Partners of the P2X Kopernikus project on the premises of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany have demonstrated the production of fuel from air-captured CO2 using—for the first time—a container-based test facility integrating all four chemical process steps needed to implement a continuous process. World’s first integrated Power-to-Liquid (PtL)... Read more →

Robert Allan Ltd. and MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH have developed the first LNG-fueled shallow-draft pushboat design: the RApide 2800-G pushboat. This challenging project is a preliminary design which utilized the proven shallow draft RApide 2800-Z2 pushboat that currently operates on the Amazon River system. The vessel design was modified to suit... Read more →

The Volkswagen brand is systematically driving its electric offensive and will be installing some 4,000 charging points at its German sites by 2025. The Volkswagen Group is investing some €250 million in expanding the charging infrastructure at its European sites. When combined with the activities at dealerships, this means the... Read more →

Exposure to ambient PM2.5 is the leading global environmental risk factor for mortality and disease burden, with associated annual global welfare costs of trillions of dollars, However, no one knows what city has the highest level of the pollution. In an open-access paper recently published in Atmospheric Environment: X, an... Read more →

Electrify America and EVgo announced an interoperability agreement that increases access to electric vehicle (EV) charging stations throughout the US. The roaming partnership allows drivers to charge their EVs on both EVgo and Electrify America public chargers without additional fees. Drivers will be able to access public chargers on either... Read more →

Reason Foundation’s Annual Highway Report finds that, after decades of incremental progress in several key categories, US highway conditions are deteriorating, especially in a group of problem-plagued states struggling to repair deficient bridges, maintain Interstate pavement and reduce urban traffic congestion. In looking at the nation’s highway system as a... Read more →

by Michael Sivak. In this analysis, I examined recent changes in the contribution of transportation to total greenhouse gas emissions in the United States relative to the other sources of emissions (industry, commercial, residential, and agriculture). Also of interest were the changes in the relative contributions of various transportation modes,... Read more →

A major new international study shows independent associations between short-term exposure to PM10 and PM2.5 and daily all-cause, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality in more than 600 cities across the globe. These data reinforce the evidence of a link between mortality and PM concentration established in regional and local studies, according... Read more →

Altalto Immingham Limited, a subsidiary of renewable fuels company Velocys and a collaboration with British Airways and Shell, has submitted a planning application to develop its site in Immingham, North East Lincolnshire, close to the Humber Estuary. Velocys is leading the development of the project and has assembled all the... Read more →

Volvo has extended its S60 range—the third generation of the premium mid-size sedan—to incorporate further powertrain choices and equipment grades, including an all­wheel­drive gasoline-electric hybrid and a trim level that focuses on luxury and craftsmanship. The existing T5 turbocharged 250 hp gasoline unit has been joined by an all-wheel-drive T8... Read more →

A research team led by the University of California San Diego, with colleagues from San Diego State University, US Army Research Laboratory, and General Motors Research and Development Center, has discovered the root cause of why lithium metal batteries fail: bits of lithium metal deposits break off from the surface... Read more →

TeraWatt Technology announced that its 4.5Ah prototype solid-state battery design achieved a record-breaking energy density of 432Wh/kg (1122Wh/L) in validation tests conducted by third parties, including TOYO System based in Japan. Branded as TERA3.0, this 4.5Ah next-generation design will be available for select early adopters in 2021 and full release... Read more →

Blue World Technologies has acquired 15% of Danish Power Systems, a developer and manufacturer of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) for high-temperature PEM fuel cells. Blue World Technologies will use the Danish Power Systems technology in their methanol fuel cell systems. The complete Blue World system includes the fuel cell stack,... Read more →

Porsche has acquired a minority stake in the Israeli start-up, TriEye. The newly established company has developed a sensor technology for short-wave infrared (SWIR). It enhances safety in vehicles fitted with assistance systems or autonomous driving functions by improving the ability to see in weather conditions where visibility is poor,... Read more →

Long-term exposure to pollutants from vehicle exhaust is linked to a heightened risk of the common eye condition age-related macular degeneration, or AMD for short, suggests research published online in the Journal of Investigative Medicine. Exposure to the highest levels of air pollutants was associated with an almost doubling in... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz Vans presented the Concept EQV as a study at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2019. Now the series version of the Mercedes-Benz EQV (combined power consumption: 27.0 kWh/100 km, provisional figure) is making its debut. The Mercedes-Benz EQV will be displayed to the public for the first time... Read more →

