Tenneco is leveraging its expertise in diesel particulate filter (DPF) technology to develop gasoline particulate filters for 2017 model year light vehicles. These filters are designed for gasoline direct injection (GDI) engines to reduce particulate emissions in compliance with the Euro 6c emissions regulation (particulate number of no more than... Read more →

Scania and the development financier of the Swedish state Swedfund are establishing a partnership to develop the production of biogas as an automotive fuel in the Indian city of Nagpur, which is located in the state of Maharashtra and has 2.5 million inhabitants. The biogas will be produced from digested... Read more →

The newly introduced Opel Corsa 1.4 LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) ecoFLEX develops 66 kW/90 hp and comes from the factory with a bi-fuel capability, and is specifically aimed at cost-conscious customers. LPG fuel costs are almost 50% lower compared to gasoline. The three-door model is available from €14,745 ($15,870), and... Read more →

In an open-access paper published in the journal Environmental Research Letters, researchers find that urban populations across the whole of East-Southeast Asia have grown more rapidly than the expansion of urban areas, leading to increased population densities in some of the most populated yet vulnerable regions in the world. The... Read more →

The United States submitted its target to cut net greenhouse gas emissions to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The submission—an Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC)—is a formal statement of the US target, announced in China last year, to reduce emissions by 26-28% below 2005 levels by... Read more →

Audi expects to begin the series production of the central driver assistance controller (zFAS)—the core of future systems for piloted driving under development by Audi, within two years. Audi developed zFAS in collaboration with TTTech, Mobileye, nVidia and Delphi. (Earlier post, earlier post.) Delphi has been awarded the series production... Read more →

Achates Power, Inc., the developer of a family of two-stroke compression-ignition opposed-piston engines (earlier post), has been awarded a $14-million project by the National Advanced Mobility Consortium to support research and development work of the US Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC). The project is the Single... Read more →

IBM will invest $3 billion over the next four years to establish a new Internet of Things (IoT) unit, and that it is building a cloud-based open platform designed to help clients and ecosystem partners build IoT solutions. IBM’s pioneering work in Smarter Planet and Smarter Cities was based on... Read more →

Bridgestone Americas (Bridgestone) launched the latest tire in its fuel-efficient Ecopia tire line, the Ecopia EP422 Plus tire. The Ecopia EP422 Plus tire is engineered with a combination of light and strong materials for greater fuel efficiency, giving consumers an extra 20 miles per tank. The range projection is based... Read more →

Part of Fraunhofer IAO’s China TechWatch research project involves analyzing developments in Chinese technology. The project’s first white paper reveals that China is way out in front when it comes to patent applications for the basic technologies needed for Industry 4.0. Purely in terms of the number of patents filed,... Read more →

Honda Motor (China) Investment Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned Honda subsidiary in China, plans to stage the world premiere of an all-new concept model as well as other new Honda models at Auto Shanghai 2015 (The 16th International Automobile & Manufacturing Technology Exhibition, press days: April 20-21, 2015, public days: April... Read more →

A new study by researchers from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and UC Berkeley shows quantitatively that EV batteries can continue to meet daily travel needs of drivers well beyond the 80% floor for remaining energy storage capacity that is commonly assumed. An open access paper on their work,... Read more →

Production has begun in the Hadrian South Field in the Keathley Canyon area, located some 230 miles (370 km) off the coast of Louisiana, with water depths around 2,332 meters (7,651 feet, or 1.45 miles). ExxonMobil, the operator, holds a 46.67% interest in the Hadrian South field, Eni 30% and... Read more →

The new 2016 Chevrolet Camaro, which will make its debut in May during a special public event at Detroit’s Belle Isle Park, shed more than 200 lbs (90.7 kg) Camaro compared with the fifth-generation model. A new architecture, one of the most mass-efficient ever from General Motors, is responsible for... Read more →

Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT) and Schaeffler are developing a new energy-efficient assisted steering system for EVs under the project “Intelligent Assisted Steering System with Optimum Energy Efficiency for Electric Vehicles (e²-Lenk)” subsidized by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF). In conventional vehicles, the internal combustion engine... Read more →

At separate press conferences Wednesday and Thursday at the New York Auto Show, Toyota will reveal the RAV4 Hybrid SUV, while Lexus unveils its all-new fourth-generation RX luxury crossover SUV. Both debuts will mark the arrival of new, multi-feature, integrated safety packages, each anchored by automated pre-collision braking and offered... Read more →

Millbrook, one of Europe’s leading independent test and technology centers for vehicles and vehicle systems, will join a UK industry consortium to develop a new class of light commercial vehicle (LCV) combining fuel cell technology with battery electric vehicles to provide significantly improved range and rapid refueling. The consortium, led... Read more →

