Blue Current, a manufacturer of silicon elastic composite solid-state batteries (earlier post), announced a series of technical achievements, expanded partner engagements, and funding. Blue Current continues to carefully expand its investment and industry partnerships. During 2023, new and existing investors, Koch Disruptive Technologies (KDT), Piedmont Capital, and Umicore, began or... Read more →

The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Caterpillar Inc. have entered into a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) to investigate using methanol as an alternative fuel source for four-stroke internal combustion marine engines. The collaboration supports efforts to decarbonize the marine industry, a hard-to-electrify transportation sector. Methanol... Read more →

Japan’s Tsuneishi Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. has ordered 3 × MAN B&W 7G50ME-C9.6-LGIM (-Liquid Gas Injection Methanol) main engines in connection with the building of 3 × 81,200 dwt bulk carriers for Danish shipping company, J. Lauritzen. Each engine will feature MAN Energy Solutions’ proprietary EGRBP (Exhaust Gas Recirculation ByPass) emissions-reduction... Read more →

Symbio, an equally owned joint venture between automotive technology supplier Forvia, Michelin and Stellantis, inaugurated its first hydrogen fuel cell gigafactory, SymphonHy. Located in Saint-Fons, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, SymphonHy is the largest integrated fuel cell production site in Europe. The site houses the Group’s headquarters, a production plant, an... Read more →

Ionomr Innovations Inc., developer and manufacturer of foundational polymer and membrane technologies for next-generation hydrogen applications, has closed a US$20-million Series A-4 funding round with returning lead investors NGIF Cleantech Ventures and Pallasite Ventures supported by Shell Ventures, Chevron Technology Ventures and Finindus, and joined by N.V. Bekaert, Asahi Kasei,... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has released the 2023 issue of its Annual Evaluation of Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Deployment and Hydrogen Fuel Station Network Development, pursuant to the requirements of Assembly Bill 8 (2013). This report is the tenth annual publication. The Annual Evaluations provide CARB’s latest assessment... Read more →

Airbus and BMW Group have launched a global Quantum Computing Challenge entitled “The Quantum Mobility Quest” to tackle the most pressing challenges in aviation and automotive that have remained insurmountable for classical computers. This challenge brings together two global industry leaders to harness quantum technologies for real-world industrial applications, unlocking... Read more →

At the annual IBM Quantum Summit in New York, IBM debuted IBM Quantum Heron, the first in a new series of utility-scale quantum processors with an architecture engineered over the past four years to deliver IBM’s highest performance metrics and lowest error rates of any IBM Quantum processor to date.... Read more →

Rigetti Computing, a developer of quantum integrated circuits for quantum computers, launched the Novera QPU, a 9-qubit quantum processing unit (QPU) based on the company’s fourth-generation Ankaa-class architecture featuring tunable couplers and a square lattice for denser connectivity and fast 2-qubit operations. The Novera QPU is manufactured in Rigetti’s Fab-1,... Read more →

The advertised ranges of many electric vehicles can vary a lot from the number of miles they can actually cover on a highway road trip, new testing by Consumer Reports (CR) shows. When driven at a constant highway speed of 70 mph, some vehicles tested fell up to 50 miles... Read more →

Michigan State University (MSU) is entering into a two-year agreement with Politecnico di Milano in Italy, and the University of Alabama (which is collaborating with the PoliMOVE team) to participate in the Indy Autonomous Challenge. MSU is the first and only team from Michigan to race in the IAC series,... Read more →

Deutsche Aircraft, a manufacturer of regional aircraft, commissioned consultancy LBST ( Ludwig-Bölkow-Systemtechnik GmbH), a participating company of TÜV SÜD AG, to compile a comprehensive study comparing the economic and environmental performance of Liquefied Hydrogen (LH2) and Power-to-Liquids (PtL) in aviation. The study is focused on domestic production of electricity-based Sustainable... Read more →

Ford Pro, the commercial division within Ford Motor Company, and Xcel Energy are collaborating to support the deployment of 30,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging ports in Xcel Energy service territories across the US by 2030 with most upfront costs offset by Xcel for qualifying business fleet customers. Ford Pro and... Read more →

Pilot Travel Centers, General Motors and EVgo announced the opening of the first 17 locations of their previously announced national electric vehicle fast charging network. (Earlier post.) Now available in 13 states, the network features an elevated charging experience, providing EV travelers access to the same amenities offered at existing... Read more →

South Korean cathode materials company EcoPro BM has secured a 5-year, $33.4B (43,867,615,524,480 KRW) contract to supply high-nickel NCA cathode material to Samsung SDI. The contract runs from 1 January 2024 through 31 December 2028. After the arrival of the contract period, the sales unit price to be applied to... Read more →

