Preliminary conclusions from the investigation into a Mooresville, North Carolina, house fire that destroyed a Chevrolet Volt indicate the fire did not start in the vehicle, but elsewhere, and progressed to engulf the electric car. Iredell County chief deputy fire marshal Garland Cloer told GreenCarReports in an exclusive interview that, "the MORE

HAI) has begun production of its new HF120 turbofan engine completed at the new facility in Burlington, North Carolina. With this new engine manufacturing facility, Honda will now be building both jets and jet engines in North Carolina. Honda Aero, Inc. MORE

Appropriately enough, the new panels are getting one of their first commercial tryouts at a new regional electronics recycling hub in Badin, North Carolina Pittsburgh-based aluminum giant Alcoa has developed a new coating for its aluminum building panels that passively sucks in airborne pollutants and transforms them into harmless substances. MORE

Researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), with colleagues from North Carolina State University and the University of Connecticut, have engineered the hyperthermophilic anaerobe Thermotoga maritima to produce 46% more hydrogen per cell than the wild type. MORE

and then south through central North Carolina to Robeson County. It would deliver natural gas supplies to growing markets for additional customers in Virginia and North Carolina. Four major U.S. MORE

The Biofuels Center of North Carolina has begun to shut down operations over a 90-day period and will close its doors by Thursday, 31 October 2013, due to the North Carolina General Assembly’s elimination of its funding in the state budget signed recently by Gov. Following the audit, all unspent monies will be returned to the state through the North Carolina Department of Commerce. MORE

Three subsidiaries of North Carolina-based Duke Energy Corporation, the largest utility in the United States, pleaded guilty to nine criminal violations of the Clean Water Act at several of its North Carolina facilities and agreed to pay a $68-million criminal fine and spend $34-million on environmental projects and land conservation to benefit rivers and wetlands in North Carolina and Virginia. MORE

In most cases--Massachusetts, New York, and North Carolina, among others--Tesla has managed to stave off the proposed laws, which are MORE

Tesla Motors has dodged two big bullets fired its way by New York and North Carolina legislatures and auto dealers. And yesterday, the North Last week, the New York State Senate and Assembly adjourned until January without acting on two bills pushed by state auto dealers that would have made it illegal to register a Tesla store in New York state. MORE

In other words, we got to watch Hurricane Irene rip its way through North Carolina just before we jumped on an airplane headed home to New We’re just back from vacation in the U.K., where we witnessed third-hand--through the eyes of the British media--the carnage and horrors that were about to befall the east coast of the United States. MORE

TRI’s multi-feedstock demonstration plant in Durham, North Carolina has run for more than 10,000 hours, and has successfully shown that the syngas it produces is well-suited to the FT process and upgrading to ASTM-certified fuels. MORE

This expansion is expected to be at the its facility in Concord, North Carolina pending final approval in early August of proposed local incentives by the City of Concord and Cabarrus County. Polypore International, Inc. has approved additional capital expenditures of approximately $105 million to expand its lithium-ion battery separator capacity for electric drive vehicles (EDVs). MORE

Oh, North Carolina: Are you cutting off your nose to spite your face? That''s the impression at least some commentators have gained on learning of a state bill that will become law on August 25, with or without the signature of Gov. Pat McCrory. The bill would invalidate Durham County''s Commute Trip Reduction Ordinance, which requires some MORE

Secretary of Energy Steven Chu today announced up to $36 million to fund six small-scale projects in California, Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin. Yesterday U.S. The new program is meant to advance technology improvements and MORE

Volvo Trucks North America announced today the successful on-highway demonstration of its truck platooning technology. —Keith Brandis Volvo Trucks North America vice president for product planning. —Per Carlsson, Acting President of Volvo Trucks North America. MORE

Nestlé Waters North America is adding more than 150 medium-duty beverage delivery trucks fueled by propane autogas. Mickey Body in High Point, North Carolina, upfitted the vehicles with side-load beverage bays. The Nestlé Waters North America propane trucks are used to deliver product to its customers across the country including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., MORE