ITM Power has been awarded a total of £2.89 million (US$4.3 million) by the UK Hydrogen Refueling Stations (HRS) Infrastructure Grants Scheme, run by the Office of Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV). The award is to build two new HRS in London, sited with strategic partners and for the upgrading of... Read more →

The AID Newsletter reports that the Volkswagen e-Golf was the top-selling EV in the 17 West European markets during the first two months of 2015, ousting the Nissan LEAF from first place. According to AID’s data, the-Golf posted 2,150 regional registration during the opening two months of this year, as... Read more →

Maverick Synfuels announced the availability of the Maverick Oasis BG Gas-to-Liquid methanol plant product line. These plants convert biogas from sources such as anaerobic digesters and landfills into higher value methanol, one of the world’s most widely used industrial chemicals. In September 2014, Maverick had introduced its Oasis GTL plants,... Read more →

Daimler AG has selected LG Chem as the supplier of lithium-ion batteries for the smart EV that will be newly launched in 2016. Under the contract, LG Chem will provide battery cells to smart EV; Daimler will assemble the cells into the vehicle packs. By signing a supply contract with... Read more →

Volvo Cars will build a manufacturing facility in the US, fulfilling its ambition to be a truly global car maker, investing around US$500 million in the plant and underscoring its long term commitment to the US market. The company has drawn up a shortlist of potential locations; full details of... Read more →

Batteries for electrified vehicles require much longer calendar and cycle lifetimes, as well as improved high temperature tolerance, than their portable consumer electronics counterparts. Electrolyte additives can be used to extend cell lifetime by suppressing parasitic reactions between charged electrodes and electrolyte by modifying the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) at... Read more →

In 2014, light-, medium-, and heavy-duty natural gas vehicle (NGV) production/sales in the US totaled just over 18,000 vehicles, down 6.5% from 2013, according to NGVAmerica’s 2014 NGV Production/Sales Report. The report is based on the organization’s annual survey of OEMs and approved aftermarket suppliers. The heavy-duty market segment grew... Read more →

Honda Aircraft Company announced that the HondaJet has received provisional type certification (PTC) from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). (Earlier post.) This achievement indicates the FAA’s approval of the HondaJet design based on certification testing, design reviews, and analyses completed to date. A provisional type certificate is a... Read more →

The team achieved three-times-higher storage capacity through the reversible redox reactions of copper and iron—breaking and reforming copper-fluorine and iron-fluorine bonds while absorbing and releasing lithium. Source: BNL. Click to enlarge. A team led by researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) has found that adding copper atoms to iron fluoride—a... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (ARB), US Department of Justice (DOJ) and US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) joined forces to prosecute MTU America Inc. for selling uncertified large engines used in mining operations, resulting in a $1.5-million settlement which includes $300K to ARB to be used to fund school bus... Read more →

Volvo Car Group demonstrated its autonomous driving technology (earlier post) to media and decision makers in Beijing today; Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven joined the event. Volvo Cars’ Drive Me project, which will feature 100 autonomous cars, will start rolling on selected roads around Gothenburg by 2017. The Swedish government... Read more →

DTNA’s SuperTruck was unveiled at the 2015 Mid-America Trucking Show. Click to enlarge. Daimler Trucks North America’s (DTNA) SuperTruck program has achieved 115% freight efficiency improvement (gallons of fuel consumed per ton of goods moved per mile traveled)—surpassing the Department of Energy (DOE) program’s goal of 50% improvement and exhibiting... Read more →

Before the end of the decade, Mercedes-Benz will launch the first pickup from a premium manufacturer. The new Mercedes-Benz midsize pickup will initially be targeted at markets in Latin America, South Africa, Australia, and Europe, all of which are posting sustained growth in this segment. The Mercedes-Benz pickup will contribute... Read more →

In 2012, Toyota Motor introduced its new development framework, the Toyota New Global Architecture. (Earlier post.) Designed to balance product advances with cost reductions, TNGA supports the grouping of the development of new vehicles to promote strategic sharing of parts and powertrain components. One goal is the reduction of resources... Read more →

Ceres has advanced the testing of its biotech sugarcane traits to the next stage ahead of schedule due to positive data from initial field evaluations under tropical conditions in Latin America. Leading product candidates are currently being multiplied for wider-scale field evaluations which are scheduled to begin in May and... Read more →

Americans’ concern about several major environmental threats has eased after increasing last year, according to Gallup’s annual Environment survey, conducted March 5-8. As in the past, Americans expressed the greatest worry about pollution of drinking water, and the least about global warming. Gallup trends on many of these items stretch... Read more →

Toyota has updated its championship-winning LMP1 racer for 2015 with new aerodynamics, revised front end including crash structure and new suspension kinematics to optimize tire usage, plus additional weight saving. During the 2014 season, the TS040 Hybrid took five wins from eight races. TS040 for 2015. Click to enlarge. The... Read more →

