogen Economy

Green Car Congress

A coalition of major oil & gas, power, automotive, fuel cell, and hydrogen companies have developed and released the full new report, a “ Road Map to a US Hydrogen Economy. ” The Road Map stresses the versatility of hydrogen as an enabler of the renewable energy system; an energy vector that can be transported and stored; and a fuel for the transportation sector, heating of buildings and providing heat and feedstock to industry.

Economy 521
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Berlin receives 90 electric Solaris buses; BVG Solaris electric fleet totals 123

Green Car Congress

Solaris has completed the delivery of 90 Urbino 12 electric buses for Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG). This was one of the biggest contracts for battery-powered buses in Europe and the largest one for the manufacturer in Germany so far. Berlin now has a total of 123 electric Solaris buses in its fleet. In June 2019, the public transport operator from Berlin ordered 90 12-meter Urbino 12 buses.

Fleet 514
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Volvo Cars successfully places first green bond, raises €500M

Green Car Congress

Volvo Cars successfully placed its first green bond, raising €500 million from a diverse group of institutional investors and further increasing the company’s financial flexibility. A green bond is a type of fixed-income instrument that is specifically earmarked to raise money for climate and environmental projects. The proceeds of the bond will be used to fund the design, development and manufacturing of fully electric cars in line with the company’s recently established Green Finance Framework

Volvo 514
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Wärtsilä and Grieg to build green ammonia-fueled tanker

Green Car Congress

The technology group Wärtsilä and Grieg Edge, the innovation hub of Norwegian shipping group Grieg Star, are jointly running a project to launch an ammonia-fueled tanker producing no greenhouse gas emissions by 2024. The MS Green Ammonia project is the result of a Nordic industrial collaboration group founded from the Zeeds (Zero Emissions Energy Distribution at Sea) initiative.

Green 508
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NIO launches Battery as a Service (BaaS) in China; battery swap system

Green Car Congress

Premium EV manufacturer NIO has launched Battery as a Service (BaaS) for customers in China. NIO BaaS users can purchase a car without the battery, making EVs more price competitive against existing powertrains, while also providing the flexibility to change battery capacity depending on their needs and pay accordingly. In addition, BaaS also represents a systematic solution to the long-existing challenges for EV penetration, including battery degradation, battery upgradability, and lower resale

China 508
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Oxford team directly converts CO2 to jet fuel using iron-based catalysts

Green Car Congress

Researchers at the University of Oxford have developed a method to convert CO 2 directly into aviation fuel using a novel, inexpensive iron-based catalyst. The catalyst shows a carbon dioxide conversion through hydrogenation to hydrocarbons in the aviation jet fuel range of 38.2%, with a yield of 17.2%, and a selectivity of 47.8%, and with an attendant low carbon monoxide (5.6%) and methane selectivity (10.4%).

Convert 505
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CP announces hydrogen-powered line-haul locomotive pilot project

Green Car Congress

Canadian Pacific plans to develop North America’s first hydrogen-powered line-haul locomotive. CP’s Hydrogen Locomotive Program will retrofit a line-haul locomotive with hydrogen fuel cells and battery technology to drive the locomotive’s electric traction motors. Line-haul locomotives move freight and passenger cars between yards and terminals. These are high-powered units—total rated power of more than 1,715 kW (2,300 horsepower) in Canada—that travel long distances and spend much

Hydrogen 505
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Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans deploys 6 plug-in hybrid pickups from XL Fleet

Green Car Congress

In order to advance its fleet electrification and emissions reduction goals, the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWBNO) has deployed six new XL plug-in hybrid electric Ford F-150 pickup trucks to its fleet. The trucks were unveiled during a ceremony at the SWBNO Central Yard on 28 January 28, which featured New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, as well as representatives from SWBNO and project partners including New Orleans Regional Planning Commission (RPC), Southeast Louisiana Clean Fuel

Plug-in 511
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Spanish team develops microwave-induced electrolysis at low temperatures for H2 production

Green Car Congress

Researchers in Spain have developed hydrogen production without contact electrodes via water electrolysis mediated by the microwave-triggered redox activation of solid-state ionic materials at low temperatures ( Nature Energy. Schematic illustration of the microwave-induced redox cycle. Microwave irradiation of doped ceria materials induce its reduction and triggers the release of gaseous oxygen.

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Toyota REXH2 fuel cell module successfully tested on boat over more than 7,000 nautical miles, including trans-Atlantic crossings

Green Car Congress

The REXH2 is a modular maritime hydrogen power solution developed around Toyota’s fuel cell technology. It has been succesfully tested in real open sea conditions aboard the Energy Observer boat for over more than 7,000 nautical miles including trans-Atlantic crossings. The hydrogen-electric hybrid technology in the REXH2 makes silent maritime and river mobility without emissions of CO 2 or fine particles possible.

Toyota 505