The International Energy Agency (IEA) created the Hydrogen Technology Collaboration Program (TCP) in October 1977. Since then, the multilateral mechanism has worked on more than 40 R&D&D and analysis tasks, and is a hub for international cooperation and knowledge exchange to promote and accelerate the development and implementation of hydrogen... Read more →

A record 53.6 million metric tonnes (Mt) of electronic waste was generated worldwide in 2019, up 21% in just five years, according to the UN’s Global E-waste Monitor 2020. The new report also predicts that global e-waste (discarded products with a battery or electrical plug) will reach 74 Mt by... Read more →

Demand for raw materials used in the production of electric car batteries is set to soar, prompting the UN trade body, UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), to call for the social and environmental impacts of the extraction of raw materials, which include human rights abuses, to be... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz AG has taken numerous measures to sustainably improve its cost structure and become significantly more efficient. An important lever for this is the adjustment and realignment of capacity within its global production network. Against this backdrop, the company intends to start talks on the sale of its car plant... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems has received a $7.7-million purchase order for membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) for use in manufacturing FCvelocity-9SSL fuel cell stacks from Guangdong Synergy Ballard Hydrogen Power Co., Ltd. (Synergy-Ballard JVCo), a joint venture in which Ballard holds a 10% ownership interest. Ballard FCvelocity-9SSL fuel cell stacks (CNW Group/Ballard... Read more →

Buick is adding the VELITE 6 plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) to its new energy vehicle (NEV) portfolio in China. The model is expected to be launched this month. The VELITE 6 PHEV will be powered by Buick eMotion electric drive technology that leverages GM’s global electrification expertise. It will... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz has entered a far-reaching strategic partnership with the Chinese battery cell manufacturer Farasis Energy (Ganzhou) Co., Ltd., including taking an equity stake. Key elements of the agreement include the development and industrialization of advanced cell technologies, accompanied by ambitious goals for cost competitiveness. The technological focus is on significant... Read more →

Researchers at the University of Oregon have advanced the effectiveness of the catalytic water dissociation reaction in bipolar membranes. The work, published in the journal Science, provides a roadmap to realize electrochemical devices that benefit from the key property of bipolar membranes operation—to generate the protons and hydroxide ions inside... Read more →

The technology group Wärtsilä, in close customer cooperation with Knutsen OAS Shipping AS and Repsol, as well as with the Sustainable Energy Catapult Centre, will commence the world’s first long-term, full-scale, testing of ammonia as a fuel in a marine four-stroke combustion engine. (Earlier post.) The testing is made possible... Read more →

Ford has awarded TomTom a global multi-year deal to provide Ford’s next-generation SYNC with its real-time traffic service. The all-new 2021 Ford F-150 pickup and the soon to be delivered all-electric Mustang Mach-E SUV are the first Ford vehicles available with the technology. TomTom Traffic provides accurate, real-time traffic information,... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected seven projects for awards totaling $1.94 million to conduct research and development to accelerate the adoption of performance-advantaged biofuel blendstocks. These fuels are derived from renewable feedstocks, and can deliver exceptional efficiency with low emissions. The seven projects will leverage National Laboratory... Read more →

The BMW Group has opened the Competence Center for E-Drive Production at its largest European manufacturing location in Dingolfing. Having produced electric powertrain components in Dingolfing since 2013, the BMW Group is now expanding its capacity significantly. Production of the highly integrated BMW e-drive—final assembly Bavarian Minister-President Markus Söder and... Read more →

Norsepower Oy Ltd., the leading global provider of auxiliary wind propulsion systems, and SEA-CARGO, leading logistics provider in the North Sea market, announced an agreement to install two of Norsepower’s largest Rotor Sails (earlier post) on board the SC Connector, a sidedoor Ro-Ro. The agreement also marks the installation of... Read more →

Cambridge Consultants, part of the Capgemini Group, has introduced EnfuseNet, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) system for autonomous vehicles. EnfuseNet fuses data from low-cost sensors and cameras—hardware costing just tens of dollars—to generate high-resolution depth data, the ideal reference point for autonomous systems. The result is very low-cost, high-resolution depth data... Read more →

To accelerate the progression of driverless technology, Project ASLAN has launched an open-source and rapidly deployable self-driving software platform. The free and open software stack has been launched expressly to foster engineering collaboration. Project ASLAN is a new international not-for-profit collaboration between commercial enterprise, leading technology universities, transport authorities and... Read more →

