Hyundai Motor North America introduced the IONIQ 5 (earlier post), an electric crossover utility vehicle (CUV) with a targeted driving range of 300 miles, design inspired by Hyundai’s ‘45’ EV concept (unveiled at the International Motor Show (IAA) 2019 in Frankfurt ), relevant technology and ultra-fast charging from 10 to... Read more →

Ford unveiled the all-electric 2022 F-150 Lightning Pro, a version of the electric F-150 Lightning (earlier post) targeted at commercial customers. The Pro joins E-Transit in the lineup of Ford work-ready electric vehicles, backed by a nationwide network offering EV-certified fleet sales, service and financing. Registrations have opened at Fleet.Ford.com;... Read more →

Movandi, a developer of new 5G millimeter wave (mmWave) technology, announced a successful demonstration of mmWave repeaters, delivering on the promise of seamless 5G cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) communications for the next generation of connected cars. A Movandi BeamXR powered mmWave repeater installed inside a car enabled greater than 10x performance... Read more →

Audi of America and partners Applied Information, Blue Bird, Fulton Co. School System, City of Alpharetta, and Temple, Inc., have completed a cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) connected school zone and buses technology initial deployment (earlier post). With the collaboration beginning in 2020, the deployment leveraged C-V2X solutions provided by Qualcomm Technologies... Read more →

Hyzon Motors Inc., a global supplier of hydrogen fuel cell-powered heavy vehicles, signed a strategic collaboration agreement with Sojitz Machinery Corporation of America (SMA) to partner in penetrating new markets and exploring the development of new fuel cell-powered commercial mobility applications. This comes ahead of Hyzon’s proposed business combination with... Read more →

Rare earth materials are essential to a variety of economic sectors, including healthcare and clean energy. In a new study, scientists at Argonne National Laboratory highlighted which rare earth elements may be particularly vulnerable to disruptions such as mine shutdowns. A range of devices and machines rely on rare earth... Read more →

Researchers from Korea and France have shown that iron–nitrogen-doped carbon is an efficient and durable electrocatalyst for selective nitric oxide reduction into hydroxylamine. An open-access paper on the work is published in Nature Communications. Among the major pollutants, nitrogen oxide (NOx) accumulation can cause severe respiratory diseases and imbalance in... Read more →

CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, has released a report that outlines the significant potential for Australia to reshape its mining sector to capitalize on its rich critical materials resources and turn them into high purity materials and products through refining and manufacturing. The Critical Energy Minerals Roadmap shows how the... Read more →

In Korea, GIST (Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology) School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Engineering Professor Jaeyoung Lee’s research team has generated 1-butanol from CO2 on a phosphorus-rich copper cathode, based on a combination of faradaic and autonomous nonfaradaic reactions. A paper on their work is published in the... Read more →

Each year, the California Air Resources Board (ARB) posts the Annual Crude Average carbon intensity for crude oil delivered to California refineries. In 2020, although the volume of crude supplied to refineries dropped to 476,730,992 barrels from 584,313,143 the year before, the average carbon intensity (CI) rose to 13.41 gCO2e/MJ... Read more →

ADM and the University of Illinois announced the successful completion of the Illinois Basin - Decatur Project (IBDP), a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project designed to evaluate and test the technology at commercial scale. This is one of two CCS projects located adjacent to ADM’s corn processing plant in... Read more →

ADM plans to build North Dakota’s first dedicated soybean crushing plant and refinery to meet fast-growing demand from food, feed, industrial and biofuel customers, including producers of renewable diesel. Based in Spiritwood, ND, the approximately $350-million crush and refining complex will feature state-of-the-art automation technology and have the capacity to... Read more →

Australia-based Graphene Manufacturing Group Ltd. (GMG) reported initial performance data for graphene-enhanced aluminum-ion batteries developed by GHG and the University of Queensland (UQ). The experiments were performed at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) at UQ. GMG graphene is being used to produce coin cell prototypes for customer... Read more →

In Ludwigshafen, Germany, Dr. Martin Brudermüller (BASF) and Dr. Markus Krebber (RWE), accompanied by Chairman of the Mining, Chemical and Energy Industries Union (IG BCE) Michael Vassiliadis, presented a project idea that envisions a new 2 GW offshore wind farm in the German North Sea to provide the Ludwigshafen chemical... Read more →

The world’s first test of a 30% hydrogen/natural gas blend in the forging processes used in industrial steelmaking was held in Rho (province of Milan), at the Forgiatura A. Vienna plant. Forgiatura A. Vienna was founded in 1962 and specializes in medium and large heavy-rolled and open dye-forged products. The... Read more →

During Benchmark’s most recent cobalt webinar, Glencore made the first public confirmation outlining more detailed plans for the restart of its DRC-based Mutanda Mining copper-cobalt operation following a period of care and maintenance. The Benchmark webinar was part of the Cobalt Institute Conference on 19 May 2021. Glencore, one of... Read more →