In North Carolina, a Senate Win some, lose some. Tesla''s had a very good year thus far, but it was recently dealt legislative defeats in two states where it had hoped to sell its electric cars. In Texas, the state legislature declined to make an exception to existing rules that make it illegal for automakers to sell cars to retail buyers. MORE

Honda Aircraft Company is building the HA-420 HondaJet, an advanced light jet, at its world headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina. Honda Aircraft Company has earned a Production Certificate from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The Production Certificate grants Honda Aircraft the authorization to produce, flight test and issue airworthiness certificates for the HondaJet for customer deliveries. Earlier post.). MORE

HCL CleanTech, a US-Israeli biofuels technology development company focused on full process technology for conversion of woody biomass to fermentable sugars and advanced biofuels, has selected North Carolina as the site for its administrative headquarters and pilot plant. North Carolina, with 17.6 The Biofuels Center of North Carolina has assisted the company and will provide office space in Oxford in its Biofuels Accelerator on North Carolina’s Biofuels Campus. MORE

Southeastern Nanotechnology Infrastructure Corridor, Georgia Institute of Technology with partners North Carolina A&T State University and University of North Carolina-Greensboro, PI: Oliver Brand. Midwest Nano Infrastructure Corridor, University of Minnesota Twin Cities with partner North Dakota State University, PI: Stephen Campbell. MORE

States that have been particularly hard hit since 2014, the start of the upward trend, are Florida (43% increase), Georgia (34%), Indiana (33%), California (31%), North Carolina (26%), Illinois (24%) and Kentucky (24%). MORE

NEST-SEAS is funded by the UGPN partners from Universities of Surrey, Wollongong, Sao Paulo, and North Carolina State University. The University of Surrey is launching a new multi-disciplinary research center next week to tackle air pollution. The Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE) will see the University leading on collaborative, cutting-edge research to identify an action plan to ensure “clean air for all”. MORE

The new facility is located in Charlotte, North Carolina, in the midst of the region’s growing automotive research and manufacturing cluster. MORE

It’s the public night tonight at the Plug-in 2011 Conference and Exposition taking place in Raleigh, North Carolina. Electric cars electric hybrid North Carolina plug-in RalieghWith many mainstream car makers now introducing electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles onto the market, the public have the chance to find out more and get a first look at the latest plug-in technology innovations. Vehicles [.]. MORE

and a leading supplier of microporous separators used in lithium-ion batteries, plans to expand capacity at its existing Charlotte, North Carolina facility and build a new manufacturing site in Concord, North Carolina. In the first phase, Celgard will add capacity at its existing Charlotte, North Carolina facility. million in cash incentives and tax credits from the State of North Carolina to support expansion within the state. MORE

Greensboro Transit Authority (GTA) is going forward with the purchase of four 40-foot Proterra electric buses this fall, setting in motion the potential to expand its zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) fleet over the next four years. This new procurement represents a joint effort by GTA and Proterra to minimize emissions, reduce traffic congestion and accelerate sustainable infrastructure development throughout the Greensboro community. MORE

According to Advanced Energy, an independent, non-profit organization established by the North Carolina Utilities Commission, there are about 4,700 registered plug-in EVs and about 700 public charging ports spread out around North Carolina. Duke Energy’s “EV Charging Infrastructure Support Project” will provide $1 million to help cities and towns develop public charging stations for residents. MORE

An international team of environmental scientists led by the University of Pennsylvania has shown that sea-level rise, at least in North Carolina, is accelerating. The research team studied two North Carolina salt marshes that form continuous accumulations of organic sediment, a natural archive that provides scientists with an accurate way to reconstruct relative sea levels using radiometric isotopes and stratigraphic age markers. MORE

Rockwood Lithium has opened its expanded manufacturing facility in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Rockwood is leveraging a $28.4-million investment from the Recovery Act to expand its North Carolina lithium production facility as well as its production operations in Silver Peak, Nevada. MORE

