Mercedes-Benz Cars has opened a factory for plug-in hybrid (PHEV) batteries in the Bangkok region in Thailand. The new battery factory was built on a 50,000 m² site located at the vehicle manufacturing plant in the Bangkok region. The new plant is the third production facility in the company’s global... Read more →

Researchers at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and colleagues earlier developed an efficient process for methane pyrolysis. Methane pyrolysis separates methane (CH4) into gaseous hydrogen and solid carbon that is a valuable material for various industry branches and can also be stored safely. Now, KIT is partnering with industry... Read more →

Diamond Green Diesel Holdings LLC (DGD) has filed an application with the California Air Resources Board (ARB) seeking carbon intensity (CI) certification for the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) of renewable diesel (RD) pathways from distillers corn oil; rendered animal fat; and used cooking oil (UCO) at the Diamond Green... Read more →

UK-based Drive System Design (DSD) is the lead partner in a new project that seeks to improve the efficiency of the integrated electric drive unit (EDU) of electric vehicles (EVs). The 12-month project, part-funded by Innovate UK and with the National Composites Center (NCC) as partner, will investigate the use... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems announced a purchase order from Van Hool, a leading bus OEM and Ballard partner headquartered in Belgium, for 20 FCveloCity-HD 85kW fuel cell modules to power buses in Groningen, the Netherlands, under the JIVE2 funding program. Ballard plans to deliver the 20 FCveloCity-HD 85kW modules in 2020.... Read more →

Driven by rising natural gas and oil consumption, levels of CO2 are expected to hit 37 billion metric tons this year, according to new estimates from the Global Carbon Project (GCP), an initiative led by Stanford University scientist Rob Jackson. The findings are outlined in three new papers published in... Read more →

IKEA Transport & Logistics Services, the CMA CGM Group, and the GoodShipping Program successfully completed their 2019 biofuel test program on CMA CGM vessels, following the positive trials of Heavy Fuel Oil-equivalent (HFO) Bio-Fuel Oil (GoodFuels BFO) during CMA CGM Alexander Von Humboldt’s North Europe-Asia trip, which occurred in September... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Company announced a new roadmap—Strategy 2025—intended to secure its position as a frontrunner in the future mobility industry. Under Strategy 2025, the company will foster Smart Mobility Device and Smart Mobility Service as two core business pillars; the synergy between the two pillars is expected to facilitate the... Read more →

China continues to be the leading country for e-mobility in terms of industry and market, according to the E-Mobility Index 2019 from fka GmbH and Roland Berger GmbH. Although Germany takes the lead from France in terms of technology for this latest report, China is catching up quickly and ranks... Read more →

Battery prices, which were above $1,100 per kilowatt-hour in 2010, have fallen 87% in real terms to $156/kWh in 2019. By 2023, average prices will be close to $100/kWh, according to the latest forecast from research company BloombergNEF (BNEF). Cost reductions in 2019 are thanks to increasing order size; growth... Read more →

Daimler Mobility AG and Geely Technology Group, a subsidiary of Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely Holding), unveiled the premium ride-hailing provider StarRides in China with inaugural services to begin in Hangzhou in December 2019. The ride-hailing joint venture will begin operating in Hangzhou, a city of more than 10 million... Read more →

Lab1886, the innovation unit for business models within Mercedes-Benz AG, is now supporting drive and energy system provider Rolls-Royce Power Systems AG in a pilot project in the field of stationary energy supply systems. Over the coming months, Rolls-Royce will develop a holistic concept for future sustainable and independent emergency... Read more →

In the UK, Western Power Distribution and Ricardo are leading a new project—DC share—that will develop and trial a novel solution to use latent capacity in distribution networks to power charging hubs. DC Share will share capacity across existing AC electricity distribution network substations, enabling increased numbers of high-power electric... Read more →

IVECO, FPT Industrial and Nikola unveiled the maquette of the Nikola TRE battery-electric truck, the first vehicle resulting from the joint venture between CNH Industrial and Nikola, which involves the commercial vehicle brand and the powertrain specialist. (Earlier post.) The battery electric Nikola TRE, which is based on the IVECO... Read more →

Colorado-based Lightning Systems, a global developer of zero-emission drivetrains, has raised $41 million in equity, debt, and working capital line funding from existing and new investors. The round was led by BP Ventures, with participation from other existing investors and new investor, Cupola Infrastructure Income Fund, LLLP, a private equity... Read more →

