The NHTSA FEIS concludes that the most extreme technology scenarios combined with higher economic inputs could deliver or beat the 2020 CAFE target by 2015. Click to enlarge. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) on the new CAFE rules for light-duty... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) recently selected the team for negotiation of cost-shared awards to participate in a new Hydrogen Storage Engineering Center of Excellence. The team will be led by Savannah River National Laboratory and consists of ten partners that include universities, industry and federal laboratories. DOE expects... Read more →

Chief executives of the world’s leading heavy-duty engine and vehicle manufacturing companies gathered last week in New Orleans for the 6th Global Commercial Vehicle Industry Meeting (GCVIM). Participants in the meeting agreed that addressing climate change and fuel efficiency requires require developing effective fuel efficiency measurement metrics and methodologies and... Read more →

Namos GmbH,, a company developing surface solutions based on bio-nanotechnology, will receive up to €1 million (US$1.36 million) from the ERP Start Fund, a joint program of the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), the German government-owned development bank, and the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. The funds, to be... Read more →

The UK’s first hydrogen energy research and demonstration center opened last week at the University of Glamorgan, Wales. Based at Baglan Energy Park near Swansea, the £2.2 million (US$3 million) ‘Hydrogen Centre’ is designed to demonstrate the viability and safety of producing hydrogen from indigenous renewable resources in Wales. The... Read more →

Toyota’s new iQ city car (earlier post) is now on sale in Europe in two trim levels (iQ and iQ2), with first deliveries in January. At launch, the iQ range offers two engines: a 1.0-liter VVT-i gasoline engine and a 1.4-liter D4-D diesel. A new 1.33-liter dual VVT-i gasoline engine... Read more →

Estimated unit costs of SCO from steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) with upgrading, with and without CCS, and of conventional crude oil in 2025, versus different costs of CO2 emissions. Click to enlarge. Source: RAND A new report from RAND concludes that in 2025, synthetic crude oil (SCO) produced from oil... Read more →

Exploded image of rear wheel of prototype hybrid smart bicycle. Battery, motor and electronics are all packed in the rear wheel. Click to enlarge. Credit: MIT MIT researchers at its SENSEable City Laboratory have unveiled a project in Copenhagen aimed at transforming bicycle use, promoting urban sustainability and building new... Read more →

Xinhua. Beijing has re-instituted traffic restrictions to helped maintain the reductions in emissions and traffic congestion achieved for the Olympics but which were being lost after the earlier restrictions expired following the Games. Under the new traffic restriction, 70 percent of government vehicles, as well as all corporate and private... Read more →

Proposed compliance schedule for gasoline and diesel fuels and substitutes. Click to enlarge. The staff of the California Air Resources Board has posted the Draft Regulation for the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) which contains the latest staff proposals on the regulatory approach following the March 2008 concept outline.... Read more →

Schematic of a microbial electrolysis cell. Click to enlarge. Source: OSU Researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) have developed a new membrane-free microbial electrolysis cell (MEC) for the production of hydrogen gas from several types of biowaste—including ordinary municipal sewage. The findings are reported in the journal Water Research. Microbial... Read more →

The Detroit News reports that General Motors Corp. and Cerberus Capital Management LP have been in preliminary talks for more than a month about a possible merger with Chrysler LLC, according to “a person familiar with the matter”. Cerberus owns 80.1% of Chrysler. The merger talks were first reported by... Read more →

The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) unanimously adopted amendments to the MARPOL Annex VI regulations to reduce harmful emissions from ships. The main changes to MARPOL Annex VI will see a progressive reduction in sulfur oxide (SOx) emissions from ships, with the global sulfur... Read more →

As a result of the disruption in the supply of fuel from Gulf-area refineries and pipelines resulting from hurricane Ike, as well as a fire at a fuel distribution terminal that temporarily shut down deliveries of gasoline to Arizona, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has temporarily waived the requirement... Read more →

The I-65 Biofuels Corridor, with some of the station locations marked on the map (the numbers refer to the timeline of events on the promotional drive.) Click to enlarge. Interstate 65 is now “America’s First Biofuels Corridor” with the conclusion of a project to make E85 Ethanol and B20 Biodiesel... Read more →

