Using CRI/Criterion’s catalyst technologies, Terrabon, Inc. has exceeded its target yield threshold of 70 gallons of biogasoline per dry ton of garbage received from the cafeteria dumpsters and paper shredders at Texas A&M University. (Earlier post.) The catalysts enabled Terrabon to capture yield improvements from the MixAlco acid fermentation process... Read more →

The XL1 prototype PHEV. Click to enlarge. Volkswagen is staging the world debut of its XL1 diesel plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) prototype at the Qatar Motor Show this week. The prototype, representing the third evolutionary stage of Volkswagen’s 1-liter car strategy (earlier post), features combined fuel consumption of 0.9... Read more →

Balqon Corporation, a developer and manufacturer of heavy-duty electric vehicles, lithium-ion battery energy storage products and electric drive systems (earlier post), has received an order from Winston Global Energy, headquartered in Shenzhen China, for 300 electric drive systems at a purchase price of approximately $53,000 per unit. Winston Global Energy... Read more →

Skeleton Technologies, an energy-storage start-up located in Tartu, Estonia, was recently awarded a US patent (#7,803,345) on its nanoporous carbon powder supercapacitor material. The material possesses very high surface area and a high packing of nanopores, according to Skeleton, which aims to commercialize the carbon material and supercapacitor technology. The... Read more →

Over its entire life cycle—from production and operation over more than 250,000 kilometers up to recovery— the new Mercedes-Benz CLS emits 30% less CO2 than its predecessor did when it was launched in 2004, according to TÜV Süd. Nitrogen oxide emissions have been reduced by 21% overall. Over the entire... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz has delivered a B-Class F-CELL to the German Federal Ministry of Transport for daily use. Another B-Class F-CELL was also accepted by NOW GmbH—the National Organization Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology. Germany is a world leader in the development of hydrogen and fuel cell technology. We now need to... Read more →

Ford EcoMode is a software application available on the new Ford Focus that rates driver behavior impacting fuel economy and then offers up simple hints on how to improve eco-driving skills through a scoring system. EcoMode measures driver behavior for parameters such as gear shifting, anticipation (driving as constant as... Read more →

France-based Faurecia has signed a new joint-venture agreement with Ningbo Huazhong Plastic Products Co., Ltd. to manufacture automotive exterior parts in China. Following the acquisition of Plastal activities in Germany and Spain in 2010, this international expansion will be the first joint-venture for the automotive exteriors activity of Faurecia in... Read more →

If the US military increases its use of alternative jet and naval fuels that can be produced from coal or various renewable resources, including seed oils, waste oils and algae, there will be no direct benefit to the nation’s armed forces, according to a new RAND Corporation study. Any benefits... Read more →

Volvo Cars, A-hus and Vattenfall recently launched the six-month One Tonne Life project—an attempt by a family (the Lindells) to cut their carbon dioxide yearly emissions from seven tonnes per person to a more sustainable one tonne. Car. Volvo has provided a C30 Electric (earlier post) for use in the... Read more →

The Telegraph. City planners in south China are proposing a plan to merge together the nine cities that lie around the Pearl River Delta to create the largest megacity in the world, one that would hold some 42 million people. The “Turn The Pearl River Delta Into One” scheme will... Read more →

The US Department of Transportation (DOT), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state of California have announced a single timeframe for proposing fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards for model year 2017-2025 cars and light-duty trucks. Proposing the new standards on the same timeframe—by 1 September 2011—signals continued... Read more →

Targray Technology International, in partnership with Vorbeck Materials Corp., is introducing new graphene composite anode materials for Li-ion batteries. Targray says that the Vor-Charge Graphene Composite Anode Material outperforms carbon nanotube and carbon black composites, and enables increased cycle life and faster recharge rates. The company is currently offering two... Read more →

Electrovaya Inc. has been selected by a major US utility to provide a 1.5MWh capacity Lithium Ion SuperPolymer®Battery Energy Storage System for grid storage applications. The Electrovaya system will provide energy storage for renewable energy integration and the Smart Grid. Electrovaya is partnering with ABB, a leading global power and... Read more →

Finland-based Chempolis Ltd and Henan Yinge Industrial Investment Co., Ltd signed a frame agreement on 21 January 2011 on establishing a joint venture in Luohe, Henan province. The proposed JV company will build a biorefinery based on Chempolis formicofib technology (earlier post) using wheat straw as raw material. The biorefinery... Read more →

Airline executives continue to express concern about rising fuel costs, according to a new global aerospace study released today by CIT Group Inc., a leader in transportation finance. The research report, “2011 Global Aerospace Outlook—Challenges of an Ever-Changing Industry,” prepared in association with Forbes Insights, gathered the views of more... Read more →

The Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) has outlined what it sees as the critical next-step policies to accelerate electric drive vehicle adoption—including hybrid, plug-in, battery and fuel cell vehicles—and expand infrastructure deployment. The nation is at an energy policy crossroads. Electric drive technologies—those available today and those on the horizon—can... Read more →

The upcoming Geneva motor show in March will host the debut of the new Fiat Freemont, which will go on sale in the second half of 2011. The Freemont, built on the base of the Dodge Journey, is the first Fiat vehicle to come out of the partnership with the... Read more →

Mazda Motor Corporation is independently developing an electric vehicle (EV) with plans to commence leasing in Japan in spring 2012. The new EV, based on its Demio subcompact, is expected to have a driving range of 200 kilometers (124 miles) and will be leased mainly to local government bodies and... Read more →

Toray Industries, Inc. and Daimler AG are forming a joint venture in Esslingen, Germany, for manufacturing and marketing of Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics (CFRP) automobile parts. The name of the JV is still to be determined; Toray will hold 50.1%, Daimler 44.9%, and others, 5%. Under a Joint Development Agreement... Read more →

The new Kia Picanto. Click to enlarge. The new Kia Picanto, to make its global premiere at the Geneva Motor Show in March, will offer four all-new powertrains—three versions of the 1-liter, three-cylinder Kappa engine (gasoline, flex-fuel and bi-fuel) and a single 1.2-liter four-cylinder gasoline Kappa power unit—depending on individual... Read more →

The Nikkei reports that the government of Japan plans to adopt as early as fiscal 2012 energy efficiency standards for industrial motors used in a wide range of products, including air conditioners, pumps and home appliances. The U.S. and Europe hold the edge for adopting energy efficiency standards, such as... Read more →

People’s Daily. Chang’an Motor has established the first R&D center by a Chinese automaker in Detroit; opened 18 January, the center will focus on chassis development. According to Xu Liuping, president of Chang’an Motor, the R&D center will play a key role in the company’s overseas expansion following its already... Read more →

Scania has received an order for 158 buses from public transport company Keolis Sverige in Sweden. The delivery to Keolis consists of urban, suburban and intercity buses. The majority, 123 urban and suburban buses, will be used in the greater Stockholm area, where Keolis operates for Storstockholms Lokaltrafik (SL). Scania... Read more →

Although momentum behind reforming subsidies for fossil fuels (for both consumers and producers) worldwide has gained significant momentum during the past few years, and although the benefits of subsidy reform seem evident, countries’ experience of reform and the challenges involved are “sobering”, according to a recently published report from a... Read more →

Algae.Tec Limited, an Australian biofuels company with what it calls a highly-efficient algae growth and harvesting system (the McConchie-Stroud System), recently listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX). Algae.Tec CEO Roger Stroud said Algae.Tec will be the first algae company to list on a main board stock exchange in the... Read more →

Eni signed a Memorandum of Understanding with CNPC/Petrochina, the biggest listed national oil company in the world. The Memorandum of Understanding sanctions a broad spectrum of possible business opportunities to the benefit of both parties in China and internationally. In particular, the companies will study common opportunities jointly to expand... Read more →

Since its first funding opportunity announcement in April 2009, the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy) has received scores of promising ideas for the next generation of energy technologies. However, ARPA-E can only fund a fraction of these promising ideas at the levels required.... Read more →

The European Parliament is calling for an international ban on the use and carriage of heavy fuel oil on vessels operating in the Arctic, like that which is to apply to the Antarctic from August 2011. Further, it asked the EU to impose a strict regime limiting soot emissions and... Read more →

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) plans to provide Toyota FCHV-adv (earlier post) fuel-cell-hybrid vehicles to an FCV (fuel-cell vehicle) car-service trial program to start on 29 January between Narita International Airport and other destinations. The provision is in response to a request from the Research Association of Hydrogen Supply/Utilization Technology (HySUT),... Read more →

Fuel efficiency, safety innovation, and vehicle styling will be the three most important product issues influencing automotive consumer purchase decisions over the next five years, indicating a perceived shift in buying priorities, according to the 12th annual global automotive survey conducted by KPMG LLP. When asked to rate the importance... Read more →

The National. Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) plans to convert more than 500 public vehicles and taxis to natural gas by next year; 177 vehicles have already undergone the conversion. Adnoc officials said that the service was available only to public vehicles and taxis, however private cars would soon... Read more →

CODA Holdings, a California-based developer of advanced Lithium-ion power battery systems and all-electric vehicles, announced that its Board of Directors has named Philip Murtaugh as its new CEO. Murtaugh was also appointed a member of CODA’s Board of Directors. Steven “Mac” Heller has agreed to continue his substantial involvement with... Read more →

Celanese Corporation, a global technology and specialty materials company, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Wison (China) Holding Co., Ltd., a Chinese synthesis gas supplier, for the production of certain feedstocks used in Celanese’s advanced ethanol production process. (Earlier post.) Wison plans to invest in a coal gasification unit... Read more →

