In a broad portfolio upgrade, Volvo Cars announced that its 48-volt mild-hybrid powertrain options are now available on every Volvo model, further boosting the company’s electrified offerings. Introduced on the XC90 and XC60 SUVs last year, the mild hybrids are now also available on all other 90- and 60-series cars,... Read more →

US Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the Agriculture Innovation Agenda, a department-wide initiative to align resources, programs, and research to position American agriculture to better meet future global demands. Specifically, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will stimulate innovation so that American agriculture can achieve the goal of increasing... Read more →

Currently, most hydrogen evolution photocatalysts (HEPs) are made from single-component inorganic semiconductors. These can only absorb light at ultraviolet wavelengths—constituting less than 5% of the solar spectrum—which limits their efficiency. However, photocatalysts formed from a single organic semiconductor typically suffer from inefficient intrinsic charge generation, which leads to low photocatalytic... Read more →

Enevate, a pioneer in advanced silicon-dominant lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery technology capable of high energy density and fast charging for electric vehicles (EV), is applying its battery solutions to advanced power cells for the power tool market and other high power applications. For example, in a 21700 cylindrical power cell, 5.9Ah... Read more →

Plug Power Inc. is partnering with Colorado-based Lightning Systems, a global developer of zero-emission drivetrains. This collaboration enables both companies to offer the first electric, fuel-cell-powered Class 6 trucks (up to 12.5 tons) capable of supporting middle-mile delivery logistics between warehouses and distribution centers. The electric commercial trucks produced by... Read more →

Chevrolet has launched the Menlo, the brand’s first fully electric vehicle in China. (Earlier post.) Initially being offered in Beijing, the Chevrolet Menlo is available in four variants priced from RMB 159,900 (US$22,800) to RMB 179,900 (US$25,600) after national subsidies for new energy vehicles. The Chevrolet Menlo incorporates GM’s class-leading... Read more →

General Motors is making enhancements to Energy Assist, a standard feature available in the myChevrolet mobile app for Bolt EV owners. Energy Assist, first available for customers in 2017, currently enables Bolt EV owners to plan and manage their routes more effectively, locate available charging stations both along their route... Read more →

Workhorse Group will display its newly-designed C650 all-electric step van at the NTEA Work Truck Show, 4-6 March in Indianapolis, Indiana. The company‘s new C650 and C1000 step vans will are 650 ft3 and 1000 ft3 vehicles both weighing approximately 12,500 lbs (5,670 kg) when fully loaded. Through a lightweight,... Read more →

Toyota Motor Corporation and Toyota Industries Corporation announced that they have jointly developed a new battery for hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) in anticipation of the further development and market introduction of HEVs, which are forecasted to expand rapidly in the future. The companies said they will release information such as... Read more →

A study by a team from MIT, with colleagues from Alfred University, UC Berkeley, and RIT, has found that supplies of cobalt—a critical material in some battery chemistries—is adequate in the short-term (up to 2030), but that the industry needs to invest in additional efficient refining and recycling capacity, so... Read more →

At every stage of the battery development process, new technologies must be tested for months or even years to determine how long they will last. Now, a team led by Stanford professors Stefano Ermon and William Chueh has developed a machine learning-based method that slashes these testing times by 98%.... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) plans to provide up to $100 million over five years for research on artificial photosynthesis for the production of fuels from sunlight. (DE-FOA-0002254) The funding will support the establishment of one large or possibly two smaller DOE Energy Innovation Hubs: integrated multidisciplinary, multi-institutional research... Read more →

Global Power Synergy PLC (GPSC) is building a battery manufacturing facility in Thailand using 24M’s novel SemiSolid lithium-ion technology (earlier post). GPSC is the main power and utility company of PTT Group. GPSC is a long-time partner of 24M. (Earlier post.) In May 2019, 24M delivered 40 grid-scale, 110 Amp-Hour... Read more →

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Co-Optima initiative is overseeing a Directed Funding Opportunity (DFO) to apply the unique, world-class capabilities of the consortium toward addressing specific challenges identified by applicants from industry and academia. The Co-Optimization of Fuels & Engines (Co-Optima) National Laboratory consortium is jointly sponsored by the... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Motors Corporation have developed a predictive Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Connected Shift System, enabling the vehicle to shift automatically to the optimal gear after identifying the road and traffic conditions ahead. Hyundai and Kia plan to apply the technology on future vehicles. During system... Read more →

