HARMAN International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. focused on connected technologies for automotive, consumer and enterprise markets, is acquiring substantially all the assets of Savari, Inc., a Silicon Valley-based automotive technology company developing vehicle-to-everything communications (V2X) technology in 5G Edge and automotive devices. Savari’s software and hardware... Read more →

Vulcan Energy Resources will collaborate with DuPont Water Solutions,a leader in water filtration and purification, to test and to scale up Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) solutions for Vulcan’s Zero Carbon Lithium extraction process. (Earlier post.) DuPont will leverage its portfolio of proprietary Direct Lithium Extraction (DLE) products to assist Vulcan... Read more →

Chevron Technology Ventures, LLC (CTV) launched the $300-million Future Energy Fund II focused on technologies that have the potential to enable affordable, reliable, and ever-cleaner energy. With the first Future Energy Fund launched in 2018, CTV invested in more than 10 companies with more than 150 other investors to support... Read more →

UN Climate Change published the Initial NDC Synthesis Report, showing nations must redouble efforts and submit stronger, more ambitious national climate action plans in 2021 if they’re to achieve the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global temperature rise by 2 °C—ideally 1.5 °C—by the end of the century. The report... Read more →

Deltamarin introduced the new LNG-powered Kielmax container vessel of the C.Delta series, C.Delta2100. This new design is based on extensive research and development work to establish the best-in-class design in terms of cargo capacity, flexibility and fuel economy, as well as the proven performance of the built Polar Code C.Delta2150... Read more →

ARPA-E released $10 million in funding for 6 projects as part of the Connecting Aviation By Lighter Electrical Systems (CABLES) topic. CABLES is one of a set of projects supported by an ongoing funding opportunity for a range of the most innovative and unconventional ideas across the energy technology spectrum,... Read more →

Toyota Motor Corporation has developed a product that packages a fuel cell (FC) system into a compact module; the company plans to begin selling it in the spring of 2021 or later. The new module will be easily utilized by companies that are developing and manufacturing FC products for wide... Read more →

E10 gasoline blends (10% ethanol) will be introduced at gasoline stations across the UK in September 2021. Its introduction on UK roads could cut transport carbon dioxide emissions by 750,000 tonnes a year—the equivalent of taking 350,000 cars off the road, or all the cars in North Yorkshire. It will... Read more →

Nuvera Fuel Cells, LLC, a provider of fuel cell power solutions for motive applications, has expanded its hydrogen fuel cell engine testing capabilities with the commissioning of a large-scale durability test facility in Italy. The new automated facility, located at the SIAD S.p.A. main plant in Osio, was designed, constructed... Read more →

ARBOC Specialty Vehicles, a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc., introduced its battery-electric low-floor purpose-built bus: the Equess CHARGE. Available in 30-foot and 35-foot models, the Equess CHARGE builds on ARBOC’s proven Equess transit bus platform, and utilizes the in-field electric vehicle technology from New Flyer of America, another NFI Group... Read more →

Germany is putting another €100 million into a subsidy program for private wallbox chargers, bringing the program total to €400M. Under the program, the purchase and installation of wallboxes are supported with a grant of €900. Federal Minister of Transport Andreas Scheuer said that 300,000 wall boxes have already been... Read more →

Nissan announced a breakthrough in engine efficiency, reaching 50% thermal efficiency with its in-development, next-generation e-POWER system. Nissan’s e-POWER system utilizes an on-board gasoline engine to provide electrical energy to the e-powertrain battery pack. Nissan’s latest approach to engine development has raised the bar to world-leading levels, accelerating past the... Read more →

Earlier this week, the State Auditor of California released a report on an audit of the California Air Resources Board’s (ARB’s) transportation programs intended to reduce greenhouse gases. (Earlier post.) The report suggested that California might not meet its GHG reduction goals for 2030, determined that CARB must do more... Read more →

SK Group, South Korea’s largest energy provider and third-largest conglomerate, announced the close of a $1.6-billion investment in and strategic partnership with Plug Power Inc., a leading provider of hydrogen fuel cell and fueling solutions enabling e-mobility. (Earlier post.) The partnership is part of a long-term, multi-billion dollar plan by... Read more →

UK-based Faradion, a developer of sodium-ion battery technology (earlier post), and Phillips 66 have launched a new technical collaboration to develop lower-cost and higher-performing anode materials for sodium-ion batteries. Sodium-ion battery technology has an inherent advantage over other power-storage technologies because it uses low-cost materials that are sustainable and widely... Read more →

The Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) (Maryland) Board of Education approved a contract on Tuesday evening with Highland Electric Transportation, a provider of turnkey electric fleet solutions, to convert the MCPS school bus fleet to all-electric, starting with 326 school buses over the next four years. This project represents the... Read more →

