Velodyne has shipped a cumulative total of 30,000 lidar sensors with a total value of half a billion dollars. Velodyne is the highest volume supplier of lidar sensors to the automotive industry with more than 250 customers globally. Lidar sensors are a central component of autonomous vehicles (AVs) and advanced... Read more →

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. has completed the previously announced sale of its electric battery operations and production facilities to Envision Group, a world-leading digital energy company. The new battery company is scheduled to start operations on 1 April 2019. Read more →

To permanently reduce CO2 emissions, steelmaker ArcelorMittal has developed a low-emissions technology strategy, which targets not only the use of alternative feedstocks and the conversion of CO2 emissions, but also the direct avoidance of carbon (Carbon Direct Avoidance, CDA). This year, the Group intends to launch a new project in... Read more →

Daimler Trucks and Torc Robotics, a pioneer in autonomous driving solutions, are joining forces to commercialize highly automated trucks (SAE Level 4) on US roads. Going beyond an OEM/supplier relationship, the companies signed an agreement for Daimler AG’s subsidiary Daimler Trucks and Buses Holding Inc., to acquire a majority stake... Read more →

Ricardo Software announced major updates to its proprietary suite of computer-aided engineering (CAE) simulation and analysis products. Now available for download by customers, Ricardo Software’s 2019.1 release provides significant enhancements in integration and functionality across the full product range, helping to enable cleaner and more fuel-efficient products to be brought... Read more →

An the 2019 Hannover Messe, Ericsson, together with Audi and Sick (a leading provider of sensors for industrial automation), is demonstrating human-robot interaction in real time using 5G. In the future, wireless production robots and employees will work hand in hand. Real-time interaction is essential for smooth collaboration. The key... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $70 million for a Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute to develop technologies that will advance US manufacturing competitiveness, energy efficiency, and innovation. This Institute will focus on early-stage research for advancing cybersecurity in energy efficient manufacturing. The manufacturing and industrial sector... Read more →

Johnson Matthey (JM) has accomplished two major strategic developments in the commercialization of eLNO, its portfolio of market-leading ultra-high energy battery cathode materials (earlier post): Site in Poland secured for construction of commercial plant, with room for significant expansion. Supply of lithium-containing raw materials secured via a long term supply... Read more →

Irizar signed a supply contract for 10 Irizar ie 12-meter long electric buses with the Rheinbahn operator in Düsseldorf, Germany. It was one of the biggest tenders for electric buses in Germany in the last 12 months. The Irizar ie bus under the contract is a new generation of this... Read more →

The Siemens technology group will be the integration partner for the Volkswagen Industrial Cloud. (Earlier post.) Volkswagen and Amazon Web Services (AWS) earlier this week announced the development of the Industrial Cloud; in the future, the Volkswagen Industrial Cloud will combine the data of all machines, plants and systems from... Read more →

Tesla’s Model 3 led the BEV and premium midsize sedan rankings in Europe in February, according to JATO Dynamics. The hotly anticipated car excelled during its first full month on the European market and became the best-selling BEV. The Model 3 quickly outsold other big players such as the Nissan... Read more →

A new report from Adamas Intelligence—Rare Earth Pricing Outlook to 2030—forecasts global rare earth supply and demand to 2030 under two scenarios to examine how oxide prices will evolve in the years ahead. With increased government oversight and an ongoing crackdown on illegal rare earth production in China, Myanmar and... Read more →

Porsche’s first purely electrically driven sports car, the Taycan, is currently completing its final test drives before it enters series production. In Scandinavia, just a few kilometers away from the Arctic Circle, it is proving its potential in terms of driving dynamics on snow and ice. At the same time,... Read more →

A new report from BCC Research, “Oilfield Exploration & Production Markets: A BCC Research Outlook,” estimates that by 2023, the global market for oilfield exploration and production will reach $530.8 billion, up from $387.8 billion in 2018, indicating a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.5%. Top leaders in oil... Read more →

By Cyril Widdershoven for Oilprice.com. The long-awaited Saudi Aramco acquisition of Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) is finally here. With a statement to the press, Aramco CEO Amin Nasser reported that Aramco has acquired a 70 percent stake in SABIC, with an estimated value of $69.1 billion. Aramco’s CEO Nasser... Read more →

BP has established a $100-million fund for projects that will deliver new greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions in its Upstream oil and gas operations. The new Upstream Carbon Fund will provide significant further support to BP’s work generating sustainable greenhouse gas emissions reductions in its operations. In April 2018, BP... Read more →

