by Michael Sivak, Sivak Applied Research. Light-duty vehicles (cars and light trucks) are being purchased primarily by individuals, while heavy trucks by companies. Therefore, an examination of the recent changes in the sales of vehicles in these two classes provides some information about the economic impact (both actual and anticipated)... Read more →

Bentley Motors has launched a three-year research study on electric vehicle powertrains, utilizing a fully integrated, free from rare-earth magnet e-axle that supports electric vehicle architectures. This reinforces Bentley’s ambition to lead sustainable luxury mobility and introduce the first fully electric Bentley by 2026. The study, titled OCTOPUS (Optimized Components,... Read more →

BASF and Toyota Motor North America Research & Development partnered on lightweighting with the new 2021 Toyota Sienna. The vehicle, scheduled to launch later this year, just won the prestigious Altair Enlighten Award for achievements in vehicle weight savings for reduced mass of the third row seat. In the previous... Read more →

Switzerland-based Blackstone Resources AG announced that it has achieved a series of important milestones for producing any kind of printed battery cells. The company has been investing in the next generation of battery technology through its German subsidiary Blackstone Technology GmbH. This includes patented 3D-printing techniques and research into the... Read more →

Researchers at the University of Surrey (UK) are to begin work on a new lithium-ion battery technology that is capable of capturing CO2 emissions, following a £243,689 award from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The project, which will be led by Dr Yunlong Zhao, will undertake research... Read more →

Car users from the world’s least affluent cities are exposed to a disproportionate amount of in-car air pollution because they rely heavily on opening their windows for ventilation, according to a new global study led by researchers at the University of Surrey. In a study published in the journal Science... Read more →

After about a year of intensive practical use by ten customers in Germany and Switzerland, eight of the purely battery-powered Mercedes-Benz eActros trucks are now successively going to new customers in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. They also will put the eActros through its paces in tough everyday transport operations... Read more →

The Orange County (CA) Transportation Authority (OCTA) has a Tesla Model X SUV as its first all-electric vehicle in the OCTA Vanpool program. The Tesla X is provided by Green Commuter, one of three vanpool companies contracted by OCTA to provide vehicles to commuters in Orange County to help them... Read more →

Cadillac unveiled the LYRIQ show car—a fully electric luxury crossover. The LYRIQ is based on GM’s next-generation, modular electric vehicle platform and driven by the Ultium propulsion system, allowing Cadillac to deliver customers a variety of range and performance options. LYRIQ is being designed to offer beyond 300 miles of... Read more →

The US Department of Energy announced $33 million in funding for 10 projects as part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s (ARPA-E) Rapid Encapsulation of Pipelines Avoiding Intensive Replacement (REPAIR) program. REPAIR teams will develop natural gas transmission pipeline retrofitting technology to rehabilitate existing cast iron and bare steel pipes... Read more →

After growing by more than 2% in 2019, global gas use is set to fall by around 4% in 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic reduces energy consumption across the global economies. However, the resulting low gas prices, as well as clean air and climate policies, will promote further switching to... Read more →

Oil markets have returned to relatively stable ground with Brent prices within a narrow $40-$45 per barrel range and could conclusively pass the $50 per barrel mark in the second half of 2021, according to Roger Diwan and the IHS Markit Energy Advisory Service. The IHS Markit Brent price outlook... Read more →

BorgWarner is building an Integrated Drive Module (iDM) for Ford’s new all-electric Mustang Mach-E SUV. The iDM comes complete with a BorgWarner thermal-management system and gearbox integrated with a motor and power electronics from other suppliers, and showcases the company’s system integration expertise. The iDM comes complete with a BorgWarner... Read more →

New research by the IHS Markit Canadian Oil Sands Dialogue shows that the combined greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity of Canadian oil sands projects has declined 20% from 2009 levels. The new analysis, using most recent data available, shows trends remaining in line with previous IHS Markit projections that oil sands... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz and CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited) announced an enhanced partnership in the field of battery technology. The electric luxury sedan Mercedes-Benz EQS will launch next year equipped with CATL cell modules, delivering a WLTP range of more than 700 km (435 miles). Mercedes-Benz and CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology... Read more →