The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has placed an initial order for 10 Lion Electric LionC school buses. This order follows on Lion’s recent delivery of all-electric school buses to the Twin Rivers Unified School District in Sacramento. LAUSD is the second-largest school district in the United States, serving... Read more →

Wireless power transfer leader WiTricity announced an additional $18 million to its previously announced October fund raise of $34 million for a total of $52 million. The extension included investments from Tony Fadell’s Future Shape and other private investors. Fadell also joins WiTricity’s newly formed Board of Advisors. Stage 1... Read more →

Cadillac is upgrading the XT5 and XT6 SUV lineups in China with a 48V mild hybrid system for improved fuel economy and better driving performance. The 48V mild hybrid technology includes a 48V motor, power battery, power management module and hybrid control unit. As a result, the fuel efficiency of... Read more →

A model-based analysis by Westport Fuel Systems and AVL indicates that H2-HPDI (High Pressure Direct Injection with pilot ignition)—a combustion approach for hydrogen in engines—has the potential to achieve fuel economy close to that of a fuel-cell electric vehicle (FCEV) for heavy duty applications, due to its high efficiency at... Read more →

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI and partner institute Empa have started a joint research initiative called SynFuels. The goal is to develop a process for producing kerosene from carbond dioxide and green hydrogen. Over the next three years, the two Swiss research institutes will jointly search for practical... Read more →

Glacial Lakes Energy (GLE) announces that its four biorefineries have joined the Summit Carbon Solutions (SCS) carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) project announced last week. (Earlier post.) The project is projected to result in an annual reduction of 10 million tons of carbon dioxide or the carbon footprint equivalent of... Read more →

As a direct result of the state’s Clean Cars 4 All program, more than 10,000 Californians have now scrapped old, dirty cars and replaced them with cleaner alternatives such as new and used zero-emission, plug-in hybrid, or hybrid cars. There is strong consumer demand for Clean Cars 4 All (CC4A)... Read more →

Evonik has introduced the silicon-carbon composite material Siridion Black as a new anode material for lithium-ion batteries. Siridon Black features an amorphous Si/C structure with a unique carbon concentration gradient for superior stability and a high specific capacity of more than 3,300 mAh/g. The Si/C composite increases the energy density... Read more →

Little more than a year after a Joint Development Project (JDP) to develop an ammonia-fueled tanker design was launched by LR, MISC Berhad, MAN Energy Solutions and Samsung Heavy Industries (SHI), the partners have been joined by Yara International ASA, a giant Norwegian chemicals company and major ammonia producer, and... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Company recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to work with the South Korean government as well as logistics, battery and mobility companies to demonstrate the electric vehicle (EV) battery leasing business. Through this agreement, Hyundai aims to foster an EV ecosystem by alleviating the initial cost burden... Read more →

Volvo Cars and Geely Auto have agreed on a wide-ranging collaboration that will maximize the strengths of the Swedish and Chinese automotive groups, delivering synergies in powertrains, sharing of electric vehicle architecture, joint procurement, autonomous drive technologies and aftersales. Elements of the expanded collaboration include: Powertrain operations to be combined... Read more →

Solaris has just delivered three Urbino 18 electric buses to Bonn. It is the first contract for the manufacturer with Stadtwerke Bonn Bus und Bahn (SWB). The three delivered Urbino 18 electric buses are fueled solely by power derived from renewable sources. The future is electric. We stick to our... Read more →

Micron Technology has begun sampling the industry’s first automotive low-power DDR5 DRAM (LPDDR5) memory that is hardware-evaluated to meet the most stringent Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL), ASIL D. The solution is part of Micron’s new portfolio of memory and storage products targeted for automotive functional safety based on the... Read more →

Neural Propulsion Systems (NPS) emerged from stealth to launch NPS 500, the first all-in-one deeply integrated multi-modal sensor system focused on Level 4/5 autonomy. The new sensor-fused system precisely interconnects the NPS solid-state MIMO LiDAR, super resolution SWAM radar and cameras cooperatively to detect and process 360° high resolution data... Read more →

A report from the State Auditor of California finds that California may not successfully meet its upcoming greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goal of 40% by 2030, which will require the State to reduce GHG emissions by nearly 40% over the next decade. Source: State Auditor Report Number: 2020-114 Although other... Read more →

Magna has broken ground on a new manufacturing facility in St. Clair, Michigan, that will build complex battery enclosures for the all-new 2022 GMC Hummer EV. Construction of the 345,000 square-foot facility, named Magna Electric Vehicle Structures, represents more than a $70 million investment that is expected to bring more... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is making additional clean vehicle rebates available for lower-income consumers. A cornerstone of CARB’s suite of EV-purchase incentives, the Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) is the nation’s largest and longest-running EV incentive program. CVRP offers standard rebates of $1,000 to $4,500 for the purchase... Read more →

