Collins Bus, a leading manufacturer of Type A School Buses and a subsidiary of REV Group, and Lightning eMotors announced a strategic partnership to manufacture and deploy all-electric Type A school buses. Lightning will provide all-electric powertrains including installation, and charging infrastructure products and services; the agreement includes an initial... Read more →

Biologists at Sandia National Laboratories have developed comprehensive software that will help scientists in a variety of industries create engineered chemicals more quickly and easily. Sandia is now looking to license the software for commercial use, researchers said. Sandia’s stand-alone software RetSynth uses a novel algorithm to sort through large,... Read more →

The US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has licensed its high-power wireless charging technology for electric vehicles to HEVO. The system provides the world’s highest power levels in the smallest package and could one day enable electric vehicles to be charged as they are driven at highway... Read more →

Wrightspeed and Matthews Specialty Vehicles are teaming up to develop, convert, and deliver battery-powered and range-extended electric buses, trucks, and specialty vehicles with industry-leading performance, efficiency, and total cost of ownership. The companies are currently fulfilling their first order from Allen Global Enterprises (AGE) to develop and produce 30 tactical... Read more →

When service stations in Algeria stopped providing leaded gasoline in July, the use of leaded gasoline in cars ended globally. This development follows an almost two-decades-long campaign by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP)-led global Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV). Tetraethyl lead was used as a gasoline additive to... Read more →

Twenty-one California nonprofits, local governments, transit agencies, and Native American tribal governments in under-resourced communities have been awarded up to $1 million each by the new Clean Mobility Options Voucher Pilot Program (CMO) to develop and launch zero-emission mobility projects, such as bikesharing and ride-on-demand services, aimed at overcoming transportation... Read more →

SunMirror AG, an exploration company specializing in mineral resources such as gold, lithium, cobalt and other metals and minerals powering future industries, through its wholly owned subsidiary SunMirror Luxembourg S.A., has entered into a conditional binding agreement with Latitude 66 Cobalt Limited to acquire 100% of the shares of Finnish... Read more →

Researchers at Rice University and Northwestern University have experimentally demonstrated the synthesis of atomically well-defined double-layer borophene. Their success at making bilayer borophene is detailed in Nature Materials. Borophene is a one-atom-thick material made of boron atoms, which mostly fall together in neat triangles when grown in a furnace on... Read more →

Mobilize will unveil Limo, a 4.67m four-door fully-electric sedan, specifically designed for for taxi/private hire (PHV) drivers and fleet, at Munich IAA Mobility 2021. Available solely on subscription, the offer will include packages and à la carte mobility solutions. Mobilize Limo is the result of the joint venture created by... Read more →

Following a series of major expansion announcements in 2021, China’s cathode industry is moving closer to having its first producer with a capacity of one million tonnes per annum (tpa), according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. With battery cell producers worldwide undertaking massive expansion plans and with battery capacity in the... Read more →

Germany’s Federal Research Minister Anja Karliczek and Director General Obeth M. Kandjoze of Namibia’s National Planning Commission agreed to establish a hydrogen partnership between Germany and Namibia and signed a Joint Communiqué of Intent (JCoI). The global race for the best hydrogen technologies and the best sites for hydrogen production... Read more →

Australia-based Walkabout Resources, an Africa-focused energy minerals developer, announced that its Tanzania Lindi Jumbo flake graphite project had progressed into the construction phase, with the CRDB-approved Independent Project Manager completing site visits and bulk earthmoving contractor TNR commencing mobilization. Walkabout Resources signed a US$20-million loan agreement with Tanzania’s CRDB bank... Read more →

Volkswagen is intensifying its e-offensive in China as part of its ACCELERATE strategy. The ID.3 will also be available on the world’s largest market for e-mobility from the fourth quarter. The compact car made its Chinese premiere at the Chengdu Motor Show. After the ID.4 and the ID.6, we are... Read more →

Rhombus Energy Solutions announced the launch and general availability of the RES-D3-CS20 DC fast charger dispenser for electric vehicles (EVs). The D3 design allows multiple remote EV charging dispensers to be connected to a single Rhombus power control system (PCS), significantly reducing total electric vehicle support equipment (EVSE) costs for... Read more →

Dürr has built a high-tech paint shop for Ford in Hermosillo, Mexico, in order to accommodate a new vehicle that Ford will be producing. The project in Hermosillo represents the largest order that Ford has given to Dürr in Mexico. The new replacement paint shop is located next to the... Read more →

POSCO has begun production of high-purity nickel—required for secondary batteries—at SNNC. SNNC is a JV established with SMSP, the largest nickel exporter in New Caledonia, in 2006, and was Korea’s first specialized ferronickel manufacturer engaged in producing and selling ferronickel (nickel 20%, iron 80%), the main component of stainless steel,... Read more →

