Tests have demonstrated that a residential combined heat and power (CHP) engine developed as an Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E)-backed venture through the Generators for Small Electrical and Thermal Systems (GENSETS) program (earlier post) offers at least a 20% improvement in efficiency over the current leading alternatives. The... Read more →

Teijin Limited signed a joint development agreement with Australian venture AEV Robotics (AEV). Teijin and AEV will use the first two years of this initiative to develop elemental technologies for future vehicles. The agreement is to create lightweight components and solutions for next-generation transportation to realize new forms for transportations... Read more →

Volkswagen has developed a new generation manual gearbox; the MQ281 saves up to five grams of CO2 per kilometer depending on the engine-gearbox combination. The new Passat is the first vehicle to be equipped with the MQ281, followed by almost all vehicle classes of the brands Audi, SEAT, ŠKODA and... Read more →

The California Energy Commission approved nearly $70 million in funding to replace more than 200 old diesel school buses with all-electric buses that will reduce school children’s exposure to harmful emissions and help the state reach its climate and air quality goals. School buses are by far the safest way... Read more →

In the US, the used light-duty vehicle market is more than twice the size of the new light-duty vehicle market for each year shown. Used vehicle sales for 2018 were 40.2 million vehicles, while new vehicle sales were 17.2 million. Used vehicle sales include pre-owned vehicles sold by dealerships, franchises,... Read more →

Researchers at MIT have devised a new pulsed laser deposition technique to make thinner lithium electrolytes using less heat, promising faster charging and potentially higher-voltage solid-state lithium ion batteries. The method enables future solid-state battery architectures with more room for cathode volumes by design, and reduces the processing temperature. The... Read more →

An international team led by Professor Barbara Maher, of Lancaster University in the UK, has found that iron-rich, magnetic combustion- and friction-derived nanoparticles (CFDNPs), which are abundant in particulate air pollution, are highly abundant in the hearts of young urban residents with lifelong exposure to high concentrations of particulate air... Read more →

The operators SETA Modena and TEP Parma, both providing carrier services in the Emilia-Romagna region in the North of Italy, have placed orders for 18 modern Solaris Trollino 12 vehicles. Eight of the trolleybuses commissioned will join the fleet of SETA Modena, the other ten will go to TEP Parma.... Read more →

Groupe PSA and VINCI Autoroutes have tested new autonomous vehicle features in Saint-Arnoult-en-Yvelines (France), following on from the trial carried out in July 2017, which led to the crossing of a tollgate in full autonomous mode for the first time. (Earlier post.) The partners assessed a vehicle’s ability to drive... Read more →

A new report released by the Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG) in the UK recommends as an immediate priority that non-exhaust emissions (NEE) are recognized as a source of ambient concentrations of airborne PM, even for vehicles with zero exhaust emissions of particles. Non-exhaust emissions (NEE) from road traffic refers... Read more →

New battery company SVOLT Energy Technology Co. Ltd, whose precursor was the Battery Business Unit of Great Wall Motor Co. Ltd, introduced its cobalt-free lithium-ion battery cell (NMx) and four-element lithium-ion battery cell (NCMA). SVOLT product roadmap. In the product launch event, Yang Hongxin, General Manager of SVOLT, said that... Read more →

Researchers from the University at Buffalo (UB), with colleagues in the US and China, have provided pathophysiologic evidence of the effect of air pollution on cardiovascular disease in China. Their findings also suggests that China may need to revise its standard for one type of pollutant. Spatial Distribution of Estimated... Read more →

Efforts to shift away from fossil fuels and replace oil and coal with renewable energy sources can help reduce carbon emissions but do so at the expense of increased inequality, according to a new study by researchers at Portland State University (PSU) and Vanderbilt University. Julius McGee, assistant professor of... Read more →

Swedish EV manufacturer NEVS and the autonomous vehicle start-up AutoX have entered into an exclusive strategic partnership to integrate AutoX’s autonomous drive technology in NEVS’ next-generation vehicle architecture. The partnership is directed towards a target of deploying the first large-scale RoboTaxi pilots in Europe by the end of 2020, demonstrating... Read more →

Enel X, the Enel Group’s advanced energy services business line, launched its new electric mobility unit in North America by integrating the company’s US-based electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions subsidiary, formerly known as eMotorWerks, into the Enel X brand. With the launch of this new unit, the company will add... Read more →