The California Energy Commission (CEC) is convening the first meeting of the newly-formed Blue Ribbon Commission on Lithium Extraction in California (Lithium Valley Commission) today (25 Feb). (Earlier post.) The 14-member group established by Assembly Bill 1657 (Garcia) of 2020 is charged with researching opportunities and benefits associated with lithium... Read more →

Omnitek Engineering Corp. has received EURO VI-E certification for its OT13 heavy-duty natural gas engine. The 13-liter natural gas engine, which will be marketed worldwide in countries where this emissions requirement is mandated, can be utilized for truck and bus applications, and provides 420 hp and 1,960 N·m of torque—essentially... Read more →

Fisker Inc. has entered into a MOU with Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) supporting a project to develop a breakthrough electric vehicle. Highlights of the proposed collaboration, codenamed “Project PEAR” (Personal Electric Automotive Revolution): Fisker and Foxconn to jointly develop a breakthrough new segment vehicle. Foxconn to manufacture the vehicle... Read more →

The European Commission proposed setting up 10 new European Partnerships between the European Union, Member States and/or the industry. The goal is to speed up the transition towards a green, climate neutral and digital Europe, and to make European industry more resilient and competitive. The EU will provide nearly €10... Read more →

Scientists from Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Korea, have found that a new catalyst material can improve lithium–sulfur battery life significantly. A paper on the work is published in the journal ChemSusChem. Unlike conventional Li-ion batteries (LIBs), the Li-sulfur battery (LSB) reaction pathway leads to an accumulation of... Read more →

California’s current strategy of recovering a myriad of fixed costs in electricity usage rates must change as the state uses more renewable electricity to power buildings and vehicles, according to the findings from a new report from the Energy Institute at the UC Berkeley Haas School of Business and non-profit... Read more →

DHL Freight, one of the leading road freight providers in Europe, and Volvo Trucks have partnered to speed up the introduction of heavy-duty electric trucks to be used for regional transport in Europe. DHL Freight and Volvo Trucks have initiated a project focusing on electric longer distance heavy transports. So... Read more →

Daimler Truck AG and Cummins Inc. signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a global strategic partnership for medium-duty engine systems. The companies added that other opportunities for collaboration are also being evaluated. As part of the planned strategic partnership, Cummins will invest in the further development of medium-duty engine systems... Read more →

Vitesco Technologies, a leading international supplier of advanced powertrain technologies and electrification solutions, is now making electrical catalyst heating available in high-voltage hybrid vehicles as well. With a new DC/DC converter, the heating discs of the electrically heated EMICAT catalyst (earlier post) can now also be supplied with electricity in... Read more →

Audi has upgraded the battery capacity for the Q5, A6, and A7 Sportback PHEVs. The TFSI e models now come with 14.4 kWh net (17.9 kWh gross), which supports an increased electric range of up to 91 kilometers (57 miles), measured in accordance with the NEDC cycle (73 km (45... Read more →

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) announced pricing and availability of the 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) crossover. Outlander PHEV is substantially upgraded for 2021, and features a revised powertrain, an enlarged battery pack offering extended all-electric range, and increased performance from a new, more efficient, 2.4... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Company launched the IONIQ 5 midsize CUV during a virtual world premiere event. IONIQ 5 is built upon Hyundai Motor Group’s dedicated battery-electric vehicle (BEV) architecture called theElectric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), enabling it to have unique proportions on an elongated wheelbase. With E-GMP, IONIQ 5 offers innovative interior... Read more →

The US Postal Service awarded a 10-year contract to Oshkosh Defense to manufacture a new generation of US-built postal delivery vehicles that will drive the most significant modernization of the USPS fleet in three decades. Under the contract’s initial $482-million investment, Oshkosh Defense will finalize the production design of the... Read more →

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has released a comprehensive vision for deeply decarbonizing transportation. It is a strategy rooted in cross-cutting research and engineering to enable industry stakeholders, communities, government agencies, and early adopters to meet their climate goals. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, greenhouse gas... Read more →

Continuing to speed up the adoption of hydrogen in long-haul transportation, Hydra Energy—the first Hydrogen-as-a-Service provider for commercial fleets—announced a strategic partnership with Chemtrade. The long-term contract is a pillar of Hydra’s Hydrogen-as-a-Service (HaaS) business model and includes Hydra capturing, cleaning, and compressing hydrogen sourced from Chemtrade. In exchange for... Read more →

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon’s College of Engineering have found that with an emissions-based incentive towards electrification, ridesourcing companies such as Uber and Lyft would electrify more and cut their emissions by amounts ranging from 10% in New York to 22% in Los Angeles. In LA alone, this represents a reduction... Read more →

Kobe Steel, Ltd. (KOBELCO) has successfully demonstrated technology that can reduce CO2 emissions from blast furnace operations by approximately 20% by combining the Midrex’ HBI technologies and the blast furnace operations of Kobe Steel. The demonstration test was conducted for a month at a large blast furnace (4,844 m3) of... Read more →