Hydro-Québec and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) have used Cr, Fe and Si to improve the performance of olivine LiCoPO4 in cathodes for lithium-ion batteries. In a paper in the Journal of Power Sources, they report that a substituted-LiCoPO4 in a half cell delivered a reversible capacity of 125 mAh/g... Read more →

Big River Steel will invest $1.2 billion to expand its LEED-certified, Arkansas-based scrap recycling and steel production facility. The expansion will double Big River Steel’s hot-rolled steel production capacity to 3.3 million tons annually. In addition, the expansion will facilitate the company’s ability to produce even higher grades of electrical... Read more →

RISE (Research Institutes of Sweden), and Chalmers University of Technology have now begun, with support from the Swedish government, the establishment of a Swedish testbed for electromobility. Overall, contributions from the government, and the industrial partners CEVT, Scania, Volvo Cars and Volvo Group, enable an investment of 1 billion Swedish... Read more →

The energy control stations at BMW Group Plants Dingolfing and Landshut are stepping up their activities in the balancing-power market in Germany. Together with other highly-flexible controllable systems in the BMW Group production network, they will contribute to the stability of the public grid outside of the plant. Electricity generation... Read more →

A team at Sichuan University in China is proposing a novel lithium-ion/oxygen hybrid battery system that exploits the advantages and minimizes the disadvantages of both lithium-ion batteries (LIB) and lithium-oxygen batteries (LOB). As described in a paper in the RSC journal Chemical Communications, the LOB-element supports high energy capacity (for... Read more →

New Flyer Industries Canada ULC and New Flyer of America Inc.—subsidiaries of NFI Group Inc., the largest transit bus and motor coach manufacturer and parts distributor in North America—have joined the Charging Interface Initiative (CharIN e.V. or CharIN) as a core member. CharIN’s mission is to promote Combined Charging Systems... Read more →

The Metropolitan Council of Minneapolis has awarded New Flyer of America a new contract for eight heavy-duty, sixty-foot Xcelsior CHARGE battery-electric transit buses (or 16 equivalent units). The purchase of the charging technology and Minnesota-built buses is supported by a $1.75 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The... Read more →

Arconic is supplying its proprietary and highly formable aluminum to FCA US LLC for the 2018 Jeep Wrangler. Wrangler’s new lightweight, high-strength aluminum front and rear doors are 12 and 10.5 pounds lighter, respectively, compared to the previous models partly because they are made with Arconic’s C6A1 alloy. Arconic says... Read more →

Nel ASA has been awarded a contract for delivery of 448 electrolyzers and associated fueling equipment to Nikola Motor Company (Nikola) as part of Nikola’s development of a hydrogen station infrastructure in the US for truck and passenger vehicles. Under the multi-billion NOK (1 NOK = US$0.12) contract, to be... Read more →

Air Liquide and the Chinese startup STNE (Shanghai Sinotran New Energy Automobile Operation CO., LTD.), have signed a partnership agreement to accelerate the rollout of hydrogen-powered electric truck fleets in China. Air Liquide is acquiring a minority stake of around €10 million (US$12 million) in STNE, a hydrogen logistics platform... Read more →

BP has entered into an agreement to purchase Chargemaster, the UK’s largest electric vehicle (EV) charging company. Chargemaster operates the UK’s largest public network of EV charging points, with more than 6,500 across the country. It also designs, builds, sells and maintains EV charging units for a wide range of... Read more →

Volvo Buses has secured an order for 23 battery-electric buses from public transport company Arriva in the Netherlands. The buses will operate in the city of Leiden in the province of South Holland. Deliveries of the battery-electric buses equipped with 200 kWh battery packs will take place between Q1 and... Read more →

The Kroger Co. and startup Nuro are parterning to pilot an on-road, fully autonomous delivery experience. Through this partnership, customers will be able to place same-day delivery orders through Kroger’s ClickList ordering system and Nuro’s app. During the test, orders will be delivered by Nuro’s fleet of autonomous vehicles. This... Read more →

Countries seeking to meet Paris Agreement targets on CO2 emissions must get a grip on the amount of pollution produced at city level, according to a new open-access study published in Science Advances by an international team of researchers from Europe and China. The researchers set out a framework for... Read more →

US-based Li-ion battery manufacturer XALT Energy’s XPAND Battery system has been certified as acceptable for installation on all marine vessels classified by DNV GL. The XPAND Battery System has been demonstrated to comply with DNV GL rules for Classification of Ships, Offshore Units, and High Speed and Light Craft, and... Read more →

Cytochrome P450s are some of the most versatile enzymes on the planet. These proteins are found in the human body and are involved in many metabolic pathways, including metabolizing potentially toxic compounds. Cytochrome P450s have been studied for decades and have been classed into Families A through M. Now, an... Read more →

