SAE International’s Wireless Power Transfer and Alignment Task Force, SAE J2954, is urging the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to act to support the commercialization of wireless charging operating in the frequency band of 79 kHz to 90 kHz as well as type approval based on SAE J2954 standards as... Read more →

A team at Harvard has a developed a design for a solid-state battery that uses a hierarchy of interface stabilities (to lithium metal responses), to achieve an ultrahigh current density with no lithium dendrite penetration. Cycling performance of the Li-metal anode paired with a LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 cathode is very stable, with... Read more →

MP Materials has received a $3-million award from the Department of Energy (DOE) to complete a feasibility study, working with the University of Kentucky (UK), on a system to produce rare earth oxides, metals, and other critical materials recovered from coal by-products. This project is enabled by a DOE-exercised option... Read more →

A team of researchers led by Loretta Roberson, associate scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, has installed the first seaweed farm in Puerto Rico and US tropical waters. The research array furthers the design and development of a system for offshore cultivation of tropical seaweeds to support large-scale... Read more →

Researchers in Mexico have used a genetically engineered Escherichia coli to scale-up the co-production of hydrogen (H2) and ethanol (EtOH) using hemicellulosic hydrolysates from wheat straw pretreated (WSP) as substrate from a 0.01 to 10 L process. A paper on their work is published in the journal Fuel. Co-production of... Read more →

Two Canadian companies, Suncor Energy and ATCO Ltd., are collaborating on early stage design and engineering for a potential blue hydrogen project near Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta. The project would produce more than 300,000 tonnes per year of hydrogen, reduce Alberta’s CO₂ emissions by more than two million tonnes per year,... Read more →

Moscow-based startup Green Scout is developing a 6-wheel electric amphibious all-terrain vehicle (ATV). Development of the all-terrain vehicle began in 2017; an experimental prototype was manufactured in winter 2019, and a presentation model was demonstrated in summer 2020. The ATV is 1.8m wide, with a height of 1.2m; ground clearance... Read more →

NuScale Power and Prodigy Clean Energy, a Canadian company that designs and develops marine nuclear plants, announced a second Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to support business development opportunities for a marine-deployed nuclear generating station powered by the NuScale Small Modular Reactor (SMR). NuScale Power and Prodigy Clean Energy have been... Read more →

Solid-state battery developer QuantumScape Corporation (earlier post) has entered into an agreement with Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. to select the location of their joint-venture solid-state battery pilot-line facility by the end of 2021. The companies currently contemplate Salzgitter, Germany for the location. The pilot-line facility, QS-1, will initially be... Read more →

Cement and asphalt are vital to modern construction materials; cement is used for the construction of various buildings and structures, while asphalt is primarily used for highways and runways. They have been widely used for these purposes since the 1800s. It has been observed modern concrete structures and asphalt structures... Read more →

Canada-based Lion Electric Company, a manufacturer of all-electric medium- and heavy-duty urban vehicles, has been selected to participate in the Heritage-Romeo Power Fleet Electrification Program. The Heritage-Romeo Power Fleet Electrification Program is a collaboration between Heritage, a leader in environmental, sustainability and recycling services, and Romeo Power to execute on... Read more →

The Liquid Wind consortium in Sweden has selected Worley to provide basic engineering services for one of the world’s first commercial-scale eMethanol facilities. Worley is a leading supplier of engineering, procurement and construction services and will support designing a facility concept that can be efficiently replicated to establish 500 eMethanol... Read more →

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 →