The Cadillac BLS. GM Europe is offering two new engines on its 2008 Cadillac BLS: a new 132 kW (177 hp) diesel unit and a 147 kW (197 hp) Flexpower gasoline-ethanol flex-fuel engine. The 2008 Cadillac BLS range is now available with a choice of two common-rail diesel and four... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) recently awarded a $1.9 million grant to researchers at the University of Missouri (MU) and Midwest Research Institute (MRI) to continue developing a high-density, lower-pressure nanoporous biocarbon hydrogen storage system derived from corncobs. Peter Pfeifer, professor and chair of the Department of Physics at... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board has begun enforcing recently enacted anti-idling program for diesel engines that will reduce particulate matter emissions throughout the state. California ARB staff and local air quality officials throughout the state will monitor sleeper berths and commercial on and off-road diesel vehicles where they operate. First... Read more →

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) will establish a new national network of short sea transportation routes to help move cargo across the country in order to cut congestion on some of the nation’s busiest roads. The Department’s “Marine Highways” initiative calls for the selection and designation of key maritime... Read more →

Citroën has embarked on a new project to look into the feasibility of producing an ultra-environmentally friendly vehicle based on the C-Cactus concept car, first unveiled at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show as a diesel-electric hybrid. (Earlier post.) At the Paris Motor Show this year, Citroën presented an electric-powered version... Read more →

Researchers at RIKEN in Japan have developed a new copper catalyst that allows carbon dioxide to be converted into a variety of functionalized carboxylic acid derivatives—versatile synthetic chemicals. A paper on their work was published earlier this year in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition. Industry has used carbon dioxide... Read more →

Tonen, an affiliate of ExxonMobil Chemical, is building a new plant in Gumi City, South Korea to manufacture lithium-ion battery separator films for markets including new hybrid and electric vehicle applications. The facility will have the capacity to produce more than 30 million square meters of film per year, with... Read more →

Based on announced targets and pending regulations, BP’s assessment is that biofuels could account for between 11 and 19% of the transport fuel market by 2030. The company also thinks there is a possibility, if the industry can address some of the land, feedstock and technology issues that exist today,... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems has entered into a high volume development and supply agreement with an affiliate of the ACME Group and IdaTech LLC to supply net 5kW natural gas fuel cell products. The systems will be deployed by ACME, primarily for telecom backup power applications in India. Ballard will supply... Read more →

LS9, Inc., a biotechnology company targeting the commercial development of hydrocarbon biofuels, appointed Bill Haywood as CEO. Prior to joining LS9, Haywood served as Senior Vice President of Refining for Tesoro Petroleum, where he was responsible for seven refineries and more than $20 billion in revenue. I can’t think of... Read more →

The components of the LEEP system. Click to enlarge. Azure Dynamics Corporation has received six orders for its Low Emission Electric Power (LEEP) Freeze system. The LEEP is a mild hybrid electric system that provides ancillary power for a variety of applications. The LEEP system draws energy from the combustion... Read more →

Renault and French electric utility EDF signed a memorandum of understanding to create, starting with France, a large-scale zero-emissions personal transport and travel system. The objective is to establish electric cars as a viable and attractive transport solution for consumers and to develop a supporting recharging infrastructure. Through the agreement,... Read more →

The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., working with federal agencies as well as the insurance and energy industries, has launched an intensive study to examine how global warming will influence hurricanes in the next few decades. The researchers are homing in on the hurricane-prone Gulf of... Read more →

GM Holden will introduce GM’s Active Fuel Management (AFM) technology (earlier post) on all its V-8 automatic models from January 2009. The AFM system is designed to improve fuel efficiency when high output is not required. In certain conditions such as highway driving, AFM automatically closes the intake and exhaust... Read more →

Effect of premixed fuels on the engine emissions at different equivalency ratios. Click to enlarge. Credit: ACS Researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University found that port fuel injection of a secondary fuel with a lower boiling point in a biodiesel-fueled, direct injection engine can simultaneously reduce both NOx and PM... Read more →

D1 Oils, a UK-based early entrant into the global biodiesel market (earlier post), has restructured its business to concentrate exclusively on upstream plant science; the company has closed its two UK refining sites at Middlesbrough and Bromborough and ceased oil biodiesel trading activities. Its principal focus now is the provision... Read more →

Globe and Mail. Tighter credit and lower oil prices stemming from the expanding global financial crisis are threatening new oil sands processing projects. Most at risk are upgraders, the sprawling facilities where heavy crude, or bitumen, is processed into a lighter synthetic product that can be handled by more refineries.... Read more →

Nikkei. In the medium- to long-term, Toyota Motor is “considering making the Lexus line-up hybrid only,” according to Managing Officer Toshio Furutani. More immediately, however, Toyota will introduce hybrid versions across the entire Lexus line-up as soon as possible, Furutani said at the preview for a new Tokyo-area showroom. Global... Read more →