Neste, the world’s leading producer of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), is beginning the final phase of testing of a renewable gasoline for drop-in commercial use in the existing fleet. The final phase will complete commercial tests of the fuel, thereby enabling significant reductions of greenhouse gas emissions... Read more →

During Benchmark’s most recent cobalt webinar, Glencore made the first public confirmation outlining more detailed plans for the restart of its DRC-based Mutanda Mining copper-cobalt operation following a period of care and maintenance. The Benchmark webinar was part of the Cobalt Institute Conference on 19 May 2021. Glencore, one of... Read more →

The Cobalt Institute has released its State of the Cobalt Market Report 2020. The Cobalt Institute commissioned Roskill to look at the global trends in cobalt consumption, supply and production in 2020. The report is the most comprehensive publicly available market overview to date. According to the report, the cobalt... Read more →

PowerCell Sweden AB is presenting PowerCellution Marine System 200, an industrialized high-power fuel cell module with low weight and a compact format, especially developed for the electrification of marine applications. (PowerCellution is the product brand owned by PowerCell Sweden AB.) Last year, PowerCell Sweden presented its prioritized strategic growth segments;... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has approved the US’ first standard to transition ride-hailing fleets to zero-emission vehicles by 2030. The Clean Miles Standard (CMS) (earlier post) sets electrification and greenhouse gas emission targets for transportation network companies (TNCs)—e.g., Uber and Lyft. The goals of the CMS are to:... Read more →

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) is awarding Alcoa of Australia $8.8 million (A$11.3 million) toward testing the potential use of renewable energy in a Mechanical Vapor Recompression (MVR) process for alumina refining. Total project cost is US$21.9 million (A$28.2 million). The development project has the potential to reduce carbon... Read more →

Major metals and mining companies CMOC, Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) and Glencore, in collaboration with battery material supplier Umicore, are piloting Re|Source, a solution to trace responsibly produced cobalt from the mine to the electric car. A global EV pioneer and one of the world’s leading battery makers are also... Read more →

BASF and Shanshan, a leading lithium-ion battery materials supplier serving both the e-mobility and the consumer electronics (CE) market, have agreed to form a BASF majority-owned joint venture (BASF: 51%; Shanshan: 49%) to produce cathode active materials (CAM) and precursors (PCAM) in China. Closing of the transaction is targeted for... Read more →

Ford and SK Innovation signed an MoU to create a joint venture—to be called BlueOvalSK—to produce approximately 60 GWh annually in traction battery cells and array modules, starting mid-decade, with potential to expand. About US$5.3 billion (6 trillion KRW) will be invested in the JV. The annual output of 60... Read more →

Daimler Truck AG and lithium-ion battery manufacturer and developer Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL) are intensifying their existing partnership based on their shared vision of CO2-neutral electrified trucking. CATL will be the supplier of lithium-ion battery packs for the Mercedes-Benz eActros LongHaul battery-electric truck, which is planned to be... Read more →

The European Association of Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA) has published an interactive map showing the number of truck-specific hydrogen refueling stations required in Europe (the 27 EU member states plus the UK) by 2025 and 2030 for each country. Full interactive map is here. The first hydrogen fuel‐cell electric vehicles are... Read more →

Daimler Truck AG and Shell New Energies NL B.V. are partnering to drive the adoption of hydrogen-based fuel-cell trucks in Europe. The companies plan to support the decarbonization of road freight by building-out hydrogen-refuelling infrastructure and placing fuel-cell trucks in customers’ hands. Shell intends initially to rollout a hydrogen-refueling network... Read more →

Marelli, a leading global automotive supplier, and PUNCH, a supplier for the development, integration and manufacturing of driveline and powertrain solutions, have reached an agreement to form a joint venture focused on e-axle solutions. The joint venture—which is to be majority owned by Marelli—will be focused on a system approach... Read more →

US Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) introduced the Sustainable Skies Act, new legislation to promote the transition to sustainable aviation fuel. Currently, air travel accounts for as much as 2.5% of global carbon emissions. The Sustainable Skies Act aims to cut aviation’s carbon emissions in half. The bill, co-led by Reps.... Read more →

SQM, a Chilean company that is one of the world’s biggest producers of lithium, and Argonne National Laboratory are collaborating to study SQM’s process for producing lithium with an eye toward better understanding sustainability challenges associated with lithium products. Chile has long been a leading producer of lithium, which has... Read more →

Ford unveiled the F-150 Lightning battery-electric pickup. Arriving in spring 2022, F-150 Lightning will be available in four series and two battery options at more than 2,300 EV-certified Ford dealers across the country, with the option for fleet customers to access Ford’s complete ecosystem of connected data and telematics services... Read more →

