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IHS Markit: average age of light cars and trucks in US rises again in 2016 to 11.6 years; record number in operation

The average age of light vehicles in operation (VIO) in the US has once again climbed slightly this year, to 11.6 years, according to IHS Markit, a provider of business information and analysis for the global automotive industry. Registrations for light VIO, including cars and light trucks (SUVs/CUVs as well)... Read more →


BMW, Dürr, BASF integrated paint process cuts 12 kt CO2 annually

The BMW Group saves 12,000 tons of CO2 annually during automotive production at its Munich plant by eliminating one step from the paint process. In other words, compared to a conventionally coated vehicle, a car coated with the shortened process can drive the first 420 kilometers with a net zero... Read more →


Kalmar, part of Cargotec, will partner with SSAB in Sweden to develop a hydrogen-powered medium-range forklift truck. The forklift truck to be developed will have a lift capacity of 9-18 tons and it will use hydrogen gas as fuel. The project will last for approximately two years and it will... Read more →


Volvo Cars is updating its 90 series cars with new powertrain, safety and connectivity updates. The new Drive-E powertrain variants include a D3 4-cylinder diesel engine coupled to a new manual 6-speed transmission; estimated fuel economy is 4.3 l/100 km (54.7 mpg US) NEDC in the S90 with emissions down... Read more →


DOE awards $1.1M to Penn State project to develop protective, self-healing layers for Li metal anodes

The US Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Office has awarded Donghai Wang, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Penn State, a $1.1-million grant to develop a new lithium-ion conductor for the protection of lithium metal used in next-generation battery technologies for electric vehicles. (Earlier post.) With the new funding, Wang,... Read more →


New findings from Juniper Research project that the annual production of self-driving cars will reach 14.5 million in 2025, up significantly from only a few thousands in 2020, resulting in a global installed base of more than 22 million consumer vehicles by 2025. The new research, Autonomous Vehicles & ADAS:... Read more →


DEUTZ unveils new TCD 9.0 4-cylinder diesel in Shanghai

At Bauma China 2016, Asia’s biggest trade fair for construction equipment, DEUTZ and its Chinese joint venture, DEUTZ (Dalian) Engine (DDE) unveiled new TCD 9.0 four-cylinder diesel engine. The 9.0-liter unit is the first in a new generation of engines that DEUTZ is planning as part of an alliance with... Read more →


Bosch recently launched the Power Max 2 and Power Max 2Plus, its newest 240 Volt, Level 2 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. The new stations will offer 30-Amp, 7.2kW and 40-Amp, 9.6kW configurations for faster EV charging and use the SAE J1772 connector for use with all standard EVs sold... Read more →


Some Volkswagen strategists see battery-electric, diesel cost lines crossing by 2023-2025; TRANSFORM 2025+

The increasing stringency of global emissions standards, both current and projected, is driving up the cost for internal combustion engines to meet those standards, although numerous technology pathways exist. (Earlier post.) In a conversation with Green Car Congress at AutoMobility LA last week, Dr. Matthias Erb, Executive Vice President of... Read more →


Lux Research: recycling, not reuse, is better choice for batteries from retired electric vehicles

Recycling, rather than reuse, is likely to be the more attractive option for up to 65 GWh of second-life batteries poised to enter the market in 2035 with the retirement of the first generation of plug-in vehicles, according to a new report from Lux Research, “Reuse or Recycle: The Billion-Dollar... Read more →


Workhorse Group Inc., an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of battery-electric vehicles, will present a working concept truck of the W-15 electric pickup work truck with range extender for fleet usage at the ACT EXPO Conference May 1-4, 2017 in Long Beach, CA. The new 4-wheel-drive Workhorse W-15 light duty platform... Read more →


Volkswagen & BASF “Science Award Electrochemistry” to Dr. William Chueh from Stanford; special prize to Dr. Martin Ebner from ETH University Zurich

