Long-term exposure to ambient ozone appears to accelerate arterial conditions that progress into cardiovascular disease and stroke, according to a new University at Buffalo study. The research is the first epidemiological study to provide evidence that ozone might advance subclinical arterial disease—injuries that occur to the artery walls prior to... Read more →

An association of transit and transportation agencies has formed the Automated Bus Consortium (Consortium), a collaboration designed to investigate the feasibility of implementing pilot automated bus projects across the United States. Created by AECOM, a fully integrated infrastructure firm, the Consortium intends to accelerate the deployment of automated transit technologies... Read more →

A consortium of 11 European stakeholders including ArcelorMittal, Axens, IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN) and Total, has launched a project to demonstrate an innovative process for capturing CO2 from industrial activities: the DMX project. It is part of a more comprehensive study dedicated to the development of the future European Dunkirk... Read more →

Geely New Energy Commercial Vehicle Group’s (GCV) subsidiary brand, Yuan Cheng, launched two new zero-emission buses at a ceremony in Beijing: the F12 hydrogen fuel cell bus and C11 battery-electric bus. The F12 is Geely’s first commercial vehicle which utilizes hydrogen fuel cell technology and after a 10-minute refueling can... Read more →

YASA, the leading manufacturer of axial-flux electric motors, announced that a YASA electric motor powers Ferrari’s first hybrid series production sports car, the SF90 Stradale. YASA has been working closely with Ferrari over the past two and a half years, developing a custom version of its electric motor that meets... Read more →

Rotterdam The Hague Airport and a European consortium led by EDL Anlagenbau Gesellschaft mbH signed a cooperation agreement to develop a demonstration plant that produces renewable jet fuel from air. This plant aims to be the first worldwide to offer renewable jet fuel from air to the market. The study... Read more →

The US Department of Energy released an analysis suggesting that US geothermal electricity generation could increase more than 26-fold from today—reaching 60 gigawatts (GW) of installed capacity by 2050. In addition to describing electricity-generation opportunities, the GeoVision analysis also shows how geothermal can enhance heating and cooling solutions for American... Read more →

Three Norwegian operators have ordered another 7 Solaris electric buses. Four Solaris Urbino 12 electric buses will be included in the Norgesbuss operator fleet from Oslo. These buses will join two Urbino 12 electric delivered to the carrier last year. The four new buses will be equipped with 145 kWh... Read more →

Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation and its manufacturing subsidiary, Japan Semiconductor Corporation have developed process technology for N-channel Lateral Double Diffused MOS (LDMOS) for 0.13-micron generation analog power ICs that ensures high reliability, even at the high temperatures of automotive applications. The technology cuts leak current from crystal defects,... Read more →

Munro & Associates, world leaders in the Lean Design methodology, teardown benchmarking and design optimization, is hosting an Electric Vehicle Technical Briefing on 21 June in Auburn Hills, Mich. During the event, the Munro team will present an engineering comparison of four leading EVs: the Tesla Model 3; the BMW... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) announced a $1.36-million settlement with Tesoro Refining & Marketing, LLC for violating the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS). The LCFS requires that regulated fuel producers report the carbon generated in the production of transportation fuels sold in California. In this case, the company misreported... Read more →

A new University at Buffalo (UB) study based on levels before, during and after the Beijing Olympics has shown how air pollution affects the human body at the level of metabolites. Metabolites are small molecules that are the end products of environmental exposures, such as air pollution, and body metabolism.... Read more →

New York City Clean Air Taxi rules are successful in cutting emissions and reducing air pollution, https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/public-health-now/news/clean-air-taxis-cut-pollution-new-york-city-study to a new study by researchers at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Drexel University. Between 2009 and 2015, the legislation more than doubled the fuel efficiency of the fleet... Read more →

NEXT Renewable Fuels, Inc (NEXT) and BP Products North America Inc. (BP) have entered into a long-term Feedstock Supply Agreement whereby NEXT will purchase approximately 2 million metric tons (13.2 million barrels) per year of renewable feedstocks for NEXT’s planned Port Westward, Oregon renewable diesel facility. Under the Agreement, BP... Read more →

Total greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union (EU) increased by 0.7% in 2017, according to latest official data published today by the European Environment Agency (EEA). Less coal was used to produce heat and electricity but this was offset by higher industrial and transport emissions, the latter increasing for... Read more →

The German Bioethanol Industry Association (Bundesverband der deutschen Bioethanolwirtschaft – BDBe) has published 2018 market data for the production and consumption of certified sustainable bioethanol. German bioethanol production, standardized for use as fuel, fell to 613,000 tonnes, a decline of 8.9% compared with the previous year. However, in a shrinking... Read more →