Ford Motor Company and Volkswagen AG are expanding their global alliance to include electric vehicles—and will collaborate with Argo AI to introduce autonomous vehicle technology in the US and Europe. Volkswagen is joining Ford in investing in Argo AI, the autonomous vehicle technology platform company. (Earlier post.) In 2017, Ford... Read more →

Researchers at George Washington University led by Prof. Stuart Licht (earlier post) report a process for the high-yield, low-energy synthesis of carbon nano-onions (CNOs) by electrolysis of CO2 in molten carbonate. A paper on their work is published in the journal Advanced Sustainable Systems. High yield electrolytic synthesis of carbon... Read more →

Lightning Systems, a global developer of zero-emissions drivetrains for commercial fleets, has had its longer-range, higher-speed, Generation 2 model of its Lightning Electric system for the Ford Transit (earlier post) named in an Executive Order from the California Air Resources Board (CARB). This step—which certifies the vehicle as a ZEV—is... Read more →

The Fort Worth Transportation Authority (Trinity Metro) has awarded New Flyer a contract for four heavy-duty, thirty-five-foot Xcelsior CHARGE battery-electric buses. The zero-emission buses (ZEBs) support a new route called The Dash, a zero-emission service connecting Downtown Fort Worth with its Cultural District and utilizing Trinity Metro’s first all- electric... Read more →

Electrify America announced an agreement with Harley-Davidson to provide owners of its first all-electric motorcycle—the Harley-Davidson LiveWire (earlier post)—with the per minute equivalent of 500 kWh of complimentary charging over two years at Electrify America stations nationwide. LiveWire motorcycle customers who purchase models manufactured between August 2019 and July 2021... Read more →

Shell Ventures and Sumitomo Corporation Group have invested in LO3 Energy to support the global development of its blockchain-based community energy networks. In 2017, Shell and fellow energy majors BP and Statoil, along with trading houses Gunvor, Koch Supply & Trading, and Mercuria; and banks ABN Amro, ING and Societe... Read more →

Continental is presenting its third generation of electric powertrains at the IAA 2019, with the new, very high-performance, light and compact axle drive set to take to the roads in various electric models from several Chinese and European manufacturers later this year. Highly integrated means that the new high-voltage drive... Read more →

Toyota Motor Europe (TME) reported half-year sales of 578,400 vehicles across the region, up 3.3% year-on-year and registering a 5.3% market share. Hybrids drove the strong performance between January and June 2019, with total hybrid sales of 303,400 units (+18% year-on-year), or 52% of the total. The first half of... Read more →

Pre-series production of the ID.3 EV has already begun at the Volkswagen plant in Zwickau. The core components for electric cars are developed and produced for the new electric vehicles at the Volkswagen Group Components plants: the electric drive comes from Kassel; the Salzgitter plant supplies its colleagues in Hessen... Read more →

World population is estimated to reach 7.58 billion this month as World Population Day is celebrated on 11 July, but the US Census Bureau is projecting another milestone: Annual population growth will slip under 1.0% in 2020-2021 for the first time since 1950. The United Nations declared 11 July as... Read more →

DENSO Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation will establish a joint venture for research and advanced development of next-generation, in-vehicle semiconductors. The two companies will study the details and aim to establish the new company in April 2020. Recently, electronic controls have been increasingly implemented into vehicles. Furthermore, the number of... Read more →

To help electric vehicle batteries last longer, Bosch is developing new cloud services that supplement the individual vehicles’ battery-management systems. Bosch is connecting electric-vehicle batteries with the cloud. Its data-based services mean we can substantially improve batteries’ performance and extend their service life. —Dr. Markus Heyn, member of the board... Read more →

Esri, the global leader in location intelligence, will collaborate with Mobileye, an Intel Company and a leading provider of advanced driver-assistance systems software, to bring the advanced data collection capabilities of Mobileye into Esri’s platform as native services. This collaboration will provide Esri customers with the ability to visualize and... Read more →

MINI has introduced the new MINI Cooper SE electric vehicle. The power delivery of its 135 kW/(181 hp US) motor, the brand-specific front-wheel drive, and the innovative driving dynamics system with wheel slip limiting close to the actuator all contribute to a go-kart feeling. The model-specific lithium-ion battery enables a... Read more →

The Milan, Italy carrier ATM Milano intends to phase out diesel buses by 2030. An essential milestone on this path was the launch of a tender for the supply of up to 250 electric buses with a total value of up to €192 million. ATM Milano has selected Solaris as... Read more →