University of Washington scientists have sequenced the complete genome of Chrysochromulina tobin—a haptophyte algae and only the second haptophyte to be sequenced. Researchers hope to better understand haptophytes and perhaps transform them into an important new tool for aquaculture, biofuel production and nutrition. An open-access paper on the work is... Read more →

Nemaska Lithium Inc. signed a Memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Johnson Matthey Battery Materials Ltd (JMBM) of Candiac, Quebec, a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson Matthey Plc. The MOU contemplates an up-front payment of C$12 million by JMBM in exchange for services and products of the same value from the... Read more →

A team of researchers from the University of Maryland (UMD) and the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) have devised a groundbreaking highly concentrated “Water-in-Salt” electrolyte that could provide power, efficiency and longevity comparable to today’s Lithium-ion batteries, but without the fire risk, poisonous chemicals and environmental hazards of current lithium... Read more →

A study by a team of international researchers has found that air crossing over the main basin of the heavily ship-trafficked Baltic Sea shows a “substantial” increase in the number of 50–400 nm particles (50–400N). An open-access paper on their work is published in the journal Oceanologia. The researchers evaluated... Read more →

Elio Motors, which unveiled its fifth-generation three-wheeler prototype at the LA Auto Show (earlier post), launched a $25-million stock sale at 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Friday after receiving qualification from the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Regulation A+ ruling in the 2012 Jumpstart Our Business Startup (JOBS) Act.... Read more →

The Charging Interface Initiative association (CharIN) announced earlier this month that ABB has been granted core membership in the association. CharIN was founded by Audi, BMW, Daimler, Mennekes, Opel, Phoenix Contact, Porsche, TÜV SÜD and Volkswagen to focus on developing and establishing the Combined Charging System (CCS) as the standard... Read more →

Researchers from Tohoku University in Japan have succeeded in producing a completely rare-earth free high-quality Fe-Ni magnet. The team, led by Professor Akihiro Makino as principal investigator is supported by a MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan) project entitled, “Ultra-low Core Loss Magnetic Material Technology Area,”... Read more →

In Germany, Renault has run tests on an innovative smart-charging system with The Mobility House (TMH). TMH technology automates electric vehicle charging schedules to coincide with periods when electricity costs less. Eleven ZOE-owner Renault employees in Germany tested the system at their homes. Once plugged in to a special charge... Read more →

Catalytic fast pyrolysis company Anellotech has received an equity investment of $7 million from a new, strategic investor. The new, multinational corporate investor joins existing partners, Axens, IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN), Johnson Matthey, and other industry leaders. Anellotech’s proprietary thermal catalytic biomass conversion technology (Bio-TCat) cost-competitively produces building-block aromatics, including... Read more →

The Volkswagen Group of America (VW) submitted a recall plan to the California Air Resources Board (ARB) on Friday, responding to the violations described in ARB’s 18 September 2015 letter to VW concerning illegal defeat devices in 2-liter diesel-powered vehicles, model years 2009-2015. (Earlier post.) The submission of the plan... Read more →

During a meeting yesterday with US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California Air Resources Board (ARB) officials, VW and Audi officials told the regulatory agencies that the issues the two agencies had raised in a 2 November Notice of Violation (EPA) and In-Use Compliance letter (ARB) (earlier post) extend to... Read more →

The Volkswagen Group is cutting its planned investments in its Automotive Division for next year as it girds itself for the financial impacts of responding to the diesel emission issue. The Group will cap planned investments in property, plant and equipment, investment property and intangible assets, excluding capitalized development costs... Read more →

Continental has entered into licensing and engineering services agreements with Fallbrook Technologies Inc. (Fallbrook). The central focus of the collaboration is Fallbrook’s NuVinci transmission technology. (Earlier post.) This innovative continuously variable planetary (CVP) is a new class of continuously variable transmission (CVT) utilizing rotating balls that allow the transmission ratio... Read more →

Toyota will begin Japan-based trials of a two-seater version of the i-Road, its short-range ultra-compact electric vehicle. The trials will be conducted as a part of the Open Road Project launched in July, and will start on 21 November in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward. While currently in use as part of... Read more →

General Motors and the US Army Tank Automotive Research, Development & Engineering Center (TARDEC) are modifying a Chevrolet Colorado midsize pickup truck to run on a commercial hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system and will expose the truck to the extremes of daily military use for 12 months. Fuel cell propulsion... Read more →

Volvo Cars will work with Microsoft jointly to develop next generation automotive technologies. The two companies revealed how Microsoft HoloLens, an untethered holographic computer, might be used in future to redefine how customers first encounter and explore a car, as well as how cars might be bought and sold in... Read more →

Elio Motors introduced its three-wheeled P5 fifth-generation prototype at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The company is targeting a launch date of late 2016 for the enclosed vehicle that is expected to deliver to 84 mpg and retail for a targeted base price of $6,800. The P5 is the company’s... Read more →

