The American Petroleum Institute’s latest monthly statistical report shows the US produced a record 11.0 million barrels of crude oil per day (mb/d) in September. US liquid fuels production grew 2.2 mb/d year-over-year (y/y), and the US met virtually all global oil demand growth. As supply increased, crude oil inventories... Read more →

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and Capstone Turbine have received $380,000 from the DOE Technology Commercialization Fund (TCF) to refine Argonne’s high-efficiency, fast charging/discharging latent heat thermal energy storage system (TESS) for use in building applications and process/manufacturing industries. The TESS is a ​“thermal battery”... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems will provide fuel cell modules to power two port terminal yard trucks as part of a project being managed by GTI and partially funded by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). (Earlier post.) CARB has preliminarily awarded $5.7 million dollars to GTI for the Zero Emissions for... Read more →

Peugeot is developing a new range of electrified sports vehicles from 2020. Peugeot will concentrate its resources on developing these new vehicles and has therefore decided to withdraw from the WRX championship at the end of the 2018 season. WRX evolution towards electrification is uncertain, Peugeot noted. These electrified sports... Read more →

TenCate Advanced Composites, a leading global developer and manufacturer of advanced composite materials, and Aston Martin announced a technical partnership for the Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar program. Unveiled in March 2017 as the AM-RB (Aston Martin - Red Bull Racing) hypercar, and subsequently named Valkyrie, the mid-engined hypercar features a... Read more →

Electrify America has reached network interoperability agreements with EV Connect, Greenlots and SemaConnect. The deal will increase the range confidence of EV drivers, and will feature an interconnected network of approximately 12,500 chargers, located at shopping centers, gas stations, convenience stores, workplaces, and multi-family dwellings, as of 30 June 2019.... Read more →

The Volkswagen Group rolled out a new diesel swapping program in Germany. Environmental incentives for scrappage of Euro-1 to Euro-4 diesel vehicles of any make are again being offered by some of the Group’s brands throughout Germany. Vehicle keepers in the 14 cities classified by the federal government as having... Read more →

Carbon fibers have already beeen demonstrated as high-capacity Li-ion battery anodes, opening the way for their use as structural electrodes—i.e., simultaneously carrying mechanical load and storing electrical energy. Now, researchers led by Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have linked the carbon fiber (CF) microstructure to the lithium insertion mechanism and... Read more →

Germany’s Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has launched a new €16-million cluster—FestBatt—to foster basic research into solid-state batteries. Fourteen scientific institutions have joined FestBatt; the competence cluster is coordinated by the University of Gießen (JLU). Solid-state batteries are fireproof and might enable larger storage capacities and quicker charging processes... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released 2017 greenhouse gas (GHG) data collected under the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP), showing overall decreases across sectors and that total US greenhouse gas emissions reported decreased by 2.7 percent from 2016 to 2017. The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP) collects GHG... Read more →

Momenta, a China-based autonomous driving company, has secured a new round of funding from industry-leading strategic investors and government funds at a valuation north of $1 billion, making Momenta the first autonomous driving unicorn company in China. Existing investor NIO Capital and Pagoda Investment increased their investments. Strategic investors, including... Read more →

Duke Energy has proposed an electric transportation (ET) pilot program that will allow South Carolina to join other states in deploying EV infrastructure to meet the needs of this growing market. The proposed $10-million pilot consists of four programs designed to research and better understand the effects of increasing adoption... Read more →

Berlin-based Graforce Hydro GmbH, the developer of a plasma electrolyzer—the Plasmalyzer—is applying its technology for the highly efficient generation of hydrogen from industrial waste water. Mixing in biogas produces hydrogen-enriched compressed natural gas (HCNG)—a cost-effective, environmentally friendly fuel for vehicles that also generates electricity and heat. The technology not only... Read more →

All Volvo truck owners in the US and Canada with GHG 2017 Volvo engines equipped with Volvo’s factory-installed connectivity hardware are now eligible for software and parameter updates with Volvo’s Remote Programming. Users can perform updates anywhere in the US and Canada where a cellular connection is available, and at... Read more →

Daimler Financial Services, the financial and mobility services arem of Daimler AG, has made a strategic investment in Soul Machines—a New Zealand company re-imagining how humans connect with machines—further to develop the combined use of artificial and emotional intelligence. Daimler is the first premium brand in the automotive sector to... Read more →

Google has added information about electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to the Map. A quick search for keywords such as “ev charging” or “EV charging stations" will display the nearest supported stations. To help drivers make a quick decision about which station to use, Google will show information about the... Read more →

The Volvo Group—a global manufacturer of trucks, buses, construction equipment and marine and industrial engines, but not Volvo Cars—has reported that it has detected that an emissions control component used in certain markets is degrading more quickly than expected, which could cause the engines to exceed emissions limits for nitrogen... Read more →

