A consortium led by BP-Eni 50:50 joint venture VICO has signed a production sharing contract (PSC) with the Government of Indonesia for the exploration and development of coalbed methane (CBM) resources on the Sanga-Sanga block in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. VICO has been producing conventional gas resources from the Sanga-Sanga block... Read more →

All 2010 Chevrolet and GMC V-8 powered trucks now feature variable valve timing (VVT), a technology that enables continuous control of valve opening and closing that result in better engine breathing, fewer emissions and improved fuel economy. The addition of VVT to the 4.8L and 5.3L truck V-8s completes the... Read more →

Air Products recently announced a long-term hydrogen supply contract with ExxonMobil’s (Esso) Rotterdam refinery in The Netherlands and will build a new world-scale hydrogen production plant to serve that refinery and additional customers in the region, including Shell. The plant will feature technology advancements to maximize facility energy efficiency and... Read more →

Automotive lithium-ion battery maker EnerDel will be using a portion of its recent federal stimulus grant to purchase eight AeroVironment (AV) advanced electric vehicle power cycling and test systems. The addition of AV’s 170 kW ABC-170CE cyclers and its 250 kW AV-900 heavy-duty cyclers will expand the advanced battery testing... Read more →

BP and DuPont have formed Kingston Research Ltd, which will focus on the commercialization of advanced biofuel technology—specifically biobutanol—at a £25-million (US$41-million) purpose-built development and demonstration facility at BP’s Saltend site, near Hull. Kingston Research will construct a facility to scale-up technology to manufacture biobutanol from renewable feedstocks. The technology... Read more →

The CMT-380. Click to enlarge. Capstone Turbine Corporation is introducing a prototype range-extended electric supercar using one of its 30 kW C30 microturbines as the generator unit. The CMT-380, currently in the design and test phase, is being developed in partnership with Electronic Arts Chief Creative Director Richard Hilleman. The... Read more →

The HyBoost project (earlier post), a two-year collaborative research program led by Ricardo in partnership with Controlled Power Technologies, the European Advanced Lead Acid Battery Consortium, Ford, Imperial College London, and Valeo, aims to demonstrate a very cost-effective, ultra-efficient gasoline engine in a C-segment passenger car. The vehicle is to... Read more →

Ti-VCT components. Click to enlarge. Ford is introducing its 2011 Mustang with a new 3.7-liter, dual-overhead-camshaft (DOHC) 24-valve V-6 using Twin Independent Variable Camshaft Timing (Ti-VCT), also featured in the 2.0L EcoBoost engine announced in July (earlier post). The new V6 can produce 305 hp (227 kW) of power and... Read more →

Scania and Vale Soluções em Energia S.A. (VSE) have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the development of new technology for ethanol- and gas-powered industrial engines for the Brazilian market. VSE is planning to develop and manufacture a series of single-speed engines for stationary operation using Scania’s basic... Read more →

Members of the European Parliament last week approved regulations that will require replacement tires for cars as well as light- and heavy-duty vehicles (C1, C2, and C3 tires) to carry energy efficiency labels as of 1 November 2012. The new label does not have to be mounted on the tire... Read more →

The 2011 Cruze. Click to enlarge. GM unveils the US production version of the 2011 Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan at the LA Auto Show on 2 December. The Cruze will compete with vehicles such as Toyota Corolla; Honda Civic; Ford Focus; Hyundai Elantra; and Nissan Sentra. The Cruze is a... Read more →

by Jack Rosebro With little more than a week left before the 15th Congress of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) convenes in Copenhagen, and following months of increasing doubt that international agreement can be realized on a binding emissions reduction plan to replace the Kyoto Protocol,... Read more →

A new study by an international team of researchers using Comparative Risk Assessment methods to estimate the health effects of alternative urban land transport scenarios for two settings—London, UK, and Delhi, India—concluded that although uncertainties remain, climate change mitigation in transport should benefit public health substantially. The study, one of... Read more →

The Nikkei reports that Nissan Motor Co. has nearly completed development of a lithium-ion battery using a lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide cathode (NMC). The new system, which will reportedly offer almost double the capacity of Nissan/AESC’s current manganese spinel cell, is supposedly slated for deployment in electric vehicles in... Read more →

Tackling climate change by reducing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse emissions will have major direct health benefits in addition to reducing the risk of climate change, especially in low-income countries, according to a series of six papers on “Health and Climate Change” published 25 November in the British medical journal... Read more →

The EU’s Clean Sky Joint Technology Initiative (JTI) (earlier post) has launched its second call for proposals (SP1-JTI-CS-2009-02). The €8.4-million (US$12.5-million) call covers a total of 24 topics. Depending on the nature of the participant, the funding will be between 50% and 75% of the Topic maximum budget indicated. The... Read more →

