The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Cincinnati Incorporated have signed a nonexclusive licensing agreement on ORNL patents related to large-scale additive manufacturing. ORNL is a research leader in the production of large-scale 3-D printed materials, refining industrial processes to decrease costs and increase efficiency. Under the... Read more →

SAE International has published “SAE TIR J2954 Wireless Power Transfer for Light-Duty Plug-In/ Electric Vehicles and Alignment Methodology,” a milestone industry guideline to establish wireless power transfer between infrastructure, vehicle suppliers and OEMs for plug-in electric and electric vehicles (PH/EV). (Earlier post.) The document is now available for purchase from... Read more →

Toshiba Corporation has developed a fast, cable-free contactless charger for electric vehicles (EVs), and will field test it on a medium-sized EV bus designed to handle the power demands of regular high-speed journeys on expressways. Field tests will start from 1 June and continue until December. The 45-seat bus is... Read more →

Audi is now equipping its new models that use the second-generation modular infotainment platform with Audi connect SIM. With the factory-installed SIM card, customers can immediately use the wide range of Audi connect services with the accompanying data flat rate for up to three years. The Audi connect SIM is... Read more →

With support from the Swedish Energy Agency, Volvo Trucks has developed a new concept vehicle, the Volvo Concept Truck. The result of a five-year long research project aimed at creating more energy-efficient vehicles, the new concept truck cuts fuel consumption by more than 30%. The aim of the project is... Read more →

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) report a major advance in understanding how oxygen oxidation creates extra capacity in lithium-rich cathodes, opening the door to batteries with far higher energy density. The nature of the findings shows “a clear and exciting path forward”... Read more →

China-based JAC has sold 300,000 units of its S3 compact SUV during the last 20 months. The S3 has set several records since its launch, from achieving a breakthrough of 10,000 units in its first month, to overtaking sales of other compact SUVs in the global market within three months.... Read more →

MAN Truck & Bus AG, part of Volkswagen Truck & Bus, is investing up to $8.5 million in the US start-up FR8 Revolution Inc. (“Fr-eight”). Silicon-Valley-based FR8 has developed a comprehensive “operating system” for a connected transportation industry that will be launched in the second quarter of 2016. The IT... Read more →

Mazda Motor Corporation announced that the total production volume of the Mazda3 (known as Mazda Axela in Japan) reached five million units at the end of April 2016. It is the second Mazda to reach five million units of production, following the Mazda Familia. The Mazda3 sets a new record... Read more →

A team from Brown University and Lakehead University (Canada) have developed a method for the facile and cost-effective synthesis of NiFe-layered double hydroxides (LDH) nanosheets to serve as efficient catalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction in an alkaline environment. Compared to previously reported LDH catalysts, the new nanosheets exhibit a... Read more →

Transport operator EMT in Madrid, Spain, has ordered 82 Mercedes-Benz Citaro NGT (Natural Gas Technology) buses. The order includes 40 Mercedes-Benz Citaro natural-gas-powered 18m articulated busesand 42 Mercedes-Benz natural-gas-powered rigids with a length of 12 meters. The new Citaro NGT with natural-gas engine is approved without restriction for the use... Read more →

Electrovaya Inc. signed a Multiyear Service Agreement (MSA) with a US-based Fortune 1000 OEM to supply Lithium Ion Battery Modules, Battery Management Systems and related services. The Agreement is expected to generate revenues of up to $80 million over the next three years. The revenues from this agreement starts in... Read more →

Australia-based Licella Fibre Fuels Pty Ltd. and Canada-based Canfor Pulp Products Inc. (CPPI), through its subsidiary Canfor Pulp Ltd., signed an agreement to form a joint-venture: Licella Pulp Joint Venture. Licella Pulp Joint Venture will investigate opportunities to integrate Licella’s Catalytic Hydrothermal Reactor (Cat-HTR) upgrading platform into Canfor Pulp's kraft... Read more →

Peugeot has designed a new gasoline-electric plug-in hybrid racing concept: the L500 R Hybrid. Developed by Peugeot Sport teams, the 500-bhp plug-in hybrid powertrain features two electric motors (one front and one rear) plus a 270 hp gasoline engine, yielding peak torque of 730 N·m (538 lb-ft). With its wide... Read more →

Furrer + Frey, a provider of rail electrification and rapid charging systems for transport, is proposing tractor swapping as a solution for the electrification of long-haul trucking. Furrer + Frey is a long-time partner of Opbrid, the provider of the overhead pantograph-based ultra-fast charging Opbrid Bůsbaar for buses (earlier post).... Read more →

The RoMulus (Robust multi-sensor technology for status monitoring in Industry 4.0 applications) research project project sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is focused on simplifying and accelerating the development and use of intelligent multi-sensor systems for Industry 4.0——the digitalization of production processes based on devices... Read more →

