The Chinese government is limiting domestic production of rare earth elements (REEs) in the second half of the year, a move likely to crimp international exports and send prices for the critical materials soaring, according to a report from Reuters, based on information from Adamas Intelligence. Low-atomic weight REEs, lanthanum... Read more →

Buick, Chevrolet, Chrysler, and Tesla are among the brands that tumbled in Consumer Reports’ (CR) latest Annual Auto Reliability Survey, which collected data from its members about their experiences with more than half a million vehicles. Every domestic automaker landed in the bottom-half of CR’s latest reliability rankings, which covers... Read more →

For the third quarter of 2018, Tesla reported GAAP net income of $312 million; free cash flow of $881 million, supported by operating cash flow of $1.4 billion; and a Model 3 GAAP gross margin of more than 20%. Q3 2018 was a truly historic quarter for Tesla. Model 3... Read more →

The BMW Group has selected KPIT and TTTech as software development partners, further consolidating its partner network in the process. The aim of the collaboration with KPIT and TTTech is to press ahead with the scalable Autonomous Driving Platform and to work together on the development of Level 3 and... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE), General Motors and MathWorks launched the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge, the latest DOE-sponsored Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition (AVTC), revealed the 12 competing universities and named the Chevrolet Blazer as the vehicle platform selected for the competition. The headline sponsors are the US Department of Energy,... Read more →

World Energy announced a $350-million investment over the next two years to complete the conversion of its Paramount, California facility into one of the cleanest fuel refineries in the world. The project will enable World Energy Paramount to process 306 million gallons annually. The conversion to renewable jet, diesel, gasoline... Read more →

Australian advanced materials technology company Talga Resources Ltd announced positive initial test results from the development of its graphene silicon lithium-ion anode in the UK. The results are the first under Talga’s UK Government funded “Safevolt” project—a Talga-led program run in conjunction with consortia partners, Johnson Matthey, the University of... Read more →

Volvo Cars has acquired a stake in mobile EV rapid charging company FreeWire Technologies (earlier post) via the Volvo Cars Tech Fund. BP’s venturing business invested $5 million in FreeWire earlier this year. FreeWire is a San Francisco-based company that has been a pioneer in flexible fast-charging technology for electric... Read more →

Daimler Mobility Services and Geely Group Company, Geely Holding Group’s new business entity, will form a premium ride-hailing joint venture in China. Headquartered in Hangzhou, the 50:50 JV will provide ride-hailing mobility services in several Chinese cities using premium vehicles including but not limited to Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The fleet initially... Read more →

Weber Metals, Inc. a division of Otto Fuchs KG of Germany, unveiled a new, $180-million, 60,000‑ton press—the world’s largest private investment in aerospace metal forging—at its new 2.5-acre facility southeast of Los Angeles. The state of California contributed $20 million in tax credits to the project. This innovative technology will... Read more →

Researchers at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) and Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung in Germany have discovered an 5-element alloy that is noble metal-free and as active as platinum. They published their paper in the journal Advanced Energy Materials. The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), as a key reaction in electrocatalysis, attracts considerable attention due... Read more →

Ford is the first company to test autonomous vehicles in Washington, DC. Both Ford and district officials are committed to exploring how self-driving vehicles can be deployed in an equitable way across the various neighborhoods that make up Washington, D.C., and in a way that promotes job creation, said Sherif... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz Trucks has delivered a fully electric eActros (earlier post) for on-road testing to EDEKA. The German retail association will be testing a 25-tonne truck with refrigerated body for one year in Berlin, where it will be used to transport fresh, temperature-sensitive foodstuffs in Germany's capital. The daily route from... Read more →

The Nikkei reports that Isuzu Motors will join with Nvidia on self-driving technology, particularly on helping autonomous systems learn how to drive trucks and other large commercial vehicles based on data collected by passenger vehicles. According to the report, the two companies have entered final negotiations regarding the usage of... Read more →

The US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will lead a team of researchers—in partnership with Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world—to identify new transportation technologies that could dramatically improve energy use, convenience, and affordability. Working with DFW and the... Read more →

thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and Saft have developed a new lithium-ion battery system for submarines together with Saft. In an adapted form, the system could also be used for other maritime applications in future. thyssenkrupp Marine Systems is presenting the prototype at EURONAVAL 2018 in Paris. The use of the new... Read more →

Enevate Corporation, developer of a silicon-dominant composite anode material and high energy density batteries (earlier post), announced that LG Chem has participated in Enevate’s recent funding. Introduced in November 2017, Enevate’s HD-Energy Technology for EVs enables Lithium-ion (Li-ion) cells with up to 50% higher capacity than conventional graphite cells. The... Read more →

