Electrochaea GmbH, a European provider of renewable methane technology, has established a California-based US subsidiary, Electrochaea Corporation, to accelerate the commercial roll-out of its technology in North America. Electrochaea employs a patented biocatalyst (BioCat) to convert low-cost and stranded electricity and CO2 into pipeline-grade renewable gas. This gas can be... Read more →

A study by a team from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has found that the amount of sugars contained within cellulosic biomass from bioenergy crops that can be converted into fuels is of equal economic importance to the yield. The findings are published... Read more →

GMC introduced the 2022 HUMMER EV Edition 1. It will be the first fully electric addition to GMC’s lineup, driven by next-generation EV propulsion technology that enables off-road capability, on-road performance and an immersive driving experience. The HUMMER EV will get its energy from General Motors’ all-new Ultium batteries and... Read more →

Solaris unveiled the Urbino 15 LE—a 15-meter battery-electric bus that is the company’s first electric bus targeted at both urban and intercity transport. Urbino 15 LE electric will make it possible for operators to plan zero-emission routes not only within the city confines but also beyond these. The heart of... Read more →

Electric vehicles will make up as many as 8 out of 10 new cars sold in 2050, but it will still be a long road before they dislodge gasoline as the predominant fuel in transportation, IHS Markit Vice Chairman Daniel Yergin writes in his new book, The New Map: Energy,... Read more →

Ways2H​, the developer of a gasification-based process that converts waste into clean hydrogen fuel for mobility, microgrids and power generation (earlier post), closed an investment from Pacific6 Enterprises, led by founding partner John C. Molina. Ways2H is a joint venture between US-based Clean Energy Enterprises, and Japan Blue Energy Corporation.... Read more →

As part of a strategic collaboration, Covestro received a first delivery of 1,000 tons of renewable phenol from Borealis, produced with renewable hydrocarbons from Neste. Neste produces these ISCC Plus certified hydrocarbons (ISCC: International Sustainability and Carbon Certification) entirely from renewable raw materials. The hydrocarbons are then converted into ISCC... Read more →

The technology group Wärtsilä will supply its advanced Energy Storage System (ESS) to be retrofitted on four Harvey Energy class LNG-fueled Platform Supply Vessels (PSVs). A fifth vessel in this class was earlier fitted with a Wärtsilä ESS. Louisiana-based Harvey Gulf placed this latest order with Wärtsilä in October. Harvey... Read more →

Momentum Technologies Inc., a Texas-based materials science company that is focused on extracting critical metals from electronic waste, has licensed an Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) process for recovering cobalt and other metals from spent lithium-ion batteries. Less than 5% of spent lithium-ion batteries in the United States are recycled.... Read more →

MAN Truck & Bus outlined its roadmap for the development of CO2-free mobility solutions for longer-distance transport. The company is entering into several partnerships for this purpose. For public transport and distribution applications, the decision seems to have been made: battery electric vehicles are the means of choice. Accordingly, MAN... Read more →

At the BMW Group plant in Leipzig, the 200,000th BMW i3 model rolled off the production line last week. The BMW i3s (combined power consumption: 14.6 – 14.0 kWh/100 km) with Fluid Black metallic paint finish and accents in BMW i Blue was produced for a customer from Saxony and... Read more →

Volvo Trucks North America was awarded $21.7 million in grants to deploy 70 VNR Electric trucks in Southern California for regional freight distribution and drayage. The US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Targeted Air Shed Grant Program is providing $20 million in funding, supplemented by $1.7 million from the South Coast... Read more →

Mercom Capital Group, LLC, a global clean energy communications and consulting firm, released its report on funding and mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity for the global Battery Storage, Smart Grid, and Energy Efficiency sectors for the third quarter (Q3) and first nine months (9M) of 2020. Global corporate funding (including... Read more →

Japan-based Bridgestone, the world’s largest tire manufacturer, has launched “A Layered Journey”—a new global campaign highlighting the company’s efforts to incorporate sustainability in its value chain with a focus on the sustainable procurement of natural rubber. The campaign travels from the forest where rubber trees are tapped for latex, continuing... Read more →

AFWERX, the US Air Force’s innovation catalyst (earlier post), is seeking solutions from public and private industries; commercial sectors; government; and academia for the Department of Defense (DoD) Reimagining Energy Challenge to modernize and create the future of resilient energy production, transmission, utilization and storage for the US Air Force.... Read more →

