Just a few months into a joint innovation project (earlier post), engineers from Bosch Engineering and Ligier Automotive have built a high-performance vehicle with a hydrogen engine. The demonstrator is based on the Ligier JS2 R race car, which was modified for hydrogen operation. The Ligier JS2 RH2 was officially... Read more →

The Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) has issued its third funding opportunity for the SCALEUP (Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy technologies with Untapped Potential) program. (Earlier post.) The objective of the $100-million ARPA-E SCALEUP 2023 FOA (DE-FOA-0003100) is to support the scaling of high-risk and potentially disruptive... Read more →

A study by a team from Carnegie Mellon University and Yale Universitysuggests that BEVs could constitute the majority or near-majority of cars and SUVs by 2030, given widespread BEV availability and technology trends. Their open-access paper is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). A suggestive market-wide... Read more →

Toyota Motor North America, Inc. (Toyota) will invest nearly $50 million to construct a new laboratory facility at its North American R&D headquarters in York Township, Mich. to evaluate batteries for electric and electrified vehicles in North America. As part of its evaluation process, the new Michigan battery lab will... Read more →

Lexus unveiled the all-new GX during a world premiere in Austin, Texas, USA. The vehicle is set to be gradually released in different regions, starting from the end of 2023. Lexus GX prototype A 3.5L V6 twin-turbocharged engine delivers impressive output and torque, along with class-leading towing capabilities. A 2.4L... Read more →

Lexus revealed its TX three-row SUV, a vehicle made specifically for the North American market. TX will be exclusively assembled by Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana (TMMI), and is the first Lexus vehicle to be assembled there. The TX is the latest Lexus SUV to adopt the GA-K platform, which offers... Read more →

Nissan carried out another demonstration of its in-development LIDAR-based advanced driver-assistance technology, which now features intersection collision avoidance. An event held at a Nissan facility here showcased the technology’s ability to perform certain automatic collision-avoidance maneuvers in the more complex environment of intersections. Development of this technology is being carried... Read more →

Mercedes‑Benz announced that its DRIVE PILOT system for SAE Level 3 conditionally automated driving received certification from California state authorities. With this milestone, Mercedes-Benz is the first car manufacturer with authorization to introduce such a SAE Level 3 system in a standard-production vehicle for use on public freeways in the... Read more →

General Motors plans to invest more than $500 million in Arlington Assembly to prepare the plant for production of future internal combustion engine (ICE) full-size SUVs, subject to successful discussions with local government officials. Through this more than half-a-billion-dollar investment, Arlington Assembly will receive new tooling and equipment in its... Read more →

General Motors announced a collaboration with Tesla to integrate Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector design into its EVs beginning in 2025. Additionally, the collaboration will expand access to charging for GM EV drivers at 12,000 Tesla Superchargers, and growing, throughout North America. This agreement complements GM’s ongoing investments... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz has signed a supply agreement with Swedish start-up H2 Green Steel (H2GS) (earlier post) over approximately 50,000 tonnes almost CO₂-free steel per year for its European press shops and deepened its partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the aim to establish a sustainable steel supply chain in... Read more →

Scientists at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a coating composed of carbon nanotubes that imparts superlubricity to sliding parts. It reduces the friction of steel rubbing on steel at least a hundredfold. A paper on the coating is published in the journal Materials Today Nano.... Read more →

MAN Energy Solutions has introduced its latest engine, an auxiliary MAN 35/44DF CD type. Developed in cooperation with STX Engine and solely for production by MAN licensees, the new engine is particularly aimed at container and LNG carrier applications. The GenSet was developed with the clear aim of cutting down... Read more →

In a recent open-access paper published in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology, researchers from the University of York report that alcohols in windshield washer fluid account for a larger fraction of real-world vehicle emissions than previous estimates have suggested. The levels of these non-fuel-derived gases will likely remain unchanged, even... Read more →

Volvo Cars revealed its first premium small SUV, the all-electric EX30, in an event in Milan, Italy. The EX30 expands Volvo’s all-electric offering to four models. The Volvo EX30 is available for order across Europe and other selected markets. In the United States, customers can place pre-orders, while orderbooks will... Read more →

AESC held a groundbreaking ceremony on its new battery plant in Florence County, South Carolina. (Earlier post.) With construction of the 1.5 million square foot plant underway, commercial operations are expected to commence in 2026, creating 1,170 new jobs for the local community. The new 30 GWh battery plant builds... Read more →