DEINOVE, a biotech company developing innovative processes for producing biofuels and bio-based chemicals from non-food biomass with its Deinococcus bacteria, has produced 2G ethanol with what it terms an “exceptional” performance level in a 300-liter fermenter. The trials were conducted at VTT1, DEINOVE’s long-term partner, which has the necessary infrastructure... Read more →

The Renault-Nissan Alliance is installing 90 new charge spots for electric vehicles in and around Paris for the COP21 global summit on climate change. The installation is being done in partnership with French energy provider EDF, Schneider Electric, Aéroports de Paris, Paris City Council and SNCF, France’s national railway company.... Read more →

Researchers of the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) in Potsdam and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have achieved the proof-of-principle for a innovative technique to extract hydrogen (H2) from methane (CH4) without the formation of CO2 as a byproduct. At this stage, cost estimates are uncertain, since methane... Read more →

Automakers, electric vehicle charging networks and other stakeholders have joined together to create the ROEV Association (ROEV), a neutral collaboration of industry stakeholders designed to support EV adoption by facilitating public charging network interoperability. Initial automaker members include BMW of North America, Nissan, Honda and Audi; the three largest charging... Read more →

Flanked by the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron (earlier post) on one side and the Audi concept e-tron quattro (earlier post) on the other, Audi of America president Scott Keogh used his press conference speech at the Los Angeles Auto Show yesterday to declare that the brand is targeting at least... Read more →

Novelis opened a new aluminum automotive heat treatment line in Nachterstedt, Germany, to serve European and global automotive customers. Located adjacent to Novelis’ existing rolling mill and the world’s largest aluminum recycling center, the $85 million investment will increase production capacity by 120,000 metric tons of automotive sheet annually. At... Read more →

The University of Michigan is working with two US Department of Energy national laboratories to study whether connected and automated vehicles could help people drive more efficiently. U-M, with Argonne National Laboratory and Idaho National Laboratory, won a three-year, $2.7 million grant from DOE to fund the research. Reuben Sarkar,... Read more →

Dow Corning Corp. announced that a silicone adhesive technology it recently developed alongside Delphi Automotive PLC has earned one of R&D Magazine’s 2015 R&D 100 Awards. T Dow Corning and Delphi received the award for Dow Corning EA-7100 Adhesive, a product initially developed for Delphi, which was grappling with several... Read more →

At the Fuel Cell Seminar in Los Angeles, California today, Jesse Schneider (BMW), the ANSI Convener of ISO Working Group 24 (from the Technical Committee on Fueling Stations) gave an overview presentation on the new ISO 19880 technical report for hydrogen fueling stations. The ISO WG (Working Group) 24 committee... Read more →

Toyota anticipates that the 2016 Prius (earlier post) will deliver fuel economy ratings of 54 MPG city / 50 MPG highway / 52 MPG combined. (Final EPA figures pending.) A new Eco grade model is expecting ratings of 58 MPG city / 53 MPG highway / 56 MPG combined thanks... Read more →

Efacec Electric Mobility, a global supplier of energy, engineering, environment and transportation solutions, has licensed Qualcomm Halo wireless electric vehicle charging technology to commercialise WEVC systems for Plug-In Hybrid (PHEVs) and Electric Vehicles (EVs). Under the terms of the agreement, Qualcomm granted to Efacec a royalty-bearing license to develop, make... Read more →

Dr. Michael Steiner, until now Head of Total Vehicle Development/Quality at Porsche, has been appointed Compliance Commissioner at the Volkswagen Group effective as of 16 November 2015. In this function Steiner reports directly to the CEO of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, Matthias Müller. Steiner’s tasks as Compliance Commissioner of the Volkswagen Group... Read more →

At the Los Angeles Auto Show, BMW of North America announced, in cooperation with NRG EVgo, the expansion of the ChargeNow DC Fast program. (Earlier post.) As part of its ongoing commitment to the growth of a robust public DC Fast charging infrastructure, BMW is supporting EVgo’s installation of an... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced that it will issue a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) entitled “Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Research, Development, and Demonstrations” (No. DE-FOA-0001412). This FOA will provide funding to meet the DOE’s Fuel Cell Technologies Office’s (FCTO’s) goals for hydrogen production and delivery, hydrogen storage,... Read more →

A new white paper from JATO Dynamics, the UK-based supplier of automotive business intelligence, projects, based on its partner LMC Automotive’s forecasts, that the global market for plug-in vehicles (plug-in hybrid and battery-electric vehicles) will reach record sales in excess of 700,000 units next year thanks to strong growth in... Read more →

The Honda Clarity Fuel Cell sedan (earlier post) made its North American debut at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show as Honda announced additional details for the vehicle’s entry into the US market. The next evolution of Honda’s fuel cell technology, the Clarity Fuel Cell delivers significant gains in packaging,... Read more →