NEVS has presented its new mobility ecosystem: PONS—the first generation of autonomous vehicles with a connected user interface. The self-driving vehicle Sango is the centerpiece of the system. The self-driving vehicle Sango NEVS developed PONS because cities all over the world, clogged by pollution and traffic, want to do whatever... Read more →

A new Leaderboard Report from Guidehouse Insights evaluates the strategy and execution of 21 electric vehicle (EV) upstarts, with Rivian, NIO, and Nikola ranked as the leading market players. The Guidehouse Insights Leaderboard Grid Interest in and adoption of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), and fuel... Read more →

Volvo Penta has developed an electric driveline for leading fire service vehicle manufacturer Rosenbauer’s pioneering fire truck, enabling a new solution with zero exhaust emissions and significantly reduced noise levels. The truck is currently undergoing intensive testing and will soon begin real-world customer testing with fire departments in Berlin, Amsterdam... Read more →

NREL has issued a request for proposals for qualified partners to participate in cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) projects with the US Department of Energy's (DOE's) national laboratories in support of DOE’s H2@Scale initiative. Through this CRADA call, DOE's Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) seeks to accelerate... Read more →

Volkswagen has premiered the new Tiguan, now available with a plug-in hybrid drive option for select markets (not including the US), the Tiguan eHybrid. (Earlier post.) Tiguan eHybrid The Volkswagen Tiguan is Europe’s most successful Sports Utility Vehicle and one of the top-selling SUVs in the world. More than six... Read more →

Volkswagen Group of America (VWGoA) welcomed its first overseas liquid natural gas (LNG) transport ship to the VWGoA port in Davisville, RI. The LNG-powered car carrier ship, named Siem Confucius, left Emden, Germany on 16 June 2020 on its first voyage, which includes one stop in the US before heading... Read more →

Daimler Truck AG is pushing forward with series production of fuel cells with Daimler Truck Fuel Cell GmbH & Co. KG. Over the past ten years, experts from Daimler have built up extensive know-how in this field and have developed production methods and processes. In close cooperation with their colleagues... Read more →

A collaboration between Neste, HERE Technologies, and PTV Group indicates that traffic-related CO2 emissions can be reduced by choosing the right driving route, especially in urban areas on short trips with private cars. Earlier this spring, Neste and its partners tested the emissions of different route options by installing measuring... Read more →

BASF is launching an engineering plastic that is particularly suited for automotive parts that come into contact with hot oil. The new polyethersulfone (PESU) Ultrason E0510 C2TR shows very good tribological properties, high oil resistance and excellent dimensional stability also with broad ranges of temperature fluctuations. The injection-molding grade with... Read more →

Toyota Motor Corporation has developed a world’s stamping-type plating technology that uses a polymer membrane (solid electrolyte membrane), through which metal ions can pass, to apply plating, like a stamp, only to areas requiring plating. The technology is used in the plating process for forming copper, nickel, and other metal... Read more →

Lucid Motors announced that it has achieved a new mark in aerodynamic efficiency for its luxury electric car, the Lucid Air. With tests recently completed at Windshear’s advanced rolling-road wind tunnel, Lucid verified a coefficient of drag of 0.21, making the Lucid Air the most aero-efficient luxury car. As quick... Read more →

A new study finds that automated pollution monitors in China led to more accurate readings and that citizens used this information to protect themselves better against the harms of air pollution. Less than a decade ago, not only was air pollution a recognized problem in China, but many didn’t trust... Read more →

Order banks are now open for the Ford Mustang Mach-E EV in the US, and reservation holders are now being invited to convert their reservations to official orders. Ford also is confirming updated performance specs following recent charging and driver-assist technology news (earlier post)—specifically: Extended-range all-wheel-drive Mach-E will deliver 346... Read more →

The Sonoma Coast Incentive Project is promoting easy access to electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure with nearly $7 million in incentives over the next three years for the purchase and installation of public EV chargers in Sonoma and Mendocino counties in California. Beginning July 8, qualifying sites can apply for rebates... Read more →

The BMW Group now has a contractual agreement with it cell manufacturers so that they will use only green power to produce BMW’s fifth-generation battery cells, according to BMW AG Management Board Chairman Oliver Zipse. The production of high-voltage batteries is energy-intensive, and accounts for up to 40% of a... Read more →