The Toyota Research Institute (TRI) is contributing $75,000 to the American Center for Mobility (ACM) analysis of automated vehicles’ impact on driving-related jobs. ACM’s study, titled “Preparing the Workforce for Automated Vehicles,” is being conducted by Michigan State University in collaboration with Texas A&M Transportation Institute. TRI joins other companies... Read more →

Gevo, Inc. has adopted Royal DSM’s new eBOOST yeast at its production facility in Luverne, MN for the enhanced production of ethanol. eBOOST offers improved yields and enhanced profitability. We were pleased to have worked with Royal DSM to trial its eBOOST solution as part of its commercialization phase. We... Read more →

Exide Industries Ltd, India’s largest manufacturer of lead acid storage batteries and power storage solutions provider, and Switzerland-based Li-ion battery manufacturer Leclanché SA announced a joint venture to build lithium-ion batteries and provide energy storage systems for India’s electric vehicle market and grid-based applications. As part of the JV, Leclanché... Read more →

All 60 electrolysis cells are now in operation at the Karmøy technology pilot, where Hydro aims to industrialize the world’s most climate and energy efficient aluminum electrolysis technology. (Earlier post.) Our aim is to be the global leader in technology and innovation in our industry, and the Karmøy pilot helps... Read more →

Volvo Trucks North America announced today the successful on-highway demonstration of its truck platooning technology. The company has been working closely with FedEx and the North Carolina Turnpike Authority (NCTA) to expand on-highway operations of Volvo’s Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control (CACC) (earlier post) in the United States on N.C. 540,... Read more →

Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) representatives have supported 21 fleet owners operating within the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) with Carl Moyer Program, funding applications for 209 new near-zero NOx emissions natural gas trucks. SoCalGas customers have submitted more than 150 applications to the SCAQMD so far this... Read more →

ExxonMobil and Plains All American Pipeline, L.P. signed a letter of intent to pursue the creation of a joint venture to construct a pipeline to transport crude oil and condensate from multiple locations in the Permian basin to the Texas Gulf Coast. The proposed common carrier pipeline would be designed... Read more →

ABB and Ballard Power Systems have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on developing the next-generation fuel cell power system for sustainable marine e-mobility. ABB and Ballard Power Systems will leverage the existing kilowatt-scale fuel cell technologies and optimize them to create a pioneering megawatt-scale solution suitable for powering larger... Read more →

Ford Motor Company has met its goal to reduce manufacturing CO2 emissions eight years ahead of schedule. The goal, set in 2010, aimed to reduce the company’s global carbon dioxide emissions from manufacturing operations by 30% per vehicle produced by 2025. As described in its 19th annual Sustainability Report, Ford... Read more →

Two years ago, Southern California Edison launched Charge Ready, a pilot program to increase the availability of charging for passenger electric vehicles. After having recently installed Charge Ready’s 1,000th EV charging station, SCE has filed a plan with the California Public Utilities Commission to expand the program to support the... Read more →

Boeing has invested in Matternet, a startup developing safe, on-demand unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) delivery operations in urban environments. Boeing said that Matternet’s advanced logistics platform—combined with Boeing’s expertise in complex logistics, integration and manufacturing capabilities—will further enable reliable, efficient cargo air transportation. M2 drone Matternet became the world’s first... Read more →

After ten years of experimentation under actual operating conditions with its customer-partners, Renault Trucks unveiled its second generation of all-electric vehicles: the Renault Master Z.E.; Renault Trucks D Z.E.; and Renault Trucks D Wide Z.E.—a complete range from 3.5 to 26 tonnes suited for use in the city. The Renault... Read more →

Neste Oyj and Borealis Polymers Oy, in co-operation with the energy companies Fortum Power and Heat Oy, Helen Oy, Vantaan Energia Oy and Porvoon Energia Oy – Borgå Energi Ab, will conduct a preliminary study on recovering and utilizing excess heat generated at the Neste and Borealis industrial manufacturing facilities... Read more →

The German Federal Motor Vehicle Transport Authority (KBA) will be fact finding about the current state of clarification of the diesel crisis directly at Audi today. Besides the software modifications, the main focus will be on the new, optimized processes which are required on the way to achieving the general... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) has selected Wärtsilä for a technology and commercial partnership designed to utilize second-life electric vehicle (EV) batteries for the growing energy storage market. The global partnership will combine HMG’s expansion in electric vehicles with Wärtsilä’s growing energy business, which includes 67 GW of installed power plants... Read more →

The future of just-in-time vehicle services and support has arrived in Japan in the form of two well-known Toyota vehicles—the Crown, the volume nameplate’s flagship passenger vehicle—and the Corolla Sport—the all-new hatchback version of the Corolla—launched just this year. Crown and Corolla Sport, as the first generation of “Connected Cars,”... Read more →