The Volkswagen and BASF international “Science Award Electrochemistry 2016” goes to Dr. William Chueh from Stanford University. The jury of representatives from BASF, Volkswagen and from academia selected him for his outstanding research results in the area of energy storage and conversion. Dr. William C. Chueh is assistant professor at... Read more →


Chevrolet and GMC expand alternative fuel fleet offerings; expanded CNG/LPG lineup

Chevrolet and GMC are partnering with Power Solutions International, Inc. (PSI) to introduce heavy-duty pickups and full-size vans powered by 6.0-liter V-8 compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)-capable engines starting in the first quarter of 2017. Chevrolet also will offer CNG and LPG versions of its new... Read more →


Inspired by the ultra hard shells and flexible legs of ironclad beetles (the subfamily Zopherinae), BAE Systems engineers have developed a bendable titanium alloy memory metal suspension system that could protect future military vehicles from explosive impacts. The alloy is made from the same type of material used in flexible... Read more →


Mobileye adopts Synopsys functional safety verification to enable ISO 26262 compliance of next-gen ADAS SoCs

Mobileye N.V. has selected Synopsys’ Z01X functional safety verification solution to meet ISO 26262 automotive safety compliance for Mobileye’s next generation of Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) SoCs. Z01X’s high-performance fault simulation enables Mobileye quickly to perform practical fault injection flows. ISO 26262 is an international standard for functional safety... Read more →


A 2025 CO2 target of an average 70 g/km for new cars in the EU could be met with very little electrification and with an average payback period of less than 4 years, according to a new study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). However, transitioning soon to... Read more →


Graphene 3D Lab to partner with Stony Brook on Li-ion batteries for aerial drones and mobile robots

Graphene 3D Lab Inc. and Stony Brook University have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate with the University’s divisions of Center for Integrated Electrical Energy Systems (CIEES) and Center for Advanced Technology in Sensors (Sensor CAT) to develop technology for a light-weight lithium-ion battery pack with the... Read more →


Big Blue Bus receives nearly $900K to purchase 58 new Cummins-Westport Near-Zero NOx engines

In California, Big Blue Bus (BBB) will receive $870,000 from the Mobile Source Air Pollution Reduction Review Committee’s (MSRC) Near Zero Engine Incentive Program. Big Blue Bus will use the grant approved by the MSRC partially to fund the purchase of 58 new Cummins-Westport 8.9L ISL G Near-Zero (NZ) 0.02... Read more →


Hamburg Airport’s heavy-duty ground fleet using Neste renewable diesel

Hamburg airport in Germany has started using Neste’s renewable diesel as a solution to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels. Part of the airport’s ground fleet has already been powered by alternative energy sources. The switch to renewables will now be completed with the heavy duty vehicles, such as aircraft... Read more →


nuTonomy, developer of software for self-driving cars, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Boston and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation that authorizes nuTonomy to begin testing its growing fleet of self-driving cars on specific public streets in a designated area of Boston. nuTonomy will begin testing its self-driving... Read more →


At a launch event in London, electric car company NextEV unveiled its brand, NIO and its electric supercar, the NIO EP9, which has achieved a new lap record at the Nürburgring Nordschliefe. On 12 October 2016, the EP9 lapped the 20.8 km (12.92-mile) ‘Green Hell’ in 7m 05.12s, beating the... Read more →


Detailed snapshots of photosynthesis at room temperature using SLAC’s X-ray laser show water-splitting reaction

One of its molecular mysteries of photosynthesis involves how the photosystem II protein complex harvests energy from sunlight and uses it to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Now, an international team of researchers has used femtosecond pulses from an X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) at the Department of Energy’s... Read more →


car2go pulls plug on car-sharing service in San Diego, Minneapolis/St. Paul

Daimler’s car-sharing service car2go is suspending its operations in San Diego, California and in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. In San Diego, car2go faced a lack of use, the company said. In the Twin Cities, the issue is the high state car rental taxation rates. car2go will continue... Read more →