Aircraft efficiency, measured in terms of both passengers alone (passenger-km) and passengers plus cargo (ton-km), has doubled since 1960. But little improvement has come in the past two decades. Source: ICCT. Click to enlarge. An analysis of sales- and activity-weighted fuel efficiency for new jet aircraft from 1960 to 2008... Read more →

Canadian Pacific and Natural Resources Canada have partnered on a biodiesel fuel pilot project under the National Renewable Diesel Demonstration Initiative. The project is the first time biodiesel will be used in Canadian cold-weather rail service. The Government of Canada has announced its intent to regulate an average five percent... Read more →

Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide Inc. will acquire in a stock-for-stock exchange all of the outstanding common shares of Schneider Power, a Canada-based wind and solar power generation company. Quantum, an advanced propulsion systems, energy storage technology, and alternative fuel vehicle company, provides the Q-drive system to Fisker. The transaction... Read more →

At the China International Industry Fair held earlier in November in Shanghai, SAIC Group displayed six models of new energy vehicles, which will serve the Expo 2010. Of those models, two made their premiere at the Fair. The models were the Shenchi Brand 4-seat battery-electric car; the Shenchi Brand 11-seat... Read more →

Siemens has demonstrated in the lab a new magnetic method to harvest algae for use as feedstock in biogas plants. The researchers put magnetite particles in the water with the algae. The algae enclose these iron oxide particles, which are only a few micrometers in size. The resulting mixture of... Read more →

Transport emissions could double their current relative net contribution to global warming by 2100, according to a new study by researchers at the Oslo-based Centre for International Climate and Environment Research (CICERO) in Norway. The study’s results, presented in the journal Atmospheric Environment, are part of the EU-funded QUANTIFY (Quantifying... Read more →

The series hybrid system in a cutaway chassis. Photo: Business Wire. Click to enlarge. Taiwan-based Delta Group, the world’s largest provider of switching power supplies and DC brushless fans, as well as a major supplier of power management solutions, components, visual displays, industrial automation, networking products, and renewable energy solutions,... Read more →

Volkswagen will be investing a total of €2.3 billion (US$3.4 billion) in new products and manufacturing capacity expansion in Brazil between 2009 and 2014. We will enjoy significant growth in Brazil this year and win market share. Our target is to sell one million vehicles per year in Brazil by... Read more →

Mazda Demio. Click to enlarge. Mazda Motor Corporation will provide three Mazda Demios (Mazda2s) for conversion to EVs for a project in collaboration with Itochu Corporation and other companies in conjunction with Tsukuba City to test a low-carbon transport system which uses clean energy. The Tsukuba Environmental Style Test Project... Read more →

ARB Staff’s analysis shows ZEVs will need to reach 100% of new vehicle sales between 2040 and 2050, with commercial markets for ZEVs launching in the 2015 to 2020 timeframe, to meet the 80% GHG reduction target set by the Governor. Source: ARB. Click to enlarge. The California Air Resources... Read more →

The Philippine Department of Energy has been conducting fuel economy runs since 2002 promoting fuel economy consciousness and consumer empowerment by obtaining data on actual fuel consumption of passenger vehicles based on the actual driving conditions employing fuel efficiency measures and techniques. The First DOE E10 Fuel Economy Run, to... Read more →

The Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain, as represented by the Bahrain Airport Company (BAC), has selected Cavotec to supply and integrate a range of environmentally friendly ground service equipment for remote aircraft aprons at Bahrain International Airport, in a deal worth approximately €30 million (US$45 million). With 18 of... Read more →

UK-based Elektromotive has appointed The PluginCompany to install networks of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across Belgium and Luxembourg. Pilot schemes will see the installation of 20 Elektrobay units in the two countries by the end of this year, ahead of further planned rollouts during 2010. The Elektrobay. Click to... Read more →

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) and Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) jointly delivered four units of the electric vehicle i-MiEV to the Principality of Monaco on 15 November. The Principality of Monaco, proactively seeking ways to combat environmental issues and to replace domestic transportation with low-CO2-emitting electric vehicles, signed a Memorandum of Understanding... Read more →

Researchers at the University of New Mexico found in a study of the catalytic conversion of Camelina Sativa oil to biodiesel through both conventional heating and microwave radiation that the microwave-heating method consumed less than 10% of the energy to achieve the same yield as the conventional heating method. A... Read more →

The new 1.3 Multijet II (Euro5) diesel engine, with Start&Stop fitted as standard, is making its first appearance on the Fiat 500 and 500C models. It has a maximum power output of 95 hp (71 kW) at 4000 rpm and delivers a torque of 200 N·m (148 lb-ft) at 1,500... Read more →

The California Energy Commission staff will conduct a public workshop on 15 December to discuss three grant solicitations to be funded by the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Program (Program). The solicitations will focus on biomethane production, medium- and heavy-duty advanced vehicle technology, and alternative and renewable fuel infrastructure.... Read more →

by Jack Rosebro A team of 26 climate scientists from Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States have published the “Copenhagen Diagnosis”, an interim synthesis report on developments in climate change science from mid-2006 to the present day. The report points out that many... Read more →