Orange EV and Oakland Maritime Support Services (OMSS) announced the deployment of an Orange EV T-Series pure-electric terminal truck to its operations serving the Port of Oakland, the San Francisco Bay Area’s largest seaport and 5th busiest in the US. OMSS provides parking and services for truckers who move containers... Read more →

Global Bioenergies has reached a new milestone in scaling up its C3 process converting renewable resources into isopropanol and acetone. (Earlier post.) These two biobased compounds target large markets in the cosmetics and solvent segments. They can also be converted into polypropylene, a key component in the plastics industry, with... Read more →

During the last three years, companies operating in the Permian basin have drilled much longer laterals and used substantially more complex well completion design in their newer wells with the aim of reaching higher initial production (IP) rates. Well lateral lengths in the Permian have increased in average by more... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt issued a proposed rule under the Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS) program that would set the minimum amount of renewable fuels that must be supplied to the market in calendar year 2019, as well as the biomass based diesel volume standard for... Read more →

BYD Canada announced its battery-electric trucks are officially available to import into Canada for sale and operation. The announcement was made upon receiving confirmation of compliance with Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations (CMVSR) and Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS), and inclusion on the “Vehicle Manufacturers Registry” with Transport Canada.... Read more →

Volkswagen Group of America (VWGoA), Aquantia, Bosch, Continental and NVIDIA have formed the Networking for Autonomous Vehicles (NAV) Alliance to drive the ecosystem development required for the next generation of Multi-Gig Ethernet networking in vehicles. The development of autonomous driving is creating a need for a new breed of in-vehicle... Read more →

by Michael Sivak. The American Community Survey (ACS), an ongoing survey by the US Census Bureau, includes estimates of how workers commute. This analysis examines the relation between earnings and commuting patterns. The 2016 data are shown in the table below. The entries are percentages. Driving alone is most likely... Read more →

Power management company Eaton is addressing increasing demand for high-voltage electrified vehicle technologies with the creation of its new eMobility business. eMobility is poised to capitalize on a global vehicle electrification market projected to grow to 15 million pure battery-electric vehicles and another 30 million hybrids, from mild to plug-in,... Read more →

A research team based at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has released the results of an international survey designed to assess the relative importance climate scientists assign to variables when analyzing a climate model’s ability to simulate real-world climate. The open-access paper is published in the journal Advances in... Read more →

DARPA awards additional $2.5M to LiquidPiston for development of 30kW X4 rotary diesel engine prototype The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded LiquidPiston Inc., an advanced internal combustion engine technology company, an additional $2.5 million to continue development of its 30kW X4 rotary diesel engine prototype, bringing... Read more →

ExxonMobil subsidiary XTO Energy Inc. has reduced methane emissions from its operations by 9% since 2016, demonstrating progress in its methane emissions reduction program and other initiatives. Of that amount, a reduction of close to 4%—more than 7,200 metric tons of methane—was achieved through XTO’s voluntary program and other operational... Read more →

A international team of researchers, led by Lancaster University in the UK and Jilin University in China, reports the first organically synthesized sp‐sp3 hybridized porous carbon, OSPC‐1. The new carbon shows electron conductivity, high porosity, the highest uptake of lithium ions of any carbon material to‐date and the ability to... Read more →

Transport Canada is providing $2.9M in funding under the program to Advance Connectivity and Automation in the Transportation System in order to help Canadian jurisdictions prepare for connected and automated vehicles. In particular, Transport Canada funding will support research, studies, and technology demonstrations across Canada. Results will help address technical,... Read more →

Luxury, performance electric vehicle startup Faraday Future (FF) has confirmed the US$2 billion of first round equity funding following Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) approval. This marks a major milestone for FF to achieve its vision of delivering a clean, intelligent, connected and shared global mobility... Read more →

Corning Incorporated’s Environmental Technologies business reached a significant production milestone at its Kaiserslautern, Germany manufacturing facility with the production of its 1 millionth Corning DuraTrap GC gasoline particulate filter (GPF) for automotive emissions control. The facility launched an expansion effort in 2016 for production of these ceramic particulate filters, engineered... Read more →

Orange EV and Ability Tri-Modal Transportation Services announced the deployment of five Orange EV T-Series pure-electric terminal trucks to three of Tri-Modal’s warehousing and distribution facilities—a combined 750,000 square feet of warehouse space close to the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Ability Tri-Modal uses ten terminal tractors for... Read more →

Solaris Bus & Coach has delivered 11 electric buses to the Romanian city of Cluj-Napoca. The supplied Solaris Urbino 12 electric constitute the first part of the order that can be optionally extended to the total of as many as 41 buses in the period of the coming three years.... Read more →

UK software specialist rFpro is developing a highly accurate virtual model of Applus+ IDIADA’s proving ground to be used for the development of vehicles in simulation. The Digital Twin of the proving ground enables vehicle manufacturers to accelerate the development of ADAS and CAVs (Connected Autonomous Vehicles) by testing them... Read more →