Federal-Mogul Powertrain has completed the acquisition of UK-based Controlled Power Technologies Ltd (CPT). The purchase provides a timely route for Federal-Mogul Powertrain to expand into the development and manufacture of powertrain technologies for electrification and hybridization that complement the company's existing capabilities. Headquartered in Laindon, Essex and with a further... Read more →

Akasol announced the opening of a new semi-automated production facility for high-performance lithium-ion battery systems for commercial vehicles. The company has invested €10 million (US$11.8 million) into the new commercial plant at Langen, and may double that investment as demand increases. Akasol has begun serial production at the facility, which,... Read more →

Nikola Motor Company, which is developing a Class 8 hydrogen-fuel-cell electric truck (earlier post) has chosen Nel ASA as the sole equipment supplier to build a 16-station hydrogen refueling network that will span 2,000 miles. Nikola has already issued a purchase order for the first two stations; the other 14... Read more →

Toyota Financial Services (TFS) is partnering with Launch Mobility, a developer of shared mobility solutions, to develop a product that will make previously leased vehicles available for short-term rentals to rideshare drivers. The companies will be able to draw upon an array of resources across the Toyota organization: alignment with... Read more →

BYD delivered the first all-electric automated side loader refuse truck to the City of Palo Alto and GreenWaste, the city’s waste hauler service. The BYD electric refuse truck uses its batteries for propulsion, as well as to power the hydraulic system for the body. The electric refuse truck has 76... Read more →

Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) announced five new research projects focused on better understanding how drivers use and respond to advanced vehicle technologies, including automated driver assistance systems. The new projects, undertaken in partnership with five US research institutions, will launch as part of CSRC Next, the Center’s new... Read more →

According to figures gathered by the US Department of Energy (DOE), cumulative US sales of fuel cell vehicles from June 2014 through September 2017 are 2,748 units, spread across three available models. The DOE noted that fuel cell vehicle sales (including leases) are currently only offered in select areas that... Read more →

A new study by market research company Ipsos RDA has found that the EV sales process at traditional brand dealers who sell EVs alongside other vehicles, has, in many instances, has not been differentiated from the traditional process and is, in effect, passive. The availability of inventory, as well as... Read more →

Wireless power transfer company WiTricity has collaborated with Texas Instruments (TI) to use automotive-grade semiconductor components in WiTricity’s DRIVE 11 wireless charging systems and reference designs. WiTricity’s DRIVE 11 wireless charging system enables drivers to park their electric vehicles (EVs) and be assured of rapid and efficient charging without having... Read more →

Hyundai Motor America said it will introduce to eight new or re-engineered crossover utility vehicles (CUVs) in the United States by the year 2020. Beginning with the US launch of the Kona—Hyundai’s first global B-segment CUV)—in March, this new lineup will encompass models from the A-segment (entry level) size class... Read more →

The Parker Project has used a fleet of four vehicles from Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, PSA Groupe and Nissan to demonstrate that vehicles from different car brands can contribute to supporting the electricity grid with vehicle to grid (V2G) services. The aim of the Parker project is to validate that series-produced... Read more →

The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) is partnering with Mack Trucks, Oberon Fuels and Westcan Bulk Transport to develop fuel moisture management technology for dimethyl ether (DME), a cleaner-burning (sulfur-free and no PM), high-cetane (55-60), diesel fuel alternative that can be made from natural gas or methanol produced from... Read more →

Didi Chuxing, the world’s largest mobile transportation platform, announced the opening of its main US research facility in Mountain View, California to facilitate the growth and expansion of its Bay Area-based team. Since its official launch in March 2017, DiDi Labs has focused on AI-based security and intelligent driving technologies,... Read more →

DRIVEtheARC, a corridor of electric vehicle (EV) fast charging stations spanning from Monterey to Lake Tahoe, announced the completion of the chargers’ deployment and its official grand opening on the one year anniversary of the project’s official launch. (Earlier post.) A collaborative effort between the New Energy and Industrial Technology... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America (MBRDNA) is opening a lab in Seattle, the organization’s sixth. Software experts there will focus on Cloud computing to expand and enhance connected car functionality in Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The new digital hub is planning on expanding to 150 people, and is headed by Mike... Read more →

Israel-based Newsight Imaging, a developer of advanced CMOS image sensors for laser LiDAR and spectral analysis, is partnering with China-based LeiShen Intelligent, a global provider of high-performance laser LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) systems to deliver V-LiDAR—a solid-state 3D pulsed-based LiDAR for automotive applications used in ADAS systems and in... Read more →

Greensboro Transit Authority (GTA) is going forward with the purchase of four 40-foot Proterra electric buses this fall, setting in motion the potential to expand its zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) fleet over the next four years. This new procurement represents a joint effort by GTA and Proterra to minimize emissions, reduce... Read more →

