The World Economic Forum’s latest Net Zero Industry Tracker shows progress in reducing emissions across eight hard-to-abate sectors—steel, aluminium, cement, primary chemicals, oil and gas, aviation, shipping and trucking. Together, these critical industries, which play a crucial role in the global economy, achieved a 0.9% reduction in absolute emissions from... Read more →
November 2024 marked another record-breaking month for EV sales with 1.8 million units sold globally according to EV research-house, Rho Motion. November overtook the previous record set in October 2024 by 100,000. The Chinese market once again beat its previous record set last month (October) by more than 50,000 vehicles,... Read more →
BMW filling all diesel models produced in Germany with renewable diesel from Neste
13 December 2024
The BMW Group is converting the initial filling of all diesel models produced in Germany to HVO 100. Neste MY Renewable Diesel is the HVO 100 fuel used at BMW Group plants, Munich, Dingolfing, Regensburg and Leipzig, which produce annually more than 50% of BMW Group’s Diesel-powered vehicles. Fuel from... Read more →
Constellium announced the successful conclusion of the “ISA3” R&D project, initiated in 2021 to enhance lightweighting in automotive design. Conducted in partnership with Renault Group, ESI Group, the Institut de Soudure (Welding Institute), and the University of Lorraine, and supported by a grant from the France Relance investment program, the... Read more →
Toyota Kentucky invests $922M to build advanced paint facility
13 December 2024
Toyota Kentucky is investing $922 million to build a new advanced paint facility and further support electrification efforts. The facility is designed to improve operational efficiencies, reduce environmental impacts, and enhance the quality of vehicle finishes. Scheduled to open in 2027, the facility will add 1 million square-feet of capacity... Read more →
Rio Tinto to invest $2.5B to expand Rincon lithium project capacity to 60,000 tonnes battery-grade lithium carbonate per year
13 December 2024
Rio Tinto has approved $2.5 billion to expand the Rincon project in Argentina, the company’s first commercial-scale lithium operation, demonstrating its commitment to building a world-class battery materials portfolio. Rincon’s capacity of 60,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium carbonate per year comprises the 3,000-tonne starter plant and 57,000-tonne expansion plant. Rincon’s... Read more →
ZF is an industry leader with 25 years of experience in electronically controlled chassis damping system development. A new era of damping technology has begun as sMOTION from ZF is now bringing stability and dynamics together for improved comfort and driving performance. This system adapts damping force exactly to the... Read more →
EPA awarding $735M to assist in purchase of 2,400 zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles
12 December 2024
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that 70 applicants across 27 states, three Tribal Nations, and one territory have been tentatively selected to receive more than $735 million to assist in the purchase of more than 2,400 zero-emission vehicles through its first Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program. EPA’s Clean... Read more →
Fresh off the announcement about Wright's WM2500 2.5 MW motor spinning freely (earlier post), Wright announced that its WV250 aerospace inverter, built with support from ARPA-E and NASA, is also running. Designed to pair with WM2500, WV250 is a 250 kilowatt (kW) ultra-lightweight and ultra-efficient inverter designed for aerospace applications... Read more →
Volvo Autonomous Solutions (VAS) and DHL Supply Chain have launched autonomous operations in the United States. The operations will be enabled by the purpose-built, production-ready Volvo VNL Autonomous which is powered by the Aurora Driver. The start of operations marks a critical phase in validating the full ecosystem required for... Read more →
Stellantis and CATL to invest up to €4.1B in joint venture for large-scale LFP battery plant in Spain
12 December 2024
Stellantis and CATL will invest up to €4.1 billion to form a joint venture that will build a large-scale European lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery plant in Zaragoza, Spain. Designed to be completely carbon neutral, the battery plant will be implemented in several phases and investment plans. Targeted to start... Read more →
CEC approves $1.4B plan to expand zero-emission transportation infrastructure
12 December 2024
The California Energy Commission (CEC) approved a $1.4-billion investment plan that accelerates progress on the state’s electric vehicle (EV) charging and hydrogen refueling goals. These investments will help deploy infrastructure for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) across California, expanding the most extensive charging and hydrogen refueling network in... Read more →
Continental spinning off Automotive group
12 December 2024
The Continental Executive Board decided to spin off the Automotive group sector following its detailed evaluation announced in early August. Subject to the approval of the Supervisory Board in March 2025, the spin-off will be presented for resolution to the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting of Continental AG on 25 April 2025.... Read more →
Cyclic Materials secures multi-year agreement to supply recycled copper to Glencore
12 December 2024
Cyclic Materials, an advanced metals recycling company building a circular supply chain for rare earth elements (REEs) and other critical metals, signed a multi-year offtake agreement with Glencore, a global natural resources company, for the supply of copper produced at its Spoke operations. The strategic partnership aims to advance sustainable... Read more →
SwRI announces joint industry program aimed at advancing heavy-duty hydrogen refueling infrastructure
11 December 2024
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) announced a joint industry project (JIP) to help spur the growth and innovation of fueling and infrastructure for hydrogen-powered heavy-duty vehicles. SwRI’s H2HD REFUEL (Hydrogen Heavy Duty Refueling Equipment and Facilities Utilization Evaluation Laboratory) JIP aims to strengthen the acceptance of hydrogen fuel use by heavy-duty... Read more →