Porsche Digital is expanding its product portfolio and is addressing new digital business models in the field of urban mobility with the formation of the new Cyklær e-bike brand. The goal is to build a platform that offers digital services for the cycling experience. For the launch, Porsche Digital is... Read more →

A team at MITEI (MIT Energy Initiative) has found that hydrogen-generated electricity can be a cost-competitive option for backing up wind and solar. In a paper published in the journal Applied Energy, they report devising a methodology to estimate the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of meeting the seasonal nature... Read more →

Alexander Dennis Limited (ADL), a subsidiary of NFI Group Inc. (NFI), one of the world’s leading independent global bus manufacturers, has been selected by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority as supplier for 20 zero-emission hydrogen double deck buses following a competitive tendering process. This is the first order for... Read more →

Nissan Motor plans to start sales of an all-new, all-electric minivehicle in Japan in early FY2022. The vehicle is part of a joint project with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation and is being planned and developed by NMKV Co., Ltd. NMKV is a 50/50 joint venture between the two companies engaged in... Read more →

Geely’s Zeekr electric vehicle brand (earlier post) has raised $500 million in Pre-A funding from five strategic partners: Intel Capital; CATL; Bilibili; Cathay Fortune Group; and Boyu Capital. Intel is the leading investor amongst all five partners. The Zeekr brand is owned jointly by Geely Automobile Holding Ltd. and Zhejiang... Read more →

Australia-based Renascor Resources has executed a Strategic Cooperation and Offtake MOU with POSCO covering the purchase of 20,000 to 30,000 tpa of Purified Spherical Graphite (PSG) from Renascor’s planned Battery Anode Material operation in South Australia. The final annual amount to be delivered under the offtake and the term of... Read more →

HEAG mobilo, a transport operator in Darmstadt, Germany, is planning to replace almost its entire bus fleet with vehicles that are 100% electrically driven in the next four years. As a step toward that goal, 24 fully-electric Mercedes-Benz city buses have officially begun operations. The battery technology of the 24... Read more →

Brand loyalty among US consumers for new vehicles dropped to a six-year low in June, according to new analysis from IHS Markit. Analysis of new vehicle registration data through June indicates that the overall brand loyalty rate of 51% in the US market is the lowest since August 2015. This... Read more →

Faurecia, one of the world’s leading automotive technology companies, recently reached an agreement with Hella to launch a public tender cash offer for all Hella shares at a price of €60 per share. The transaction represents an estimated total enterprise value of €6.7 billion (US$7.9 billion) for 100% of Hella.... Read more →

Symbio, a joint-venture between Faurecia and Michelin and a global provider of hydrogen fuel cell systems, is launching Symbio North America. Symbio’s H2Motive portfolio offers a wide range of hydrogen fuel cell solutions meeting all power and durability needs. Symbio North America will focus on light-duty, and commercial medium- and... Read more →

Octopus Hydrogen, Octopus Energy Group’s newly established hydrogen arm, will provide 100% green hydrogen to ZeroAvia’s R&D center at Cotswold Airport in the UK during the testing, certification and first commercial operations of its hydrogen-electric aircraft powertrain technology. (Earlier post.) ZeroAvia will supplement on-site electrolysis hydrogen production with supply from... Read more →

Autonomous delivery company Nuro is investing $40 million to develop two new facilities in southern Nevada—an end-of-line manufacturing facility and a closed-course test track—to commercialize and scale production of the company’s third-generation autonomous vehicle. Totaling more than 125,000 square feet of space and more than 80 acres of property development,... Read more →

Ford Performance is offering the “Eluminator Mac E Electric Motor” as an electric crate engine, along with the dozens of combustion crate engines available. The Eluminator, which carries a price of $3,900, is from the 2021 Mustang Mach-E GT. Specs include: Peak power: 210 kW (281 hp) Peak torque: 430... Read more →

XL Fleet Corp. is now offering its hybrid electric drive system for Ram 2500 and 3500 heavy duty pickup trucks. The XLH system represents the company’s first electrification product to be available for Ram Commercial, Stellantis’ line of commercial pickup trucks. XL Fleet’s newest product represents the fourth OEM platform... Read more →

Researchers at the University of Delaware have shown that ruthenium deposited on titania is an active and selective catalyst for breaking down polypropylene into valuable lubricant-range hydrocarbons with narrow molecular weight distribution and low methane formation at low temperatures of 250 °C with a modest H2 pressure. They were able... Read more →

The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s (SFMTA) Municipal Railway (Muni) has awarded a contract to ElDorado for 30 electric hybrid E-Z Rider II model heavy-duty 30-foot transit buses, which will feature the Allison H 40 EP hybrid propulsion system. Allison Transmission’s H 40/50 EP Series is a two-mode parallel hybrid... Read more →

Magnesium rechargeable batteries (MRBs), in which high-capacity Mg metal is used as the anode material, are promising candidates for next-generation batteries due to their energy density, safety, and cost. However, the lack of high-performance cathode materials impedes their development. Like their lithium-ion counterparts, transition metal oxides are the staple cathode... Read more →

