Gaz de France has signed a cooperation agreement with the Vattenfall Group for a CO2 injection and enhanced gas recovery pilot project in Germany. Under this agreement, Erdgas Erdöl GmbH Berlin (EEG), a 100% exploration-production affiliate of Gaz de France in Germany, will use CO2 for the enhancement of gas... Read more →

The Orbital two-phase, air-assisted injector. Click to enlarge. Source: Orbital Polaris Industries Inc. has completed first production of its newest military vehicle, the MV800 4X4 ATV, and received purchase orders for it from the US Department of Defense. The MV800 is Polaris’ first vehicle to feature a 760cc, 30kW (40... Read more →

While it has long been known that exposure to ozone, a major component of urban air pollution, is associated with increased cardiovascular and pulmonary hospitalizations and deaths, the actual mechanisms involved remain unclear. New studies led by Duke University Medical Center pulmonary researchers on the effects of ozone on the... Read more →

Two commitments to biofuel projects were announced at the Clinton Global Initiative meeting this week in New York. The Petra Group, in partnership with the governments of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Guyana, is heading a jatropha biodiesel project in the Caribbean. Jatropha nurseries will be set up on... Read more →

CNA. The government of Taiwan launched a “green government vehicle” program with an order that calls for vehicles owned by the central government and the Taipei municipal government to use an E3 (3% ethanol) blend. Taiwan is developing biofuel plans to reduce its dependency on energy imports, which account for... Read more →

Chart shown by RMI on the conceptual impact on minimum and peak grid load in California with PHEVs and V2G services. Red is baseline load; yellow, load with off-peak PHEV smart charging; and green, peak load reduction from V2G. Click to enlarge. The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) has formed a... Read more →

Detroit Free Press. GM has agreed to begin production of the Chevrolet Volt at the Detroit Hamtramck assembly facility beginning in 2010 as one of the future product commitments made to the UAW as part of their tentative labor agreement, according to the union. UAW leadership, which is recommending ratification... Read more →

The layout of the Isuzu PTO hybrid drive system. Izuzu manufactures the Atlas for Nissan. Click to enlarge. Nissan Motor has added diesel mild hybrid and compressed natural gas (CNG) models to its Atlas H43 lineup of light-commercial vehicles in Japan. The Atlas H43 is manufactured as a Nissan model... Read more →

Nikkei. Denso Corporation plans to start manufacturing 2,000 bar common rail fuel injection systems for diesel engines in Europe in 2008, ahead of the implementation of Euro 5 standards in 2009. Rival Robert Bosch GmbH plans to start making the [2,000 bar] injection systems before the end of this year.... Read more →

BASF, RWE Power and the Linde Group are cooperating to develop and deploy new processes for CO2 capture from flue gases in coal-fired power plants. The partners are targeting removal and subsequent underground storage of more than 90% of CO2. Their cooperation includes the construction and operation of a pilot... Read more →

The California Cars Initiative (Calcars.org) will sponsor a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) Conversion Demonstration in Austin, TX on 20-21 October at the first Maker Faire to be held outside of California. Batteries for this conversion are being supplied by CleanPower Battery Technologies, Inc. CalCars sponsors the EAA-PHEV project that... Read more →

Cummins Inc. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Vietnam Motors Industry Corp. (Vinamotor) to create a 50-50 joint venture to produce on-highway diesel engines in Vietnam. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was reached Sept. 21 in Hanoi by Cummins Chairman and CEO Tim Solso and Nguyen Van Khoa, Chairman... Read more →

Toyota’s FCHV fuel cell hybrid. Click to enlarge. An improved version of Toyota Motor Corporation’s (TMC) fuel cell hybrid vehicle (FCHV) featuring a new, more efficient fuel cell stack, improved control system, and higher-pressure storage system successfully completed a real-world 560-km (348-mile) long-distance road test by traveling from Osaka to... Read more →

CO2 emissions are lower for biofuels and higher for most other alternatives than Jet fuel according to an analysis by Boeing, MTU Aero Engines and NASA. Click to enlarge. Boeing, Air New Zealand and Rolls-Royce announced a Memorandum of Understanding to conduct a biofuel demonstration flight designed to help accelerate... Read more →

The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is awarding up to $138.7 million in funding to 56 new research and development projects under the agency’s Advanced Technology Program (ATP). The new awards represent a broad range of technologies, including alternative energy sources, biofuels, transportation, manufacturing, semiconductor electronics,... Read more →

A recent Harris Interactive AutoTECHCAST study found that more than one-quarter (27%) of US vehicle owners say they are likely (13%), very likely (8%) or extremely likely (6%) to include plug-in hybrid engine technology in their next vehicle. When presented with a suggested market price of $3,200, consideration for the... Read more →

