The US Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding $35 million to 15 research projects through ARPA-E’s “Energy and Carbon Optimized Synthesis for the Bioeconomy” (ECOSynBio) program to decarbonize biorefining processes used across the energy, transportation, and agriculture sectors. Many biofuels, including ethanol, biodiesel and other products derived from organic material... Read more →

Seaboard Energy has chosen Haldor Topsoe’s HydroFlex hydroprocessing fuel technology to produce renewable diesel from tallow and soybean oil. The 6,500 barrels-per-day renewable diesel unit is currently under construction at Seaboard Energy’s site in Hugoton, Kansas, and is scheduled for operation at the end of 2021. Topsoe has been developing... Read more →

Siemens USA has set a goal to transition to a fully carbon-neutral fleet in the US by 2030. Siemens’ US fleet coomprises more than 10,000 vehicles, from sedans and service vans to light- and heavy-duty trucks. To address these emissions, the company assembled a multi-disciplined team of experts in fleet,... Read more →

New Urbino models running on hydrogen are about to join the fleet of electric buses of Solaris which have been serving as transport means for Bolzano residents for years. Solaris Bus & Coach has begun the delivery of vehicles under a deal signed in May 2019. Public transport operator SASA... Read more →

AlphaStruxure, a provider of Energy as a Service (EaaS) solutions, announced an agreement to deploy an integrated microgrid and electric bus charging infrastructure project for Montgomery County, Maryland. The project will enable at least 44 buses in Ride On Montgomery County’s transit fleet to transition from diesel to electric, advancing... Read more →

Norsepower Oy Ltd., the leading global provider of auxiliary wind propulsion systems, announced the installation of five tilting Rotor Sails (earlier post) on board a new-build Very Large Ore Carrier (VLOC) chartered by Vale, the Brazilian mining company. The Norsepower Rotor Sail Solution is a modernized version of the Flettner... Read more →

On Thursday, Washington state Governor Jay Inslee vetoed legislation that would have set the first state-legislated 2030 phaseout target for automotive combustion engines in the country. (Earlier post.) The Clean Cars 2030 package passed the legislature as an amendment to E2SHB 1287—a bill mandating electric utility preparation for an all-EV... Read more →

Motor Coach Industries (MCI), a subsidiary of NFI Group, unveiled its new battery-electric commuter coach, the D45 CRT LE CHARGE, and also launched its new D series of coaches. Leveraging high-torque electric drive systems for operation at highway speeds and plug-in battery charging to 100% in less than three hours,... Read more →

Solaris Bus & Coach has signed a deal for the supply of eight zero-emission electric buses of the Urbino 12 electric type with the city of Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland and the operator Miejski Zakład Komunikacji in Gorzów Wielkopolski. These will be the first electric buses to be deployed in Gorzów... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group (HMG), which includes Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation, plans to invest $7.4 billion in the US by 2025 to produce future EVs, enhance production facilities and further its investments in smart mobility solutions. HMG’s investment will enhance overall product competitiveness by prioritizing future mobility technologies, including... Read more →

Fisker Inc. has signed framework agreements with Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) supporting joint development and manufacturing related to Project PEAR (Personal Electric Automotive Revolution), a program to develop a new breakthrough electric vehicle. (Earlier post.) Under the agreements, Fisker and Foxconn will jointly invest into Project PEAR, with each... Read more →

On Thursday, Colonial Pipeline reported substantial progress in safely restarting the pipeline system that had been shut down following a cyberattack last week. (Earlier post.) By mid-day Thursday, each market serviced by the pipeline was receiving product. The green segments on this map are operational, meaning product delivery has commenced.... Read more →

Leading silicon and carbon products company Elkem has successfully commissioned its industrial pilot for battery materials in Kristiansand, Norway, starting industrial scale pilot production for customers. As the next step towards large-scale production, Elkem is now establishing Vianode as a new company and brand dedicated to develop and produce sustainable... Read more →

Robotic Research, LLC, a leading developer of Automated Driving Systems (ADS), and FPInnovations, a Canadian private non-profit research and development center, are collaborating to develop an off-road truck platooning system for the forest industry. This project will combine Robotic Research’s self-driving technology with FPInnovations’ knowledge in forestry and transportation to... Read more →

A collaboration between Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and the University of Washington’s Urban Freight Lab has developed a prototype webapp that combines smart sensors and machine learning to predict parking space availability. The prototype is ready for initial testing to help commercial delivery drivers find open spaces without expending... Read more →