Japanese technology company THK unveiled its advanced LSR-05 electric prototype at the recent 2023 Japan Mobility Show. Beyond a design study, the LSR-05 is a fully functional prototype vehicle developed to highlight a range of advanced technologies developed by THK for application across the global automotive industry. The LSR-05 is... Read more →

Rio Tinto will replace its entire fossil diesel consumption with renewable diesel at its Kennecott copper operation in Utah from 2024. Kennecott’s fleet of 90 haul trucks and all heavy machinery will begin to transition to renewable diesel in the first quarter of 2024, along with consumption from the concentrator,... Read more →

Rio Tinto provided an update at its Investor Seminar on the world-class Simandou iron ore project in Guinea, Africa, which is being progressed in partnership with CIOH, Winning Consortium Simandou (WCS), Baowu and the Republic of Guinea. Simfer Jersey Limited is a joint venture between the Rio Tinto Group (53%)... Read more →

Carmakers in the European market have secured less than a fifth (16%) of the key battery metals they will need until 2030, according to analysis of publicly disclosed contracts by the European environmental NGO Transport & Environment (T&E). Only Tesla and BYD are doing enough to guarantee supplies of cobalt,... Read more →

An analysis of data collected from a study of self-selected electric vehicle (EV) owners shows that the average length of time for a paid fast charging session was 42 minutes, consuming an average of 22 kWh of energy. Free fast charging sessions nearly doubled those numbers at 1 hour and... Read more →

Toshiba Electronics Europe GmbH has released a new photovoltaic output photocoupler with an enhanced open-circuit voltage. The new device is primarily intended for use within solid-state relay (SSR) applications in automotive. However, it can equally be used in industrial applications, such as renewable energy. In recent years, automotive applications have... Read more →

Magna is enhancing its automated driving capabilities by joining NorthStar—Telia Sweden and Ericsson’s 5G innovation program for industrial enterprises. As part of the agreement, Telia and Ericsson have built a dedicated, private 5G network at Magna’s test track located in Vårgårda, Sweden, where new cutting-edge Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS)... Read more →

IVECO BUS, the urban, intercity and tourist bus brand of Iveco Group N.V., won a significant tender to supply 140 electric buses to QBUZZ, the public transport operator in the Zuid-Holland Noord (ZHN) concession area in the Netherlands. Starting from December 2024, QBUZZ will operate 102 CROSSWAY Low Entry ELEC... Read more →

Continental has put its new driving simulator for tires into operation. It will be used from now on for new and further tire developments, especially in the original equipment business. An intensive test phase of around twelve months preceded the operational phase. Virtual tire tests will save raw materials and... Read more →

Synthos, a global producer of synthetic rubber, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Kumho Tire, a South Korean tire manufacturer, for the joint development of sustainable tire raw materials. Under the MOU, the two companies will conduct a joint research and development project for Neodymium-Butadiene rubber (Nd-BR) using Bio-Butadiene... Read more →

Atlas Lithium, a US-based exploration company with projects in Brazil, secured key strategic partnerships with Yahua Lithium, a supplier to Tesla, and Chengxin Lithium, a supplier to BYD. Together, these companies will invest US$10 million in common shares at $29.77 per share (a 10% premium to recent VWAP) and prepay... Read more →

Rio Tinto has approved a $77-million pre-feasibility study (PFS) to progress development of the Rhodes Ridge project, one of the world’s best undeveloped iron ore deposits, in the East Pilbara in Western Australia. Location of Rhodes Ridge in Western Australia. The commencement of a PFS follows completion of an Order... Read more →

Toyota Motor Europe (TME) will establish a local business operation, the Hydrogen Factory Europe. It will ensure a co-ordinated approach to the commercialization of hydrogen technology and systems—spanning everything from development and production, through to sales and aftersales. The Hydrogen Factory will be responsible for producing an increasing number of... Read more →

Toyota is introducing its first entry into the large-size commercial van segment in Europe with the PROACE MAX. The PROACE MAX joins an expanded PROACE family of vehicles alongside the updated PROACE and PROACE CITY as part of a comprehensive Toyota Professional product portfolio of commercial vehicles. A new battery-electric... Read more →

At Toyota Motor Europe’s (TME) 2023 Kenshiki event, a team of executives presented the company’s latest electrified products and technologies. Kenshiki means “insight” in Japanese; this year’s edition, with an audience of more than 300 media, focused on the battery electric and hydrogen vehicles which will play a significant role... Read more →