Haldor Topsoe will build a 10 kg/hour methanol plant to demonstrate the company’s electrified and extremely compact eSMR Methanol technology for cost-competitive production of sustainable methanol from biogas. The eSMR Methanol technology exploits the full carbon potential of biogas by utilizing the 40% CO2 content which is routinely separated and... Read more →

BMW China Automotive Trading Ltd. and Tencent signed an agreement to work together on building the BMW Group China High Performance D³ (Data-Driven Development) platform. The BMW Group will use the platform to develop automated driving technologies and products which suit the complex local traffic conditions and meet local customer... Read more →

The Audi e-tron GT is the first vehicle in the VW Group to dispense with an actual prototype in the 3P (Production Preparation Process) workshops, according to Markus Moinot, Head of Production Planning Processes in Neckarsulm. Using VR glasses and controllers, employees from various departments test all assembly processes entirely... Read more →

BYD Company Ltd. and Toyota Motor Corporation have signed an agreement for the joint development of battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The two parties will jointly develop sedans and low-floor SUVs as well as the onboard batteries for these vehicles and others with the aim to launch them in the Chinese... Read more →

Audi is offering a predictive active suspension for the new Audi A8 luxury sedan (earlier post). Electromechanical actuators adjust the suspension. They can lift up or force down each of the luxury sedan’s wheels individually, to manage the body’s ride height in every situation actively. The active suspension can lift... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group has developed the world’s first Active Shift Control (ASC) transmission technology. The innovation optimizes transmission efficiency by monitoring gear shifts 500 times per second, precisely adjusting the transmission rotation speed to for faster shift times. The new technology will premiere in the upcoming Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and... Read more →

Volvo Group and Samsung SDI have entered into a strategic alliance to develop battery packs for Volvo Group’s electric trucks. Working together with Samsung SDI, Volvo Group aims to accelerate the speed of development and strengthen the long-term capabilities and assets within electromobility, to the benefit of customers in different... Read more →

Volkswagen of America announced today that the Volkswagen Golf Alltrack and Golf SportWagen will end production with the 2019 model year. Volkswagen will continue building the Alltrack at the Puebla, Mexico plant through December 2019 to provide enthusiasts additional opportunity to own an affordable, European-designed wagon. 2019 Gold Alltrack Over... Read more →

Since 2018, the BMW Group has been using various AI applications in series production. One focus is automated image recognition: In these processes, artificial intelligence evaluates component images in ongoing production and compares them in milliseconds to hundreds of other images of the same sequence. This way, the AI application... Read more →

Researchers at UCLouvain (Belgium), in collaboration with scientists from Marburg University, the Technical University of Münich, the Technical University of Graz, and Toyota have discovered a new solid-state fast ionic conductor—LiTi2(PS4)3 or LTPS—that exhibits a Li-ion diffusion coefficient (a direct measure of lithium mobility) about an order of magnitude higher... Read more →

Researchers in Hong Kong have used biodegradable organic methanesulfonic acid (MSA) to leach valuable metals from waste LiCoO2 powders for battery material regeneration. Under the optimal conditions, leaching efficiencies of lithium and cobalt are achieved at nearly ∼100% and ∼100%, respectively. A paper on their work appears in Journal of... Read more →

The Climate Group announced that global pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca will join its business leadership initiative on electric vehicles, EV100 (earlier post); AstraZeneca will switch its 16,000-vehicle fleet to electric by 2030. 808 of AstraZeneca’s vehicles are already electric, and as a next step the company will focus on the roll-out... Read more →

Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, Amarjeet Sohi, announced a new $4.5-million Impact Canada challenge aimed at accelerating made-in-Canada battery innovation to better position the country in the highly competitive global market. The Charging the Future Challenge was announced during the 2019 Energy and Mines Ministers’ Conference (EMMC), held in Cranbrook,... Read more →

In May 2019, the Tesla Model 3 alone was responsible for 16% of all passenger EV battery capacity deployed globally versus 4% for the second-ranked BYD Yuan and 3% for the fifth-ranked Nissan Leaf, according to Adamas Intelligence’s latest “EV Battery Capacity Monthly” report. Collectively, the Tesla Model 3, Model... Read more →

