The Supervisory Board of Peugeot S.A. and the Board of Directors of FCA N.V. have each unanimously agreed to work towards a full combination of their respective businesses by way of a 50/50 merger. Both boards have given the mandate to their respective teams to finalize the discussions to reach... Read more →

Fisker Inc. revealed the name of its upcoming all-electric luxury sports utility vehicle: Fisker Ocean. Designed in California by iconic automotive designer, entrepreneur and visionary Henrik Fisker, the Fisker Ocean will feature recycled, vegan and more innovative materials. The all-electric SUV will come standard with an extended range (target of... Read more →

A mother’s exposure to particulate air pollution during pregnancy is associated with reduced cardiac response to stress in six-month-old infants, according to an open-access study by researchers at Mount Sinai research published in Environmental Health Perspectives. This study is the first to find that particulate air pollution exposure in utero... Read more →

by Michael Sivak. This analysis compares the costs of usable energy when we buy gasoline and electricity for driving and natural gas for keeping warm. The unifying approach in this comparison involves the use of Btu (British thermal units), coupled with the costs of gasoline, electricity, and natural gas, and... Read more →

Magna has been awarded a grant by the US Department of Energy to develop and ‘auto-qualify’ advanced electric motor technologies for next-generation vehicle propulsion systems. In partnership with the Illinois Institute of Technology and University of Wisconsin-Madison, Magna is applying its powertrain, electronics and full-vehicle expertise to deliver an automotive-grade,... Read more →

A study by Gentherm, a developer of innovative thermal management technologies, and General Motors has shown that Gentherm’s ClimateSense microclimate thermal comfort system significantly increases driving range and energy savings in electric vehicles. The results of the study were presented during the SAE Thermal Management Systems Symposium last week in... Read more →

BMW Group has awarded Magna its largest production order for transmission technologies in company history. The multi-year contract includes all front-wheel drive dual-clutch transmissions, including hybrid transmission variants. Magna 7HDT300 Hybrid Dual-Clutch Transmission. Magna to build dual-clutch transmissions including hybrid variants for strategic partner BMW Group. The transmission technologies will... Read more →

With the high costs and operational complexities surrounding electric vehicle (EV) deployments within commercial fleets, EV manufacturer BYD announced a preferred partnership with charging infrastructure provider AMPLY Power. The partnership allows fleet operators such as transit agencies, shuttle bus operators, universities, school districts, and municipalities to transition more rapidly to... Read more →

Navistar, a leading maker of commercial vehicles, has launched a new business unit, NEXT eMobility Solutions, to deliver customized electrification solutions in the truck and school bus markets. Vehicles developed by NEXT will be offered under the International Truck and IC Bus nameplates and will be sold and supported by... Read more →

Israel-based Autotalks successfully showcased its V2X chipset’s conformance to the Chinese C-V2X standard and the Chinese OSCCA (Office of State Commercial Cryptography Administration) security standard in the first large-scale http://www.imt-2020.org.cn of multi-brand C-V2X communication. The IMT-2020 Promotion Group’s C-V2X ‘Four Layers’ Interoperability Application Demonstration brought together more than 20 automotive... Read more →

Penn State researchers have developed a lithium-ion battery that charges at an elevated temperature to increase reaction rate but keeps the cell cool during discharge, showing the potential to add 200 miles of driving range to an electric car in 10 minutes. If scaled, the asymmetric temperature modulation design is... Read more →

Cummins Inc. unveiled a heavy-duty truck with fuel cell and battery electric power at the 2019 North American Commercial Vehicle Show in Atlanta. Cummins’ strategy is to provide its customers with a broad portfolio of power options, from diesel and natural gas, hybrids, to battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell... Read more →

Prodrive is working with Volta Trucks to help engineer its 16-tonne electric heavy-duty truck. The Volta Trucks concept HGV positions its driver low down, centrally and forward of the front axle, to give uninterrupted vision at street level through 220 degrees. Prodrive will help develop the design into a drivable... Read more →

In a first for the African continent, the Volkswagen Brand has launched a pilot project in partnership with Siemens to test the feasibility of electric mobility in an African country. The pilot project, which will form part of Volkswagen’s operations in Rwanda, was officially announced today by Thomas Schäfer, CEO... Read more →

Porsche is intensifying its collaboration with Israeli technology company Tactile Mobility with a minority investment. The Haifa-based company is one of the leaders in the field of “tactile data” and is based in Haifa. In addition to Porsche, Union Tech Ventures and existing investors are participating in the current investment... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Company announced key investments into three hydrogen companies—Impact Coatings, H2Pro and GRZ Technologies—to strengthen its leadership position in the global hydrogen fuel cell ecosystem. The collaborations will enable Hyundai to expand its hydrogen infrastructure and enhance the efficiency of its fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) manufacturing. Our investment... Read more →