Schematic diagram of the coupled steam hydrogasification and reforming process. Source: Raju et al. Click to enlarge. The California Energy Commission has awarded a $1-million grant to UC Riverside’s College of Engineering-Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) to build a process demonstration unit (PDU) to convert waste biosolids to... Read more →

Generac Power Systems, Inc., a leading manufacturer of standby and portable power generation equipment and Fiat Powertrain Technologies (FPT) have formed a strategic partnership. Beginning in 2010, FPT will supply Generac with a wide range of industrial diesel engines for use in gensets with outputs ranging from 60 to 350... Read more →

Purdue University will operate a new federally funded facility to test aircraft engines and develop alternative fuels. The National Test Facility for Fuels and Propulsion is funded with a $1.35 million grant from the US Air Force and will be housed in the Niswonger Aviation Technology Building at the Purdue... Read more →

Automotive lithium-ion battery maker EnerDel is entering the utility-scale energy storage market, supplying batteries for one of the 16 new smart grid regional demonstration projects recently awarded funding by the US DOE. (Earlier post.) EnerDel will build the batteries for five 1MW power systems that will be used by Portland... Read more →

The US Department of Energy is awarding $620 million for projects around the country to demonstrate advanced Smart Grid technologies and integrated systems. These 32 demonstration projects, which include large-scale energy storage, smart meters, distribution and transmission system monitoring devices, plug-in vehicles, and a range of other smart technologies, will... Read more →

A group of researchers at the City College of New York is developing a new way to generate power for planes and road vehicles based on short, flexible piezoelectric cantilever beams which convert the kinetic energy of motion into electricity. They presented their concept at the 62nd Annual Meeting of... Read more →

Ford Motor Company is teaming with the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) to retrain its traditional automotive engineers, providing them with the skills and expertise to develop the next generation of advanced electric and hybrid vehicles. As vehicle electrification plans expand, the automotive industry’s need for electric vehicle-savvy engineers also... Read more →

Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) will develop next-generation liquid electrolytes for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) using a new and stable fluorinated electrolyte salt (Li2B12FxH12-x), aiming to soon commercialize the liquid electrolytes for use in large LIBs for vehicles. The new electrolyte salt, which can replace conventional electrolyte salts, was developed by... Read more →

Overview of CBTL process. Source: Syngas. Click to enlarge. Australia’s Syngas Limited has engaged Rentech to provide Fischer-Tropsch fuels production preliminary engineering services for Syngas’ proposed commercial scale coal and biomass to liquids (CBTL) fuels facility in Southern Australia, known as the Clinton Project. This work builds on the Clinton... Read more →

Antonov Plc, the UK-based transmission technology specialist, has been awarded, in partnership with Jaguar and MIRA, a project by the UK Government’s Technology Strategy Board to develop a high efficiency 2-speed transmission suitable for use in electric vehicles. The project will run for one year with Antonov as the leading... Read more →

Koenigsegg Group AB has terminated the agreement for its proposed purchase of GM’s Saab. GM President and CEO Fritz Henderson confirmed the Koenigsegg move today. We’re obviously very disappointed with the decision to pull out of the Saab purchase. Many have worked tirelessly over the past several months to create... Read more →

The total number of diesel retrofit devices (for both on-road and off-road diesel engines) sold in the US (including California) by Manufacturers of Emission Controls Association (MECA) member companies in 2008 was 31,283, according to the latest MECA annual survey. Of this total, approximately 39% were diesel oxidation catalysts and... Read more →

The Coca-Cola FCV. Click to enlarge. Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) has leased an X-TRAIL Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV) to Sacramento (California) Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Inc. Nissan, which began development of fuel cell vehicle technology in 1996, has previously used FCVs in demonstration fleets in Japan and in California through... Read more →

Kyodo. Toyota Motor Corp. has received about 14,000 orders for its new Sai hybrid-only luxury compact sedan, one month after its introduction. (Earlier post.) The monthly sales target for Japan is 3,000 units. The Sai, based on the platform also used for the Lexus HS 250h (earlier post), is planned... Read more →

The Clean Sky Joint Undertaking (JU) is now flying solo. On 19 November, the European Commission granted the greening aeronautics initiative administrative and operational autonomy, so that it can implement its own budget and execute its own work plan from now on. The Clean Sky Joint Undertaking manages the corresponding... Read more →

Energy crop company Ceres, Inc. is working with CHOREN, a Biomass-to-Liquids (BTL) technology company, to optimize energy crops for thermochemical conversion to advanced low-carbon biofuels. The two-year bioenergy project is funded in part by a grant from the US Department of Energy. The thermochemical process does not require enzymes or... Read more →