A team at Osaka University in Japan has developed a new material based on gold and black phosphorus to harvest a broader spectrum of sunlight for water-splitting to produce hydrogen. The three-part composite maximizes both absorbing light and its efficiency for water splitting. The core is a traditional semiconductor—lanthanum titanium... Read more →

Canada-based Nemaska Lithium has sent a second shipment of 3.5t of lithium hydroxide to Johnson Matthey, a large and globally recognized cathode manufacturer for lithium-ion batteries. Both Johnson Matthey and Nemaska Lithium confirm that this shipment meets Johnson Matthey's lithium hydroxide specifications. Nemaska Lithium is developing in Québec a spodumene... Read more →

Researchers at Kyushu University, Japan, have developed the first catalyst that can oxidize both hydrogen and carbon monoxide, depending on the pH of the reaction system. Carbon monoxide is a common pollutant in commercially available hydrogen gas but it poisons the platinum catalysts used in today’s fuel cells. A paper... Read more →

Parker Aerospace, a business segment of Parker Hannifin Corporation is introducing technologies designed to enhance the efficiency of aerospace engines in the areas of lubrication, combustion, and thermal management systems. Engine lubrication innovations include the first-time use of composite materials for engine lubrication reservoirs, deploying oil demister technology to reduce... Read more →

The 24th hydrogen retail station in California has opened. Sited in the City of Lawndale, the station is open 24 hours—like most of California’s retail hydrogen stations. California is working toward a milestone of 100 retail hydrogen stations statewide to support the roll-out of fuel cell electric passenger vehicles. The... Read more →

Scientists in the US and China have developed a new low-temperature catalyst for producing high-purity hydrogen gas while simultaneously using up carbon monoxide (CO) via the water-gas shift (WGS) reaction. The discovery—described in a paper in the journal Science—could improve the performance of fuel cells that run on hydrogen fuel... Read more →

Arcimoto, the maker of a three-wheeled electric “Fun Utility Vehicle”, has filed its Form 1-A Offering Circular for the offering of common stock under SEC Regulation A, setting the stage for a potential future listing on the NASDAQ Capital Market. The relatively new changes to Regulation A provide a more... Read more →

Bus operator Nobina has ordered 13 electric Volvo buses, which will operate in Malmö, Sweden from the end of next year. This is the biggest single order so far for the Volvo 7900 Electric and marks one of the biggest drives for all-electric bus traffic in Sweden. The Volvo 7900... Read more →

Park City Transit has deployed Utah’s first zero-emission, battery-electric mass transit fleet, which will include six Proterra Catalyst FC+ buses. Selected to serve the region’s renowned ski resort community, the Proterra fleet supports Park City’s and Summit County’s transition toward renewable energy and the reduction of its overall carbon footprint.... Read more →

ZF is using its plug-in Vision Zero concept vehicle to showcase a number of new safety and zero local emissions technologies. The vehicle features a 150 kW electric axle drive system for dynamic acceleration. The entire propulsion system, including the integrated power electronics, is housed in an innovative, space-saving modular... Read more →

At the Consumer Electronics Show in January, Nissan chairman of the board and chief executive officer Carlos Ghosn announced that the company would launch a new Nissan LEAF with ProPILOT technology (earlier post,) enabling autonomous drive functionality for single-lane highway driving. (Earlier post.) Nissan has now released a teaser image... Read more →

Frost & Sullivan’s latest Analysis of Top 30 Features of Mass Market and Luxury OEMs in North America, 2016-2025, finds that government mandates on emission and safety innovation in automotive technology is driving OEMs to make major investments in technology development across six clusters including powertrain; chassis; safety; comfort; connectivity;... Read more →

The Volvo Group’s new truck engines are more fuel efficient as a result of their new piston design which adds waves to the piston crown to improve the use of oxygen. (Earlier post.) The engineers (John Gibble, Frank Löfskog, Michael Balthasar, and Jan Eismark) behind the innovation have now received... Read more →

Peugeot has unveiled the new Peugeot Pick Up. This signals the return of Peugeot to the pick-up market within the African continent to accelerate the internationalization of the brand. The new Peugeot Pick Up goes on sale in September. With a length of 5.08m, the new Peugeot Pick Up is... Read more →

Optimus Ride, a MIT spinoff company developing self-driving technology, recently received approval from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) to test highly automated vehicles in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In addition, the company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with MassDOT along with the City of Boston to enable... Read more →

Shenzhen Wuzhoulong Motors, a new energy bus manufacturer, recently unveiled an electric 12-meter bus for the China market, powered by the UQM electric drive system. Wuzhoulong Motors announced this bus at the Shenzhen International Electric Tradeshow as the Wuzhoulong F2 Felicity 12-meter fast charge high performance bus. The bus uses... Read more →