The Electric Vehicle Association of San Diego (EVAoSD) will host an electric-drive drag racing event 26-27 January 2008, open to electric, hybrid, and fuel cell vehicles. I am tired of the same old rhetoric of electric cars coming in a few more years. The technology is here today and you... Read more →

US Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, has developed a legislative proposal that would create a carbon tax. Before introducing a formal bill, the Congressman is inviting constituents and other interested parties to review his current proposal and provide feedback. The legislation... Read more →

The Renault Trucks Hybrys. Renault Trucks will introduce the Hybrys—a parallel diesel hybrid concept refuse collection truck—at the 29th Road Transport Show in Amsterdam in October. The Renault Hybrys is a 6x2 vehicle with a DXi7, 235 kW (320 hp) diesel engine that develops 1,200 Nm of torque; an Optidriver... Read more →

AAA, the US’s largest organization for motorists, has begun publishing the nationwide average price of E85 fuel on its AAA Fuel Gauge Report website. To help motorists understand the cost differential between E-85 and conventional gasoline, AAA also is posting a nationwide, average “BTU-adjusted E-85 price” that accounts for the... Read more →

ConocoPhillips and Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) will collaborate on the development of renewable transportation fuels from biomass. The alliance will research and seek to commercialize two components of a next-generation biofuel production process: the conversion of biomass from crops, wood or switchgrass into biocrude, a non-fossil substance that can... Read more →

Ceres’ view of traits of the ideal energy crop. Click to enlarge. Energy crop company Ceres, Inc. has raised $75 million through a private offering of convertible preferred stock. The late-stage financing round was led by Warburg Pincus, the global private equity firm. A seed and traits developer, Ceres plans... Read more →

The GreenFuel Engineering Scale Unit (ESU) greenhouse structure at the Redhawk plant. Click to enlarge. This summer, GreenFuel Technologies and Arizona Public Service Company (APS) were able to grow algae successfully at APS’ Redhawk natural gas power plant at levels 37 times higher than corn and 140 times higher than... Read more →

Aero Star Eco Hybrid Bus. Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. introduced the diesel-electric Aero Star Eco Hybrid Bus to the Japanese market. The series hybrid bus cuts emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter by 10% more than required by fiscal 2005 regulations and surpasses the fuel economy target... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board is postponing consideration of amendments to the Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEV) regulation (earlier post) to the 28-29 February 2008 Board hearing. The staff of the Air Resources Board (ARB or Board) plans to take additional time to develop proposed amendments to the ZEV regulation. Staff... Read more →

The PM MH 30 system for fork lifts. Click to enlarge. Proton Power Systems plc has introduced a triple-hybrid forklift system. Designed as a “plug-and-drive” technology by Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH (Proton Motor, PM), a wholly owned subsidiary of Proton Power, the PM Package MH 30 system combines a... Read more →

New light-duty vehicle fuel economy 1975-2007, both lab and adjusted values, factoring in new EPA methodology. The yellow line shows the ton-mpg. Click to enlarge. The projected adjusted average new light-duty vehicle fuel economy in the US for MY 2007 is 20.2 mpg—the same as that for MY 2006, according... Read more →

The Snøhvit partnership has decided to cease all work relating to oil zone development at the Snøhvit field in the Barents Sea. Evaluations undertaken show that such a development would not be economically viable. The Snøhvit project, which just recently started production, is the first gas development in the Barents... Read more →

Fuel Frontiers, Inc. (FFI), a subsidiary of Nuclear Solutions, Inc. has received a $2-million commitment to fund initial project development for a CTL (Coal-to-Liquids) diesel fuel production facility to be sited in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky. Cross-section of Westinghouse plasma reactor. Click to enlarge. Initially, FFI focused on developing waste-to-fuel to... Read more →

In September, the first installation in The Netherlands which retrieves biogas from the sewage treatment process for domestic and transport use officially entered service in the city of Beverwijk. BioGast in Beverwijk. The system from BioGast Sustainable Energy upgrades biogas resulting from the fermentation of sewage sludge to “green” natural... Read more →

The CentrAl construction. Click to enlarge. A new special aluminum-fiber combination material (Central Reinforced Aluminum, CentrAl) for aircraft wings that makes them nearly immune to metal fatigue could contribute significantly to lower fuel consumption by reducing the weight of conventional constructions. Fatigue is a phenomenon that affects materials after long-term... Read more →

In its plenary session today and tomorrow, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) will adopt a series of opinions related to biofuels, greenhouse gas emissions, energy efficiency, and carbon capture. In its draft opinion, the Committee takes a very critical stance on the European Commission’s biofuel progress report. Though... Read more →

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Bioinorganic Chemistry have developed a titanium disilicide (TiSi2) semiconductor photocatalyst that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen. The semiconductor also stores the gases produced, enabling the simple separation of hydrogen and oxygen. Lead researcher Martin Demuth and his team report on their work... Read more →

