DS Automobiles, the recent brand addition to the PSA Group, will introduce the DS 7 CROSSBACK SUV at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. Powered by a 300 hp,four-wheel drive E-TENSE system, a plug-in hybrid version will be available from spring 2019. Alongside the E-TENSE plug-in hybrid, DS 7 CROSSBACK will... Read more →

Honda R&D Co., Ltd., the R&D subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd., plans to create “R&D Center X,” a new research and development operation within the company, which will assume responsibility for “new value” areas that include robotics technology, mobility system and energy management, etc. The official establishment of R&D... Read more →

NEVS has signed a strategic framework agreement with Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) to secure the battery supply for NEVS 9-3 EV in the Chinese market. CATL is headquartered in Ningde, Fujian, and is focused on the research and development of Li-ion batteries (LIB) intended for electric vehicles. The... Read more →

With the Volvo Concept Truck, Volvo Trucks has developed its first hybrid vehicle designed for long-haul applications. In combination with the vehicle’s other improvements, the total reduction in fuel consumption and CO2 is around 30%. (Earlier post.) Volvo Trucks estimates that in long haul operation, the hybrid powertrain will allow... Read more →

Volvo Cars announced that the new XC60 SUV—to be revealed at the Geneva Motor Show next week—will feature new advanced driver assistance features that will provide the driver with automatic steering assistance or support—when required—to help avoid potential collisions. Volvo Cars updated City Safety has been updated in the XC60... Read more →

POET-DSM Advanced Biofuels will build an on-site enzyme manufacturing (OSM) facility in Emmetsburg, Iowa, pending state and local approvals. The facility will be integrated into the Project Liberty (earlier post) technology package, replicable in future facilities. For Project Liberty, the OSM will directly pipe enzymes into the Liberty production process... Read more →

Scientists led by a team at Caltech and BP, and in collaboration with researchers at UCLA, ETH Zürich, and China’s Nanjing University, have developed a new method for potentially removing nearly all sulfur compounds (down to ~2 ppm) from gas and diesel fuel. The method uses Earth-abundant materials (potassium (K),... Read more →

The Volkswagen Group has 37 competence centers and IT labs worldwide currently developing self-driving cars, new mobility services and customized software solutions. The number of such “think tanks” will continue to increase, the company said. Our industry is undergoing a profound change process. The Volkswagen Group is in the midst... Read more →

EVgo, the US’ largest network of public electric vehicle (EV) fast charging stations, and ABB have deployed the US’ first ABB High-Power fast charging station in Fremont, California. The High-Power fast charging system features a maximum charging rate of 150kW—providing a charge which is three times faster than most fast... Read more →

Workhorse Group Inc. (WKHS), an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of battery-electric vehicles, received a Letter of Intent from Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA) for 500 W-15 Plug-In Electric Pickup trucks. (Earlier post.) The Workhorse W-15 light duty platform design is an extension of the E-Gen electric technology used in... Read more →

The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) announced that a group of 74 project teams has attracted more than $1.8 billion in private sector follow-on funding since the agency’s founding in 2009. The announcement was made at the eighth annual ARPA-E Energy Innovation Summit at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention... Read more →

The Renault-Nissan Alliance and Transdev have agreed to explore the joint development of mobility services with fleets of electric driverless vehicles for public and on-demand transportation. The companies will collaborate to develop a comprehensive, modular transportation system to enable clients to book rides, and mobility operators to monitor and operate... Read more →

Qualcomm Technologies is working with TomTom on using the Qualcomm Drive Data Platform for high-definition (HD) map crowdsourcing, to accelerate the future of autonomous driving. Qualcomm Drive Data Platform intelligently collects and analyzes data from different vehicle sensors, supporting smarter vehicles to determine their location, monitor and learn driving patterns,... Read more →

Nissan showed to the media its real-world testing of next generation autonomous drive prototype vehicles taking place in the east of London. This is the first time that Nissan has demonstrated its latest autonomous drive technology on public roads in Europe. Nissan has already conducted public-road testing in Japan and... Read more →

According to data from the US Department of Energy (DOE), gathered by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), world petroleum production was 96 million barrels per day (mmbd) in 2015 and the United States produced more than any other country—16% of the global total. In 1980, the United States was... Read more →

FDK Corporation and Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. have jointly developed lithium cobalt pyrophosphate (Li2CoP2O7) as a high-energy-density cathode material for all-solid lithium-ion batteries. The new material can operate at charge/discharge voltages of more than 5V, which is beyond the limits of conventional lithium secondary batteries. While there is active progress on... Read more →

In Spain, in conjunction with the annual Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Peugeot unveiled its INSTINCT plug-in hybrid concept, a Shooting Brake which offers the option of fully autonomous driving. However, the driver remains fully in control at all times and is able to determine whether he or she has... Read more →