A.P. Moller - Mærsk, Wallenius Wilhelmsen, BMW Group, H&M Group, Levi Strauss & Co. and Marks & Spencer are teaming up to explore LEO—a blend of lignin and ethanol—that could be part of the future solution for sustainable shipping. Around 80% of the goods you use every day are delivered... Read more →

BMW i Ventures has made an investment in CelLink, a San Carlos, CA-based manufacturer of flexible circuit technology that delivers high-conductance, large-area, lightweight, and low-cost flexible circuits through a proprietary combination of manufacturing processes, designs, and materials. The new funding is aimed at ramping up production of large-area flexible circuits... Read more →

GE Additive has entered into a five-year cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The agreement focuses on processes, materials and software to drive industrialization and encourage the broader adoption of additive manufacturing technology. The agreement supersedes an existing CRADA... Read more →

Aachen’s transport company ASEAG is ordering up to 27 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro all-electric, locally emission-free low-floor urban buses. The two-door eCitaro models will have top-of-the-range equipment with twelve high-voltage battery packs. This provides a total capacity of 292 kWh. The urban buses will be equipped with both the Preventive Brake Assist... Read more →

Volkswagen AG has established Volkswagen Autonomy GmbH (VWAT GmbH) with headquarters in Munich and Wolfsburg. Another subsidiary in Silicon Valley will follow in 2020. A further subsidiary is planned in China in 2021. As a center of excellence for autonomous driving from Level 4 up, VWAT will serve to build... Read more →

MINI USA announced that the 2020 MINI Cooper SE battery-electric vehicle (earlier post) will reach US showrooms in early March of 2020 with a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $29,900 plus an additional $850 Destination & Handling fee. While the MINI Cooper SE has an MSRP of $29,900, federal... Read more →

Dutch start-up ECONAMIQ is developing a novel engine technology which saves up to 20% in fuel consumption. The “ECONAMIQ principle” uses flexible over-expansion in combination with cylinder deactivation technology to increase performance and efficiency without significantly changing the engine layout or architecture. By over-expanding into adjacent de-activated cylinders, ECONAMIQ creates... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems announced receipt of a purchase order for 9 of its FCveloCity-HD 100 kilowatt (kW) fuel cell modules from Anglo American’s platinum business, the world’s largest platinum group metals mining company and a strategic investor in Ballard. Eight of the FCveloCity-HD modules will power a retrofitted Ultra heavy-duty... Read more →

On 22 October 2019, GSC Logistics was the first to haul a commercial cargo using an electric semi through the Altamont Pass, with their BYD 8TT heavy-duty electric truck. The Altamont Pass is a low mountain pass (1,009 feet or 308 meters) in the Diablo Range of Northern California between... Read more →

ABB is to acquire a majority stake of 67% in Shanghai Chargedot New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (Chargedot), a leading Chinese e-mobility solution provider. The transaction is expected to be completed in the coming months and ABB has the possibility to increase its stake further in the next three years.... Read more →

The California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA), in consultation with the Energy Commission, the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development, the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, the Natural Resources Agency, the Transportation Agency, and the California Air Resources Board, is contracting with the... Read more →

United Airlines has committed $40 million toward a new investment vehicle focused on accelerating the development of sustainable aviation fuels and other decarbonization technologies. The carrier, which earlier this year agreed to purchase up to 10 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel over the next two years, will look to... Read more →

ArcelorMittal entered into a licensing agreement of its Usibor part processing technology patent with AK Steel. This licensing agreement is a part of the settlement of a patent infringement case that has been pending in the Federal District Court for the District of Delaware between the two companies. The result... Read more →

Volvo Trucks has more than 200,000 connected vehicles in North America. This figure is part of more than 560,000 connected trucks globally in the Volvo Trucks family, and is part of the greater total recently reached of one million connected vehicles in Volvo Group worldwide. As early as 2012, Volvo... Read more →

By category, transportation accounted for the fourth-greatest share of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017. Transportation was at 8.8%, following housing at nearly 20%, healthcare at 16.5%, and food at 9.5%. Over time, transportation’s share of the GDP has remained fairly stable, varying from a high of 10.4%... Read more →

Researchers at Loughborough University have been awarded funding of £3.1 million (US$4 million) to help develop the next generation of electrified vehicle technologies by enhancing the virtual product development process. Currently, vehicle development involves significant prototyping and practical testing which can be very expensive, time-consuming and often leads to compromises... Read more →

Ford is extending its European plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) trial to Cologne. The study, which is also testing Ford PHEVs on the streets of London and Valencia, Spain, aims to better analyse and show the real-world benefits of such vehicles for the environment and for commercial vehicle owners and... Read more →