Chart Industries, a leading independent global manufacturer of liquefaction and cryogenic equipment servicing multiple applications in the energy and industrial gas markets, including hydrogen, made a €30-million Strategic Cornerstone Investment in McPhy, a leading manufacturer and supplier of carbon-free hydrogen production and distribution equipment. Chart will hold around 4.3% of... Read more →

In Indonesia, state miners MIND ID (Mining Industry Indonesia) and Aneka Tambang (ANTAM); state utility Perusahan Listrik Negara (PLN); and state oil company Pertamina have agreed to form a new venture: Indonesia Battery Holding. Indonesia Battery aims to be involved in the whole battery value chain, including producing battery minerals... Read more →

The Port of Rotterdam Authority, the Port of Amsterdam, North Sea Port Netherlands, Drechtsteden, the Port of Antwerp and De Vlaamse Waterweg intend to set up a single shore-based power system for inland shipping and the river cruise industry. This will contribute to the user-friendliness of this facility, which is... Read more →

The Government of Canada is awarding $1.2 million to GreenNano Technologies Inc. (GNT), a company based in Toronto, to scale up production of a new lightweight wood-fiber–based composite material to create automotive parts using an innovative process. Cam covers made at GNT. The project will combine wood pulp with polymers... Read more →

Singaporean-based tonnage provider Eastern Pacific Shipping (EPS), has appointed GoodFuels to supply biofuel bunkers for its 2010-built 47,377 deadweight tonne MR tanker M/T Pacific Beryl. The successful bunkering, which took place on Friday, 9 October in Dutch waters, is in line with EPS’ Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Policy. The... Read more →

In September 2020, the EU passenger car market registered the first increase of the year, according to figures from the European Association of Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA). Registrations grew by 3.1% last month to reach 933,987 new cars sold across the European Union. The four largest markets, however, posted mixed results.... Read more →

A Canadian startup has launched an INDIEGOGO funding campaign to support the development of the VEGAN electric self-charging solar tricycle. The VEGAN is a lightweight multipurpose hybrid electric-self-charging solar tricycle. The team has not yet produced a working demo for their concept. The team projects that the high-efficiency vehicle will... Read more →

Canada investing $20M in Terrestrial Energy to support development of Integral Molten Salt SMR Canada’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Hon. Navdeep Bains, announced a $20 million investment in Terrestrial Energy to accelerate development of the company’s Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) power plant. This is the first such... Read more →

Recycling Technologies, a specialist plastic recycling technology provider; Neste, the leading provider of renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel, and a forerunner in drop-in renewable and circular chemical solutions; and Unilever, the consumer goods manufacturer, will collaborate to develop further and to harness chemical recycling to recover and to reuse plastic... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced more than $27 million in funding for 12 projects that will support the development of advanced plastics recycling technologies and new plastics that are recyclable-by-design. As part of DOE’s Plastics Innovation Challenge, these projects will also help improve existing recycling processes that break... Read more →

General Motors announced its Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center will be known as Factory ZERO, reconfigured to an all-electric vehicle assembly plant. The name Factory ZERO reflects the significance of this facility in advancing GM’s zero-crashes, zero-emissions and zero-congestion future. Factory ZERO will be the launchpad for GM’s multi-brand EV strategy. The... Read more →

In an entirely new approach to making lithium-ion batteries lighter, safer and more efficient, scientists at Stanford University and the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have reengineered one of the heaviest battery components—sheets of copper or aluminum foil known as current collectors—so they weigh 80% less and immediately... Read more →

Monash University engineers have demonstrated improvements in the fatigue life of high-strength aluminum alloys by 25 times—a significant outcome for the transport manufacturing industry. In an open-access paper published in Nature Communications, the researchers reported that the poor fatigue performance of high-strength aluminum alloys was because of weak links called... Read more →

Since September 2015, the Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) has been working with the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) as a Connected Vehicle Pilot site. The next step in the Connected Vehicle space is to begin working with the auto industry manufacturers. To that end, THEA is proud to... Read more →

Nuvera Fuel Cells, a US-based manufacturer of heavy-duty fuel cell systems, is now using BASF’s polyphthalamide (PPA) Ultramid Advanced N to manufacture several components in its latest generation of 45 kW fuel cell engines. The fuel cell engines will be integrated into transit buses and delivery vehicles in China over... Read more →