Evonik has introduced the silicon-carbon composite material Siridion Black as a new anode material for lithium-ion batteries. Siridon Black features an amorphous Si/C structure with a unique carbon concentration gradient for superior stability and a high specific capacity of more than 3,300 mAh/g. The Si/C composite increases the energy density... Read more →

Little more than a year after a Joint Development Project (JDP) to develop an ammonia-fueled tanker design was launched by LR, MISC Berhad, MAN Energy Solutions and Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI), the partners have been joined by Yara International ASA, a giant Norwegian chemicals company and major ammonia producer, and... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Company recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to work with the South Korean government as well as logistics, battery and mobility companies to demonstrate the electric vehicle (EV) battery leasing business. Through this agreement, Hyundai aims to foster an EV ecosystem by alleviating the initial cost burden... Read more →

Volvo Cars and Geely Auto have agreed on a wide-ranging collaboration that will maximize the strengths of the Swedish and Chinese automotive groups, delivering synergies in powertrains, sharing of electric vehicle architecture, joint procurement, autonomous drive technologies and aftersales. Elements of the expanded collaboration include: Powertrain operations to be combined... Read more →

Solaris has just delivered three Urbino 18 electric buses to Bonn. It is the first contract for the manufacturer with Stadtwerke Bonn Bus und Bahn (SWB). The three delivered Urbino 18 electric buses are fueled solely by power derived from renewable sources. The future is electric. We stick to our... Read more →

Micron Technology has begun sampling the industry’s first automotive low-power DDR5 DRAM (LPDDR5) memory that is hardware-evaluated to meet the most stringent Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL), ASIL D. The solution is part of Micron’s new portfolio of memory and storage products targeted for automotive functional safety based on the... Read more →

Neural Propulsion Systems (NPS) emerged from stealth to launch NPS 500, the first all-in-one deeply integrated multi-modal sensor system focused on Level 4/5 autonomy. The new sensor-fused system precisely interconnects the NPS solid-state MIMO LiDAR, super resolution SWAM radar and cameras cooperatively to detect and process 360° high resolution data... Read more →

A report from the State Auditor of California finds that California may not successfully meet its upcoming greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goal of 40% by 2030, which will require the State to reduce GHG emissions by nearly 40% over the next decade. Source: State Auditor Report Number: 2020-114 Although other... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is making additional clean vehicle rebates available for lower-income consumers. A cornerstone of CARB’s suite of EV-purchase incentives, the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) is the nation’s largest and longest-running EV incentive program. CVRP offers standard rebates of $1,000 to $4,500 for the purchase... Read more →

Omnitek Engineering Corp. has received EURO VI-E certification for its OT13 heavy-duty natural gas engine. The 13-liter natural gas engine, which will be marketed worldwide in countries where this emissions requirement is mandated, can be utilized for truck and bus applications, and provides 420 hp and 1,960 N·m of torque—essentially... Read more →

Fisker Inc. has entered into a MOU with Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) supporting a project to develop a breakthrough electric vehicle. Highlights of the proposed collaboration, codenamed “Project PEAR” (Personal Electric Automotive Revolution): Fisker and Foxconn to jointly develop a breakthrough new segment vehicle. Foxconn to manufacture the vehicle... Read more →

The European Commission proposed setting up 10 new European Partnerships between the European Union, Member States and/or the industry. The goal is to speed up the transition towards a green, climate neutral and digital Europe, and to make European industry more resilient and competitive. The EU will provide nearly €10... Read more →

Scientists from Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Korea, have found that a new catalyst material can improve lithium–sulfur battery life significantly. A paper on the work is published in the journal ChemSusChem. Unlike conventional Li-ion batteries (LIBs), the Li-sulfur battery (LSB) reaction pathway leads to an accumulation of... Read more →

California’s current strategy of recovering a myriad of fixed costs in electricity usage rates must change as the state uses more renewable electricity to power buildings and vehicles, according to the findings from a new report from the Energy Institute at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and non-profit... Read more →

DHL Freight, one of the leading road freight providers in Europe, and Volvo Trucks have partnered to speed up the introduction of heavy-duty electric trucks to be used for regional transport in Europe. DHL Freight and Volvo Trucks have initiated a project focusing on electric longer distance heavy transports. So... Read more →

