New Henkel polyolefin-based hotmelt can shave off up to 2.2kg of vehicle weight

Henkel Corporation’s automotive group introduced TECHNOMELT XPO 1050, a polyolefin-based hotmelt that can bond a wide variety of interior-related substrates without the need for pretreatment of the plastic surface.

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Uruguay launches first BYD battery-electric buses; projecting 500 by 2015

Buquebus and CTS Auto S.A., in partnership with Chinese automaker BYD Ltd, introduced the first battery-electric 12-meter rapid transit bus in Uruguay and the region.

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City of Springfield, Illinois converts 24 vehicles to propane autogas

CleanFUEL USA has partnered with the City of Springfield, Ill., to convert 24 police patrol cars and pickup trucks to clean burning propane autogas.

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Total sanctions €1B modernization project for Antwerp production

Total has approved a €1-billion (US$1.3-billion) modernization project for its Antwerp production facilities, Total’s largest European refining and petrochemical platform. Two major projects will be implemented in the near future:

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Novomer demonstrates large-scale production of polypropylene using waste CO2

In a project funded in part by the US Department of Energy (DOE), Novomer Inc. has completed the first successful large-scale production of a polypropylene carbonate (PPC) polymer using waste CO₂ as a key raw material. By using CO₂ that would otherwise be emitted to the atmosphere, the process has the potential to cut greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously reducing petroleum consumption and producing consumer products.

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ECOtality introduces new Blink HQ line of home EV chargers

ECOtality, Inc. introduced Blink HQ, a new family of home electric vehicle (EV) charging products. Blink HQ includes a free membership to the Blink Network of 4,000+ publicly available charging stations and a $100 charging credit with purchase.

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Henkel and KrausMaffei collaborate on new process for production of fiber composite automotive components

Adhesives, sealants and surface treatments company Henkel and KraussMaffei, one of the world’s leading makers of manufacturing and processing machinery for plastics, have collaborated to develop a new polyurethane matrix resin for the resin transfer molding process (RTM) that will speed up the production of composite components in the automotive industry.

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ChargePoint, National Grid, and NYSERDA launch electric vehicle charging station project in upstate New York

ChargePoint and National Grid unveiled the first of more than 80 electric vehicle charging stations in New York, funded through a $1-million award from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA).

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Junior WRC Championship switching to gasoline-ethanol-methanol blend

The Junior WRC Championship is supporting the FIA’s drive to make motorsport more sustainable by switching from gasoline to biofuel. From the Acropolis Rally of Greece onwards, the Ford Fiesta R2s used in the series will be powered by GEM Fuel, a ternary blend fuel containing regular gasoline, bio-ethanol and bio-methanol (i.e., GEM).

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IndianOil develops technology for co-processing non-edible vegetable oils in its refinery

State-owned IndianOil has successfully developed and commercialized a technology to co-process non-edible vegetable oil in the existing diesel hydrotreating (DHDT) units of a petroleum refinery. This marks the first time in India when Jatropha oil has been used for co-processing in a petroleum refinery. This technology was developed by the R&D Center of IndianOil located at Faridabad.

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Cabot using field natural gas to power fracking equipment in PA

Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation, in partnership with FTS International (FTSI) and Caterpillar Global Petroleum, is using Marcellus Shale natural gas to fracture wells via dual fuel technology. This marks the first time “field” gas has been used in northeastern Pennsylvania for this purpose.

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Halliburton deploys pilot fleet of nearly 100 CNG light-duty trucks

Halliburton, one of the world’s largest providers of products and services to the energy industry, is deploying nearly 100 light-duty Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) trucks across several field locations in the US. The Ford bi-fuel trucks were recently purchased as part of a pilot program to be rolled out throughout its US operations.

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Mitsubishi Motors to launch next-generation global compact sedan in July

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation will launch its next-generation global compact sedan, to be named Attrage, in the Thai market this July. Powered by a 1.2L MIVEC engine, the Attrage is projected to deliver fuel economy of 22 km/liter (51.8 mpg US, 4.5 L/100km) on the NEDC.