The 2021 Audi e-tron SUV family receives a number of updates and a new price point for the 2021 model year. The Audi e-tron and e-tron Sportback are the first and second fully electric vehicles in the Audi lineup, laddering up to the brand’s commitment to 30% of the US... Read more →

Octillion Power Systems, a global provider of advanced lithium-ion storage systems for electric mobility (earlier post), announced a new demonstrator program for battery-leasing that allows batteries to be leased to fleet customers when they purchase vehicles. Under the program, participating fleet operators will be allowed to source batteries through a... Read more →

Agility Fuel Solution, a leading global provider of clean fuel solutions for medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles, introduced its new third-generation roof-mount compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel system for Automated Side Loader, Rear End Loader and Front End Loader refuse collection vehicles. Agility introduced its roof-mount CNG fuel systems for... Read more →

Orocobre Limited and Energy Exploration Technologies Inc. (EnergyX) have entered into a Letter of Intent (LOI) on working together on implementation of direct lithium extraction (DLE) technologies in promoting sustainable development and innovation in the lithium mining sector. Rising demand across the world for electric vehicles and a more efficient... Read more →

On the heels of the C-V2X direct communications program launch last week in San Diego, Qualcomm announced the launch of a new C-V2X pilot program in Honolulu. Applied Information will exclusively implement C-V2X technologies developed by Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., while working with the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) and the... Read more →

China-based premium EV-maker NIO reported that it delivered 3,533 vehicles in July 2020, representing a robust 322.1% growth year-over-year. The deliveries consisted of 2,610 ES6s, the Company’s 5-seater high-performance premium smart electric SUV, and 923 ES8s, the Company’s 6-seater and 7-seater flagship premium smart electric SUV. As of 31 July... Read more →

Volvo Car Group, including its strategic affiliates Lynk & Co and Polestar, produce vehicles based on the Compact Modular Architecture (CMA) platform, introduced in 2017. To the end of July more than 600,000 group vehicles based on the platform have been sold. The CMA platform, co-developed by Volvo Cars and... Read more →

Israel-based RFISee, a developer of affordable imaging radars for the automotive industry, is unveiling the first Phased Array 4D imaging radar on a chip. The high-resolution, low-cost radar sensor will generate a real-time 3D location and velocity map of a car’s surrounding objects. RFISee’s all-weather radar has proven its ability... Read more →

An Ipsos Auto Global Study has found that new vehicle owners in US, China, EURO5 and Brazil desire autonomous functionality in their next vehicle. We have been through more than four months of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we are getting signals of a “new normal.” Many employers have encouraged their... Read more →

The representatives of the management board of public transport operator Miejskie Zakłady Autobusowe (MZA) in Warsaw and Solaris signed a contract for the delivery of 70 low-floor city buses. The vehicles will run on CNG. The total value of the contract is more than PLN 116 million (US$31 million). MZA... Read more →

The Scottish Government is investing £300,000 (US$391,000) in a new hydrogen accelerator which will be located at the University of St Andrews. Drawing on the expertise of the University, and in partnership with institutions across Scotland, the new initiative will propel innovations in hydrogen technology and encourage knowledge-sharing to support... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems announced that its proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell technology and products have now powered Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) in commercial heavy- and medium-duty motive applications for acumulative total of more than 50 million kilometers on roads around the globe, an increase of more than 5-times... Read more →

Researchers from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have analyzed 20 cryptocurrencies—accounting for more than 98% of the total market capitalization of cryptocurrencies—and found that Bitcoin accounts for 2/3 of the total energy consumption of cryptocurrencies. Understudied cryptocurrencies represent the remaining 1/3. Their paper is published in the journal Joule.... Read more →

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) and Germany-based Trailer Dynamics GmbH (Trailer Dynamics) signed a battery supply agreement for a new way to electrify long-haul trucks. According to the agreement, CATL will develop, manufacture, and supply batteries for the Newton eTrailer, which will launch in 2023 to promote sustainable road... Read more →

Brazil-based GranBio announced a strategic alliance with NextChem, the subsidiary of Italian engineering giant Maire Tecnimont dedicated to the energy transition, to co-license its patented technology for the production of second-generation (2G) ethanol worldwide. The partnership will enable the commercialization of this technology globally, combining GranBio’s knowledge in biomass and... Read more →