A research team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has created the first high-performance, two-way oxide catalyst and filed a patent application for the invention. The new bi-directional catalyst can outperform platinum in oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions (ORR and OER). The accomplishment is reported in the Journal... Read more →

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is awarding $8.8 million to 108 companies in 39 states to boost the production of advanced biofuels. The funding is being provided through USDA’s Advanced Biofuel Payment Program, which was established in the 2008 Farm Bill. Payments are made to biofuels producers based on... Read more →

Volkswagen Plant Logistics has developed and deployed an innovative system for gathering materials at the Wolfsburg Plant: the ride-along platform. More vehicle models, more different versions and bespoke customer requests have made the logistics process very complex. By using the new ride-along platform we reduce the time taken sequencing and... Read more →

Porsche’s Supervisory Board has approved the founding of Porsche Digital GmbH with the goal of further developing Porsche into the leading provider of digital mobility solutions in the premium automotive segment. Managing director of Porsche Digital GmbH will be Thilo Koslowski, who recently joined Porsche from the US IT consulting... Read more →

The Board of SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority) today approved the purchase of 525 40-foot, low-floor diesel-electric hybrid buses via a $411.8-million, five-year contract with New Flyer of America. SEPTA also has an option to purchase up to 25 additional buses. The new vehicles will allow SEPTA to continue the... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) and General Motors named The Ohio State University this year’s winner of the EcoCAR 3 – Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition during an awards ceremony at the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego. This is the second stage of an ongoing 4-year competition that culminates... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz is investing about €3 billion (US$3.4 billion) in engine technology to ensure further improvements in fuel consumption and emissions in gasoline and diesel engines in current as well as current vehicles, according to Prof. Dr. Thomas Weber, Daimler Board of Management Member for Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars Development.... Read more →

Ford’s 2017 Fusion Energi—incorporating enhancements announced earlier this year at the Detroit Auto Show (earlier post)—can travel 610 miles (982 km) on a full tank of gas and battery charge according to EPA estimates to be posted to fueleconomy.gov—the highest combined range of any plug-in hybrid sold in the US.... Read more →

Halfway into the three-year “Cité Lib by Ha:mo” car-sharing experiment in Grenoble (earlier post) Toyota and its project partners have shared the first results in terms of user profiles and usage. Based on the idea that multimodality was one of the keys to solving city traffic gridlock and pollution, the... Read more →

The world’s first AP1000 nuclear power plant (earlier post) moved a step closer to commissioning with the completion of the cold hydrostatic test (CHT) at Sanmen Unit 1 in Zhejiang Province, China. The successful completion of CHT confirms that the reactor systems meet design pressures under operating and accident conditions... Read more →

A public-private team led by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has created a new international standard that can “map” the critically important environmental aspects of manufacturing processes, leading to significant improvements in sustainability while keeping a product’s life cycle low cost and efficient. ASTM member Kevin Lyons,... Read more →

FIA Electric, the New Energy Commission, and the German Motorsport Association (DMSB) presented an electric racing kart prototype—the “e-kart”—in Berlin. Bosch Motorsport developed the powertrain system together with these motorsport organizing bodies, as well as with Germany’s largest kart manufacturer Mach 1 Kart. For this application, Bosch motorsport engineers developed... Read more →

Johnson Controls will fund two multi-year research projects at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW–Madison) aimed at enhancing the fuel efficiency of start-stop and next-generation battery-electric vehicles. The projects will be funded by Johnson Controls, which includes a Fellows gift of $500,000. UW–Madison graduate students Jacob Dubie and Kevin Frankforter, the... Read more →

Novelis, the world leader in aluminum rolling and recycling, celebrated the commissioning of its third CASH (Continuous Annealing Solution Heat) treatment finishing line for aluminum automotive sheet in Oswego, NY. Installed to support the production of stronger, lighter and safer vehicles, the $120-million CASH 3 line expands the company’s production... Read more →

Pasha Stevedoring and Terminals L.P. and the Port of Los Angeles are launching the Green Omni Terminal Demonstration Project, a full-scale, real-time demonstration of zero and near-zero emission technologies at a working marine terminal. At full build out, Pasha will be the world’s first marine terminal able to generate all... Read more →

Automotive engineering consultancy Drive System Design (DSD) and international chemical and advanced materials company, Solvay SA, have entered a development partnership to make the large scale use of structural plastic composites in transmissions a viable solution for future vehicles. DSD is contributing the transmission know-how while Solvay the materials expertise.... Read more →

AVnu Alliance, the industry consortium driving open standards deterministic networking through certification, welcomed Innovasic, Inc. and Intrepid Control Systems as an expansion of both the industrial and automotive market segments represented within the organization. Innovasic is a supplier of silicon and software solutions in the industrial automation, transportation, instrumentation, automotive,... Read more →

Solar-driven thermochemical cycles offer a direct means of storing solar energy in the chemical bonds of energy-rich molecules. By utilizing a redox material such as ceria (CeO2) as a reactive medium, STCs can produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide—i.e., syngas—from water and CO2. The syngas can subsequently be upgraded to hydrocarbon... Read more →