Leclanché and Narada Power sign strategic global alliance for Li-ion technology

Swiss battery manufacturer Leclanché SA (earlier post) and China-based Zhejiang Narada Power Source Co Ltd, a global battery manufacturer, announced a strategic partnership for the manufacturing and development of lithium-ion battery technology for the Chinese and global markets. Leclanché will support Narada with technology transfer to achieve low-cost, scale manufacturing... Read more →


Researchers at Washington State University have developed a novel route for the production of jet fuel range alkanes at high carbon yields from plastics. The process combines catalytic microwave-assisted degradation of low-density polyethylene (a model compound of plastics waste) followed by hydrogenation. In a paper published in the journal Fuel,... Read more →


A team led by Professor Jae Sung Lee at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), with colleagues at Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH), have developed a new pathway for the direct conversion of CO2 to liquid transportation fuels by reaction with renewable hydrogen produced by solar... Read more →


IMI calls on UK Government to invest £30M in hybrid and electric vehicle training; affordability issue

In the UK, the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) is calling on the UK Government to make a £30-million (US$37-million) investment in specialist electric and hybrid vehicle training for thousands of maintenance and repair technicians in the independent retail sector. IMI asserts that the investment is crucial to support... Read more →


At the 2016 Guangzhou Auto Show, Qoros Auto introduced the first drivable engineering development car—a modified Qoros 3 hatchback—equipped with the QamFree engine featuring FreeValve’s Pneumatic-Hydraulic-Electric-Actuator (PHEA) technology. (Earlier post.) FreeValve AB is a sister company to Koenigsegg Automotive. Qoros debuted the Qamfree engine with FreeValve technology in a concept... Read more →


A team at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) led by Dr. Jeremy Michalek has investigated the implications of regional and drive cycle variations on the degradation of a plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) battery. Modeling a PHEV with an air-cooled battery pack comprising cylindrical LiFePO4/graphite cells, they simulated the effect of thermal... Read more →


Are The Saudis About To Reveal The Best Kept Secret In Oil?

by Nick Cunningham of Oilprice.com One of the oil world’s longest and best kept secrets may finally be revealed. Saudi Arabia is preparing to unveil how much oil it holds, a closely guarded state secret that has been kept quiet for decades. The decision to bring such important data to... Read more →


Consumers’ attitudes toward plug-in vehicles: control over convenience

A national survey of consumer attitudes towards plug-in electric vehicles suggests that people would prefer control to convenience in many charging scenarios, and also that renewable energy sources are an important component. The survey, released by researchers Brandon Schoettle and Dr. Michael Sivak of the University of Michigan Transportation Research... Read more →


US offshore oil and gas leasing plan for 2017-2022 focuses on Gulf of Mexico, excludes Arctic

US Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Director Abigail Hopper released the final plan to guide future energy development for the Nation’s Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) for 2017-2022. The Proposed Final Program offers 11 potential lease sales in four planning areas—10 sales in... Read more →


Siemens and Stratasys partner to incorporate additive manufacturing into volume production

Stratasys Ltd. and Siemens are partnering to integrate Siemens’ Digital Factory solutions with Stratasys’ additive manufacturing solutions. The partnership is intended to lay the foundation for the two companies to fulfill their shared vision of incorporating additive manufacturing into the traditional manufacturing workflow, helping it to become a universally recognized... Read more →


DOE announces $30M in funding for hydrogen and fuel cell technologies

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced approximately $30 million in available funding (DE-FOA-0001647), subject to appropriations, for research and development of low-cost hydrogen production, onboard hydrogen storage, and proton exchange membrane fuel cells to advance the widespread commercialization of fuel cell electric vehicles. Selected projects will leverage national lab... Read more →


Honda leasing 2017 Clarity Fuel Cell at $369/month, including fuel

Honda announced a competitive introductory lease price of $369 a month for 36 months (plus tax) for the Clarity Fuel Cell sedan, which is coming to dealerships in California by the end of 2016. The lease requires $2,499 plus first month’s payment at lease signing (not including tax, registration or... Read more →