Speeding is the riskiest kind of aggressive driving, according to an analysis of data from on-board devices in vehicles. Researchers at the University of Waterloo examined data from 28 million trips for possible links between four bad driving behaviors—speeding, hard braking, hard acceleration and hard cornering—and the likelihood of crashes.... Read more →

Transient Plasma Systems Inc. (TPS), which develops nanosecond pulsed plasma ignition systems to improve fuel efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, has achieved a new milestone in its internal combustion engine testing with its first multi-cylinder demonstration of the company’s nanosecond pulsed plasma ignition technology in a mass-manufactured, on-road natural-gas... Read more →

More than 100 electric school buses, powered by a Cummins fully electric drivetrain, have been ordered to date from Blue Bird Corporation, a school bus manufacturer highly focused on alternative fuel technologies. Blue Bird electric buses are already operating in California, North Dakota and Washington. Additional buses on order will... Read more →

Power Systems business unit signs letter of intent for the construction of a demonstration plant for the production of synthetic fuels Schell: “We will be electrifying the entire system, including the fuel” Important step towards sector coupling and decarbonising propulsion systems and power generation Rolls-Royce intends to support research into... Read more →

Leading global heavy lift shipping and offshore transportation and installation contractor Jumbo, and commercial, sustainable marine biofuel company GoodFuels, are partnering to test Goodfuels’ marine Bio-Fuel Oil on an offshore decommissioning project. Bio-Fuel Oil has already undergone three years of intensive testing with marine engine manufacturers. The second-generation drop-in Bio-Fuel... Read more →

Canadian researchers have developed a large-scale economical method to extract hydrogen from oil sands (natural bitumen) and oil fields. This can be used to power hydrogen-powered vehicles, which are already marketed in some countries, as well as to generate electricity. The process can extract hydrogen from existing oil sands reservoirs,... Read more →

UL announced that 4R Energy Corporation, a joint venture of Nissan Motors and Sumitomo Corporation focusing on the effective reuse of EV batteries for energy storage systems, is the first organization worldwide to be certified to UL 1974, the Standard for Evaluation for Repurposing Batteries. Outlining how to sort and... Read more →

Researchers at Empa have developed an electrohydraulically actuated cam-less valve train that enables completely free adjustment of stroke and timing, while at the same time being robust and cost-effective. The new technology saves up to 20% fuel in typical passenger car low load operating conditions. The FlexWork valve train was... Read more →

Total US petroleum demand averaged 20.8 million barrels per day (mb/d) in July 2019, which represented a 0.9% year-over-year increase and the highest demand for the month since 2005, according to the latest Monthly Statistical Report released by the American Petroleum Institute (API). This was a decrease of 0.9% from... Read more →

Syzygy Plasmonics, a technology company developing the world’s highest performance photocatalyst, raised $5.8 million in Series A funding. The financing was co-led by The Engine and by The GOOSE Society of Texas. Previous investor Evok Innovations was also a major participant in the round. Other participants include angel investors from... Read more →

Mercedes‑Benz Cars is introducing plug-in hybrids under the EQ Power label in the A- and B-Class. These new models, equipped with third-generation hybrid drive, include the A 250 e (combined fuel consumption 1.5-1.4 l/100 km (156.7-167.9 mpg US), combined CO2 emissions 34-33 g/km, combined electrical consumption 15.0-14.8 kWh/100 km); A... Read more →

A study by a team of researchers from China, the US and Germany suggests that future climate change may worsen air quality for more than 85% of China’s population, leading to an additional 20,000 deaths each year. An open access paper on their work is published in Proceedings of the... Read more →

Wind plays a role in carrying microplastics (MPs, shreds of plastic less than five millimeters long) to both the snowy streets of European cities and remote areas of the Arctic Ocean. The high concentrations found in snow samples from disparate regions suggest microplastics—which may contain varnish, rubber, or chemicals used... Read more →

Tier IV, Inc. has raised about $9 million from Quanta Computer, Inc. in a Series A extension round following the previous $100+ million Series A funding. This latest funding engages Quanta Computer and Tier IV to develop a new reference model of electronic control units (ECUs) for autonomous driving. The... Read more →