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Zinc-air battery company Eos Energy Storage raises $15M

Eos Energy Storage, a developer of zinc-air grid-scale battery technology, completed its $15-million Series B financing round with participation from a syndicate of 21 strategic and financial investors.

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Study finds air pollution and noise pollution each increase cardiovascular risk

Both fine-particle air pollution and noise pollution may increase a person’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to German researchers who have conducted a large population study, in which both factors were considered simultaneously. The research was presented today at the ATS (American Thoracic Society) 2013 conference in Philadelphia.

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Titanium awarded final Canadian patent for oil sands tailings technology; results from pilot

Titanium Corporation Inc. has been awarded the final of the three core Canadian patents on its oil sands tailings technology. (Earlier post.) The latest, Canadian Patent Nº 2662346 (Moran et al) is for a novel process that recovers bitumen from froth treatment tailings.

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Study IDs two compressed air energy storage methods, sites for the Northwest

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) have identified two compressed air energy storage methods for the temporary storage of the Northwest’s excess wind power and two eastern Washington locations to put them into practice.

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Honda 1.5L diesel Amaze launched in India

Honda Cars India Limited (HCIL) recently launched the Honda Amaze for the Indian market, marking Honda’s entry into the diesel segment there. India is the first country to launch the Amaze with Honda’s latest i-DTEC diesel engine technology. The gasoline model of the Amaze will be equipped with an i-VTEC engine.

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Ford Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid earns NHTSA 5-star overall safety rating

The 2013 Ford Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid (PHEV) earned the highest possible “five-star” Overall Vehicle Score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). In its testing, the 2013 C-MAX Energi, Ford’s other PHEV on the market, received a 4-star overall rating from NHTSA.

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Report: Toyota to boost Li-ion production for hybrids to more than 200K packs per year

The Nikkei reported that Toyota Motor Corp. plans to increase its output of lithium-ion batteries for the Prius and other models to more than 200,000 units a year.

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New diesel for MY2014 BMW 5 Series in US; priced below hybrid model

For the 2014 model year, BMW is adding a new inline-6 Advanced Diesel engine for the 5 Series sedan. The enhanced, 2014 BMW 5 Series Sedan and 5 Series Gran Turismo go on sale at Authorized BMW Centers in the US in August, 2013, including the ActiveHybrid 5 model as well as gasoline-engined variants.

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Infineon introduces EconoDUAL 3 IGBT power modules with automotive qualification

At PCIM Europe 2013 in Nuremberg, Infineon Technologies AG launched its new EconoDUAL 3 IGBT modules, which are fully qualified according to automotive standards. The new offering addresses demanding applications in commercial, construction or agricultural vehicles where extended reliability is a key. Automotive qualification means that the modules provide significantly increased thermal cycling and thermal shock capability, while a new soft diode improves the EMI behavior.

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April new car sales in Europe post gain for first time since Sep 2011 due to two more working days

In April, sales of new passenger cars in Europe grew for the first time (+1.7%) since September 2011, according to figures from the European Association of Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA). The region counted on average two more working days compared to the same month last year, which would account for the increase, ACEA said.

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NIST team boosts performance of solar-powered hydrogen generation in stable, lower-cost device

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated a significant improvement in the performance of solar-powered hydrogen generation by employing a metal–insulator–semiconductor (MIS) photoelectrode architecture that allows for stable and efficient water splitting using narrow bandgap semiconductors. A paper on their work is published in the journal Nature Materials.

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DOE authorizes 2nd proposed facility to export LNG; 1.4 Bcf/d for 20 years

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has conditionally authorized Freeport LNG Expansion, L.P. and FLNG Liquefaction, LLC (Freeport) to export domestically produced liquefied natural gas (LNG) to countries that do not have a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States from the Freeport LNG Terminal on Quintana Island, Texas.