Plug Power signs cooperative agreement for fuel cell electric vehicle development in China

Plug Power Inc., has signed a cooperative memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Zhangjiagang Furui Special Equipment Co., LTD (Furui), along with a leading Chinese industrial vehicle manufacturer—also identified as one of the “big three” Chinese automakers—to develop new fuel cell applications and fueling solutions to be utilized in the large... Read more →


Volkswagen investing €3.5B in German plants for e-mobility and digitalization; MEB production, pilot plant for batteries and modules

Volkswagen will invest €3.5-billion (US$3.7-billion) investment in the future-oriented areas of e-mobility and digitalization for its German plants. As part of an agreement with its General Works Council (i.e., labor), the Board of Management announced that the Volkswagen brand’s German plants will develop and produce electric vehicles and components based... Read more →


Daimler’s smart has introduced the fourth generation of its electric drive technology, applied not only not only in the smart fortwo coupé and smart fortwo cabrio, but for the first time also in the four-seater smart forfour. smart will be the only car manufacturer worldwide to offer its full model... Read more →


DOE: California, Connecticut, and New York top fuel cell states

According to the newly released State of the States: Fuel Cells in America 2016 report from the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO), the top three hydrogen and fuel cell states in the US are California, Connecticut, and New York. California is home to the greatest... Read more →


An international team led by researchers at UCLA and Caltech has demonstrated that altering the form of platinum nanoscale wires from a smooth surface to a jagged one can significantly reduce the amount of precious metal required as a catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells and... Read more →


Toyota expands R&D facilities in China; PHEVs coming under Corolla Levin lineup; fuel cell vehicle demos

Toyota Motor Corporation has expanded the R&D facilities at Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (China) Co., Ltd., (TMEC). This is in accordance with the initial investment plan, which had been created at the time of the establishment of the R&D facilities. Specifically, the plan includes improvements to the existing laboratory... Read more →


Toyota has long maintained that hydrogen fuel cell technology could be a zero emission solution across a broad spectrum of vehicle types. The scalability of this technology is enabling the automaker to explore a semi-trailer truck application for a California-based feasibility study. A heavy-duty truck sized fuel cell vehicle creates... Read more →


Volkswagen of America presented the latest generation of the e-Golf in a world premiere at AutoMobility LA. Compared to its predecessor, the 2017 e-Golf offers almost 50% more range, more power and new features. The 2017 e-Golf, which should be onsale in the US in Q2 2017, should be priced... Read more →


GM expands Maven carsharing to Denver, LA and San Francisco

Maven, General Motors’ personal mobility brand, is expanding to the western United States, adding the Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco markets. In 10 months, Maven has launched three products and has grown to 13 US cities: Ann Arbor, Michigan; Baltimore; Boston; Chicago; Denver; Detroit; Los Angeles; Jersey City, New... Read more →


The average gap between official fuel consumption figures and actual fuel use for new cars in the EU has reached 42%, according to the latest update by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) to its on-going research into vehicle fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Since 2001, the discrepancy between... Read more →


DOE to issue $47M FY17 Vehicle Technologies program-wide funding opportunity

The US Department of Energy (DOE) will soon issue its FY17 Vehicle Technologies Program Wide Funding Opportunity Announcement (DE-FOA-0001701). The FOA will have estimated funding of $47,150,000; DOE expects to post the full announcement (DE-FOA-0001629) in December. DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office supports a broad technology portfolio of advanced highway transportation... Read more →


Toyota to establish in-house venture company for EV development

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) will establish an in-house venture company responsible for developing electric vehicles (EVs). The venture company, which initially will be a virtual organization comprising four people—one each from Toyota Industries Corporation, Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd., Denso Corporation and TMC—and which will be independent of other internal structural... Read more →