Future Cars GermanyIt's been 80 years since the first Mercedes-Benz diesel vehicle went into volume production. Over that time, German makers have developed, refined, and promoted the combustion-ignition engine as a more fuel-efficient method of powering personal vehicles. Followed by Volkswagen Group's various makes, BMW, and the rest of Europe's car industry. MORE

Batteries lithium-ion Elon Musk Germany Production plug-in cars Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) gigafactorySometimes it's the task of the Tesla communications department to explain, or provide context, or simply clean up the confusion after CEO Elon Musk says or tweets something about the electric-car maker. In the latest case, it was Musk's statement about Tesla Model 3 production equipment that required the good people of the company's long-suffering. MORE

TDI VW Germany lawsuit Volkswagen diesel scandalIn the U.S., owners of Volkswagen 2.0-liter TDI diesel cars with illegal "defeat device" software have reached a settlement with VW—and a preliminary agreement for a smaller number of affected 3.0-liter V-6 diesels is largely, if not entirely, settled. It may have taken months of negotiating, but 2.0-liter diesel owners can be assured of. MORE

emissions China Germany plug-in cars transportation policyElectric-car mandates can be a powerful tool for reducing transportation-related emissions. California first proposed its current zero-emission vehicle mandate in December 2011, but similar mandates are only now being widely adopted elsewhere. One such policy in China is creating friction, however. DON'T MISS: Quebec passes Canada's first. MORE

Germany is one of several countries with aggressive plans to curb transportation-related carbon emissions. But a recent study claims the transportation sector in Germany is the only one that hasn't, in. emissions Germany greenhouse gas Fuel Economy carbon dioxideOver the past few years, its large domestic car industry has worked to improve fuel efficiency--and even launched several plug-in electric models. MORE

Diesels Germany Fuel EconomyThese are not good times for the makers or owners of diesel cars, particularly in their European stronghold, where on average half of all new vehicles had been sold with diesel engines. Strict new real-world emission tests have proven hard to meet, consumers are starting to shy away from buying new diesels, and the values of used cars with diesel. MORE

Daimler AG and the ACADEMY Holding AG are launching a pilot project with five selected ACADEMY driving schools in the wider Stuttgart area, with the aim of making electric vehicles an integral part of driver training. MORE

A survey by Germany’s BDEW (Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft), an association of energy and water companies, found that the number of public charge points in the country has grown to 7,407 as of the end of 2016. As a comparison, Germany had 14,531 filling stations (with multiple pumps, or “filling points”) active in 2016, down from a peak 46,091 in 1970. MORE

TDI VW Germany lawsuit Volkswagen diesel scandalA lot has been said about Volkswagen's use of "defeat device" software in diesel cars to cheat on emissions tests, but a German court may win the prize for most-creative description. VW "defeat device" software is like putting horse meat in lasagna, three German judges decreed during a recent hearing related to the diesel scandal. Besides. MORE

Among European nations, Germany is one of the least active when it comes to policies promoting electric cars. Germany incentives plug-in cars transportation policyEven as the country's powerful auto industry has turned more attention to plug-in cars, government support for them has been largely limited to political speeches. But now German Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel apparently wants to put the. MORE

Van Hool, the Belgium-based independent bus, coach and industrial vehicles manufacturer, has landed a significant contract with RVK Köln and WSW Wuppertal (Germany), to supply 40 hydrogen buses of the latest generation. MORE

With this field trial, the eHighway will be tested on a public highway in Germany for the first time. Siemens has been commissioned by the German state of Hesse to build an overhead contact line for electrified freight transport on a ten-kilometer stretch of autobahn. MORE

In Germany, all Mercedes-Benz plants will be supplied with CO 2 -neutral energy. From 2022, the production of our Mercedes-Benz plants in Germany will operate CO 2 -neutral. In Germany, Mercedes-Benz Cars has eight vehicle and powertrain plants (Bremen, Rastatt, Sindelfingen, Berlin, Hamburg, Kamenz, Kölleda, Stuttgart-Untertürkheim), which either purchase electricity or operate their own power plants. The “Factory 56” is currently built in the Sindelfingen plant (Germany). MORE

The Netherlands-based Fastned, which plans to build a European network of fast-charging stations has acquired its first 14 locations in Germany. These will be the first of such stations in Germany that are accessible to all car brands, and where EVs can be charged with up to 500 kilometers of range in just 15 minutes. In the coming months the charging company expects to sign more locations in Germany as well as in other countries. MORE

As of now, all rail transport for Audi AG in Germany is CO 2 -free. Audi says it is the first company in Germany to organize its logistics operations by rail to be completely CO 2 -neutral. MORE