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NEI new solid state sulfide electrolyte powder for Lithium-ion batteries

NEI Corporation is making Li₁₀SnP₂S₁₂ (Lithium-Tin-Phosphorous-Sulfide, LSPS) available for sale in powder form. LSPS belongs to a family of superionic solids which conduct lithium-ions at room temperature.

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Renault signs on as official partner of Spark Racing Technology for Formula E

Renault SAS has signed on as official Technical Partner of Spark Racing Technology (SRT) to supply the Formula E cars to be entered in the FIA Formula E Championship.

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Mitsubishi to enter 2013 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with two new MiEV Evolution II electric racers

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) will compete in the 2013 edition of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, 25-30 June 25 to June 30, with the MiEV Evolution II all-electric prototype. MMC’s team will consist of two of the new all-electric four-wheel drive (4WD) racecars.

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Zero Motorcycles signs first eastern Asia distributor, delivers 59 units to Hong Kong government

Electric motorcycle company Zero Motorcycles signed its first eastern Asia distributor, Yuen Ho Trading Company, Ltd. (YHT), based in Hong Kong. In celebration of the occasion, Zero Motorcycles representatives were in Hong Kong presenting the Hong Kong government with 59 MY 2012 Zero S motorcycles as part of Zero’s single largest fleet sale to date.

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Calyx launches higher yielding variety of Resonance carinata oilseed crop

Calyx Bio-Ventures Inc. has launched an improved variety of Resonance carinata, an industrial oilseed crop that is proprietary to Calyx’s operating subsidiary, Agrisoma Biosciences Inc. Oil extracted from carinata can be refined into fuels used as 100% petroleum substitutes.

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Hong Kong launches first battery-electric taxi fleet with BYD e6; new charging stations

BYD announced the launch of Hong Kong’s first all-electric taxi fleet using the BYD e6 electric cross-over sedan. BYD collaborated with Sime Darby Motors Group (Sime Darby), Hong Kong Taxi & Public Light Bus Association Limited, The Link Management Limited, CLP Power Hong Kong Limited and The Hong Kong Electric Company Limited to place into service the first batch of 45 BYD e6 Taxis.

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Toyota factory in France starts Yaris production for North American export

Toyota Motor Manufacturing France (TMMF) has started production of the Toyota Yaris compact car for export to the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. The model produced is the conventional gasoline-fueled Yaris and annual export volume will be around 25,000 units on a full-year basis.

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Volkswagen building new plant in south-central China with 300K unit annual capacity

Volkswagen broke ground on a new vehicle plant in Changsha in the province of Hunan, south-central China. The new plant in Changsha, being built in cooperation with the Chinese joint venture Shanghai-Volkswagen (SVW), is scheduled for completion end of 2015 and will manufacture approximately 300,000 vehicles per year.

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Volvo Car Group boosts production of V60 PHEV by 90%; 7,600 units in 2013

Volvo Car Group (Volvo Cars) is ramping up production of the V60 Plug-in Hybrid (earlier post) by 90% to meet demand, especially in Holland, Belgium and Italy. Production at the Torslanda plant in Sweden will be increased continuously from 150 to 282 units per week. All in all, Volvo Cars will produce 7,600 plug-in hybrids in 2013, with a 2014 target of 10,000 units.

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Axens and Headwaters Technology Innovation partner on residual heavy oil upgrading

Axens has entered into a technology alliance with Headwaters Technology Innovation (HTI) to promote the combined use of Axens’ and HTI’s technologies to produce clean liquid fuels from residual heavy oil (“bottom-of-the-barrel”, or what remains of crude oil after gasoline and the distillate fuel oils are extracted).

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Congressmen introduce bill to allow ethanol produced from natural gas to be included under RFS

Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX) and Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA) introduced legislation—the Domestic Alternative Fuels Act, H.R. 1959—that would allow ethanol produced from domestic natural gas to be included under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) and compete with corn-based ethanol.

