Vietnam’s first carmaker, VinFast, is launching three electric crossovers: VF31, VF32, VF33. All three offer a range of steering and self-driving assistance features and are equipped with safety and intelligence features. VinFast VF31, a C-segment SUV, features a 150 kW permanent magnet motor with maximum torque of 320 N·m (premium... Read more →

China-based battery maker CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co Ltd) and its subsidiary Shenzhen Dynanonic signed an agreement with Jiang’an county government (located in south-west China’s Sichuan province) to build a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode materials plant with a production capacity of 80 tpy. The construction of the plant is... Read more →

Australia-based Global Energy Ventures (GEV) and Pacific Hydro Australia Developments Pty Ltd (Pacific Hydro) have executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore opportunities regarding the production, storage, loading, ground and marine transportation of green hydrogen produced by Pacific Hydro’s Ord Hydrogen Project. Both parties will work collaboratively on developing... Read more →

A European company has contracted Norway-based marine and maritime technology company Havyard Group to develop a new zero-emission ship concept for cargo transport. The partner was first introduced to Havyard by Invest in Norway, who has been working with this company for the last 2 years in supporting its entry... Read more →

Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. recently completed Kobe LH2 Terminal (Hy touch Kobe), the world’s first liquefied hydrogen receiving terminal. Kawasaki built this terminal for the CO2-free Hydrogen Energy Supply-chain Technology Research Association (HySTRA). Operation testing has started at the facility, which will be used for a demonstration test, in a... Read more →

Westport Fuel Systems will begin a research project with Scania to apply an HPDI 2.0 fuel system with hydrogen to the latest Scania commercial vehicle engine. Preliminary test results are expected in the second half of 2021. Our specialty is working with gaseous fuels. Hydrogen use in an internal combustion... Read more →

The 2021 Nissan Rogue is the company’s first global model built using a “closed-loop” recycling system for aluminum parts. The system helps reduce CO2 emissions compared with using parts made with primary alloys from raw materials. It also promotes the use of materials that don’t rely on newly mined resources,... Read more →

Trucking company U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. has invested in TuSimple, a self-driving technology company bringing to market an autonomous solution for long-haul freight transportation (earlier post). In addition to a significant financial investment, U.S. Xpress is actively testing the technology on select shipping lanes and President & CEO, Eric Fuller... Read more →

Velodyne Lidar, Inc. and Beijing Trunk Technology Co., Ltd. (Trunk.Tech) will collaborate in developing next-generation autonomous heavy trucks and to accelerate commercialization of driverless trucks in China’s logistics market. Velodyne and Trunk.Tech will cooperate on lidar-enabled products that meet the demanding requirements of high-speed transportation logistics. These solutions will strengthen... Read more →

Phillips 66 has received a $3-million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to advance the development of high-performance reversible solid oxide fuel cells (RSOFC). (Earlier post.) Phillips 66 will collaborate with the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) to demonstrate the commercial feasibility of a low-cost and highly efficient... Read more →

Chemical engineers at UNSW Sydney and University of Sydney have developed a hybrid plasma electrocatalytic process for the production of sustainable (“green”) ammonia. The method makes green ammonia from air, water and renewable electricity and does not require the high temperatures, high pressure and huge infrastructure currently needed to produce... Read more →

DENSO will partner with LiDAR and perception systems company Aeva to develop next-generation sensing and perception systems. Together, the companies will advance Frequency Modulated Continuous Wave (FMCW) lidar (earlier post), a solution that measures velocity, in addition to depth and reflectivity, and bring it to the mass vehicle market. Lidar... Read more →

A new study from researchers at MIT uncovers the kinds of infrastructure improvements that would make the biggest difference in increasing the number of electric cars on the road, a key step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation. The researchers found that installing charging stations on residential streets, rather... Read more →

Among the early adopters who own an EV, 82% say they “definitely will” consider purchasing another in the future, according to the inaugural J.D. Power US Electric Vehicle Experience (EVX) Ownership Study. However, satisfaction with the current ownership experience is a key influencer for whether owners will purchase the same... Read more →

While the lithium-ion battery is dominant in battery-electric vehicles, NiMH batteries are still the most common in full hybrid vehicles (HEVs), according to a new report—“Full Hybrid Electric Vehicle Markets 2021-2041”—from IDTechEx. Toyota is the ruling OEM in the global HEV car market, with more than 60% market share in... Read more →