HyPoint, a company developing turbo air-cooled hydrogen-fuel-cell systems for aviation and urban air mobility, entered into a multi-phase collaborative development agreement with Piasecki Aircraft Corporation (PiAC), a pioneer in advanced rotorcraft and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) platforms and technologies, for the development and certification of a hydrogen fuel cell system... Read more →

In advance of next week’s Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo, Octillion Power Systems announced that bus operators have driven 20 million kilometers powered by its lithium-ion batteries. Octillion is a global supplier of advanced high-density lithium-ion battery packs for passenger cars, trucks, buses, and energy-storage systems. The company has operations... Read more →

Imperial is moving forward with plans to construct a major renewable diesel complex at its Strathcona refinery near Edmonton, Alberta—the largest refinery in western Canada. This new complex is expected to produce more than 1 billion liters (260 million gallons US) per year of renewable diesel from locally sourced and... Read more →

Starting in 2023, a dedicated line at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK) will begin assembling integrated dual fuel cell (FC) modules destined for use in hydrogen-powered, heavy-duty commercial trucks. The FC modules bring Toyota’s electrification strategy further into focus as it will allow truck manufacturers to incorporate emissions-free fuel cell... Read more →

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have developed a nanometric graphite-like anode for sodium ion (Na+ storage), formed by stacked graphene sheets functionalized only on one side, termed Janus graphene. The estimated sodium storage up to C6.9Na is comparable to graphite for standard lithium ion batteries. The approach, reported... Read more →

Power management company Eaton’s Vehicle Group has launched a lineup of specialized differentials for electrified vehicles with comparable performance to traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Eaton’s Traction Control family of differentials can provide improved traction in adverse conditions, such as snow and mud, and improved stability while trailering. As... Read more →

ENEOS Corporation and Origin Energy signed a memorandum of understanding to conduct a study on a potential business collaboration for the development of a CO2-free hydrogen supply chain between Japan and Australia. This will be achieved by utilizing Australia’s excellent potential for cost-competitive hydrogen production due to its favorable climate... Read more →

Aiming to gain a competitive advantage in the global EV market, Vietnam-based EV maker VinFast has been developing a number of partnerships with developers of advanced battery technologies. VinFast is collaborating with Israeli StoreDot, a company developing extreme fast charging (XFC) technology that allows the battery to charge to 80%... Read more →

California Climate Investments—a program designed to put billions of dollars to work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions—is funded with proceeds from the State’s Cap-and-Trade GHG emissions reduction program and is administered by the California Air Resources Board (ARB). Since 2013, the California Legislature has appropriated $15.4 billion in California Climate... Read more →

The Porsche Taycan and Taycan Cross Turismo will start the new model year (2022) in September with a number of upgrades, perhaps foremost among them an increase in range. Further significant upgrades include the deep integration of Android Auto in the Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system, as well as the... Read more →

Ricardo won a contract with LS Automotive Technologies to develop a high voltage DC-DC converter to power the low voltage network in electric vehicles. LS Automotive Technologies is a manufacturer of automotive electronic components. DC-DC converters take energy from the direct current high voltage battery which powers the propulsion of... Read more →

Siemens will invest and expand the company’s US manufacturing operations to support electric vehicle infrastructure in America. The company will bolster its existing manufacturing footprint of EV infrastructure with the VersiCharge Level 2 AC series product line of commercial and residential EV chargers. With this addition, Siemens is preparing to... Read more →

SAE International has released J2464: Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicle Rechargeable Energy Storage System (RESS) Safety and Abuse Testing, a revised recommended practice for establishing safe battery systems. Originating in 1999 when the industry recognized the need for safety and abuse testing of battery systems in the mobility sector, the... Read more →

Raven SR, a renewable fuels company, is collaborating with Republic Services Inc. to convert organic waste to produce green hydrogen at a site in Richmond, California. Raven SR’s first commercial systems will divert a blend of green waste and food waste from the landfill, thereby reducing methane emissions and will... Read more →

In the first quarter of 2024, A.P. Moller - Maersk will introduce the first in a series of eight large ocean-going container vessels capable of being operated on carbon-neutral methanol. The vessels will be built by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and have a nominal capacity of approx. 16,000 containers (Twenty... Read more →

Tritium, a global developer and manufacturer of DC fast chargers for EVs, and Miller Technology, a supplier of mobile mining equipment for safety and productivity, are partnering to provide fast chargers and light-duty battery EVs for the mining industry. The companies’ inaugural project at the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA) mine... Read more →

Rio Tinto and Sumitomo Corporation are partnering to study the construction of a hydrogen pilot plant at Rio Tinto’s Yarwun alumina refinery in Gladstone and explore the potential use of hydrogen at the refinery. The two global companies have signed a letter of intent that focuses on Yarwun as the... Read more →