Nikkei. Nakajimakinzoku Co., a Kyoto firm specializing in metal plating, has developed a plating process that results in a fuel cell electrode with less than 1% as much platinum as conventional electrodes. The firm succeeded in developing a new method in which the combination of current strength and temperature during... Read more →

Baard Energy LLC has acquired a technology license from Shell US Clean Coal Energy Inc. to use the Shell Coal Gasification Process in the gasification portion of its proposed $5 billion coal-to-liquid fuel (CTL) project located in Columbiana County, Ohio. (Earlier post.) The Ohio River Clean Fuels (ORCF) project will... Read more →

Reducing the average CO2 emissions of new cars in the EU to 130g/km by 2012 is achievable, according to a new report by Dr. Paul Nieuwenhuis, Director of the Centre for Automotive Industry Research at Cardiff University. While European automakers, via the ACEA, support the theoretical feasibility of a 130... Read more →

Sensata Technologies, formerly the Sensors & Controls business of Texas Instruments, has introduced a new gasoline direct injection sensor which, when used with multi-port fuel injection systems, can improve fuel economy 4% to 8%, according to the company. This sensor employs advanced monocrystalline silicon MEMS strain gage technology (MSG) to... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected five projects for $17.2 million in DOE funding for plug-in hybrid (PHEV) battery development, with an emphasis on batteries for both 10- and 40-mile range PHEVs. DOE will also provide nearly $2 million to the University of Michigan (U-M) to spearhead a... Read more →

Nikkei. Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co. and Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. jointly developed technology that can recover 98.5% of the nickel, 96% of the cobalt, and 98% of the rare-earth mixture from NiMH batteries. The batteries are first chilled to minus 196 C to keep chemical reactions from occurring, then... Read more →

NRG Energy and South Texas Project Nuclear Operating Company (STPNOC) filed a Combined Construction and Operating License Application (COLA) with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to build and operate two new nuclear units at the South Texas Project (STP) nuclear power station site. Advanced Boiling Water Reactor. Click to enlarge.... Read more →

BP plc and MIT have formed a research partnership to explore the conversion of low-value carbon feedstocks such as petcoke and coal to high-value products such as electricity, liquid fuels and chemicals, while minimizing carbon dioxide emissions. In establishing this partnership, BP also becomes the inaugural Founding Member of the... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) and the China’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) signed a five-year agreement to promote large-scale deployment of next-generation efficiency vehicle technologies in the two countries, specifically focusing on electric, hybrid-electric, fuel cell, and alternative fuel technologies. This agreement falls under the umbrella Agreement... Read more →

The Hydrogen Bus Alliance, currently chaired by Transport for London (TfL), is calling on suppliers in the hydrogen and bus manufacturing industries to join forces with it. The Alliance comprises representatives from the public transport authorities of international cities and regions that have demonstrated a clear commitment to hydrogen technology.... Read more →

Tesla Motors has set a production goal of 50 electric Roadsters in the first quarter of 2008, followed by an additional 600 cars for the remainder of the year. Tesla is currently engaged in intensive durability and validation testing of the final prototype cars. As part of this final testing,... Read more →

The Nikkei reports that Toyota Motor will launch a fuel-efficient ultracompact car in Europe around 2009 which will be based on the iQ concept car Toyota introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show. (Earlier post.) Despite its small size, the iQ-based car is expected to offer enough room inside for four... Read more →

The Quicksider electric delivery vehicle. Purolator, Canada’s largest overnight courier company, introduced the Quicksider, a prototype all-electric, lightweight urban delivery vehicle. The Quicksider will be tested and evaluated for performance on the streets of Toronto. The Quicksider was developed by a consortium led by Toronto-based Unicell Limited in partnership with... Read more →

Evogene Ltd. and Orfuel Inc, a US subsidiary of Ormat Industries Ltd. will collaborate to develop non-edible plants displaying improved oil yield and capable of being grown in non-arable lands for use as biodiesel feedstocks. Under the terms of the collaboration, Evogene will utilize its biotechnological capabilities (such as gene... Read more →

Protonex Technology Corporation, a provider of fuel cell power systems for sub-kilowatt portable, remote and mobile applications, has received a subcontract from Cummins Power Generation to supply solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) power systems for integration into a demonstration system for commercial mobile applications. Cummins was awarded the program by... Read more →

UQM Technologies has received a $100,000 contract from the US Navy under the Small Business Innovation Research Program to develop an advanced electric motor that substantially improves the torque density, power density and efficiency over that currently available. The project is focused on developing compact high torque variable speed motors... Read more →

Cummins Inc. announced its technology approach for its range of heavy-duty and mid-range on-highway engines designed to meet the 2010 EPA emissions standards, which include a NOx target of 0.20 g/bhp-hr. For 2004, the heavy-duty NOx emissions target was 2.5 g/bhp-hr. The EPA is allowing NOx phase-in from 2007 through... Read more →