Rio Tinto has approved a $1.5-billion investment (100% basis) to continue production at its Kennecott copper operation in the United States. The investment over the next six years will extend operations at Kennecott to 2032. Rio Tinto Kennecott represents nearly 8% of US annual copper production. Kennecott’s Bingham Canyon Mine... Read more →

The BMW Group is investing around €400 million in its Dingolfing vehicle plant for production of the BMW iNEXT. In doing this, it is preparing for the manufacture of pure battery-electric and highly automated BMW cars at its largest European production location. With the launch of the BMW iNEXT in... Read more →

Ahead of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 25) in Madrid and as part of the Group’s commitment to further reduce carbon emissions along the entire value chain, the BMW Group has joined the “Getting to Zero Coalition”. The objective of this initiative is to use zero-emission cargo vessels... Read more →

The Norwegian operator Keolis Norge AS has ordered 10 Solaris Trollino articulated trolleybuses for Bergen, Norway’s second-largest city. Bergen, called ‘the gate to the fjords', a city on the UNESCO World Heritage List, is the only city in Norway and one of only two in entire Scandinavia with a trolleybus... Read more →

As commercial vehicle manufacturers and fleet owners transition to battery-electric powertrains, they must manage a new set of mobility variables. Factors such as the battery system’s state-of-charge (SOC), overall health, driving range and charging times are critical considerations in optimizing urban and long-haul transportation networks that rely upon this alternate... Read more →

According to the Federal Highway Administration, the average fuel economy for all light vehicles on the road today is 22.3 miles per gallon (mpg) and the average annual miles driven is 11,484 miles. The Federal tax on gasoline is 18.4 cents per gallon, and each state has a gasoline tax,... Read more →

Sasol and Haldor Topsoe, two of the global leaders in gas-to-liquids (GTL) technology, have entered into a collaboration agreement to offer single-point licensing of proven and bankable GTL solutions to produce diesel, kerosene and naphtha from natural gas. The Sasol-Topsoe partnership is a response to growing worldwide demand for efficient... Read more →

by Michael Sivak. This article is the latest in a series that examines recent changes in various aspects of road transportation in the United States. The focus here is on distance driven per person as opposed to total distance driven (which depends, in part, on the continuously increasing size of... Read more →

A team from Zhejiang A&F University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), and Stanford University have developed a binder-free, flexible, and free-standing electrode comprising an unprecedented 92% silicon content for Li-ion batteries. The structure shows an ultrahigh electrode-specific capacity of 2700 mAh g−1, excellent cycling stability under a high... Read more →

The Volkswagen Group says that it is making faster progress towards sustainable and efficient production while also making good progress towards reducing its production costs. We are producing more environmentally friendly than ever. From 2010 to the end of 2019, the environmental impact per produced vehicle is expected to drop... Read more →

A report from the Australian national science agency CSIRO has mapped the critical research steps Australia must take to realize a potential 7,600 jobs and $11 billion a year by 2050 from the burgeoning hydrogen industry. The report found investing in research could solve industry challenges to create five key... Read more →

The first Solaris Urbino electric buses ordered by MPK Poznań last December are now in service. A total of 21 Solaris electric buses will be delivered to Poznań. 15 of them are Solaris Urbino 18 electric articulated vehicles, the other 6 are the 12 meter-long Solaris Urbino 12 electric. The... Read more →

ArcelorMittal plans to roll out a new sustainability program across Europe, aiming to secure ResponsibleSteel site certification for all its ArcelorMittal Europe - Flat Products sites. The 12-month program will enable each site to prove that the company’s production processes meet rigorously defined standards across a broad range of social,... Read more →

Northvolt and Mälarenergi are partnering to establish a battery energy storage system at an electric vehicle charging station in Västerås, Sweden. The battery system will provide power output up to 220 kW and a usable energy capacity of 320 kWh. The Northvolt battery system is intended to reduce peaks in... Read more →

Toyota Motor Corporation and Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co., Ltd. (Nishitetsu) have begin full-scale operation of the Toyota-developed multi-modal mobility service “my route” for smartphones. The service was launched in Fukuoka City and Kitakyushu City in collaboration with service providers in the areas of traffic, shopping, and event information. The project will... Read more →