A new report from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) estimates Consumer benefits of increased efficiency in 2025-2030 light-duty vehicles in the US. According to the analysis, under current standards, buyers of model year 2025 vehicles would fully recoup the extra cost for technology in the vehicle in the... Read more →

NAVYA, a pioneer in developing and manufacturing autonomous vehicles, will establish its first assembly plant outside of Europe in Southeast Michigan. Beginning last year, the French company partnered with Mcity, a public-private partnership led by the University of Michigan to accelerate advanced mobility vehicles and technologies, to bring the NAVYA... Read more →

The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office has released of the first version of the ITS National Reference Architecture to fully incorporate connected vehicle capabilities in detail. Version 8.0 of the Architecture Reference for Cooperative and Intelligent Transportation (ARC-IT) and its accompanying software tools... Read more →

Lightning Systems announced that its LightningHybrids hydraulic hybrid system has received an Executive Order from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) allowing aftermarket conversions of gasoline-powered 2016 model year Ford E-450 vehicles. The LightningHybrids hydraulic system for the Ford E-450 is now available for public or private fleets in California... Read more →

The new Audi A8 will feature a fully active, electromechanical suspension system which drives each wheel individually and adapts to the prevailing road conditions. Each wheel has an electric motor which is powered by the A8’s 48-volt electrical system—used for the first time as the main electrical system. (The Audi... Read more →

Renault’s new Kangoo Z.E. electric van delivers more than 50% range—270 km (168 miles) NEDC, equivalent to 200 km (124 miles) real use in the summer, compared to 170 km previously. A new 33 kWh battery mated to a new motor and the new incorporation of a heat pump combine... Read more →

The findings of a study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, with colleagues at UC Berkeley, suggest that changing atmospheric NOx levels over the next two decades will likely significantly reduce the effectiveness of stricter new gasoline vehicle emissions standards in reducing concentrations of secondary organic aerosol (SOA). The study... Read more →

In the latest E-Mobility Index report (2Q/2017), consultancy Roland Berger and partner Forschungsgesellschaft Kraftfahrwesen Aachen (fka) find that China has for the first time moved into the pole position. The consultancy says that China will dominate both the market and the industry in the foreseeable future. France, however, has moved... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced the availability of $20 million for cost-shared oil and gas research projects to increase recovery efficiency from unconventional oil and gas wells and to prevent offshore spills and leaks. DE-FOA-0001722 Funded projects will cover three topic areas—two addressing unconventional oil and gas recovery... Read more →

The 2018 Toyota Camry, the new eighth-generation of the most popular mid-size sedan in the world and the best-selling car in America for the past 15 years, will be going on sale in the US in late summer. Toyota unveiled the 2018 Camry at the North American International Auto Show... Read more →

The difference between US average retail prices for premium and regular gasoline reached $0.50/gallon in late 2016 and it has remained near that level so far in 2017. This price difference, or spread, has been generally increasing since 2000. Many factors on both the supply and demand sides are influencing... Read more →

Rolls-Royce and global towage operator Svitzer have successfully demonstrated the world’s first remotely operated commercial vessel in Copenhagen harbour, Denmark. Earlier this year, one of Svitzer’s tugs, the 28m Svitzer Hermod, safely conducted a number of remotely controlled maneuvers. From the quayside in Copenhagen harbour the vessel’s captain, stationed at... Read more →

ElectriPlast Corp., a wholly owned subsidiary of Integral Technologies, Inc., has been chosen by a leading European electric luxury SUV maker to provide conductive plastic material for use in a high-voltage connector. ElectriPlast has been engaged with a North American automotive Tier 1 for the past year in bringing this... Read more →

IBM and AOS, a Colombian company specializing in providing business solutions, are collaborating to create a solution to enhance efficiency in the logistics and transport industry throughout the country, built on IBM Blockchain and Watson IoT on the IBM Cloud. Blockchain works as an immutable ledger that records transactions between... Read more →

Audi and the Johannes Kepler University of Linz (JKU) are establishing the “Audi.JKU deep learning center” in Linz to conduct joint research into the intelligent car of the future. Through cooperation with the Institute for Bioinformatics headed by Prof. Sepp Hochreiter, Audi plans to promote the use of artificial intelligence... Read more →

Audi will begin production of the Audi e-tron Sportback—Audi’s second production electric car—at Audi Brussels (Belgium) in 2019. The Audi e-tron electric SUV—the first electric model—will drive off the assembly line there as of 2018. The basis for the new e-automobile is the Audi e-tron Sportback concept design study, which... Read more →

ZF and HELLA are entering into a strategic partnership, with the focus on camera systems, imaging and radar sensor technology for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving. Both automotive suppliers said they will each benefit from this cooperation on sensor technology, particularly for front camera systems, imaging and... Read more →