Mitsubishi Power Americas and Texas Brine Company are collaborating to develop large-scale long-duration hydrogen storage solutions to support decarbonization efforts across the eastern United States. Long-duration hydrogen storage is a key enabling technology for the transition to a net zero carbon energy future. This collaboration expands Mitsubishi Power’s capability to... Read more →

Ireland-based electrolyzer company Fusion Fuel Green PLC will collaborate with Consolidated Contractors Group S.A.L. (Offshore) (CCC), to develop green hydrogen plants in the Middle East. CCC and Fusion Fuel have agreed to cooperate on projects involving the production of green hydrogen for potential clients in the refining and petrochemical industries... Read more →

Korea’s Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction has embarked on the development of technology for producing hydrogen using waste plastic and vinyl. The company has signed a business partnership MOU with RevoTech, a company that specializes in the continuous pyrolysis of waste plastic. RevoTech will be applying its continuous pyrolysis technology... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz has begun production of the EQS electric sedan at Factory 56 in the Mercedes-Benz Sindelfingen plant. The EQS is integrated into ongoing series production at the site as the first all-electric model. The Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan, the long-wheelbase version and the Mercedes-Maybach S-Class are already rolling off the production... Read more →

The first self-driving prototypes based on the future Volkswagen ID. BUZZ production electric vehicle will begin testing in Munich, Germany, this summer. It marks a milestone for Volkswagen Group and its Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brand (VWCV), which plans to implement Level 4-capable autonomous driving technology for self-driving vans. Light commercial... Read more →

GMC is showcasing some of the HUMMER EV Pickup’s off-road testing on challenging trails near Moab, Utah in the lead-up to its production debut this fall. The team’s testing and calibration included Adaptive Air Suspension hardware, Extract Mode, Terrain Mode, One-Pedal Driving control, e4WD and torque distribution, eLockers, stability control,... Read more →

BASF is expanding its Seneca, South Carolina Platinum Group Metals (PGM) refining facility. The company will invest double-digit millions in capital improvements to increase refining capacity to recycle precious metals from spent catalysts such as automotive catalytic converters. Recycled metal has as much as 90% lower CO2 emissions than metal... Read more →

The DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and its licensee Moselle Technologies, have won two Cooperative Research and Development Awards (CRADA) and a 2021 DOE Advanced Manufacturing Office award to advance the process of using magnetic nanoparticles for capturing strategically important elements from water sources. The patent-pending technology, developed at... Read more →

Power management company Eaton’s eMobility business has been awarded a contract to supply a 24-to-12-volt DC-DC converter for use in a commercial heavy-duty battery electric vehicle (BEV) that will power accessories, such as antilock brakes and lighting. The BEV will be sold in the North American and China markets beginning... Read more →

SK Inc., the holding company of SK Group, has invested an additional US$35.9 million (40 billion won) in SES (formerly SolidEnergy Systems), a developer of next-generation lithium metal batteries (earlier post). With this second investment, following the original 30-billion won (US$26.7 million) investment in 2018, SK now is the third-largest... Read more →

Arbios Biotech, a joint venture between Licella and Canfor (earlier post), and Shell Catalysts & Technologies (SC&T), have formed a new global alliance aimed at utilizing SC&T’s upgrading technology capability in the pursuit of a low-carbon intensity, circular-economy-focused biorefinery. Arbios Biotech was formed to commercialize Licella’s Cat-HTR platform, a globally... Read more →

Leclanché SA will provide its proprietary battery technology to Canadian Pacific (CP) for its innovative Hydrogen Locomotive Program. (Earlier post.) The CP hydrogen-powered locomotive pioneering project, first announced in December 2020, will retrofit a line-haul diesel freight locomotive with hydrogen fuel cells and Leclanché's European-manufactured lithium-ion batteries to power the... Read more →

Nano One Materials Corp. is a clean technology company with a patented low-carbon-intensity process for the production of low-cost, high-performance cathode materials used in lithium-ion batteries. (Earlier post.) Nano One now has entered into an advanced lithium-ion battery cathode materials coating development agreement with CBMM, the global leader in the... Read more →

Ultium Cells LLC, a joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution, announced an agreement with Li-Cycle to recycle up to 100% of the material scrap from battery cell manufacturing. The new recycling process will allow Ultium Cells to recycle battery materials, including cobalt, nickel, lithium, graphite, copper, manganese... Read more →

Subaru will name its new full-electric SUV Solterra. Designed as a joint venture between Subaru and Toyota, the Solterra features a new, dedicated all-electric platform named the e-SUBARU Global Platform. The joint venture combines Subaru’s expertise in all-wheel drive technology with Toyota’s vehicle electrification technology. To create the all-new e-SUBARU... Read more →