Xinhua. China had 168 million motor vehicles on its roads at the end of September, an increase of 8.26 million (5.17%) compared to last year’s figure at the same time, according to the Ministry of Public Security. The figures cover automobiles, motorcycles, tractors, trailers and other motor vehicles. Private motor... Read more →

A new life cycle study assessing the benefit of cellulosic ethanol in the context of projected feedstock constraints concludes that in terms of reducing greenhouse emissions and fossil fuel dependency, more is lost than gained when prioritizing biomass or land for bioethanol, rather than for use in technology pathways involving... Read more →

Novozymes is seeking to decrease the dosage of enzymes required for the hydrolysis stage of cellulosic ethanol production. Click to enlarge. Credit: Novozymes The US Department of Energy (DOE) awarded Novozymes a $12.3 million contract to improve the enzymes necessary to produce cellulosic ethanol. Novozymes’ project DECREASE (Development of a... Read more →

Lear Corporation, a leading global automotive supplier of seating, electrical distribution systems and electronic products, has introduced plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) and full battery-electric vehicle (BEV) chargers to its global electrical and electronics product portfolio. Lear’s battery charging products include an operating range from 1kW to 6kW, the ability to... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) have slated more than $1 million to retrofit older diesel engines across the state. New York received more than $600,000 from EPA and has leveraged an additional $413,448 in state funding. Under this grant,... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding POET, LLC an additional $76.3M in a second phase of funding for a commercial-scale cellulosic biorefinery project. POET received $3.7 million in the first phase of funding in 2007 under a cooperative agreement that covers initial design, permitting, and preparation of National... Read more →

Approximately one in four species of land mammal and one in three marine mammal species are at risk of extinction, according to a major new study carried out by some 1,800 scientists in 130 countries. The results, in the form of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, were presented... Read more →

DOE has selected five advanced biofuels projects for awards totaling up to $7 million, subject to annual appropriations. The five projects selected will develop cost-effective, environmentally friendly ways to convert non-food feedstocks into stabilized pyrolysis oils, for the ultimate production of transport fuel. Pyrolysis oils offer the potential of a... Read more →

Mascoma Corporation has received a total of $26.0 million in funding from the US Department of Energy (DOE) and an overall contribution of $23.5 million from the State of Michigan for application toward the development of a cellulosic fuel production facility that uses non-food biomass to convert woodchips into fuel.... Read more →

Average percentage change in criteria emissions and fuel economy for all vehicles compared to E0 fuel on the LA92 cycle. Bars show average for all vehicles, while discrete data points show the change for each vehicle tested. Click to enlarge. A preliminary report released by the US Department of Energy’s... Read more →

NBAP top-level advanced biofuels commercialization timeline. Click to enlarge. The US Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Energy (DOE) released the National Biofuels Action Plan (NBAP), an interagency plan detailing the collaborative efforts of Federal agencies to accelerate the development of a sustainable biofuels industry. Separately, in a new edition of... Read more →

Shell Oil Company is awarding a $950,000 research grant to Colorado State University’s Warner College of Natural Resources to study re-vegetation practices on one of three research, development and demonstration oil shale leases on federal land in the Piceance Basin in northwestern Colorado. CSU has a long history of conducting... Read more →

Biodiesel accounted for 84% of the renewable road fuel in the UK in the first reporting quarter. Click to enlarge. Source: RFA The Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA), the UK’s independent sustainable fuels regulator, released its first interim quarterly report which includes disclosure of company performance on the supply of biofuels... Read more →

High gasoline prices top the reasons for a shift to public transit; concern for the environment came in fourth at 4%. Click to enlarge. Public transit ridership is increasing in the US to modern record levels, according to APTA (American Public Transportation Association). In the second quarter of 2008, public... Read more →

China FAW Group Corporation has ordered additional Enova pre-transmission hybrid-electric drives from Enova Systems as a result of the successful field trial of 20 Hybrid City buses equipped with 90 kW Enova drives during the recent Beijing Olympics. (Earlier post.) Several China-based transit bus manufacturers participated in the trials. The... Read more →

Artist’s rendering of strut-braced wing aircraft—one of the ideas that a Boeing-led team will consider. Click to enlarge. Credit: Boeing NASA has awarded research contracts worth a total of $12.4 million to six industry teams to study advanced concepts for subsonic and supersonic commercial transport aircraft that could enter service... Read more →

Ford Motor Company has been awarded a $10 million grant by the US Department of Energy for research, development, and demonstration of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Ford received the grant for the continued development of a demonstration fleet of 20 PHEVs. The total project cost is $20 million, and... Read more →