TerraE-Holding GmbH has organized 17 major companies and research institutions into a consortium to handle planning for building large-scale lithium ion battery cell manufacturing in Germany. TerraE plans to build 34GWh of production capacity across two locations in Germany. TerraE was recently established with the target to setup mass production of Lithium-ion battery cells of 34 GWh in Germany. MORE

Germany, on the other hand, has 83 million residents—and. Europe hydrogen Germany EU hydrogen fuel cellAs of today, there are 39 hydrogen fueling stations in the U.S., all but four of them in the state of California. They serve roughly 39 million Californians, whereas 284 million Americans outside the state have no access to hydrogen fuel-cell cars nor stations at which to refill them. MORE

Shell and ITM Power will build the world’s largest hydrogen electrolysis plant at Rhineland refinery, Germany. Currently the Rheinland refinery, Germany’s largest, requires approximately 180,000 tons of hydrogen annually. The REFHYNE business model is replicable in markets with a similar regulatory structure to Germany. Earlier post.) MORE

With this latest order, ABB is further expanding its market leading position in the charging infrastructure for electric mobility in Germany. ABB has received another major order from energy supplier EnBW for the expansion of the charging column network on German highways. By the end of 2017, ABB will have delivered an additional 117 50 kW rapid-charging columns at the locations of service station operator Tank & Rast. MORE

But despite its large domestic car industry, Germany is not among them. Carbon Footprint Germany incentives plug-in cars transportation policySeveral European countries--including Norway, The Netherlands, and France--aggressively promote electric cars as a way to reduce vehicular carbon emissions. German government support for electric cars has been lukewarm at best, but now it appears that could change soon. DON'T. MORE

The beta test is the biggest in-car delivery test ever performed in Germany. Daimler’s smart recently established the smart lab as the brand’s think tank to accelerate the development and implementation of creative urban mobility projects. smart ready to drop” is the first innovation to emerge from the lab. In cooperation with DHL Paket, smart will enable parcels to be delivered to the trunk of a smart car. MORE

Initiatives in Germany and Austria should see major improvements to charging networks in a short period of time, as both countries aggressively promote electric cars in an effort to reduce emissions. Europe Germany Austria plug-in cars charging charging infrastructureTwo adjacent European countries are stepping up efforts to improve their public electric-car charging infrastructure. MORE

PD Glasseiden, a Germany-based producer of fiberglass; European Carbon Fiber GmbH; and the ForschungsCampus Open Hybrid LabFactory e.V., established under the auspices of the Lower Saxony Research Centre for Vehicle Technology at the TU Braunschweig and Volkswagen AG have formed a joint venture— CarboSax GmbH —to pursue developing, manufacturing and distributing more sustainable carbon fibers in Germany. MORE

Continental is eagerly awaiting today’s decision by the Germany’s Bundesrat regarding changes to the German Road Traffic Act. This would make Germany one of the first countries in the world to obtain a legal framework for the introduction of highly and fully automated vehicles. Continental is currently testing suitable solutions for series production in live road conditions in countries including Japan, the US and Germany. MORE

Bosch has begun on-road testing of autonomous driving in Japan, its third location for the development work after Germany and the US. Like their colleagues in Germany and the US, the team in Japan is already conducting tests with automated test vehicles on public roads. MORE

Politics global warming California Germany climate changeThe 50 states that make up the U.S. don't get to set their own foreign policies (neither do Canadian provinces). But that doesn't necessarily prevent them from working with other countries on matters of mutual interest. And that's just what California is doing in an agreement announced this weekend that expands its efforts to battle climate change. MORE

Just as the Volkswagen Group begins to wind down its diesel scandal in the United States, things may be ramping up in Europe. A German government task force discovered a new type of defeat device in Audi vehicles, which allows the cars to cheat emission tests. Both V-6 and V-8 powered Audi A8 diesels—built between 2009 and 2013—were. Diesel cars MORE

Infrastructure hydrogen Germany Car Sharing hydrogen fuel cell Hyundai Tucson Fuel CellCar-sharing services have become increasingly popular over the past few years, and many of them operate fleets of battery-electric cars. Now, a German company believes it's time to pair this new approach to car use with hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles. The Linde Group—which manufactures and distributes industrial gases—believes such a. MORE

Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Fuel Cell Technologies Office and Germany’s National Organisation Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology (NOW) announced a collaboratio focused on hydrogen safety research and development (R&D). The U.S DOE and NOW are planning a collaborative activity on hydrogen safety R&D topics that may include refueling station equipment, liquid hydrogen, tunnel safety, and other areas of shared interest for technology deployment. MORE