In a partnership with the New Mexico Public Education Department, Los Lunas Public Schools, Magdalena Municipal School District and Moriarty-Edgewood School District have each purchased school buses fueled by propane autogas. The 17 Blue Bird Vision Propane buses will be the first propane buses to operate in the state. Our... Read more →

Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) have demonstrated the first visible-light photoelectrochemical system for water splitting using TiO2 enhanced with cobalt. The proposed approach is simple and represents a stepping stone in the quest to achieve affordable water splitting to produce hydrogen. A study on their work is... Read more →

Kia Motors Corporation revealed details of the next-generation Sorento’s new platform and powertrains. The new Sorento will make its public debut at the upcoming 2020 Geneva International Motor Show. The latest Sorento will be the first SUV to be based on Kia’s new platform when production commences later this year.... Read more →

Daimler Trucks and Torc Robotics, partners in Daimler Trucks’ Autonomous Technology Group (earlier post), will soon expand testing of automated truck technology to new public routes in the US. Daimler Trucks and Torc Robotics are actively developing and testing automated trucks with SAE Level 4 intent technology on public roads.... Read more →

At the upcoming 2020 Geneva International Motor Show, BMW will present three new plug-in hybrid models for the premium mid-range—all in the 3 Series. The debuts include the new BMW 330e Touring (combined fuel consumption: from 1.7 l/100 km; combined power consumption: from 15.7 kWh/100 km; combined CO2 emissions: from... Read more →

An international collaboration led by Cranfield University will examine the potential for the low-carbon production of hydrogen from natural gas. The HyPER project (Bulk Hydrogen Production by Sorbent Enhanced Steam Reforming) will construct a 1.5 MWth pilot plant at Cranfield University to test the innovative hydrogen production technology that substantially... Read more →

The UK has awarded £7.5 million for the next phase of Gigastack, a new renewable hydrogen project, as part of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Hydrogen Supply Competition. (Earlier post.) The Gigastack project, led by ITM Power, Ørsted, Phillips 66 Limited and Element Energy, will show... Read more →

The E-Mobility Group of Daimler Trucks & Buses is launching a worldwide initiative to establish a charging infrastructure for battery-electric trucks. The initial focus is on charging stations installed at the depots of truck customers. Within the framework of the initiative, the E-Mobility Group is bringing together the main players—e-truck... Read more →

As part of a larger £90 million (US$117 million) package of awards to cut carbon emissions in industry and homes, the UK is awarding £28 million (US$36.5 million) to five demonstration phase projects for low-carbon hydrogen production. The Dolphyn project showcases a floating semi-submersible design with an integrated wind turbine,... Read more →

Researchers from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), together with partners at the Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg (ZSW) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT) are developing an agile production system for batteries. The German Ministry of Science, Research and Art Baden-Württemberg (MWK) is funding... Read more →

Atlis Motor Vehicles, an electric vehicle technology startup designing an electric pickup truck (Atlis XT pickup), announced the first Atlis Battery Day event, where it will showcase early prototypes of its proprietary ultra-fast charging battery technology and 100% electric XP Platform. If you’re going to change the world, you have... Read more →

Airspace Experience Technologies (ASX), an aviation technology start-up, and Spirit AeroSystems, a global aircraft design and manufacturing company, have signed a memorandum of understanding and a definitive agreement to cooperate on creation of affordable, certified all-electric, vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. The program aims to converge automotive mass production... Read more →

In 2019, 95.6 GWh of battery capacity was deployed globally in newly sold passenger EVs, an increase of 30% over the year prior, according to Adamas Intelligence’s web-based EV Battery Capacity and Battery Metals Tracker. Asia Pacific led with 50.9 GWh deployed, an increase of 27% over the year prior,... Read more →

The majority (69%) of primary energy imported into the United States in 2018 was crude oil, with petroleum products and natural gas also having significant shares, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Small amounts of biofuels, electricity, and coal were also imported. Exports of primary energy from the... Read more →

Plug Power Inc. has launched its heavy-duty 125 kW ProGen zero emission hydrogen fuel-cell system. ProGen fuel cell systems include the fuel-cell stack and all required subsystems for humidification, air delivery, fuel regulation and cooling. The new ProGen product expands Plug Power’s market reach into heavy-duty on and off-road applications... Read more →