Daimler Trucks is establishing the Autonomous Technology Group as a global organization for automated driving, bringing together its worldwide expertise and activities, as of 1 June. The main tasks of the new unit comprise overall strategy and implementation of the automated driving roadmap, including research and development as well as... Read more →

Karma Automotive will bring its luxury electric vehicle niche and VVIP ownership experiences to 13 new cities in the US and 19 new countries by 2020 to support its plans for rapid product expansion. Karma was born and is deeply rooted in California but we are a global company. We... Read more →

Volvo Cars and Varjo, the Finnish maker of high-end augmented reality headsets, have created a mixed reality approach to evaluating prototypes, designs and active safety technologies. The collaboration will be further strengthened by the Volvo Cars Tech Fund’s decision to invest in Varjo. The Tech Fund is the car maker’s... Read more →

Solaris will stage the world premiere of the Solaris Urbino 12 hydrogen buse at the Global Public Transport Summit—organized every two years by UITP (French L’Union internationale des transports publics)—held this year in Stockholm. Hydrogen for the fuel cell system is stored in roof-mounted tanks. The bus is also fitted... Read more →

ExxonMobil is progressing growth plans to increase its earnings and cash flow potential while researching technology breakthroughs to reduce emissions, Chairman and CEO Darren Woods said during the company’s annual meeting today. ExxonMobil expects to increase annual earnings potential by more than 140% and double potential annual cash flow from... Read more →

North America-based bus manufacturer NFI Group Inc. has acquired UK-based bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL) for a total transaction value of £320 million (US$405 million) on a cash-free, debt-free basis, subject to certain adjustments. The combined business creates an independent global bus OEM with market-leading positions in the United... Read more →

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has committed itself for a 10-year period to the development and purchase of 75,000 tonnes of sustainable aviation fuel a year. KLM is the first airline in the world to invest in sustainable aviation fuel on this scale. SkyNRG, global market leader for sustainable aviation fuel... Read more →

With the opening of its 100th HPC site in Rygge, Norway, IONITY has hit a significant milestone in the development of the high-power charging infrastructure in Europe. The new charging park is operated by one of its international site partners Circle K. As with many IONITY HPC charging stations, Rygge’s... Read more →

In Seoul, Hyundai Motor unveiled an electric double-decker bus—a first of its kind for Hyundai, and part of the company’s effort to help reduce traffic congestion and air pollution. The all-new electric double-decker bus is being shown at the ‘Land, Infrastructure and Transport Technology Fair’ held in Korea, co-hosted by... Read more →

Hubject has signed a series of cooperation agreements with China-based charging network operators such as CarEnergyNet, YKCharge, EVCDX, and Kakuka, thereby adding more than 35,000 more charging stations to its global roaming network. As the largest global eRoaming platform for EV charging infrastructure, Hubject sees China as an essential part... Read more →

Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the US was seven times higher in 2017 than in 1950, according to the US Department of Energy (DOE). The number of vehicles in operation was more than six times higher in that same period, while the resident population doubled. Growth of VMT and vehicles... Read more →

Winding wire manufacturers Superior Essex Inc. and Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. are currently in merger talks in pursuit of global collaboration targeting the Chinese and North American markets. Superior Essex and Furukawa Electric have developed a strong business relationship through technical collaboration and cooperation in previous joint ventures. The companies... Read more →

Honda has confirmed that the Side Camera Mirror System seen on the prototype version of the new Honda e urban electric vehicle will be standard when the car enters production. The technology, a first in the compact segment, brings significant benefits for styling, safety, aerodynamics and refinement. The Side Camera... Read more →

Israeli startup TriEye, developer of innovative Short-Wave-Infra-Red (SWIR) sensing technology that is able to see in adverse weather and night-time conditions, announced a $17-million Series A funding round led by Intel Capital. Other investors include Marius Nacht, co-founder of Check Point Software Technologies, and TriEye’s existing investor Grove Ventures, headed... Read more →

Global container carriers CMA CGM and MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) will join TradeLens, a blockchain-enabled digital shipping platform, jointly developed by A.P. Moller - Maersk and IBM. (Earlier post.) With CMA CGM, MSC, Maersk, and other carriers committed to the platform, data for nearly half of the world’s ocean... Read more →

Nouryon and Gasunie are studying an expansion of a planned green hydrogen unit at Delfzijl, the Netherlands. The feasibility study follows a deal to convert sustainable electricity into green hydrogen for SkyNRG. The plant, which would convert renewable electricity into green hydrogen via water electrolysis, could be scaled up from... Read more →

The Volkswagen Group is further expanding its business in its most important market, China, with the entry of SEAT, a member of the Volkswagen Group, and the Smart City Project. Volkswagen Group China, SEAT and the Chinese auto manufacturer JAC, which together form the joint venture JAC Volkswagen, continue to... Read more →