Ford Motor Company is reorganizing its Asia Pacific operations. As part of those actions, which include hiring a new President and CEO (Anning Chen) for Ford China, Ford China is elevated to a stand-alone business unit reporting to Ford global headquarters. Peter Fleet, president Ford Asia Pacific, will facilitate the... Read more →

Fisker Inc., an e-mobility and technology company developing electric vehicles and proprietary solid-state battery technologies, announced a strategic investment from Caterpillar Venture Capital Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric... Read more →

The new Jaguar I-PACE’s (earlier post) electric powertrain can operate at currents of up to 650 amps. To handle these large currents and the resulting extreme load changes, Continental developed a next-generation power electronics system for Jaguar Land Rover that is specifically adapted to the requirements of sporty, performance-oriented powertrains.... Read more →

Evoke Motorcycles is currently in long-term testing of its Gen 2 Battery Pack, that allows charging from 0 – 80% SOC in 15 mins; additionally, it is daisy chainable and modular for small scale to mid-scale electric vehicles. Evoke’s Gen 2 module features a combination of its proprietary cooling system... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded $9.6 million in Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) grants to public and private partners in California. The funds will be used to retrofit and replace old, polluting diesel vehicles and equipment, including school buses, heavy-duty trucks, tractors and port equipment. The DERA program... Read more →

Electrify America and the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission (OTIC) announced plans to install electric vehicle (EV) charging stations—the first along the Ohio Turnpike. The planned charging stations will be located at the Wyandot and Blue Heron Services Plazas in Genoa and at the Indian Meadow and Tiffin River Service... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded Virginia Tech a $3 million grant for research on electric vehicle charging infrastructure cybersecurity as part of a larger $80 million investment by the department on advanced technologies research (earlier post). As the world shifts to a higher production and usage of... Read more →

MTS Systems Corporation, a global supplier of high-performance test systems and sensors, announced further power density improvements to its electric motor and inverter technology for motorsport. Power density is a key component of successful racing. Leveraging experience and technology gained from developing energy recovery systems for Formula 1 racecars, MTS... Read more →

There are 19,975 level 2 charging stations and 2,368 DC fast charging stations to serve electric vehicles in the US. More than 60% of those charging stations are maintained by four networks: ChargePoint, Tesla, Blink, and SemaCharge, according to the US Department of Energy (DOE). Level 2 charging stations can... Read more →

Global VC funding (venture capital, private equity, and corporate venture capital) for Battery Storage, Smart Grid, and Efficiency companies in the first 9 months (9M) of 2018 was 8% higher at more than $1.3 billion compared to the $1.2 billion raised in 9M 2017, according to the latest Mercom Capital... Read more →

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) is deploying three 40' Proterra Catalyst E2 electric buses. Rhode Island received $14.4 million in VW settlement funding and chose to invest the bulk of it in clean transit, with the intent to replace approximately 20 retiring diesel buses with new, all-electric zero-emission... Read more →

Emerging Fuels Technology, Inc (EFT) has executed a license agreement with Red Rock Biofuels LLC (RRB) under which EFT will provide its second-generation TL8a Fischer-Tropsch (FT) technology to provide additional FT capacity for RRB’s biorefinery in Lakeview, Oregon. EFT has also received a “notice to proceed” from RRB to commence... Read more →

BASF and Nornickel have established a strategic cooperation to meet the growing needs for battery materials in electric vehicles. BASF has selected Harjavalta, Finland, as the first location for battery materials production serving the European automotive market. The plant will be constructed adjacent to the nickel and cobalt refinery owned... Read more →

Researchers in Drexel’s College of Engineering report the ability of stabilized titanium monoxide (TiO) nanoparticles in nanofibers to support high conductivity and to bind polysulfides in Li-S batteries. Their paper is published in the ACS journal Applied Materials & Interfaces. The developed 3-D TiO/CNF architecture with the inherent inter-fiber macropores... Read more →

Researchers with the US Department of Energy (DOE) Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), with colleagues in China, have produced the tricyclic sesquiterpenes epi-isozizaene, pentalenene and α-isocomene—promising jet fuel feedstocks—at high production titers, providing novel, sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based jet fuels. An open-access paper on their work appears in Biotechnology for Biofuels.... Read more →

Mining and purifying rare-earth metals by conventional solvent extraction or ion-exchange chromatography methods are time-consuming, require substantial cost, and are unsustainable. Previous work has shown that specific rare earth elements absorb light energy that can change their chemical behavior and make them easier to separate. Now, researchers have revealed how... Read more →