Israel-based Aquarius Engines unveiled a hydrogen-fueled version of its free-piston linear engine new hydrogen engine. The 10kg machine, based on the same technology as the original patented single-piston linear engine, operates exclusively on hydrogen. The new Aquarius Hydrogen Engine’s lightweight design and unique internal-gas-exchange-method would greatly reduce emissions and lower... Read more →

Israel-based StoreDot, a developer of extreme fast charging (XFC) battery technology for electric vehicles (EVs), announced a new framework agreement with its strategic battery manufacturing partner EVE Energy Co., Ltd (EVE) to support the commercialization of StoreDot’s silicon-dominant anode XFC FlashBattery for EVs. The first prototypes will be available for... Read more →

The BMW Group is stepping up its activities in the field of sustainability, becoming the first automotive manufacturer worldwide to equip its cars with tires using certified sustainable natural rubber and rayon, a wood-based material used to strengthen the tires. The company will source 22-inch tires in the first instance... Read more →

An international consortium comprising OQ, which is the Sultanate of Oman’s global integrated energy company, InterContinental Energy, the leading dedicated green fuels developer, and EnerTech, a Kuwait government-backed clean energy investor and developer, is developing an integrated green fuels mega project in Oman. The consortium has been collaborating on the... Read more →

Daimler Trucks is focusing on hydrogen-powered fuel-cells for the electrification of its vehicles for flexible and demanding long-haul transport. It aims to achieve ranges of up to 1,000 kilometers and more without any stops for refueling. In late April, the truck manufacturer began to conduct rigorous tests of the first... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $40 million in funding for a new Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) program that will limit the amount of waste produced from advanced nuclear reactors, protecting the land and air and increasing the deployment and use of nuclear power as a... Read more →

Rolls-Royce is further strengthening its commitment to Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) by launching a new service—SAFinity, which will initially cater for business aviation customers. This flexible programme combines independently verified sustainability projects with a direct investment in Sustainable Aviation Fuel, aiming to further support and accelerate the availability and use... Read more →

Bloom Energy announced an agreement with Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to test the use of nuclear energy to produce clean hydrogen through Bloom Energy’s solid-oxide, high-temperature electrolyzer. This carbon-free hydrogen is obtained through electrolysis that is powered by nuclear generation. When the electric grid has ample power, rather than ramping... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz has received a large order for 54 fully electric eCitaro buses from Basler Verkehrs-Betriebe (BVB). The decision was made following a tender and intensive testing of several vehicles. The Swiss transport company wants to electrify its bus routes fully in just two steps by 2027. The eCitaro forms the... Read more →

The all-new 2022 Kia EV6 crossover arrives as the brand’s first dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV). The introduction of EV6 signals the US launch of Kia’s ‘Plan S’ strategy that will deliver 11 all-new electrified models across the world by 2026. Starting with the EV6, Kia’s EV lineup will carry... Read more →

Toyota has selected ZF and Mobileye, an Intel company, to develop Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) for use in multiple vehicle platforms starting in the next few years. As part of the agreement, ZF, one of the world’s number one producers of automotive cameras driven by Mobileye technology, will also... Read more →

Stellantis NV and Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., (Foxconn), together with its subsidiary FIH Mobile Ltd., (FIH) signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding to form Mobile Drive, a 50/50 voting rights joint venture aimed at accelerating development timelines to bring innovative in-vehicle user experiences enabled by advanced consumer electronics,... Read more →

Toyota Research Institute (TRI) is committing another $36 million to its Accelerated Materials Design and Discovery (AMDD) collaborative university research program over the next four years. In early 2017, TRI announced the formation of AMDD and launched the program with the mission of using AI to find new materials for... Read more →

Autocar, LLC, manufacturer of North America’s oldest brand of specialized severe-duty vocational trucks, introduced an all-electric version of its Autocar ACTT terminal tractor, the E-ACTT. The E-ACTT will be available in late 2021. The purpose-built E-ACTT terminal tractor makes a great work truck even better by helping meet regulatory mandates... Read more →

Washington State University researchers have developed an innovative way to convert waste polyethylene plastic to ingredients for jet fuel and other valuable products, making it easier and more cost-effective to reuse plastics. The researchers in their reaction were able to convert 90% of plastic to jet fuel and other valuable... Read more →

The world has a viable pathway to building a global energy sector with net-zero emissions in 2050, but it is narrow and requires an unprecedented transformation of how energy is produced, transported and used globally, according to a new special report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). Climate pledges by... Read more →

According to the ITF Transport Outlook 2021, the biennial flagship report of the International Transport Forum, a sister organization of the OECD, global transport activity will more than double by 2050, and traffic emissions will rise by 16% compared to 2015 even if existing commitments to decarbonize transport are fully... Read more →

Lexus announced that the luxury brand eclipsed the milestone of 2 million global sales of electrified vehicles—hybrids and battery-electric—at the end of April 2021. In 2020, 33% of the Lexus models sold globally were of the electrified variety. Since the launch of the RX400h hybrid in 2005, Lexus has continued... Read more →