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) announced $2 million for the rejuvenation, recycling, and reuse of Lithium-ion battery programs, administered through the ReCell Center located at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). Through this investment, AMMTO will encourage the formation of Cooperative Research and Development... Read more →

Animal fats and used cooking oil are increasingly joining the likes of lithium, cobalt and copper as energy transitional materials where supply constraints are of growing concern, according to a new analysis of trade flows by S&P Global Commodity Insights Agribusiness Consulting group. The analysis, entitled Biofuel Feedstock Trade Flows:... Read more →

Ahead of the Paris Air Show held in Le Bourget, TotalEnergies is doubling production of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at Grandpuits, bringing the site’s annual production capacity to 285,000 tons—almost double the capacity announced in 2020. TotalEnergies’s SAF is produced from waste and residues from the circular economy (animal fats,... Read more →

In 2022, Audi described a pilot program with partner companies Reiling Glas Recycling, Saint-Gobain Glass, and Saint-Gobain Sekurit to turn damaged auto glass into recyclable material for model production. (Earlier post.) Audi is now shifting the “GlassLoop” pilot project into standard production; for the windshields in the Audi Q4 e-tron,... Read more →

TECO 2030 and Skeleton Technologies have entered into a strategic partnership to accelerate the use of renewable hydrogen in the maritime sector and demonstrate zero-emissions voyage and port operations. Skeleton Technologies is a manufacturer of high power, fast charging energy storage for transportation, grid, automotive and industrial applications. As a... Read more →

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) researchers have developed a new pressing method, that produces a more uniform solid electrolyte than the traditionally processed material with more voids. The material can be integrated into a battery system for improved stability and rate performance. When a solid-state battery charges or operates, ions... Read more →

Scientists from Tokyo Tech have discovered Ba2LuAlO5 as a promising proton conductor for protonic ceramic fuel cells. The oxide exhibits proton conductivities of 10−2 S cm−1 at 487 °C and 1.5 × 10−3 S cm−1 at 232 °C, high diffusivity and high chemical stability without chemical doping. These new insights may pave the way... Read more →

Li-Metal Corp., a developer of lithium metal and lithium metal anode technologies for next-generation batteries (earlier post), has been awarded more than C$1.4 million in grant funding from various programs sponsored by the Government of Ontario to develop and commercialize its lithium metal production technology. The funding consists of a... Read more →

Luminar and Plus, a global provider of highly automated driving and fully autonomous driving solutions, announced a partnership to advance highly automated driving and safety systems for commercial vehicle manufacturers. Under the agreement, Luminar will be the exclusive provider of mid- to long-range lidar for PlusDrive, Plus’s factory-installed assisted driving... Read more →

China-based Dongfang Electric Corporation (DEC) reported successful testing of non-desalinated seawater electrolysis technology for hydrogen production powered by offshore wind. The floating hydrogen production platform Dongfu One is sited in an offshore wind farm in East China’s Fujian province. This project was a joint effort by DEC and a research... Read more →

The Yongsoo wave energy power plant, installed at berth 1 in the Korean Institute KRISO-Wave Energy Test Site (WETS), is preparing to produce green hydrogen from next year, according to a report from Ocean Energy Systems. Ocean Energy Systems (OES) is the short name for the Technology Collaboration Programme on... Read more →

Port of Argentia Inc. (Nefoundland, Canada) reached a binding agreement on commercial terms with Pattern Renewable Holdings Canada 2 ULC (Pattern Energy) for a planned renewable energy to green fuels project at Argentia. Argentia Capital Inc. (ACI), the Port’s 50/50 partnership with Torrent Capital Ltd., is a signatory to the... Read more →

Aclara Resources, a development-stage company that focuses on heavy rare earth mineral resources, has started the continuous operation of its newly constructed pilot plant for the Penco Module near Concepcion, Chile. The company produced the first sample of high purity Heavy Rare Earth Elements (HREE) concentrate after a successful commissioning... Read more →

Nidec Corporation and Renesas Electronics Corporation agreed to join forces on the development of semiconductor solutions for a next-generation E-Axle (X-in-1 system) that integrates an EV drive motor and power electronics for electric vehicles (EVs). The 3-in-1 unit E-Axle integrates a motor, inverter, and gearbox (reduction gear). To realize high-performance... Read more →