Toshiba Corporation will boost production of its SCiB lithium-ion rechargeable battery with the construction of a new production facility in Yokohama. Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions Corporation (TISS) currently manufactures SCiB at its Kashiwazaki Operations facility in Kashiwazaki and promotes the SCiB in Japan and overseas. The SCiB delivers long... Read more →

Auburn University researchers are leading a $2-million US Department of Energy Co-Optima project (earlier post) that will evaluate renewable butyl acetate (BA) as a bio-based fuel additive that can be blended with diesel fuel to reduce soot and greenhouse gas emissions and yield cleaner engine operation in cold-weather conditions. Joining... Read more →

A $15-million trial—the largest of its kind in Australia—will use international technology to convert solar and wind power into hydrogen gas, which will then be stored for use across the Jemena Gas Network in New South Wales—Australia’s biggest gas distribution network. Jemena’s Managing Director, Frank Tudor, said Jemena’s Project H2GO... Read more →

Omnitek Engineering Corp. finalized the development of a 420 hp 13-liter heavy-duty natural gas engine for a European customer, which can be used for truck and bus applications. The engine, equipped with Omnitek’s patented engine management system components and a highly efficient catalytic converter, exceeded EURO 6 emissions requirements and... Read more →

Simulation will be a cornerstone technology for autonomous vehicle implementation, underpinning system training, testing, and validation, according to a report from ABI Research. While being an asset to all autonomous technology developers, simulation will prove a “must-have” for adopters of deep-learning approaches, bringing some much-needed validation and confidence before deployment.... Read more →

In a first-of-its kind program, the US Department of Energy (DOE) Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) is soliciting proposals from commercial partners to co-develop new target molecules. The proposed targets need not be based on prior JBEI or partner IP. JBEI will provide $50,000-100,000 in in-kind support for activities such as... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz Trucks has delivered another all-electric eActros (earlier post) to a customer for on-road testing: Meyer-Logistik. For one year, the company based in Friedrichsdorf in Hessen will now be test-driving a 25-tonne truck with a refrigeration unit for transporting temperature-sensitive foodstuffs from the warehouse to different supermarkets in the center... Read more →

REV Group, a manufacturer of industry-leading specialty vehicle brands and a leading provider of parts and services, is introducing liquid natural gas (LNG) fueled engines in their Capacity TJ9000 L9N terminal tractors (earlier post). Capacity’s Cummins L9N LNG engine, which powers the TJ terminal tractor, features a near-zero emissions certification.... Read more →

A new study led by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has found that deaths related to air pollution in the US were nearly halved between 1990 and 2010. The open-access study is published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. The team’s analyses showed that... Read more →

The government of Canada is investing $12 million in Alliance Magnesium (AMI). The funding is being provided by Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), which works with Canadian companies to bring clean technologies to market. Decades of chrysotile-asbestos mining in Québec generated huge tailings of serpentine rock with 23.3% magnesium metal... Read more →

ZF Friedrichshafen AG is taking a 35% stake in engineering services provider ASAP Holding GmbH, located in Gaimersheim, Bavaria (near Ingolstadt). With this move, the company is pursuing its strategy of securing additional resources for autonomous driving and e-mobility in order to better meet the ever growing demands from customers... Read more →

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have demonstrated a 120-kilowatt wireless charging system for vehicles—providing six times the power of previous ORNL technology and a big step toward charging times that rival the speed and convenience of a gasoline station fill-up. The wireless system transfers... Read more →

Nouryon (formerly AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals), Tata Steel and the Port of Amsterdam have joined together to study the feasibility of a large green hydrogen cluster in the Amsterdam region. The three parties consider green hydrogen as vital for reaching climate targets and building a more circular economy—e.g., by combining it... Read more →

The Supervisory Board of Porsche AG has approved series production of the concept study Mission E Cross Turismo, unveiled earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show (earlier post). The vehicle is a derivative of the Taycan, which was originally known as the Mission E (earlier post). Concept study Mission... Read more →

Volkswagen Group China is beginning construction in Anting of the Group’s first factory specifically designed for the Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB) platform. The first model that will be produced in the factory of SAIC Volkswagen will be an electric Volkswagen brand SUV in 2020. Together with the FAW-Volkswagen factory... Read more →

Nova Bus has won the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration’s (MDOT MTA) bid to supply city buses to the Baltimore region’s public transport system. The five-year contract provides for the delivery of 70 buses per year for a total of 350 diesel buses to be produced—310 forty-foot Nova... Read more →

LG Chem, South Korea’s leading manufacturer of advanced lithium-ion batteries, is hosting its first open innovation contest—The Battery Challenge—to support start-ups specializing in new battery technology to strengthen its competitiveness in the industry. LG Chem will offer more than $1.9 million in funding to 8 selected start-up companies. The finalists... Read more →