Embark, a startup developing self-driving technologies for commercial transportation, unveiled its self-driving truck technology. The company—which gained approval by the State of Nevada earlier this year to begin testing its truck on public roads—has created a technology that allows trucks to drive from exit to exit on the freeway without... Read more →

The Volkswagen Group made progress in 2016 in overcoming its self-inflicted diesel crisis. Sales revenue in fiscal year 2016 rose by €4.0 billion (US$4.22 billion) to €217.3 billion (US$229.4 billion). At €7.1 billion (US$7.5 billion), the Group’s operating result, which dropped into the red in the previous year due to... Read more →

Duke University researchers have engineered rhodium nanoparticles that can harness the energy in ultraviolet light and use it to catalyze the conversion of carbon dioxide to methane, a key building block for many types of fuels. An open-access paper on the work is published in Nature Communications. Industrial-scale catalysis for... Read more →

Researchers from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, Mahidol University in Thailand and the National Institute of Standards and Technology have leveraged nano-confinement to develop an efficient solid-state hydrogen storage system that could be a boon for hydrogen-powered vehicles. The researchers examined the high-capacity lithium nitride (Li3N) hydrogen storage... Read more →

SDG&E is unveiling the world’s largest lithium-ion battery energy storage facility in partnership with AES Energy Storage, which will enhance regional energy reliability while maximizing renewable energy use. The 30 megawatt (MW) energy storage facility is capable of storing up to 120 megawatt hours of energy, the energy equivalent of... Read more →

Ford Performance unveiled the next generation Ford Fiesta ST, powered by an all-new three-cylinder, 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine. Shown for the first time ahead of its global public debut at the Geneva Motor Show next month, the next generation Fiesta ST will deliver 200 PS, 290 N·m of torque, and anticipated... Read more →

Bosch, Cooper Standard, Honeywell, Hyundai Mobis, Lear Corporation, LG Electronics and NXP Semiconductors have joined the Automotive Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Auto-ISAC) as original equipment supplier members. Auto-ISAC was formed by automakers in August 2015 to establish a global information sharing community to promote vehicle cybersecurity. Auto-ISAC operates as... Read more →

The US National Science Foundation (NSF) will award more than $13 million to projects in the Energy for Sustainability program. The goal of the Energy for Sustainability program is to support fundamental engineering research that will enable innovative processes for the sustainable production of electricity and fuels, and for energy... Read more →

Porsche is launching the new Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid plug-in hybrid as the flagship of a model line for the first time. The four-liter V8 engine from the Panamera Turbo is combined with an electric motor, resulting in 500 kW/680 hp of system power and outstanding power delivery—even when just... Read more →

At the upcoming WCX 17: SAE World Congress Experience, a team from Honda R&D will present a paper on their study of a dynamic charging system that uses high power to charge a traveling EV, with the goal of realizing an unlimited vehicle range. Major issues facing EV include range,... Read more →

Volkswagen has so far successfully retrofitted around 3.4 million diesel vehicles to date; these are vehicles with the EA189 engine type and displacements of 2.0, 1.6 and 1.2 liters. Around 1.4 million German vehicles are represented in this total. Vehicles that received official approval for the retrofit early on in... Read more →

Toyota Motor Corporation delivered the first fuel cell bus (FC bus) sold under the Toyota brand to the Bureau of Transportation of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. This FC bus will be put into operation as a Toei route bus in March along with a second bus that is scheduled for... Read more →

Waymo, formerly the Google self-driving car project, is suing Otto and its parent company Uber, charging that the two mis-appropriated Waymo trade secrets and infringed Waymo patents. The complaint was filed on Thursday in US District Court, Northern District of California, San Francisco Division. Waymo said that a key element... Read more →

Researchers at the Naval Air Warfare Center, Weapons Division, China Lake have produced three new high-density, high-cetane biofuels from sesquiterpene feedstocks. In an open-access paper published in the RSC journal Sustainable Energy & Fuels, they describe the preparation of the three fuels from sesquiterpene components of cedarwood oil. The three... Read more →

Qualcomm Incorporated, through its subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., and LG Electronics (LG) announced coordinated efforts to facilitate testing and adoption of 5G and Cellular-V2X (C-V2X) communications into vehicles. Qualcomm Technologies and LG expect to showcase these next-generation wireless technologies through trials during the first half of 2018. This work builds... Read more →

In the wake of a report by the German television station ZDF identifying widespread aftermarket manipulation of NOx emissions control technologies on trucks, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) is calling for government action to preclude such manipulation. The ZDF report, based on research ZDF commissioned at the University of... Read more →