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EBI researchers develop high-temperature enzyme for hydrolyzing biomass

Researchers with the Energy Biosciences Institute (EBI) have employed a promising technique for improving the ability of enzymes that break cellulose down into fermentable sugars to operate in temperatures between 65 and 70 degrees Celsius. Using this technique, they successfully engineered a high-temperature enzyme variant with greater activity and stability over the desired temperature range.

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Saft to deliver e6T Li-ion batteries to Lockheed Martin for Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program

Saft has been awarded a contract from Lockheed Martin for delivery of e6T Li-ion battery systems for the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) Program.

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UQM Technologies introduces new high-torque PowerPhase HD 950T electric drive system

UQM Technologies, Inc. has introduced the UQM PowerPhase HD 950T which delivers 950 N·m (701 lb-ft) of torque; the electric drive system is designed for heavier commercial trucks and buses that require such higher torque.

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UB study finds passenger car drivers more likely to die in crashes with SUVs, regardless of crash safety ratings

A new University at Buffalo (UB) study of crashes involving cars and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) has found that in head-on collisions between passenger cars and SUVs, drivers in passenger cars were nearly 10 times more likely to die if the SUV involved had a better crash rating. Drivers of passenger cars were more than four times more likely to die even if the passenger car had a better crash rating than the SUV. The study is being presented 16 May at the annual meeting of the Society of Academic Emergency Medicine in Atlanta.

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UAE University researchers working on microalgae for biodiesel

A team of researchers from the Chemical Engineering Department at United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) have been working on a project called “Microalgae for Biodiesel” since 2010. The project is in collaboration with the Mechanical Engineering Department at UAEU and the Chemical and Materials Engineering Department at University of Auckland, New Zealand.

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Ford Sollers to build new engine plant in Russia for 1.6L Duratec engines

Ford Sollers, the Russian joint venture between Ford Motor and Sollers, is building a $274-million engine plant in Elabuga, Tatarstan. The company will also manufacture and sell the new Ford EcoSport small sports utility vehicle (SUV). Production of the EcoSport small SUV will commence at a Ford Sollers plant in Tatarstan during the second half of 2014, while the manufacture of three versions of the 1.6-litre Duratec engine will begin at the new engine plant in December 2015.

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Rosneft signs agreements with Volkswagen Group Rus and KAMAZ to boost natural gas vehicles and fuel in Russia

Rosneft signed an agreement with the Volkswagen Group Rus signed an agreement aimed at the development of the compressed natural gas (CNG) market in Russia, as well as the CNG-powered vehicles market. The company also signed an agreement with Russian truck-maker KAMAZ on scientific and technological cooperation to expand use of natural gas as motor fuel.

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Evonik Industries selects OPX Biotechnologies for Joint development of bio-based chemicals

OPX Biotechnologies, Inc. and Evonik Industries AG have entered into an agreement jointly to develop certain bio-based specialty chemicals. The joint-development agreement calls for OPXBIO to use its proprietary EDGE (Efficiency Directed Genome Engineering) technology to develop the bio-processes.

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USGS, DOE, and BOEM study delivers new insights on gas hydrates in Gulf of Mexico

Scientists have returned from a 15‑day research expedition in the northern Gulf of Mexico with the best high-resolution seismic data and imagery yet obtained of sediments with high gas hydrate saturations.

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Chevrolet to enter small cargo van segment with City Express based on Nissan NV200

General Motors Co. and Nissan have signed an agreement for Nissan to produce a small cargo vehicle that GM will sell in the United States and Canada. GM will procure the vehicle from Nissan and distribute it through the Chevrolet dealer network.

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Peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace RelayRides acquires Wheelz

RelayRides, the US’ largest peer-to-peer (P2P) car sharing marketplace, acquired peer-to-peer car sharing platform Wheelz. Wheelz’ intellectual property, including its proprietary DriveBox technology, provides technology that can make peer-to-peer sharing more convenient and facilitate frictionless rentals.