Propel launched Diesel HPR across Southern California in August 2015, and consumer adoption of the fuel has risen 300% compared to its former biodiesel product (B20). (Earlier post.) Utilizing Neste’s NEXBTL renewable diesel, Propel’s Diesel HPR is a low-carbon, drop-in renewable fuel that meets the ASTM D-976 petroleum diesel specifications... Read more →

Monsanto and Novozymes announced a new 2025 acreage target that will guide the companies’ microbials business for the next decade. The two partners in The BioAg Alliance are dedicated to catalyze the development of new microbial solutions to transform global agriculture and envision that their products will be used on... Read more →

by Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com Russia’s central bank recently warned about the growing financial risks to the Russian economy from Saudi Arabia encroaching upon its traditional export market for crude oil. Russia sends 70 percent of its oil to Europe, but Saudi Arabia has been making inroads in the European... Read more →

Quanergy Systems, Inc. will introduce in early 2016 the first solid-state LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and self-driving cars for less than $1,000 per car. Quanergy made the announcement at the Los Angeles Auto Show’s Connected Car Expo. Quanergy’s solid state LiDAR sensor... Read more →

Audi will work with the city of Sommerville, Massachusetts to develop an urban strategy for Somerville, applying technologies for swarm intelligence or automated parking, and networking cars with traffic lights. Audi CEO Rupert Stadler and Sommerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone signed a Memorandum of Understanding for developing a new mobility... Read more →

Kia Motors has provided a few more details on the new hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains planned for the all-new Optima, as part of the company’s ongoing commitment to broaden its global range of low-emission vehicles. (Earlier post.) A new addition to the Kia model line-up, the Optima Plug-in Hybrid... Read more →

Volkswagen of America, Inc. will show the Golf GTE Sport concept plug-in hybrid (earlier post) for the first time in North America at the Los Angeles International Auto Show. Unveiled at the annual Wörthersee festival in Austria earlier this year, the concept features a carbon fiber body and a three... Read more →

The gap between the most- (Norwegian Air Shuttle) and least- (British Airways) fuel-efficient airlines on 2014 transatlantic operations was 51%—roughly twice the performance gap between the best and worst US airlines on domestic operations (25% in 2014), according to a newly released study by the International Council on Clean Transportation... Read more →

Audi presented a range of its ongoing work on electromobility and efficiency—from fuels and systems to full vehicles—under the “Future Performance Days 2015” banner. On the full vehicle side, Audi put forward the Audi Q7 e-tron 3.0 TDI quattro plug-in hybrid (earlier post); the Audi A7 h-tron quattro fuel cell... Read more →

The new Ford Escape, being showcased at the Los Angeles Auto Show, is the first Ford vehicle to make Auto Start-Stop standard with either of two EcoBoost engines new to the model—a 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter twin-scroll. The start-stop technology senses when the vehicle is sitting idle and shuts off the... Read more →

Following a thorough evaluation of the B-car segment, Mazda Canada has decided not to launch the new generation Mazda2 in Canada. The opportunity for success in the subcompact segment is rapidly shrinking as the segment has lost considerable share of the market this year, Mazda determined. Consumers have indicated a... Read more →

Ford Motor Company will offer three years of complimentary charging to California and Maryland customers who purchase or lease a 2016 C-MAX Energi with its pilot EV 1-2-3 Charge program. EV 1-2-3 Charge will provide unlimited, complimentary charging sessions of four hours each at more than 500 NRG EVgo and... Read more →

Toyota’s Georgetown, Ky., manufacturing plant will begin generating electricity—1 megawatt per hour—from methane, a byproduct of trash decomposition at the nearby Central Kentucky Landfill on 23 November, 2015. That’s enough annual energy generation to produce approximately 10,000 vehicles. The system can eventually be scaled up to 10 megawatts per hour.... Read more →

The US Department of Energy’s Office of Science announced 56 projects aimed at accelerating discovery and innovation to address some of the world’s most challenging scientific questions. The projects will share 5.8 billion core hours on the US’ two most powerful supercomputers dedicated to open science. The diverse projects will... Read more →

Seattle-based automotive platform and tools provider OpenCar Inc has launched the InsideTrack portal, the industry’s first collaboration and software development lifecycle (SDLC) management service for developers of infotainment applications. InsideTrack provides automakers, their tier 1 suppliers and content providers with a common platform to build automotive applications, and to distribute... Read more →

Kia Motors outlined its mid- to long-term plans for the development of a greatly increased range of environmentally friendly vehicles, with the goal of becoming a leader in the low-emissions car market by 2020. Kia said it intends to expand its green car line-up from four current models to 11... Read more →

A new study by a team from the University of Tennessee, Tsinghua University and the University of Minnesota has found that the wide-scale deployment of electric vehicles in China can increase the Environmental Justice (EJ) challenge in that country. According to their findings, published in a paper in the ACS... Read more →