China is the global leader in methanol use and has recently expanded its methanol production capacity. Now, a study commissioned by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) from Argus Media (a global provider of analysis on energy and commodities), finds that since the early 2000s, China’s consumption of methanol in... Read more →

Shell, in partnership with ITM Power, opened the first hydrogen station to be situated on a forecourt in the UK. The new hydrogen station has been supplied by ITM Power and is the first fully branded and public hydrogen refueling site in the UK. It is the first of three... Read more →

BMW Group and Mobileye signed an agreement that will lead to the introduction of Mobileye’s Road Experience Management (REM) data generation technology in newly developed BMW Group models entering the market in 2018. This agreement to crowd-source real-time data using vehicles equipped with camera-based Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS) technology... Read more →

The Auto Alliance has sent a letter to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt requesting that the US Environmental Protection Agency withdraw the Final Determination on the Appropriateness of the Model Year 2022-2025 Light-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standards under the Midterm Evaluation which EPA announced on 13 January 2017. (Earlier post.)... Read more →

Alfa Romeo is introducing its first SUV, the Stelvio. The Stelvio is Italy’s highest mountain pass and Highway 38, which crosses it, more than 20 kilometers in length and with more than 75 hairpin bends, has iconic status. The new SUV delivers sports-car-handling, with balanced weight distribution, the most direct... Read more →

Tesla posted a strong increase in automotive revenue in the fourth quarter of 2016, rising 79% year-on-year to $1.994 billion. However, the company dropped back to a net loss for the quarter of $121 million. Total revenue for the full year hit $7 billion. In Q4, global net orders for... Read more →

Triggered by the successful completion of a first series of tests of its renewable isobutene for a high-value application, Clariant has now ordered a larger batch of renewable isobutene from Global Bioenergies for a second phase of evaluation. In June last year, Global Bioenergies provided Clariant with a first sample... Read more →

With the new fourth-generation smart electric drive, Daimler’s smart brand is applying electrification across all models in the range. smart will be the only car manufacturer worldwide currently to offer its full model range with both combustion engines and all-electric drive. The market launch will start in the spring of... Read more →

In the US, Volkswagen’s updated 2017 e-Golf now carries an an EPA-estimated range of 125 miles—a 50% increase over the previous model year. EPA-estimated fuel economy is 126 MPGe city, 109 MPGe highway and 119 MPGe combined (28 kWh/100 miles), making it one of the most efficient electric vehicles on... Read more →

Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) announced the Drive360 28nm CMOS radar technology platform that builds on its established ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), MEMS, and radar technology portfolio widely used throughout the automotive industry for the past 20 years. Analog Devices is the first to offer automotive radar technology based on... Read more →

Toyota Motor Corporation announced the commercial availability of a new, smaller three-way catalyst for the treatment of NOx, CO and unburned hydrocarbons from gasoline engines that uses 20% less precious metal in approximately 20% less volume, while maintaining the same exhaust gas purification performance. The catalyst uses the world’s first... Read more →

At the upcoming WCX 17: SAE World Congress Experience (the re-imagined SAE World Congress) in April, Xiao Yang and Ted Miller from Ford will present a paper on the fast recharge capability of Li-ion batteries and its effect on capacity degradation. Of note in the abstract: We find out that... Read more →

Audi has won the Logistics Award for 2017 from the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) in recognition of its FTS driverless vehicle transport system. The autonomously operating system has been in production operation at the Ingolstadt site since the beginning of the year. The parking robot, RAY, from... Read more →

The Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority (THEA) and the partnering integrator company Brandmotion have selected Savari Inc. to equip the majority of vehicles with its V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) connected car technology for the USDOT connected vehicle roll-out in Tampa. Tampa becomes the first city to feature Savari’s innovative and life-saving connected car... Read more →

UNICA, Brazil’s Sugarcane Industry Association, has noted with potential concern that a current EPA proposal that would allow, among other things, biofuel producers to partially process renewable feedstocks at one facility and further process them into renewable fuels at another facility may unintentionally limit US access to sugarcane ethanol. Sugarcane... Read more →

Infiniti reaffirmed its long-term technical partnership with Renault Sport Formula One at the Team’s new race car unveil today. The all-new R.S.17 incorporates for the first time the Infiniti co-developed second-generation Energy Recovery System (ERS). Powered by Renault Sport Racing’s R.E.17 power unit, the R.S.17 has no carry over parts... Read more →

Novozymes has introduced the Spirizyme T Portfolio, an advanced suite of glucoamylase enzymes with trehalase and other yield enhancing activities that provide the most total sugar conversion in the industry. Trehalase is an enzyme that converts trehalose, a type of sugar that cannot be fermented to ethanol, to glucose, which... Read more →