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XL Hybrids partners with Knapheide Manufacturing to expand hybrid electric powertrain availability

XL Hybrids, Inc., developer of a low-cost hybrid electric powertrain designed for class 1 to 3 commercial fleet vehicles (earlier post), has an agreement with The Knapheide Manufacturing Company, a commercial vehicle equipment provider in North America, for the installation and distribution of its products.

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Toyota tweaks Auris Hybrid for lower CO2 emissions

Toyota has upgraded the Auris Hybrid to reduce its CO₂ emissions to 84 g/km, down from the current 87 g/km. Refinements include vehicle tuning and adopting various aerodynamic improvements such as new aero-stabilizing fins. These measures combine to improve the overall energy efficiency without negatively impacting vehicle performance.

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A123 Energy Solutions certifies grid Li-ion battery system safety with CE marking

A123 Energy Solutions, a division of A123 Systems LLC and a part of Wanxiang Group, announced that its Li-ion Long Duration Grid Battery System (GBS-LD) meets the necessary requirements for CE Marking in the European Union (EU).

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NHTSA hosting vehicle mass-size-safety workshop for input into forming CAFE regs

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is conducting a workshop today and tomorrow on issues related to fuel economy, vehicle mass reduction and the effects of vehicle mass and size on vehicle safety. NHTSA is convening experts in the field to discuss questions with which the agency must grapple when it establishes CAFE standards for model years 2022-2025—e.g., how much mass reduction will be feasible for different vehicles, how much that mass reduction will cost, and whether there will be safety effects as a result of that mass reduction.

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Nissan starts field testing e-NV200 electric van in Saitama City

Nissan has started field tests for the battery-electric e-NV200 compact van (earlier post) in Saitama City (Saitama Prefecture), one of the city authorities that have expressed enthusiasm for increasing the number of electric vehicles (EVs) on the roads as one step towards improving air quality.

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Airbus, Air Canada and BioFuelNet Canada partner on sustainable alternative jet fuels

Airbus, Air Canada and BioFuelNet Canada, hosted by Montreal’s McGill University, have formed a partnership to assess Canadian solutions for the production of sustainable alternative jet fuels with the long term goal to supply Air Canada. The first assessment is expected by the end of 2013.

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DENSO develops new laser radar for driver assistance and safety applications

Global automotive supplier DENSO Corporation has developed a smaller and more cost-effective laser radar, which is an active safety technology that will help avoid low-speed collisions. DENSO’s new laser radar is used as a sensor for the Smart Assist System of the Daihatsu Move, a compact vehicle released in the Japanese market last December.

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Air Products heralds successful operation of project to capture CO2 from hydrogen production for use in enhanced oil recovery

Air Products heralded the successful operation of a US Department of Energy (DOE) demonstration project that will capture approximately one million tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from hydrogen production for use in an enhanced oil recovery project in which DOE anticipates an additional estimated 1.6-3.1 million barrels of oil to be produced annually from the CO₂ injection. The technology in the demo—the first of its kind operating at such a large scale—has not been accomplished anywhere else in the United States.

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Fincantieri develops new ultra-deepwater drillship design

Fincantieri, one of the largest shipbuilding groups in the world, is showcasing its next generation of drillship. The new “OVERDRILL design” supports an overall maximum drill depth of 50,000 ft (15,240 meters) in water depths of up to 12,000 ft (3,658 meters). Aker Solutions supported the development of the new Fincantieri Offshore design.

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New interactive map tracks plug-in vehicle adoption in California

The California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE), administrator of the state’s Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP), has introduced an online interactive map with information on the distribution of more than 20,000 rebated plug-in cars.

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Congressman introduces “Super Pollutant” emissions act

US Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) introduced the Super Pollutant Emissions Reduction Act (SUPER Act) of 2013, legislation aimed at combating short-lived climate pollutants, which are only somewhat addressed by disparate government programs.