France-based engineering company GTT has received an order from the Chinese shipyard Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Corp. Ltd. to design the LNG tanks—each representing a capacity of 174,000 m3 of two dual-purpose vessels capable of operating as efficient LNG Carriers and Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRUs). These vessels will be... Read more →

In a new study, IHS Markit forecasts that vehicle miles traveled (VMT) will by 2040 grow to an all-time high of around 11 billion miles per year (a 65% increase since 2017) in China, Europe, India and the United States—the key markets examined for the study—and will keep growing. At... Read more →

Last week True Zero, the retail brand of hydrogen stations developed, owned, and operated by FirstElement Fuel, was selected by the California Energy Commission to build 12 new hydrogen stations in the Commission’s latest round of grant awards to help build out California’s retail hydrogen network. The Energy Commission will... Read more →

Zhejiang Geely Holding Group has entered into an agreement to acquire Terrafugia, a US-based company developing practical flying cars.Terrafugia was founded in 2006 by five MIT graduates; since then, the company has delivered a number of working prototypes. Terrafugia aims to deliver its first flying car to the market in... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems has signed a Development Agreement with Siemens AG for the development of a hydrogen fuel cell engine to power Siemens’ Mireo light rail train. The Development Agreement has a contemplated value of approximately $9.0 million to Ballard. Under the terms of the Development Agreement, Ballard will develop... Read more →

Visteon Corporation, a leading automotive cockpit electronics supplier, is joining forces with the American Center for Mobility (ACM) in Southeast Michigan to support the development and testing of connected and automated transportation technologies. (Earlier post.) With a $5-million investment, Visteon is the first Tier 1 automotive supplier to join as... Read more →

Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells require precise temperature and moisture controls to be at their best. If the internal conditions are too dry or too wet, the fuel cell won’t function well. A team from Lawrence Berkeley and Argonne National Laboratories, Tufts University and the Norwegian University of Science... Read more →

Abengoa has received Notice to Proceed on Fulcrum BioEnergy’s plant that will produce biofuels from Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in the United States with gasification technology. Abengoa will be responsible for the engineering, design, construction and commissioning of the project. The plant will be located in the State of Nevada... Read more →

In Bonn, as global leaders gathered at COP 23, the Hydrogen Council coalition (earlier post) released a report developed with support from McKinsey quantifying the potential for hydrogen in the energy transition. According to the study, if deployed at scale, hydrogen could account for almost one-fifth of total final energy... Read more →

Kensington and Chelsea Council announced a landmark project with OVO and ubitricity to allow more residents to charge their electric vehicles by plugging directly into Council lamp posts. The agreement will fast track the installation of an extra 50 SimpleSockets—ubitricity’s pioneering electric vehicle charging points, which draw 100% renewable energy... Read more →

French shipping line CMA CGM, based in Marseille, has selected Winterthur Gas & Diesel’s (WinGD’s) largest, 92 cm bore, dual-fuel low-speed engine to power what are presently the largest containerships ever ordered. (Earlier post.) The 12-cylinder X92DF engines (12X92DF) will power a series of nine “mega” containerships, each with a... Read more →

Global emissions of carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels have risen again after a three year hiatus, according to new analysis from the Global Carbon Project (GCP). According to the GCP, global emissions from all human activities will reach 41 billion tonnes in 2017, following a projected 2% rise in... Read more →

Fisker’s scientists, including a co-founder of solid-state battery start-up Sakti3 (acquired by Dyson, earlier post), filed patents this week (under a non-publication request) on flexible, superior energy density solid-state batteries. The patent includes claims over novel materials and manufacturing processes that are critical in achieving the required energy density, power... Read more →

Neste, the world’s leading producer of renewable diesel, and American Airlines, the world’s largest airline, have entered into an agreement to explore opportunities to further reduce American’s environmental footprint through the use of Neste’s renewable fuels. One goal of the cooperation will be complementary efforts to facilitate acceptance and commercialization... Read more →

UC Riverside researchers have developed a streamlined process that could finally make the ethanol production cost from abundant “second generation” plant wastes competitive with “first generation” ethanol made from sugars. A major historical barrier to low-cost production of ethanol from biomass is the low ethanol yields and titers that result... Read more →

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has placed an order for a new all-electric shuttle bus powered by Motiv Power Systems’ All-Electric Powertrain. This battery-electric buse is the first Motiv powered shuttle bus to operate on a university campus. Built on Ford’s E450 chassis with a Champion Bus body,... Read more →

XStream Trucking launched TruckWings, an active-aero device that automatically deploys at highway speeds to deliver streamlined aerodynamics, fuel savings, and lower carbon emissions. Half a dozen carriers, including two of the US’ largest fleets, are currently in private pilots with TruckWings. There have been significant investments made in improving truck... Read more →