Daimler Truck AG and Cummins Inc. signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a global strategic partnership for medium-duty engine systems. The companies added that other opportunities for collaboration are also being evaluated. As part of the planned strategic partnership, Cummins will invest in the further development of medium-duty engine systems... Read more →

Vitesco Technologies, a leading international supplier of advanced powertrain technologies and electrification solutions, is now making electrical catalyst heating available in high-voltage hybrid vehicles as well. With a new DC/DC converter, the heating discs of the electrically heated EMICAT catalyst (earlier post) can now also be supplied with electricity in... Read more →

Audi has upgraded the battery capacity for the Q5, A6, and A7 Sportback PHEVs. The TFSI e models now come with 14.4 kWh net (17.9 kWh gross), which supports an increased electric range of up to 91 kilometers (57 miles), measured in accordance with the NEDC cycle (73 km (45... Read more →

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) announced pricing and availability of the 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) crossover. Outlander PHEV is substantially upgraded for 2021, and features a revised powertrain, an enlarged battery pack offering extended all-electric range, and increased performance from a new, more efficient, 2.4... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Company launched the IONIQ 5 midsize CUV during a virtual world premiere event. IONIQ 5 is built upon Hyundai Motor Group’s dedicated battery-electric vehicle (BEV) architecture called theElectric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), enabling it to have unique proportions on an elongated wheelbase. With E-GMP, IONIQ 5 offers innovative interior... Read more →

The US Postal Service awarded a 10-year contract to Oshkosh Defense to manufacture a new generation of US-built postal delivery vehicles that will drive the most significant modernization of the USPS fleet in three decades. Under the contract’s initial $482-million investment, Oshkosh Defense will finalize the production design of the... Read more →

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has released a comprehensive vision for deeply decarbonizing transportation. It is a strategy rooted in cross-cutting research and engineering to enable industry stakeholders, communities, government agencies, and early adopters to meet their climate goals. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, greenhouse gas... Read more →

Continuing to speed up the adoption of hydrogen in long-haul transportation, Hydra Energy—the first Hydrogen-as-a-Service provider for commercial fleets—announced a strategic partnership with Chemtrade. The long-term contract is a pillar of Hydra’s Hydrogen-as-a-Service (HaaS) business model and includes Hydra capturing, cleaning, and compressing hydrogen sourced from Chemtrade. In exchange for... Read more →

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon’s College of Engineering have found that with an emissions-based incentive towards electrification, ridesourcing companies such as Uber and Lyft would electrify more and cut their emissions by amounts ranging from 10% in New York to 22% in Los Angeles. In LA alone, this represents a reduction... Read more →

Kobe Steel, Ltd. (KOBELCO) has successfully demonstrated technology that can reduce CO2 emissions from blast furnace operations by approximately 20% by combining the Midrex’ HBI technologies and the blast furnace operations of Kobe Steel. The demonstration test was conducted for a month at a large blast furnace (4,844 m3) of... Read more →

The Washington State House Transportation Committee voted 17-12 to advance legislation calling for all model year 2030 or later passenger and light-duty vehicles sold in the state to be electric vehicles (EVs). Clean Cars 2030 (HB 1204) sets the first state-legislated 2030 phaseout target for automotive combustion engines in the... Read more →

Market analysis firm FutureBridge expects that cost-parity between Li-ion and solid-state batteries could be achieved in another five years. Solid-state batteries (SSBs) promise a leap forward, compared to incremental gains from Lithium-ion batteries (LiBs), with improved safety, higher energy density, faster charging times, and longer life. However, today their commercialization... Read more →

ATLIS Motor Vehicles, Inc. and Clemson University have partnered to advance development of electric-vehicle batteries that charge faster, last longer and can be scaled to fit a variety of vehicle classes. ATLIS, a startup company based in Arizona, is developing battery cells and packs to power the Atlis XP Platform... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that, after careful consideration of the 2020 decision of the US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in Renewable Fuels Association et al. v. EPA, 948 F.3d 1206 , EPA now supports that court’s interpretation of the renewable fuel standard (RFS) small-refinery... Read more →

Italy-based energy infrastructure operator Snam and national multi-utility company Hera Group signed a Letter of Intent for a technological collaboration aimed at developing hydrogen, for their own areas of activity respectively. The aim is to test and subsequently implement a number of solutions able to respond to the decarbonization needs... Read more →