Gross inputs to US petroleum refineries (refinery runs) averaged a record high 17.7 million barrels per day (b/d) for the week ending 26 May, before dropping slightly to 17.5 million b/d for the week ending 2 June and 17.6 million b/d for the week ending 9 June, according to the... Read more →

At the Paris air show, Airbus Helicopters unveiled the aerodynamic configuration of the high speed demonstrator it is developing as part of the Clean Sky 2 European research program. Codenamed Racer (Rapid And Cost-Effective Rotorcraft), this demonstrator will incorporate a number of innovative features and will be optimized for a... Read more →

The 2018 Chevrolet Equinox SUV has dropped nearly 400 pounds (181 kg)—approximately 10% of its mass—compared to its predecessor. Combined with this weight loss, the all-new body was designed and optimized for top safety ratings. The 2018 Equinox’s body structure design was optimized with a mixed-material strategy for strength and... Read more →

Volvo Cars announced that Polestar, its performance car arm, is to become a new separately-branded electrified global high performance car company, marking the latest stage in Volvo’s ongoing transformation. In order to drive the development of the brand, Volvo Cars also announced that Thomas Ingenlath, Senior Vice President Design at... Read more →

A team at the Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), University of Warwick (UK) has developed a new processing route which allows low-density steel-based alloys to be produced with maximum strength, while remaining durable and flexible—something which has been largely impossible until now. The development could enable the production of high-strength, lightweight... Read more →

The US Department of Energy is awarding roughly $15.8 million for 30 projects working toward the discovery and development of innovative, low-cost materials needed for hydrogen production and storage and for automotive fuel cells (earlier post). Of those 30 projects, Carnegie Mellon University Mechanical Engineering Associate Professor Shawn Litster has... Read more →

GM’s Maven Gig (earlier post) is expanding its initial offering in San Diego to now include San Francisco. The service will launch in Los Angeles later this year. Maven has partnered with industry-leading apps in package delivery, food delivery and ride-hailing, creating a one-stop shop to maximize earning potential for... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz is starting construction on a new fully flexible passenger car plant in Russia. Daimler’s industrial commitment in Russia has so far has concentrated on commercial vehicle production. The new passenger car plant in the Moscow region is scheduled to start local production in 2019 beginning with the E-Class Sedan;... Read more →

Researchers at Standford University have designed large-format, thin-film copper catalysts for the electroreduction of CO2 to ethanol. The results are published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “One of our long-range goals is to produce renewable ethanol in a way that doesn’t impact the global food supply. Copper... Read more →

Qualcomm has made a strategic investment in Amionx, a leader in safe battery technology. As part of its investment, Qualcomm President Derek Aberle will join the board of directors of Amionx. Amionx is a spinout from American Lithium Energy (ALE) which was originally founded in 2006 by Dr. Jiang Fan... Read more →

After providing Michelin with the first of its recent sequence of victories at Le Mans with Laurent Aïello, Stéphane Ortelli and Allan McNish in 1998 (Porsche 911 GT1-98), Porsche earned the tire firm’s 20th straight victory in the endurance racing classic over the weekend. Timo Bernhard, Earl Bamber and Brendon... Read more →

Citing “industry sources,” Business Korea reports that Hyundai has decided to boost production of a new fuel cell vehicle (earlier post)—to be released early next year—by 15 times to 3,600 units. Hyundai sold 242 fuel cell vehicles last year; Toyota, the market leader with its Mirai, is targeting 3,000 fuel... Read more →

Ford announced a series of global manufacturing actions centered on improving the company’s operational fitness, among them that it would source the next-generation Ford Focus for North America primarily from China, rather than Hermosillo, Mexico. Production of the next-generation Focus begins in the second half of 2019, with models coming... Read more →

The Volkswagen Group and its partner city, the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, have submitted a bid to host the 2021 ITS World Congress. Under their strategic mobility partnership concluded in 2016 (earlier post), the partners have joined forces to shape the urban mobility of the future and to... Read more →

Larger trucks and SUVs with powerful, high-displacement engines are the low-hanging fruit for any policymaker seeking the most efficient path to reducing gasoline use and the associated emissions, according to an issue brief by an expert in the Center for Energy Studies at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.... Read more →

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland is developing safe steering for the remote-monitored and controlled autonomous ships of the future. The new technology has been developed for navigation systems and ship autopilots, which steer ships automatically. The ships of the future will largely be controlled by artificial intelligence. However, these... Read more →

BMW’s new 530e plug-in hybrid (earlier post) will be produced at Magna’s contract manufacturing plant in Graz, Austria, starting in summer 2017. Magna’s Graz facility will then be the production home for two premium electrified vehicles: the BMW 530e and the previously awarded Jaguar I-PACE. Production of the new BMW... Read more →