The Volkswagen Group said that since August 2017, more than 300,000 old diesel vehicles to exhaust emissions standards Euro 1 to Euro 5 have been exchanged throughout the Group. The old diesels have been replaced by new or nearly new cars from the participating Group brands with efficient powertrains of... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $7 million toward the research and development (R&D) of innovative subsurface geothermal technologies. DOE’s Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) will fund projects that will focus on improving geothermal drilling efficiency and cost reduction by addressing two of the most significant barriers: state... Read more →

The number of fuel cell vehicles available to consumers and on the road continues to grow as exhibited by sales and lease volumes. As of February 2019, there were 6,558 fuel cell vehicles on the road, according to the US Department of Energy (DOE). Fuel cell vehicle sales (including leases)... Read more →

Daimler AG and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group , the German and Chinese automotive groups, have formed a 50-50 globally focused joint venture to own, operate and further develop smart, the pioneer of small urban vehicles, as a leader in premium-electrified vehicles. Under the joint venture agreement, a new generation of... Read more →

SEAT, a member of the Volkswagen Group, presented its electric strategy which, until the beginning of 2021, includes six electric and plug-in hybrid models. The electric version of the Mii and el-Born will be the brand’s first two fully electric models, while the new generation Leon and the Tarraco will... Read more →

Researchers at Stanford University have developed a new way of controlling autonomous cars that integrates prior driving experiences to help the cars perform more safely in extreme and unknown circumstances. Tested at the limits of friction on a racetrack using Niki, Stanford’s autonomous Volkswagen GTI, and Shelley, Stanford’s autonomous Audi... Read more →

Scientists from the University of Maryland (UMD), Baidu Research and the University of Hong Kong have developed a photo-realistic simulation system for training and validating self-driving vehicles. The new system provides a richer, more authentic simulation than current systems that use game engines or high-fidelity computer graphics and mathematically rendered... Read more →

MAN Energy Solutions is acquiring 40% of the shares of the electrolysis technology company H-TEC Systems. The contract also makes provisions for a majority or complete takeover of H-TEC Systems at a later date. The company will continue to be independently represented on the market with no change in the... Read more →

The Japanese logistics provider Yamato, which is celebrating its 100-year anniversary this year, has ordered 500 electric light utility vehicles from StreetScooter, a subsidiary of Deutsche Post DHL Group. As part of the close development partnership between the two companies, the electric vehicles have been modified to meet both Japanese... Read more →

MONET Technologies Inc., a joint venture between SoftBank Corp. and Toyota Motor Corporation, announced that it concluded an agreement for a capital and business partnership with Hino Motors, Ltd. and Honda Motor Co., Ltd. to increase the value of its MaaS (mobility-as-a-service) business and enhance mobility service levels for users.... Read more →

The BMW Group has launched its High Performance D3 IT platform—a key milestone on the BMW Group’s roadmap to highly and fully automated driving. The “D3” in the new IT platform’s name stands for Data-Driven Development, which forms the basis for the development and validation of highly and fully automated... Read more →

Volkswagen and Amazon Web Services (AWS) will develop the Volkswagen Industrial Cloud together. Both companies announced a multi-year, global agreement jointly to develop this project. In the future, the Volkswagen Industrial Cloud will combine the data of all machines, plants and systems from all 122 facilities of the Volkswagen Group.... Read more →

North America will be the major contributor to the growth of global liquefied natural gas (LNG) liquefaction capacity between 2019 and 2023, accounting for around 72% of the total global capacity from planned and announced projects, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. The company’s report: ‘H1 2019... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced funding selectees for multiple domestic advanced nuclear technology projects. Four projects in two states will receive varying amounts for a total of approximately $19 million in funding. The projects are cost-shared and will allow industry-led teams, including participants from federal agencies, public and... Read more →

The European Parliament, Council and Commission (the EU institutions) reached a provisional political agreement on the revised General Safety Regulation. As of 2022 a suite of 15 new safety technologies will become mandatory in European vehicles to protect passengers, pedestrians and cyclists. The European Commission expects that the proposed measures... Read more →

SNS Telecom & IT’s latest research report indicates that global spending on V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) communications technology—based on both IEEE 802.11p and C-V2X (Cellular V2X) standards—will reach $1.2 billion annually by the end of 2022. V2X communications technology allows vehicles to directly communicate with each other, roadside infrastructure, and other road... Read more →

Next-generation electric motor company Linear Labs (LL) closed a $4.5-million seed round led by Science Inc. and Kindred Ventures with participation from investors Chris and Crystal Sacca, Ryan Graves of Saltwater Ventures, Dynamic Signal CEO Russ Fradin, Masergy Executive Chairman and former-CEO Chris MacFarland, as well as Ustream co-founder Dr.... Read more →

An annual ' tracking the progress of California Climate Investments, released by the California Air Resources Board and the California Department of Finance, finds that nearly $1.4 billion in new funding last year went to projects across all of California’s 58 counties—almost double the $720 million spent in 2017. The... Read more →

Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. has developed a turbo duct made entirely of plastic. This reduces weight by half and will contribute to the environmental performance of automobiles. The new lightweight plastic turbo duct is used on the new HiAce for international markets that Toyota Motor Corporation launched in February 2019.... Read more →

A new solution by Nordic clean energy company Fortum makes more than 80% of an electric vehicle (EV) battery recyclable, returns the scarce metals back into circulation and resolves the sustainability gap by reducing the need to mine cobalt, nickel, and other scarce metals. There are very few working, economically... Read more →

At a Ford “Go Further” experience in Amsterdam on 2 April, Ford will unveil Fiesta and Focus EcoBoost Hybrid models for Europe. The Fiesta EcoBoost Hybrid and Focus EcoBoost Hybrid will feature a mild-hybrid architecture with a belt-driven integrated starter/generator (BISG) replacing the standard alternator, enabling recovery and storage of... Read more →

UPS announced a groundbreaking new logistics service to deliver medical samples via unmanned drones through a collaboration with Matternet, a leader in autonomous drone technology. The program is taking place at WakeMed’s flagship hospital and campus in the Raleigh, N.C., metropolitan area, with oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration and... Read more →

BYD and Pireos Capital, an energy fund created to finance the development of photovoltaic plus energy storage systems (PV+ESS) projects in Mexico and Latin America, announced today a new partnership for the deployment of 100MWh ESS in Mexico, equivalent to the daily power consumption of 30,000 households. The partnership seeks... Read more →

WiTricity is working with Furukawa Electric to test an advanced wireless charging system prototype for electric vehicles (EVs) that uses Furukawa’s latest technologies. The companies are working together to test WiTricity’s DRIVE 11 park-and-charge system, designed for maximum efficiency and interoperability across vehicle platforms with materials and components developed by... Read more →

Fortum, in cooperation with the City of Oslo and Momentum Dynamics, is building a wireless fast-charging infrastructure for taxis in the Norwegian capital. Charging plates will be installed in the ground where the taxi is parked and a receiver is installed in the taxi. This allows for charging up to... Read more →

Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) will lower the price of compressed natural gas at all of its 13 public access natural gas vehicle fueling stations by $0.26 per gallon beginning 1 April. Through a California Public Utilities Commission approved program, the utility is able to offer a reduced price by... Read more →

RONN Motor Group (RMG) has executed its first co-development partnership with a major Chinese provincial Economic and Technological Development Zone (CEDZ) as part of China’s hydrogen initiative to begin advancing sustainable hydrogen technologies, infrastructure and fuel cell vehicles. While most terms are still confidential, under our new substantial subsidy agreement,... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $130 million for new research to advance early-stage solar technologies (DE-FOA-0002064). This funding program targets five research areas: photovoltaics (PV); concentrating solar-thermal power (CSP); soft costs reduction; innovations in manufacturing; and solar systems integration. These projects are intended to make solar... Read more →

Innoviz Technologies, a provider of high-performance, solid-state lidar sensors and perception software, raised $132 million in Series C funding. The round is marked by the entrance of new major investors China Merchants Capital (SINO-BLR Industrial Investment Fund, L.P.), Shenzhen Capital Group and New Alliance Capital; and Israeli institutional investors Harel... Read more →

Electric aviation technology company magniX and Harbour Air, North America’s largest seaplane airline, announced a partnership to transform Harbour Air seaplanes into an all-electric commercial fleet powered by the magni500, a 560 kW (751 shp) all-electric motor that delivers 2,814 N·m of torque. magni500 Operating 12 routes between hubs such... Read more →

by Michael Sivak. In this analysis, I examined the relation between crude-oil production and crude-oil reserves in the world and in the United States. The variable of interest was the amount of crude oil produced as a percentage of proved reserves of crude oil. (This variable is inversely related to... Read more →

Catalytic converters have been used in the US since the 1970s as a way to clean up pollutants from vehicle exhaust. In the catalytic process, rare metals such as platinum, are used in a chemical reaction to convert carbon monoxide and other pollutants to non-toxic carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and water.... Read more →

Researchers at MIT and in China are proposing a new class of dense intercalation-conversion hybrid cathodes by combining intercalation-type Mo6S8 with conversion-type sulfur (HMSC) to realize a Li–S full cell. In a paper in Nature Energy, the researchers report that the mechanically hard Mo6S8 with fast Li-ion transport ability, high... Read more →

About 2.5 billion gallons of produced water—a byproduct from the oil refinery and extraction process—is generated each day in the United States. Handling that water is a major challenge in the oil refinery industry, particularly because it is deemed unusable for household and commercial use by the Environmental Protection Agency... Read more →