DOE awarding $17M to 14 projects to accelerate critical materials production
11 December 2024
The US Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding $17 million across projects that will accelerate critical materials innovation while promoting safe, sustainable, economic, and efficient solutions to meet current and future supply chain needs. The projects, which span 11 states, are strengthening and streamlining manufacturing for high-impact components and technologies... Read more →
BMW Group and Airbus announce winners of Quantum Computing Challenge
11 December 2024
The BMW Group and Airbus unveiled the winners of the Quantum Computing Challenge, an international initiative to identify and mature quantum solutions for the most promising mobility applications. Quantum computing has the potential to impact various industries by speeding up our responses to an array of computational challenges, from optimising... Read more →
DOE awarding $52M to 6 projects to advance bioenergy crops
11 December 2024
The US Department of Energy's (DOE's) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is awarding $52 million in funding for six university and industry projects to advance the production of low carbon intensity, purpose-grown energy crops critical to accelerating a clean energy bioeconomy. These projects will expand a domestic supply chain of alternative... Read more →
Recently, the first batch of 30 hydrogen fuel cell heavy-duty trucks jointly developed by GWM HYDROGEN-FTXT and China's well-known commercial vehicle manufacturer Yutong was officially delivered and put into operation in Anyang, Henan. The aim is to provide coke transportation services for the important coal chemical enterprise Liyuan Group and... Read more →
General Motors plans to realign its autonomous driving strategy and prioritize development of advanced driver assistance systems on a path to fully autonomous personal vehicles. GM will build on the progress of Super Cruise, the company’s hands-off, eyes-on driving feature, now offered on more than 20 GM vehicle models and... Read more →
Chevron upgrades Pasadena, Texas refinery to increase capacity, feedstock and product flexibility
11 December 2024
Chevron USA, Inc. (CUSA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, has completed a retrofit of its refinery in Pasadena, Texas, which is expected to increase product flexibility and expand the processing capacity of lighter crudes by nearly 15% to 125,000 barrels per day. Chevron acquired the Pasadena Refinery in... Read more →
Norwegian fuel cell company TECO 2030 ASA files for bankruptcy
11 December 2024
The board of directors of TECO 2030 ASA has decided to file for bankruptcy. The board decision is unanimous and is due to the fact that there is no longer a realistic opportunity to raise sufficient capital to continue operations. A stock exchange notice on 14 November 2024 disclosed that... Read more →
DEUTZ AG is strengthening its technology and production expertise to make combustion engines even more efficient and cleaner by acquiring a stake in HJS Emission Technology GmbH & Co. KG, a specialist in exhaust gas aftertreatment. To this end, both parties signed an agreement end of November, under which DEUTZ... Read more →
Together with the renowned Frauscher Shipyard in Austria, Porsche has developed an electric boat that is also intended to impress on the water with its Porsche E-Performance—now in two different versions. While two-door Porsche sports cars are available as coupés and convertibles, among other variants, Frauscher offers a choice between... Read more →
MAN Energy Solutions announced the successful retrofit of the main engine of the Maersk Halifax to a dual-fuel MAN B&W ME-LGIM unit. MAN PrimeServ, MAN Energy Solutions’ after-sales division, carried out the work, the first such project globally involving a VLCV (Very Large Container Vessel). The 15,000 teu vessel entered... Read more →
DEUTZ joins consortium to develop hydrogen engines for off-highway applications
10 December 2024
Vehicle and engine manufacturers, suppliers, and researchers have joined forces in the PoWer project (earlier post), which aims to explore how hydrogen drives can be used across the full spectrum of applications in construction and agriculture. The project is being led by MAHLE, with partners including DEUTZ, Purem, Claas, Liebherr,... Read more →
Trek and Liberty Tire Recycling partner to recycle bicycle tires
10 December 2024
Trek Bicycle and Liberty Tire Recycling launched a bicycle tire recycling program across all Trek-owned stores in North America. This initiative aims to provide cyclists with a free and responsible way to recycle their used bicycle tires. Cyclists can bring their worn-out bicycle tires to a participating Trek store, where... Read more →
ABB invests in Engineering Software Steyr (ESS) to reduce costs and emissions for automotive paint shops
10 December 2024
ABB has entered into a strategic collaboration with Austria-based Engineering Software Steyr GmbH (ESS) to develop simulation tools that will transform automotive paint shop operations while reducing costs by up to 30%. As part of the collaboration, ABB will take a minority investment in ESS. Financial details of the investment... Read more →
Swiss Steel Group introduces new hot-work tool steel
09 December 2024
Die-casting molds face extreme challenges, from thermal stress to premature wear, driving up costs and reducing efficiency. The Swiss Steel Group has introduced a new solution with its new hot-work tool steel, E 40 K. Designed specifically for high-performance applications, E 40 K offers unmatched resistance to thermally induced cracking,... Read more →
Study estimates 151M excess mental disorders attributable to lead in gasoline in US
09 December 2024
A new study by a research team from Florida State University and Duke University has found that an estimated 151 million excess mental disorders can be attributable to lead exposure from gasoline. The study is published in the Journal of Child Psychiatry and Psychology. More than half of the current... Read more →