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BASF plans production of butanediol from renewable feedstock using Genomatica technology

BASF plans to begin production of 1,4-butanediol based on renewable feedstock (renewable BDO) using the patented process of Genomatica. The one-step fermentation process is based on sugars as a renewable feedstock. The companies have agreed not to disclose financial details of the agreement.

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Study concludes microbial lipids can be commercially viable source of biodiesel

Researchers from Wageningen University, The Netherlands, have concluded that “although quite some work still has to be done”, microbial lipids—i.e., lipids from yeasts and fungi—have the potential to be tomorrow’s source of biodiesel. Their analysis is published in the journal Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining.

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Canada adopts stricter emissions standards for ships; further alignment with US on air emissions

The Government of Canada is adopting stricter environmental standards to reduce air emissions from ships navigating in Canadian waters. These changes further align Canada’s air emission standards with the United States.

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EPA to award up to $9M for 2013 Diesel Emission Reduction Grants

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $9-million funding opportunity (EPA-OAR-OTAQ-13-02) for the 2013 National Clean Diesel Funding Assistance Program. The program is soliciting proposals nationwide for projects that achieve significant reductions in diesel emissions in terms of tons of pollution produced by diesel engines and diesel emissions exposure, particularly from fleets operating in areas designated by the Administrator as poor air quality areas.

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Study finds climate-influencing cirrus clouds form around mineral dust and metallic aerosols; little evidence of black carbon

An interdisciplinary team from MIT, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and elsewhere has identified the major particles upon which cirrus clouds form. A paper on their results is published in the journal Science.

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Petrobras CEO says company will grow production to 5.7 mboe/day by 2020

Speaking at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston , Petrobras CEO Maria das Graças Silva Foster said that the Brazilian oil and gas company’s reserves will double in size by 2020. Production, which was 2.2 million barrels of oil equivalent (oil and natural gas) per day in 2012, is expected to reach 5.7 mboe in 2020, due largely to the pre-salt discoveries.

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Ford selects AeroVironment as preferred charging station supplier

Ford Motor Company selected AeroVironment, Inc. as the preferred installation partner and authorized charging station supplier for the Ford Focus Electric, C-MAX Energi and Fusion Energi plug-in electric vehicles.

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Power-to-Gas project awarded DECC grant funding

The UK’s Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC) awarded 16 organizations a share of £2 million (US$3.1 million) to help develop innovative storage solutions for energy, as part of the £21-million (US$32.6 million) Energy Technology Demonstration Competition.

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PbC battery maker Axion Power raises $10M

Axion Power International, Inc., the developer of advanced lead-carbon PbC batteries and energy storage systems, has completed a private placement of $9 million principal amount of senior convertible notes and warrants with institutional investors and an additional $1 million principal amount of subordinated unsecured convertible notes and warrants in an ancillary transaction with directors, officers and one of the original Axion founders. Maxim Group LLC acted as placement agent.

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Shell moves forward with ultra-deepwater Stones project in Gulf of Mexico; deepest production facility in world

Royal Dutch Shell plc (Shell) made a final investment decision in the Stones ultra-deepwater project, a Gulf of Mexico oil and gas development expected to host the deepest production facility in the world. This decision sets in motion the construction and fabrication of a floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel and subsea infrastructure.

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Electrovaya delivers Li-ion system prototype to Dongfeng Motors

Electrovaya Inc. has delivered the first prototype of a Li-ion battery system for EVs to DongFeng Motors (DFM) in China. DFM is planning an electric vehicle program which includes two electric vehicle platforms; the company recently signed an MOU with Korea’s LS Group to support those efforts. (Earlier post.)

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Bosch Automotive Service Solutions introduces sub-$450 Level 2 EV charging station

Bosch Automotive Service Solutions, formerly SPX Service Solutions, has introduced Power Max, a plug-in vehicle residential charging station with a starting price point of less than $450. The Power Max, which offers Level 2 240V charging in 16 or 30 amp models, will retail for roughly half the cost of current EV charging stations.