Embark, a startup developing self-driving truck technology (earlier post), is partnering with Frigidaire and Ryder System to pilot a series of automated driving technology tests. During the pilot, Frigidaire refrigerators were successfully transported 650 miles at a time, in semi-trucks using automated driving technology. Begun in October, the pilot has... Read more →

Eight commercial airlines used Gevo’s alcohol-to-jet fuel (ATJ) derived from renewable isobutanol for Fly Green Day, sponsored last week by the O’Hare Fuel Committee, at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. This event is the first time renewable jet fuel has been supplied at Chicago O’Hare using the existing airport fueling infrastructure,... Read more →

Scania, a member of the Volkswagen Group, has launched its new OC13 13-liter (swept volume 12.7 liters) natural gas engine, based on Scania’s well-proven inline 6-cylinder, 13-liter engine. The Euro 6 engine works according to the Otto principle with spark plugs and complete combustion and delivers 410 hp (302 kW)... Read more →

Honda Innovations is expanding its global open innovation program for early-stage innovators to Detroit, Japan, China, and Europe. Modeled on the Honda Xcelerator program in Mountain View, Calif., Honda Innovations will guide other Honda operations as they establish startup liaisons globally, providing protocols and best practices to identify and engage... Read more →

Volkswagen is investing some €560 million (US$652 million) over the next five years in the production of a new MQB-based SUV in Pacheco, Argentina. From 2020, the plant will deliver the new model built in Argentina to the entire South American continent. The new vehicle project will create some 2,500... Read more →

Although China and India remain the world’s largest consumers of coal, a new University of Maryland-led study found that China’s sulfur dioxide emissions fell by 75% since 2007, while India’s emissions increased by 50%. The results suggest that India is becoming, if it is not already, the world’s top sulfur... Read more →

Continental is intensifying its activities in the field of automated and autonomous driving in the agricultural industry. From 2025, autonomous, fully automated and fully connected agricultural vehicles will be an increasingly common sight on farm fields, the company says. The future strategic competitive advantage lies not only in the hardware,... Read more →

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $400,000 grant (Nº 1706960) to Arizona State University and Kevin Redding, professor in the School of Molecular Sciences and director of the Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis (CB&P) to obtain industrial-scale algal hydrogen production—a goal that requires an improvement over current technology by... Read more →

Total signed an agreement with Engie to acquire its portfolio of upstream liquefied natural gas (LNG) assets for an overall enterprise value of $1.49 billion. This portfolio includes participating interests in liquefaction plants, notably the interest in the Cameron LNG project in the US, long-term LNG sales and purchase agreements,... Read more →

Wessels Reederei signed a letter of intent with MAN Diesel & Turbo regarding the conversion of three of its fleet to dual-fuel gas operation. The three ships are sisters to the Wes Amelie, a 1,036-TEU feeder container ship with an MAN 8L48/60B main engine that was retrofitted to a multi-fuel,... Read more →

Air Products and the Yankuang Group Co., Ltd., signed an agreement for a $3.5-billion coal-to-syngas production facility to be built in Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, China. Under the agreement, Air Products and Shaanxi Future Energy Group Co., Ltd. (SFEC), a subsidiary of Yankuang Group, intend to form an Air Products... Read more →

ABB will deliver the first fuel cell system to provide an energy source for a luxury cruise ship. The system will be piloted on board a Royal Caribbean International vessel. In October 2016, Royal Caribbean announced that its newest class of ships would be powered by LNG and would likely... Read more →

Greenway Innovative Energy (GIE), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Greenway Technologies, Inc., has begun construction of its first commercial synthesis gas generating module, called the G-Reformer, which converts natural gas to synthesis gas. The G-Reformer is a key component of the company’s Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) gas-to-liquids (GTL) technology solution. According to GIE... Read more →

A Sandia National Laboratories-led team has demonstrated two new routes to lignin conversion that combine the advantages of earlier methods while minimizing their drawbacks. The team’s recent findings are described in an open access paper in the journal Scientific Reports. Lignin, the tough material left over from biofuel production, contains... Read more →

As has been widely reported, New Delhi, India, where air quality is generally a problem, has been suffering through several days of extreme choking toxic smog, exacerbated by a lack of wind at ground level, colliding winds in the upper atmosphere, cooling temperatures, biomass burning in fields and street fires... Read more →

Daimler, with its wholly owned subsidiary NuCellSys GmbH, and together with Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America (MBRDNA) and Daimler Innovations Lab1886 is expanding the use case of its innovative automotive fuel cell technology. Joining forces with industry leaders Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and Power Innovations (PI), a LiteOn company,... Read more →