To improve the safety of autonomous systems, MIT engineers have developed a system that can sense tiny changes in shadows on the ground to determine if there’s a moving object coming around the corner. Autonomous cars could one day use the system to quickly avoid a potential collision with another... Read more →

A team from the University of Palermo and ICAR has developed an electric kinetic energy recovery system (e-KERS) for internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEVs) based on the use of a supercapacitor as energy storage, interfaced to a brushless machine through a power converter. In a paper in the Journal of... Read more →

Researchers at Tokyo Institute of Technology, University of Tsukuba, and colleagues in Japan report a promising hydrogen carrier in the form of hydrogen boride nanosheets. The two-dimensional materials derived from magnesium diboride (MgB2) were first reported by researchers in Japan in 2017. The nanosheets exhibit extraordinary electronic and mechanical properties... Read more →

Toshiba Digital & Consulting Corporation (TDX) and Spain’s Gestamp, a multinational specialized in the design, development and manufacture of highly engineered metal components for top vehicle manufacturers, are cooperating in a project to bring advanced monitoring and analysis to the welding of vehicle chassis parts. By drawing on know-how from... Read more →

Audi is now developing software robots (bots) to carry out monotonous tasks for employees at PC workstations. The digital robots can perform tasks such as entering data or creating standardized reports faster, more efficiently and without errors. The company wants to relieve its employees of such work so that they... Read more →

Electrify America and Hubject announced the next significant step in the upcoming launch of a simplified, convenient system for electric vehicle charging (EV) called “Plug&Charge.” Drivers will no longer need to reach for a wallet, smartphone or bankcard as the system enables EV drivers to simply plug their vehicle into... Read more →

Daimler Trucks & Buses, one of the world’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturers, aims to offer only new vehicles that are CO2-neutral in driving operation (“tank-to-wheel”) in the triad markets of Europe, Japan and NAFTA by 2039. The Mercedes-Benz eActros heavy-duty electric truck, with a range of up to 200 km,... Read more →

Researchers at MIT have developed a new, efficient way to capture carbon that addresses the inherent inefficiencies (earlier post) of incumbent technologies, due to their thermal energy losses, large footprint or degradation of sorbent material. In an open-access paper in the journal Energy & Environmental Science, they report a solid-state... Read more →

A study by Mark Z. Jacobson, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University, suggests that carbon capture technologies are inefficient and increase air pollution. His open-access paper is published in the journal Energy and Environmental Science. All sorts of scenarios have been developed under the assumption that carbon... Read more →

Toyota Research Institute (TRI) announced that its Platform 4 (P4) automated driving test vehicle (earlier post) will be available for public demonstration rides next summer in Tokyo. Offered from July to September 2020, the P4 will demonstrate Toyota’s “Chauffeur” SAE Level-4 capabilities in a specific “mobility as a service” (MaaS)... Read more →

Hyundai, in collaboration with Pony.ai and Via, unveiled BotRide, a shared, on-demand, autonomous vehicle service operating on public roads. Starting on 4 November, a fleet of self-driving Hyundai KONA Electric SUVs will provide a free ride-sharing service to the local community of Irvine, California. The pilot introduces BotRide to several... Read more →

A study by A.P. Moller - Maersk and Lloyds Register has found that the best opportunities for decarbonizing shipping lie in finding new sustainable energy sources. Based on market projections, the best positioned fuels for research and development into net zero fuels for shipping are alcohol, biomethane, and ammonia. Energy... Read more →

Norsepower Oy Ltd., together with project partners Maersk Tankers, Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) and Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Ltd., announced successful trial results of two Norsepower Rotor Sails onboard the Maersk Tankers product tanker, Maersk Pelican. The Rotor Sails are large, cylindrical mechanical sails that spin to create... Read more →

At the Tokyo Motor Show, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), under the umbrella of Daimler Trucks Asia (DTA), unveiled the “Vision F-CELL”, a concept fuel-cell-powered light-duty truck, and the model year 2019 Super Great heavy-duty truck, Japan’s first series-produced commercial vehicle equipped with SAE(Society of Automotive Engineers) Level... Read more →

Eaton says it has shown in regulatory test cycles and real-world use that its cylinder-deactivation (CDA) technology can play a key role in helping commercial vehicle manufacturers meet or exceed 2024 and 2027 US emissions regulations. The company will make the announcement at the North American Commercial Vehicle show (NACV)... Read more →

A team in Russia has developed a novel and simple strategy to produce high-octane synthetic fuel based on low-octane gasoline Fischer-Tropsch product via new two-stage processes in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis involving isomerization of alkenes and a methoxylation process. A paper on their work is published in the journal Fuel. Flowchart for... Read more →

FCA will build a new battery assembly complex in Turin as part of its overall e-mobility strategy. The new “Battery Hub” will be located in the Mirafiori complex and preparations will begin in early 2020. The initial investment will be approximately €50 million. This strategy has been at the center... Read more →