Preparations for fully electric vehicle manufacturing are moving to the next level at the MAN city bus plant in Starachowice, Poland. The operating company, MAN Bus Sp. z o.o. Starachowice, received approval in August 2018 to expand its activities to include manufacturing complete electric buses within the Starachowice Special Economic... Read more →

One factor holding back the widespread use of eco-friendly hydrogen fuel cells in cars, trucks and other vehicles is the cost of the platinum catalysts that make the cells work. One approach to using less precious platinum is to combine it with other cheaper metals, but those alloy catalysts tend... Read more →

Dutch energy storage and battery company Lithium Werks B.V. and Chinese Zhejiang Jiashan Economic and Technological Development Zone Industry Corporation have signed a framework agreement with the intention to construct a 60-hectare battery gigafactory in the Yangtze river Delta. Total investments required are estimated at €1.6 billion (US%1.85 billion). The... Read more →

AxleTech, a provider of specialty powertrain solutions, is developing a heavy-duty e-powertrain system with Thor Trucks, a fleet-focused transportation lab building fully electric commercial trucks. AxleTech and Thor Trucks will integrate AxleTech’s e-axle technology with Thor’s proprietary battery technology to create a fully electric commercial vehicle powertrain. Thor Trucks is... Read more →

Rolls-Royce and Intel intend to collaborate on designs for sophisticated intelligent shipping systems that will make commercial shipping safer. This will advance smart, connected and data-centric systems for ship owners, operators, cargo owners and ports, bringing together the expertise in advanced ship technology from Rolls-Royce with components and systems engineering... Read more →

Groupe Renault and Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Limited (Brilliance), who earlier this year formed Renault-Brilliance-Jinbei Automotive Co., Ltd., a joint venture to manufacture and sell light commercial vehicles (LCV), signed a Strategic Cooperation agreement with Chinese officials from Liaoning Province to further accelerate growth of LCVs in China. Renault also... Read more →

ZF is developing a three-dimensional (3D) Interior Observation System (IOS) capable of detecting and classifying vehicle occupants, determining their size, location and position, and whether or not they are in active control of the vehicle via the steering wheel or monitoring the automated driving systems—all key data to assist with... Read more →

Sustainable technology company Anellotech confirmed significant progress in its Bio-TCat technology development program and has begun planning for scale-up design and engineering of a commercial plant with its process development and design partner IFPEN and commercialization, engineering, and licensing partner Axens. Anellotech has developed an innovative manufacturing process to produce... Read more →

Bosch will be an official partner of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship—the world’s first purely electric single-seater racing series. The move underscores Bosch’s aim to be a leader in electromobility. The partnership with the race series covers a wide-ranging advertising collaboration at the race tracks, online, and on TV.... Read more →

WiTricity announced an intellectual property licensing agreement with Anjie Wireless, a China-based automotive Tier 1 supplier. Under the terms of the agreement, Anjie Wireless will license WiTricity’s patented magnetic resonance technology and industry-leading designs to develop and commercialize highly efficient wireless electric vehicle (EV) charging systems for sale to leading... Read more →

Pulse Electronics’ Networking Business Unit, a leading provider of electronic networking and communications components, has introduced the 1000Base-T1 Ethernet Common Mode Choke for automotive applications. Designed to deliver high reliability and performance, the AE5002 1000Base-T1 series is suited for applications such as Infotainment, Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) Body Control,... Read more →

XL is upfitting six hybrid electric (HEV) Ford F-250 trucks (earlier post) and one hybrid electric Ford Transit passenger van for the City of Sacramento. The City expects a 25% increase in MPG from its XL hybrid electric trucks, compared to its standard gasoline-powered fleet vehicles. Since 2011, the City... Read more →

Workhorse Group announced that the Workhorse NGEN-1000, a new light-weight electric delivery vehicle, has entered initial production. The NGEN-1000’s curb weight is 4,000lbs—less than one-half of what a traditional diesel step-van weighs—while offering the same cubic footage of storage, 1,000 cubic feet. Workhorse believes this weight reduction, coupled with the... Read more →

GAC Mitsubishi Motors is to start production of the new Eupheme EV Electric Vehicle SUV in China. GAC Mitsubishi Motors (GMMC) is a joint venture between the Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, Guangzhou Automobile Group (GAC) and the Mitsubishi Corporation. The Eupheme EV was designed by GAC and is produced by GMMC... Read more →

Audi plans to apply machine learning (ML) in series production. The software Audi has developed recognizes and marks the finest cracks in sheet metal parts— automatically, reliably and in a matter of seconds. With this project, Audi is promoting artificial intelligence at the company and revolutionizing the testing process in... Read more →

Southern California Edison Company (SCE) has selected esVolta, a developer and owner of utility-scale energy storage projects across North America, to deliver a series of lithium-ion battery energy storage systems in Riverside and Ventura Counties. Under the contracts, which are pending approval by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), esVolta... Read more →

Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation (Toshiba ESS) concluded a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with National Electrification Administration (NEA), an government organization of the Philippines, on the implementation of H2One, a hydrogen-based autonomous energy supply system with renewable energy and the use of hydrogen as a fuel for power generation... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a $2.2-million grant to researchers at Texas A&M AgriLife Research to investigate potential discoveries for waste products used in lignocellulosic biofuel production, turning them into valuable agents used in producing commercial products such as biodiesel and asphalt binding agents. Dr. Joshua Yuan,... Read more →

Samsung Electronics is introducing two new automotive solution brands—Samsung Exynos Auto and Samsung ISOCELL Auto—to bring its application processor and image sensor technology solutions to the road. Samsung’s Exynos processors have been recognized for their performance and stability since its brand launched in 2011. On top of the powerful and... Read more →

GE Aviation has completed the initial design of the first supersonic engine purpose-built for business jets. This new engine class, revealed as GE’s Affinity turbofan, is optimized with proven GE technology for supersonic flight and timed to meet the Aerion AS2 launch (earlier post). The Affinity is a new class... Read more →

Hydrogenics Corporation has been chosen to supply a large-scale electrolysis system to generate hydrogen at a fueling station in Germany. The customer, Maximator GmbH, is a compressor manufacturer which is building a one megawatt facility in Wuppertal to cover the daily needs of more than 10 new fuel cell buses... Read more →

BYD unveiled two new electric tow tractor models, or tugs, this month. The tugs are suited for airport ground support equipment (GSE) needs including tarmacs and supporting aviation logistic centers and facilities, and also allow for rapid, restriction free charging. BYD tugs offer greater energy and productivity efficiencies as well... Read more →

Cumulative sales of plug-in vehicles through July 2018 show that more than half (53%) are all-electric vehicles (EV), according to figures from the US Department of Energy (DOE). Plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV), which use electricity from the grid as well as gasoline, make up the other 47%. Together, sales of... Read more →

The BMW Group, Northvolt and Umicore have formed a joint technology consortium in order to work closely together on the continued development of a complete and sustainable value chain for battery cells for electrified vehicles in Europe. The chief objective is to make battery cells sustainable by establishing a closed... Read more →

A new study from Juniper Research forecasts that revenues generated by the use of MaaS (Mobility-as-a-Service) platforms, which integrate multi-modal transport services (including buses, taxis, rail and metro), will exceed $11 billion by 2023. This is up from an estimated $100 million in 2018 and reflects an average annual growth... Read more →

Hyundai CRADLE, Hyundai Motor Company’s corporate venturing and open innovation business, is investing in Perceptive Automata to develop artificial intelligence software for self-driving cars and automated systems. Perceptive Automata, a startup based in Somerville, Mass. with an office in Silicon Valley, has developed software that gives autonomous vehicles the ability... Read more →

Data and analytics company GlobalData forecasts that Asia will add the highest refinery crude distillation units (CDU) capacity in the global CDU industry between 2018 and 2022; contributing a total capacity of 5,041 thousand barrels of oil per day (mbd) by 2022, which will account for more than 40% of... Read more →

A research team in China conducted a longitudinal panel study among 43 non-smoking college students in Shanghai to explore the effects of personal ozone exposure on blood pressure (BP), vascular endothelial function, and the potential molecular mechanisms. Endothelial cells line the inside of the heart and blood vessels and release... Read more →

Researchers at Changchun University of Science and Technology in China have developed a nanobox strategy to improve the performance of lithium-sulfur batteries. A paper on their work appears in the Journal of Power Sources. Li–S batteries theoretically offer a specific energy density of 2600 Wh kg−1—five times than the commercial... Read more →

Audi is the first automobile manufacturer worldwide to receive a certificate from the Aluminium Stewardship Initiative (ASI). With the Performance Standard certification, the ASI confirms that Audi meets the ASI requirements for industrial users of aluminum and sustainably designs and manufactures the aluminum components of the battery housing of the... Read more →

Yonhap reported that Hyundai Motor aims to ship 5,000 hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles to France by 2025. The carmaker plans to sign initial agreements with local companies to promote hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV), the company said in a statement. On Tuesday, Hyundai will sign a memorandum of... Read more →

At Huawei Connect 2018 last week, Huawei and Audi showcased their future plans for cooperation in the field of intelligent connected vehicles (ICV), featuring the new Audi Q7 as a demonstration of this state-of-the-art technology. Huawei’s Mobile Data Center (MDC) is integrated into the Audi Q7 for urban automatic driving... Read more →

Researchers at Tohoku University in Japan have identified a way to reduce harmful NO emissions produced by ammonia fuel during combustion. The process involves swirling the gas with air as part of the power generation process. The finding helps advance research into ammonia as an alternative to carbon-based fuels for... Read more →