Bus operators from Germany and South Tyrol, Italy are partnering to procure 63 fuel cell buses for their public transport systems as part of the EU-funded JIVE project (€106 million total cost, with €32 million coming from the EU). Earlier post.) The project is also testing new hydrogen refueling stations capable of serving fleets of more than 20 buses. MORE

The route goes via the A9—part of Germany’s “Digital Motorway Test Bed. Potential test drivers are targeted via various communications channels, including the social media sites run by Audi Germany. MORE

Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) is awarding nearly €2 million (US$2.3 The goal of our funding is to make Germany the leading market for automated and networked driving. million) to support a truck platooning project by DB Schenker, MAN, and Hochschule. Earlier post.) The project will run until January 2019. MORE

These actions are part of the government’s ongoing commitment to putting 1 million vehicles on Germany’s roads by 2020. FOCUS: Germany Launches Electric-Car Initiative. FOCUS: Germany Launches Electric-Car Initiative. “Germany is well positioned to become an international leader in the area of electromobility over the long term,&# BMW AG’s (BMW.XE) Chief Executive Norbert Reithofer said. Tags: International Projects Germany MORE

DON'T MISS: EU starts legal action against Germany, UK for. Europe emissions Germany energy policy plug-in cars fossil fuelsAmbitious emissions-reduction goals are important, because they allow policymakers to coordinate and focus efforts on a defined target. But the problem with setting lofty goals is that, eventually, they must be met. The German government is now finding out how difficult that can be. MORE

After much discussion, Germany appears poised to implement significant incentives to encourage the purchase of electric cars. Germany energy policy incentives plug-in cars transportation policyThis week, the German government announced an incentive program that will include rebates for both electric cars and plug-in hybrids. Lawmakers have committed 1.2 billion euros (about $1.4 billion) to the program. DON'T. MORE

Leclanché SA has received an order for a €5-million (US$5.8-million) 15 MWh battery storage project from swb, an energy services provider in Germany. The hybrid storage solution developed by swb consists of six Leclanché storage containers, which interact with a swb thermal storage infrastructure to ensure cost effective grid ancillary services. Usual battery storage applications use the battery for symmetrical services, such as charging and discharging. MORE

Germany’s H 2 filling station network is growing at an increasing pace. This brings the number of fueling options for fuel-cell cars in Baden-Württemberg to nine, making the federal state Germany’s leading H 2 region. MORE

Nissan Germany is offering a €2,000 (US$2,360) scrappage bonus for Euro 1-4 diesel vehicles to buyers of a Nissan LEAF or Nissan e-NV200 electric vehicle. In combination with Nissan Elektrobonus (€3,000 for a LEAF and €3,250 for an e-NV200) and the state environmental bonus (€2,000), the scrappage bonus—which is available until 30 December 2017—allows a buyer switching from an old diesel to an EV to save up to €7,250 (US$8,556). MORE

Now, however, Germany—home to the largest piece of Europe's auto industry—appears to be. Europe Plug-In Hybrids Germany plug-in cars Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) Fast Charging Tesla SuperchargerIt's starting to look like China will lead the world in adoption of plug-in electric cars, but which carmaking nations will follow it? While electric cars were launched simultaneously in Japan and the United States, Europe lagged somewhat behind. MORE

Unlike other forms of transportation, the railroad industry is already fairly familiar with electric power. Electric trains that use overhead wires or an electrified third rail for power are already commonplace on world railroads. But the infrastructure demands of electric trains are considerable, limiting where it is practical to deploy them. hydrogen hydrogen fuel cell Public transport Trains MORE

TDI VW Germany Volkswagen diesel scandalThe revelation that Volkswagen used "defeat device" software to cheat on U.S. emissions tests shook the public's confidence in one of the world's largest carmakers. Volkswagen hasn't done much to rebuild its reputation since its cheating was first revealed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at a press conference in September. And VW may. MORE

The BMW Group was the top seller of electric mobility in Germany the first half of 2017, with just under 5,000 units registered ; registrations are about 175% over the same period in 2016. Overall, the BMW i3 already has more than 10,000 registrations in Germany since its launch in autumn 2013. Almost one in six of the BMW 2 Series Active Tourers registered in Germany in 2017 was electrified. —Peter van Binsbergen, Head of Sales BMW Group Germany. MORE

Volkswagen is offering an incentive of up to €10,000 (US$11,815)—depending upon the model purchased—for the purchase of Euro 6 vehicles in Germany if an older diesel vehicle (Euro 1 to Euro 4 standards) is scrapped at the same time. Applications for the incentives can be made with immediate effect to Volkswagen dealers in Germany. Volkswagen is giving a clear signal for the renewal of the vehicle fleet in Germany. MORE