Raising the penetration of renewable —an intermittent—sources of energy into the grid will require large scale electrical energy storage and retrieval. However, at present, no existing technology provides such storage and retrieval at a low financial and environmental cost. A team at Cornell University is now suggesting that engineered electroactive... Read more →

A new University of California, Irvine-led pilot study finds, on average, Waze “crash alerts” occur two minutes and 41 seconds prior to their corresponding California Highway Patrol (CHP)-reported crash. These minutes could mean the difference between life and death. A paper on the work is published in JAMA Surgery. According... Read more →

With nuclear power facing an uncertain future in many countries, the world risks a steep decline in its use in advanced economies that could result in billions of tonnes of additional carbon emissions, according to a new report by the International Energy Agency. Nuclear is the second-largest low-carbon power source... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding $10.6 million to three advanced nuclear technology projects. The projects are cost-shared. The awards are through the Office of Nuclear Energy’s (NE) funding opportunity announcement (FOA) US Industry Opportunities for Advanced Nuclear Technology Development. This is the fourth round of funding through... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group has developed a system that estimates the gross vehicle weight of a light duty commercial electric vehicle and optimizes performance accordingly. The development of the system is a first for the industry, utilizing acceleration sensors to optimize the vehicle’s settings based on current gross weight estimate. This... Read more →

BMW Group customers can now ensure their vehicle software in all BMW’s with Operating System 7.0 is updated at all times with Remote Software Upgrade. Available with immediate effect, this feature keeps the vehicle fresh and is as easy as updating a smartphone. The first upgrade, available now successively in... Read more →

An international research group has improved graphene’s ability to catalyze the hydrogen evolution reaction, which releases hydrogen as a result of passing an electronic current through water. They designed a mathematically-predicted graphene electrocatalyst, and confirmed its performance using high resolution electrochemical microscopy and computational modelling. The findings were published in... Read more →

China-based Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies announced that its latest high power and high power-density automotive fuel cell stacks made using the company’s patent-pending graphite bipolar plates with thickness of 1.1mm exhibit performance superior to that of conventional metal bipolar plates and typical graphite bipolar plates. By optimizing bipolar plate and... Read more →

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. delivered a non-binding letter to the Board of Groupe Renault proposing a combination of their respective businesses as a 50/50 merger. The combined business would sell approximately 8.7 million vehicles annually. The combination would create a brand portfolio that would provide full market coverage with a... Read more →

The third generation of the BMW 1 Series—to be unveiled to the public in June and to make its show premiere at IAA in Frankfurt in September— showcases the debut appearance of BMW’s advanced new front-wheel-drive architecture. Benchmark driving dynamics for the segment and a far more spacious interior are... Read more →

Scientists from the Russian National University of Science and Technology MISIS have doped aluminum melt with nickel and lanthanum to create a material combining benefits of both composite materials and standard alloys: flexibility, strength, lightness. A paper on their research is published in Materials Letters. Uniaxial tensile testing of the... Read more →

ŠKODA, a member of the Volkswagen Group, has introduced the SUPERB iV—a plug-in hybrid version of its flagship SUPERB— and the CITIGOe iV, the company’s first production battery-electric vehicle. The ŠKODA iV sub-brand covers both the development of the brand’s own family of electrified products as well as a special... Read more →

With the all-new, sixth generation Corsa, Opel is offering for the first time a battery-electric version of the bestseller with a range of 330 kilometers (WLTP, provisional figure) (205 miles): the Corsa-e. Opel chose the brand’s most popular model to bring electric mobility out of its niche-existence. More than 13.6... Read more →

Royal Dutch Shell plc, through its subsidiary Shell Offshore Inc (Shell) has started production at the Shell-operated Appomattox floating production system months ahead of schedule, opening a new frontier in the deep-water US Gulf of Mexico. Shell’s Appomattox Platform in the Gulf of Mexico Appomattox, which currently has an expected... Read more →

BASF researchers have developed a process to produce methanol without any greenhouse gas emissions. If it can be successfully implemented at an industrial scale, the entire production process – from syngas production to pure methanol – will no longer release any carbon dioxide emissions. Typically, methanol is made from syngas,... Read more →

DHL Express and electric vehicle maker StreetScooter are collaborating on a new electric delivery vehicle. The new H2 Panel Van will become the first 4.25-tonne electric vehicle with an added fuel cell, which will provide additional power and enable a range up to 500 kilometers. In a first step, DHL... Read more →

Audi has opened Germany’s largest multi-use battery energy storage unit on the EUREF Campus in Berlin. The 13.6-acre EUREF campus serves as a site for pilot projects for the transition to sustainable energy and networked mobility. The Audi storage unit has a capacity of 1.9 MWh and uses used lithium-ion... Read more →