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LS Group and Dongfeng Motor to partner on e-vehicles

South Korea conglomerate LS Group and China-based Dongfeng Motor Group signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on hybrid and electric cars.

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DNV Software launches quantitative risk analysis software package for offshore oil and gas industry

DNV Software is releasing a commercial version of a quantitative risk analysis (QRA) software solution for the offshore oil and gas industry based on DNV’s more than three decades of experience within such analysis. The Safeti Offshore package is designed to evaluate the full range of potential hazards. Safeti Offshore is currently being used for customer consulting projects.

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Exxon Mobil beginning development of ultra-deepwater Julia oil field in Gulf of Mexico

Exxon Mobil Corporation is commencing development of the ultra-deepwater Julia oil field in the Gulf of Mexico. ExxonMobil, the operator, and Statoil Gulf of Mexico LLC each hold a 50% interest in the Julia unit. Capital cost for the project, which is expected to begin oil production in 2016, is estimated to be more than $4 billion.

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3D magnetic vortices could enable antennas for ultrafast wireless data transmission

Scientists from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) together with colleagues from the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) have discovered three-dimensional magnetic vortices. These 3D magnetic vortices could enable future antennas for ultrafast wireless data transmission. A paper on their discovery is published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

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Ricardo to work with Electricore on plug-in vehicle battery standardization project

Ricardo will be working with Electricore, which recently received a $750,000 award from the California Energy Commission to perform a comprehensive survey of the commercial plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) marketplace and to propose value-based design options for standardization of battery systems. (Earlier post.)

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Ricardo launches new Atlas-II research engine; focused on large natural gas engine design

At the upcoming 2013 CIMAC World Congress on Combustion Engine Technology in Shanghai, Ricardo will showcase a demonstration model of the next generation Atlas-II, the latest high-speed version of Ricardo’s range of large, single-cylinder research and development engines. Able to test engine concepts ranging from 150-200 mm bore with a stroke of up to 280 mm, the Atlas-II enables the evaluation of large, multi-cylinder engine designs in a single power cylinder.

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Nissan LEAF second best-selling car in Norway in April

The Nissan LEAF took the number two spot in the overall car sales chart for Norway in April, outpacing numerous combustion-engined cars. The LEAF posted 455 units, representing a 3.3% share for the month. The Volkswagen Golf was the top seller, with 903 units (6.5%).

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Valence Technology receives $12M purchase order from Wrightbus for Li-ion batteries

Valence Technology, Inc. has received a purchase order valued at $12 million from Wrightbus, for lithium iron magnesium phosphate batteries to be delivered through 2015. Wrightbus, which has had a relationship with Valence since 2007, selected Valence as the battery supplier of choice for Wrightbus’ range of hybrid vehicles.

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Tritium introduces Veefil 50 kW EV fast charger

Tritium, an Australia-based designer and manufacturer of power electronic systems for electric vehicles, has introduced the Veefil fast charger for plug-in vehicles. The Veefil is the first release in Tritium’s new line of electric vehicle charging solutions and was fully developed in Australia as part of a $2.3-million project funded with matching support of a Commercialisation Australia grant.

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Toyota installs electric mobility sharing station at Toyota City model eco district

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) has installed a Smart Mobility Park electric mobility charging station at Toyota Ecoful Town, its low-carbon society model district located in Toyota City. Chargers single phase AC 200 V, 50 Hz/60 Hz, 15 A. (Earlier post.)

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APTA: 35.6% of US public transit buses use alternative fuels or hybrid technology as of 1 Jan 2011

The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) recently reported that 35.6% of US public transportation buses use alternative fuels or hybrid technology, as of January 1, 2011.

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New GM 4.3L EcoTec V-6 for Sierra delivers 305 lb-ft torque

When the all-new 2014 GMC Sierra full-size pickup arrives this summer, its standard 4.3L EcoTec V-6 (earlier post) will offer the most torque of any standard V-6 in the segment: 305 lb-ft (413 N·m).

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