Total US petroleum deliveries (a measure of demand) were up 1.2% in December 2010 against the same month in 2009 and up 2.3% for 2010 compared with 2009, according to the American Petroleum Institute (API). Both gasoline and diesel deliveries were up for full year 2010 over 2009, gasoline by... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) waived a limitation on selling gasoline that contains more than 10% ethanol for model year (MY) 2001 through 2006 passenger vehicles, including cars, SUVs, and light pickup trucks. The waiver applies to fuel that contains up to 15% ethanol (E15). On 13 October 2010,... Read more →

The Nikkei reports that Mitsubishi Motors Corp. (MMC) will use Toshiba Corp.’s lithium-ion batteries for the MMC Minicab MiEV. In July 2010, Toshiba announced that it was working with Mitsubishi Motors to bring its SCiB battery (earlier post) to electric vehicles (EVs). (Earlier post.) The Minicab MiEV. Click to enlarge.... Read more →

A new Australian company has been established to produce commercial quantities of renewable hydrocarbon biofuels from algae. The company, Muradel Pty Ltd, is a joint venture of Murdoch University, Adelaide Research & Innovation Pty Ltd (the commercial development company of the University of Adelaide), and commercial partner SQC Pty Ltd.... Read more →

Neste Oil will profile Diesel regenerative, a new diesel fuel blend produced from 100% renewable inputs together with its German partners at the International Green Week event in Berlin between 21 January and 30 January. The new blend is the outcome of a joint Finnish-German project and contains either 93%... Read more →

Zero Emission Energy Plants Ltd. (ZEEP) has entered into a definitive agreement with Eastman Chemical Company Investments, Inc., a subsidiary of Eastman Chemical Company, to purchase all of the membership interests of TX Energy, LLC (TXE). TXE is engaged in developing a gasification facility in Beaumont, Texas that will convert... Read more →

FEV Inc. was recently recognized as an engineering services supplier to a joint Chrysler/EPA initiative to integrate a hydraulic hybrid propulsion system into a Chrysler minivan. (Earlier post.) A hydraulic hybrid system developed and patented by the EPA has been integrated into a variety of commercial vehicles, such as delivery... Read more →

Taxi Medallion Management in Chicago has purchased 12 Ford Transit Connect Taxis running on compressed natural gas (CNG) for its fleet. The cabs will be affiliated with Yellow Cab Chicago and bear the company’s logo and color. The purchase is part of the company’s goal of reducing emissions by 25%,... Read more →

Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MI), the Boeing Company, Etihad Airways, and Honeywell’s UOP have completed a sustainability assessment of the Integrated Seawater Agriculture System (ISAS) for production of aviation biofuels and other bioresources. The researchers confirmed the potential of ISAS to yield high value fuels and resources, including... Read more →

UBE Chemical Europe S.A. will install a development center for functional electrolytes on its premises, in order to meet the rapidly expanding demand for large lithium-ion batteries used for automobile and energy storage applications in Europe and North America. With this installation, European and North American battery manufacturers will be... Read more →

An independent review panel concluded in a recent report that Californians would benefit from long-term geologic storage of carbon dioxide to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Review Panel, formed last year by three state agencies—the California Energy Commission, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and... Read more →

by Jack Rosebro Mitsubishi will introduce 8 xEVs by FY 2015. Click to enlarge. Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) plans to introduce eight hybrid (HEV), plug-in hybrid (PHEV), and battery-powered (BEV) models by fiscal year 2015 in anticipation that demand for low-carbon, fuel-efficient automobiles will expand worldwide. Concurrently, the company will... Read more →

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and India’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) signed a three-year Strategic Alliance Agreement in Pune, India, to cooperate in the development of novel technologies in fuels research and engine development projects. The agreement between SwRI and CSIR, through its Indian Institute of Petroleum Laboratory... Read more →

Showa Denko K.K. (SDK) and Showa Denko Packaging Co., Ltd. (SPA) will start volume production of carbon-coated aluminum foils that reduce electrical resistance of lithium-ion battery (LIB) electrodes. When compared with conventional plain aluminum foils, the product, sold under the trade name of SDX, can reduce contact resistance by approximately... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is offering a conditional commitment to Diamond Green Diesel, LLC, the proposed joint venture between Valero Energy Corporation and Darling International Inc. (earlier post), for a $241-million loan guarantee to support the construction of a 137-million gallon per year renewable diesel facility in Norco,... Read more →

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is providing $405 million in conditional loan guarantees for three biorefinery projects, all of which use gasification as an initial stage in their processes. The Biorefinery Assistance Program (Section 9003 of the 2008 Farm Bill) provides loan guarantees to entrepreneurs seeking to take advantage... Read more →