NASCAR-loving North Carolina may not be the first place you’d think of as being particularly pro-electric car, but for 40-lucky residents the cost of buying a 2012 Nissan Leaf there just dropped by $5,000 thanks to a time-limited scheme being run by Advanced Energy. MORE

GKN Driveline will invest nearly $179 million to expand manufacturing facilities in Alamance, Catawba, Lee and Person counties in North Carolina. The investment and new jobs have been added to support growing All-Wheel-Drive and eDrive business for several North American automotive manufacturers. North American All-Wheel-Drive system sales are projected to reach more than 3 million units annually in 2020, up from approximately 2.4 MORE

A new study from the North Carolina State University suggests that the use of electric passenger cars in the US would not significantly reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide or nitrogen oxides by 2050. MORE

In North Carolina, a new law passed by the state Senate would apparently make it illegal for Tesla to e-mail its customers. In other words, if you''re a North Carolina resident who has a How far will state car-dealer associations go to prevent Tesla Motors from opening its electric-car showrooms and selling cars over the Internet? A long, long way. MORE

But the problem has proved to be lucrative for Raleigh, North Carolina. The problem of gasoline cars parking in spaces reserved for plug-in electric cars to recharge at is nothing new. It''s known as "ICE-ing," referring to cars with internal combustion engines parking where they shouldn''t. DON''T MISS: Been ICEd? Gas Cars Parking In Electric-Car MORE

Audi of America is piloting the new service “Audi shared fleet” at a technology incubator in Durham, North Carolina ahead of a national rollout of the corporate car-sharing service in 2017. The test fleet will be housed at American Underground, a 115,000 square-foot technology incubator created on the former American Tobacco Co. complex. Three fully accessorized, 2017 Audi A4 sedans will be available on demand and ready for use. MORE

Electric vehicles aren't always associated with speed and performance, but researchers at North Carolina State University may have discovered a breakthrough to change those qualities inside their batteries. Batteries research and development North CarolinaOf all things, water may hold the key to faster electric-car battery technology. Researchers compared two materials, a crystalline tungsten. MORE

A fire in Mooresille, North Carolina last week involving a 2011 Chevrolet Volt has led Duke Energy to advise its customers against charging the plug-in hybrid at home in case it starts a fire. But is the advice justified, or just another example of what happens when irrational fear of a new technology takes hold? First , the facts According to MORE

General Motors today announced that it is ramping up sales of its plug-in hybrid electric car, the Chevy Volt, in two new states: North Carolina and South Carolina. Like other new electric cars, the Volt is only available in a few states. Before today’s announcement, it was available in New York, New Jersey, Virginia, Connecticut MORE

The University of North Carolina School of Government’s MPA@UNC program has produced an infographic on the 5 largest US public transit systems. MORE

plug-in cars charging BP North Carolina charging infrastructure Fast Charging Charging stations gas stationIt's one of the questions for future electric-car charging infrastructure: what about putting them at gas stations? On the one hand, drivers are used to going to gas stations, which are often conveniently located on both local and long-distance routes. On the other hand, gas-station stops generally take 10 to 15 minutes at most, while even fast. MORE

Continental plans to invest more than $35 million in its Henderson, North Carolina facility to meet the increased demand for Electronic Integrated Parking Brakes (e-IPB). Due to the increasing demand for brake calipers throughout North America, the Henderson plant produced a record-breaking seven million calipers in 2012. MORE

Governor Announces New Energy Program For Plug-in Hybrid Cars RALEIGH, N.C. -- North Carolina State University plans to launch a research hub for the development of plug-in cars, a project that has attracted the interest of both energy and automobile companies. MORE

President Obama announced the selection of a consortium of businesses and universities, led by North Carolina State University, to lead a manufacturing innovation institute for next-generation power electronics. The Department of Energy is awarding $70 million over five years, matched by at least $70 million in non-federal commitments by the winning team of businesses and universities, along with the state of North Carolina. MORE