Peterbilt Motors introduced two new medium-duty vehicles powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) during the Mid-America Trucking Show: the Model 337 and the Model 348. Both vehicles are now in production and can be configured as trucks or tractors. The company also announced that heavy-duty models 579 and 567 are... Read more →

Porsche has presented the second generation of its Le Mans Prototype 919 Hybrid race car. (Earlier post.) The new racer will compete in the 8 MJ category (8 MJ of recovered energy per race lap)—the highest of the current four energy categories in the LMP1 class. (The amount of liquid... Read more →

Munich Reinsurance America, Inc. has joined the University of Michigan’s Mobility Transformation Center (MTC) Affiliates Program—part of a major research partnership of industry, government, and academia that is laying the foundation for a commercially viable system of connected and automated vehicles. The Affiliates Program has 27 initial members from a... Read more →

SABIC has introduced a thermoplastic roof fairing concept that can potentially reduce annual fuel consumption of a heavy-duty truck by at least 3%. SABIC’s design concept is aerodynamically optimized to deflect air by accelerating airflow through and across the top and sides of the roof fairing. The result is a... Read more →

Process for determining compliance status. Source: EPA. Click to enlarge. For the second consecutive model year, the automotive industry outperformed the national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards by a wide margin, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) second annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards for Light Duty Vehicles: Manufacturer’s... Read more →

BASF and Floatility have partnered for the development of an ultra-lightweight and solar-powered electric scooter. Weighing less than 12 kilograms (26.5 lbs) and consisting of more than 80% composite and plastic materials from BASF, the scooter will give commuters the sensation of floating and thus has been named ‘e-floater’. The... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced a conditional commitment for a $259-million loan to Alcoa Inc. If finalized, the loan would support the company’s Alcoa, Tennessee, manufacturing facility (Tennessee Operations), where the company will produce high-strength aluminum for North American automakers looking to lightweight their vehicles. (Earlier post.) This... Read more →

Under a newly signed agreement, ChargePoint will install Australia-based Tritium’s Veefil DC fast charging stations (earlier post) across the US. The 50 kW Tritium stations are able to charge all cars equipped for DC fast charging, using the included SAE-Combo connector or a CHAdeMO connector. Tesla drivers will be able... Read more →

TTTech closed a €50-million (US$55-million) investment round involving two new key strategic partners: General Electric (GE Ventures) and Infineon Technologies AG. This funding is backed by the strong commitment of the existing shareholders, led by Audi AG. TTTech said it intends to use the proceeds to accelerate growth with its... Read more →

Russian commercial vehicle manufacturer KAMAZ is proposing to create an artificial city as a testing ground for unmanned vehicles. The project will cost about 5 billion rubles (US$87 million). In it, trucks without drivers will test out moving through traffic and navigating complex intersections and pedestrian crossings. Models of cars,... Read more →

Keeping pace with its announced intention to roll out 10 plug-in hybrids by 2017 (earlier post), Mercedes-Benz introduced the new GLE550 e 4MATIC plug-in hybrid (PHEV) along with the other members of the new GLE family of full-size SUVs. The GLE550 e is Mercedes-Benz’ first plug-in hybrid SUV. The high-performance... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (ARB or Board) is soliciting Grantee(s) to administer the Light-Duty Financing Assistance Pilot Project in Disadvantaged Communities. Funding of up to $1.5 million for this project is provided by Low Carbon Transportation Investments, which is funded from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The Financing Assistance... Read more →

The Nikkei reports that Toyota Motor will roll out more hybrid vehicles in Japan, wanting them to account for one in two cars sold domestically by next year. The report suggests that the automaker is trying to keep pace with criteria for tax breaks for buyers of fuel-efficient, low-emission cars.... Read more →

Cummins Inc. is showcasing the results of a four-year joint program with the US Department of Energy (DOE) at the Mid-America Trucking Show. The Advanced Technology Light Automotive Systems (ATLAS) program (earlier post) was initiated to develop a commercially viable diesel engine for the half-ton pickup truck market that is... Read more →

Kenworth will now offer the Maxwell Technologies ultracapacitor-based Engine Start Module (ESM) (earlier post) as a factory-installed option on new Kenworth T680 and T880 trucks. Kenworth dealers have offered the ESM as an aftermarket solution since 2011. With increasing demand for reliable truck engine starting, Kenworth is now the first... Read more →

The latest Kenworth T680 Advantage—Kenworth’s fuel-efficiency leader—has gained up to 10% in fuel efficiency compared to a standard Kenworth T680 built in 2013. The 10% gain for the heavy-duty truck equates to a yearly savings of more than $4,600 in fuel per truck for the average long-haul operation. The current... Read more →