Lightning eMotors, a leading provider of commercial electric vehicles for fleets, is expanding to meet the growing demand for EVs from commercial and government fleets. Three and a half years ago, Lightning eMotors moved its headquarters, manufacturing, and research and development into the nearly one-million-square-foot campus that was formerly used... Read more →

A new study by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) has found that there are currently 6.2 million medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles on the EU’s roads, the average age of which is 13 years. Almost 98% of all these trucks run on diesel, according to the 2021 Vehicles in... Read more →

Ørsted has taken final investment decision on the Danish demonstration project H2RES, which will use offshore wind energy to produce renewable hydrogen. (Earlier post.) The project is expected to produce its first hydrogen in late 2021 and will be Ørsted’s first renewable hydrogen project in operation. Avedøre Power Station where... Read more →

Geely Auto Group and Tencent signed an agreement to carry out strategic cooperation in the fields of digitalization, intelligent cockpits, autonomous drive, and low-carbon development. The two parties will work together to digitalize fully all aspects of an automotive product lifecycle from product development, manufacturing, marketing, vehicle utilization, to after-sales... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding more than $50 million in funding for 15 projects focused on field validation and demonstration—as well as next-generation extraction, separation, and processing technologies—for critical materials. Critical materials are used in many products important to the US economy and energy technologies, such as... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz has introduced the EQA, the new entry-level model to the all-electric world of Mercedes-EQ vehicles. The EQA is the first all-electric member of the compact car vehicle from Mercedes-Benz. A close relation of the GLA, it delivers all the characteristics of that vehicle, combined in this case with an... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is partnering with Youngstown State University and DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to advance workforce development for the battery manufacturing industry. The $1-million project will assist in the development of an Energy Storage Workforce Innovation Center, which will serve as a training center... Read more →

Bridgestone Corporation announced results of its four-year collaboration with genomic big data solutions company NRGene to advance the commercialization of guayule, an alternative to natural rubber, as part of the effort to diversify its sources of raw materials. The combined effort focused on analyzing DNA to allow more efficient use... Read more →

Cree, Inc. launched its Wolfspeed WolfPACK power modules. Using 1200V Wolfspeed MOSFET technology, the new modules deliver maximum efficiency in easy-to-use packages that allow designers to increase efficiency and performance with smaller, more scalable power systems. Compared to silicon, the use of silicon carbide-based power solutions enables faster, smaller, lighter... Read more →

The FLITE (Fuel via Low Carbon Integrated Technology from Ethanol) consortium, led by SkyNRG and with LanzaTech as the technology provider, will build the first-of-its-kind LanzaJet Alcohol to Jet (AtJ) facility. The facility will convert waste-based ethanol to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a scale of more than 30,000 tons/yr.... Read more →

Cruise and General Motors have entered a long-term strategic relationship with Microsoft to accelerate the commercialization of self-driving vehicles. Microsoft is joining GM, Honda and institutional investors in a combined new equity investment of more than $2 billion in Cruise, bringing the post-money valuation of Cruise to $30 billion. To... Read more →

PACCAR and Aurora have signed a global, strategic agreement to develop, test and commercialize autonomous Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks. This collaboration will integrate PACCAR’s autonomous vehicle platform with the Aurora Driver to enhance the safety and operational efficiency of PACCAR’s customers. Autonomous Peterbilt 579 Test Vehicle with Aurora Driver. In... Read more →

Researchers at Toyota Research Institute (TRI) are conducting research with Stanford’s Dynamic Design Lab into how to bring together the instincts of professional drift drivers and automated driving technology. Thee goal is to design a new level of active safety technology and share it broadly so that Toyota and other... Read more →

Porsche has introduced the fourth variant of its first all-electric sports sedan. The new Taycan model lines up alongside the Taycan Turbo S, Taycan Turbo and Taycan 4S. It features rear-wheel drive and is available with two sizes of battery: with the standard Performance Battery, the new entry-level model delivers... Read more →

Volta, a builder of commerce-centric electric vehicle (EV) charging networks, announced an oversubscribed Series D financing of $125 million. Goldman Sachs acted as exclusive placement agent to the company in connection with the financing. Volta builds and operates an EV charging network with the highest utilization in the United States.... Read more →