Groupe Renault and Jiangling Motors Corporation Group (JMCG) announced the official establishment of their joint venture to further promote the development of the EV industry in China, following a first agreement on 20 December 2018. Groupe Renault will increase its share capital by RMB 1 billion (about €128.5 million) to... Read more →

China-based Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) and Toyota Motor Corporation have entered into a comprehensive partnership agreement for the stable supply and further development of New Energy Vehicle (NEV) batteries. The two companies have also commenced discussions that cover a wide range of fields, including: supply of batteries, new... Read more →

Lotus unveiled its electric hypercar, the Evija, formerly called the Type 130 (earlier post). Carrying a starting price of €1.7 million (US$2.1 million)—plus duties and taxes—the Evija is intended to be the most powerful series production road car ever built with output of 2,000 PS and 1,700 N·m. An ultra-lightweight... Read more →

ZF has introduced a new 2-speed electric drive for passenger cars that integrates an advanced electric motor with a shift element and appropriate power electronics. The improvement in energy conversion efficiency compared to previous e-drives extends the driving range for each battery charge. The compact design also makes this new... Read more →

In May 2019, 47% more lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) was deployed globally in batteries of passenger EVs than the same month the year prior, according to Adamas Intelligence’s latest subscription-based “EV Battery Lithium Monthly” report. This increase in LCE deployment was driven primarily by two factors, Adamas said. Global sales... Read more →

Lightning Systems announced that its all-electric powertrains for Ford and Chevrolet medium-duty trucks and buses are now offered on a California state contract. State agencies and city and county governments throughout California can order Class 3 to 6 shuttle buses, cargo vans, box trucks, cab-over vehicles, and stripped chassis models... Read more →

Orange EV and California-based Super Store Industries (SSI) announced the deployment of Orange EV T-Series pure electric terminal trucks to multiple SSI facilities, supporting both grocery distribution and dairy and beverage manufacturing. SSI’s first Orange EV yard truck was immediately deployed into heavy service, operating up to 19 hours per... Read more →

Automated control of cars may enable drivers to achieve more fuel savings than if they were completely in charge, according to a new study conducted by the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Volvo Cars. The study findings are detailed in a paper in the IEEE... Read more →

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Toyota Motor Corporation (Toyota) signed a three-year joint research agreement running from fiscal year 2019 to fiscal year 2021. Over the course of the three-year joint research period, JAXA and Toyota will manufacture, test, and evaluate prototypes, with the goal of developing a... Read more →

Tests have demonstrated that a residential combined heat and power (CHP) engine developed as an Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E)-backed venture through the Generators for Small Electrical and Thermal Systems (GENSETS) program (earlier post) offers at least a 20% improvement in efficiency over the current leading alternatives. The... Read more →

Teijin Limited signed a joint development agreement with Australian venture AEV Robotics (AEV). Teijin and AEV will use the first two years of this initiative to develop elemental technologies for future vehicles. The agreement is to create lightweight components and solutions for next-generation transportation to realize new forms for transportations... Read more →

Volkswagen has developed a new generation manual gearbox; the MQ281 saves up to five grams of CO2 per kilometer depending on the engine-gearbox combination. The new Passat is the first vehicle to be equipped with the MQ281, followed by almost all vehicle classes of the brands Audi, SEAT, ŠKODA and... Read more →

The California Energy Commission approved nearly $70 million in funding to replace more than 200 old diesel school buses with all-electric buses that will reduce school children’s exposure to harmful emissions and help the state reach its climate and air quality goals. School buses are by far the safest way... Read more →

In the US, the used light-duty vehicle market is more than twice the size of the new light-duty vehicle market for each year shown. Used vehicle sales for 2018 were 40.2 million vehicles, while new vehicle sales were 17.2 million. Used vehicle sales include pre-owned vehicles sold by dealerships, franchises,... Read more →

Researchers at MIT have devised a new pulsed laser deposition technique to make thinner lithium electrolytes using less heat, promising faster charging and potentially higher-voltage solid-state lithium ion batteries. The method enables future solid-state battery architectures with more room for cathode volumes by design, and reduces the processing temperature. The... Read more →

An international team led by Professor Barbara Maher, of Lancaster University in the UK, has found that iron-rich, magnetic combustion- and friction-derived nanoparticles (CFDNPs), which are abundant in particulate air pollution, are highly abundant in the hearts of young urban residents with lifelong exposure to high concentrations of particulate air... Read more →