FPT Industrial has extended its range of on-road alternative fuel solutions with the 8.7-liter Cursor 9 CNG, based on the Cursor 9 diesel architecture. The Cursor 9 CNG offers power up to 400 hp @ 2000 rpm, and torque up to 1700 N·m @ 1.200 rpm, while at the same... Read more →

Nanoelectronics research center imec and semiconductor manufacturer Infineon Technologies are cooperating in CMOS sensor chip development. Infineon and imec are working on highly integrated CMOS-based 79 GHz sensor chips for automotive radar applications. Imec contributes its advanced expertise in high-frequency system, circuit and antenna design for radar applications thus complementing... Read more →

At its Innovation Day event, PSA Group presented its new electrification strategy. PSA Group is consolidating the development of its models on two global modular platforms—CMP and EMP2—allowing it to offer a wide range of internal combustion, electric and plug-in hybrid gasoline models from 2019. Both platforms are optimized and... Read more →

Daimler is establishing Startup Autobahn, a new startup ecosystem in Stuttgart, in partnership with Silicon Valley accelerator Plug and Play, the University of Stuttgart and ARENA2036. The The focus is on ideas and projects associated with the future of mobility; hard- and software-oriented startups can apply at www.startup-autobahn.com/en/. Following the... Read more →

BMW i Ventures announced a strategic investment in Scoop Technologies, Inc., creators of the carpooling mobile application “Scoop”. Since launching in August 2015, Scoop commuters have taken more than 40,000 trips, offsetting nearly 500,000 in commute mileage for riders. Originally launched in Pleasanton, CA, Scoop now also operates commute trips... Read more →

The Fast-E project, co-financed by the European Union and nine companies, has officially launched, with the objective of installing 241 fast-charging charging stations in Germany and 37 in Belgium. A sister project between the Czech Republic and Slovakia will add another 30 charging stations. The 278 charging points set up... Read more →

Magna International Inc. will build a new aluminum casting facility in Telford, United Kingdom, to support Jaguar Land Rover. Once production begins in 2018, the facility will use Magna’s innovative high-pressure vacuum die casting process to produce a number of advanced lightweight aluminum castings—a key building block in the next... Read more →

Long-term exposure to particulate air pollution has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, but the biological process has not been understood. A major, decade-long study of thousands of Americans has now found that people living in areas with more outdoor pollution—even at lower levels common in the... Read more →

Researchers from University of Western Ontario, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), and Canadian Light Sources (CLS) have developed a safe and durable high-temperature Li-sulfur battery using universal conventional carbon–sulfur (C-S) electrodes with a molecular layer deposited (MLD) alucone (aluminum oxide polymeric film) coating. The MLD alucone-coated C−S electrodes demonstrate stabilized... Read more →

As part of the energy transition process and in line with the technological offensive spelled out in its Push to Pass strategic plan (earlier post), PSA Group will focus on diversifying its offerings with plug-in hybrid gasoline systems and next-generation electric powertrains. The latter will be used in particular to... Read more →

Ride-sharing company Lyft is beginning to test a new feature that allows passengers to schedule rides up to 24 hours in advance. The ability to schedule a ride addresses user needs such as an early-morning flight or a make-or-break business meeting cross-town. To schedule a ride, the user, when selecting... Read more →

Volkswagen has made a US$300-million strategic investment in Gett (formerly GetTaxi), a global provider of ride-hailing services. Present in more than 60 cities worldwide, Gett is one of the faster-growing ride-hailing providers sprouting up in the mobility-on-demand area. The partnership between Volkswagen Group and Gett is based on a joint... Read more →

Toyota Motor Corporation and Uber have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore collaboration, starting with trials, in the world of ridesharing in countries where ridesharing is expanding, taking various factors into account such as regulations, business conditions, and customer needs. As part of the partnership, Toyota Financial... Read more →

Sunlight Fuels Private Limited (Sunlight Fuels), headquartered in New Delhi, India, has entered into a second-stage Front End Loading (FEL-2) license agreement for IH2 (Integrated Hydropyrolysis and Hydroconversion) technology with a Singapore-based affiliate of CRI Catalyst Company LP (CRI), a global catalyst technology company of the Shell Group. IH2 technology... Read more →

>ABB announced the total fuel savings of the entire installed Azipod fleet since being launched is estimated to be more than 700,000 tons. Assuming the average family car uses one ton of fuel annually, this savings corresponds to the annual fuel consumption of 700,000 cars. The Azipod electrical propulsion system—in... Read more →

Uno-X Hydrogen AS, a NEL ASA (NEL) joint venture, has entered into an agreement with a Norwegian affiliate of Praxair, a leading global industrial gas company, as a strategic alliance to install 20 hydrogen refuelling stations, covering all the major cities in Norway by 2020. As part of the agreement,... Read more →