The US Department of Energy (DOE) has established the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, a new DOE office that will support clean energy technology demonstration projects in areas including clean hydrogen, carbon capture, grid-scale energy storage, small modular reactors, and more. Demonstration projects prove the effectiveness of innovative technologies in real-world... Read more →

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of understanding how public transportation ventilation systems may transmit viruses and how exhaled droplets evolve in ventilated spaces. Researchers have wondered if those ventilation systems can be improved to mitigate virus transmission. Researchers at IBM Research Europe have now developed a model with... Read more →

Advent Technologies Holdings and BASF New Business GmbH recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop and increase the manufacturing scale of advanced fuel cell membranes designed for long-term operations under extreme conditions. BASF intends to improve the long-term stability of its Celtec membrane and to increase production capacity... Read more →

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that Nikola Corporation, a developer of battery-electric and fuel-cell-electric heavy-duty trucks, has agreed to pay $125 million to settle charges that it defrauded investors by misleading them about its products, technical advancements, and commercial prospects. The settlement follows the SEC’s litigated action filed... Read more →

Rio Tinto has entered into a binding agreement to acquire the Rincon lithium project in Argentina from Rincon Mining, a company owned by funds managed by the private equity group Sentient Equity Partners, for $825 million. Rio Tinto said the acquisition demonstrates its commitment to build its battery materials business... Read more →

Russia-based RUSAL, a global aluminum producer, opened the first phase of its low-carbon aluminum production plant, Taishet Aluminum Smelter (TaAZ), in Taishet, Siberia. The smelter operates on clean energy from Siberian hydroelectric power plants, which together with modern gas cleaning equipment and a closed water circulation system, has a low... Read more →

Sigma Lithium Corporation (earlier post) announced that funds and accounts managed by BlackRock will make an additional total investment in the company of approximately C$64.2 million. This additional investment increases the size of its previously announced non-brokered private placement of common shares to approximately C$136.7 million (US$106 million). Sigma Lithium... Read more →

Archer Aviation announced that Maker, Archer’s eVTOL demonstrator aircraft (earlier post), completed its first successful hover flight. The flight marks the completion of the company’s first full and complete systems test and validation of every hardware and software component working as intended to move the aircraft into the air. The... Read more →

The 900th electric bus has hit the streets of Moscow; in November 2020, the city had launched its 500th electric bus (earlier post). The jubilee e-bus decorated with neon lights will operate in the south of the city. The vehicle was assembled at the SVARZ eco-plant by KAMAZ, which was... Read more →

The Mack LR Electric model, Mack Trucks’ first fully electric Class 8 vehicle (earlier post), is now in serial production at Mack’s Lehigh Valley Operations (LVO) facility in Macungie, Pennsylvania. LVO is where all Class 8 Mack vehicles for North America and export are assembled. Equipped with four fast-charging NMC... Read more →

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) announced the adoption of the Advanced Clean Truck and Fleet Reporting rules. The adoption of these rules establishes New Jersey as one of the first states to require phasing in of clean electric commercial trucks to replace diesel-powered trucks. The rules are... Read more →

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finalizing the federal greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for passenger cars and light trucks for Model Years (MY) 2023 through 2026. The standards through 2026 also set the light-duty vehicle greenhouse gas (GHG) program on track to provide a strong launch point for the... Read more →

X-MAT, the Advanced Materials Division of Semplastics, has successfully fabricated a full cell battery by combining a commercial cathode and its proprietary ceramic coal composite anode. X-MAT’s material has various current applications including fireproof roof tiles, lightweight space mirrors, battery electrodes and 3D printed ceramics. The basic production process involves... Read more →

Findings from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC’s) 2021 Long-Term Reliability Assessment (LTRA) indicate there is a high probability of insufficient resources and energy to serve electricity demand, as early as Summer 2022, in many parts of the Western Interconnection. Extreme weather-related events and performance issues associated with some... Read more →

Rolls-Royce Group has reached agreement with Qatar Investment Authority (QIA), the sovereign wealth fund of the State of Qatar, to invest £85 million (US$112 million) in Rolls-Royce SMR Limited (Rolls-Royce SMR). Rolls-Royce SMR is building a new technology solution for small modular reactors to deliver affordable, low-carbon, nuclear power. A... Read more →

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), joined by partners at Sandia National Laboratories and the Australian Solar Thermal Research Institute, launched the Heliostat Consortium (HelioCon), an international effort to drive down the cost of heliostats. HelioCon, led by NREL, emphasizes the significance of heliostats as... Read more →

Oy Kati Ab, a long-term drilling contractor of Keliber, a company developing a European lithium project (earlier post), has started to use Neste MY Non Road Diesel renewable fuel oil in the drill rig at Keliber’s exploration site in Central Ostrobothnia. The measure will reduce the emissions caused by drilling... Read more →

Transient Plasma Systems Inc. (TPS), which develops and markets nanosecond pulsed-power systems that unlock the potential of low-temperature plasma to be used in a variety of applications, says that it has made significant advances in its ignition technology, including development milestones in control software, plug configuration, and cost reduction, narrowing... Read more →

With its investment planning for the next five years, Audi is accelerating the transition toward becoming a provider of networked and sustainable premium mobility. In particular, advance payments for future vehicle projects are being increased once again, with a sum total of about €37 billion. Of this, Audi is earmarking... Read more →

FREYR Battery, a developer of clean, next-generation battery cell production capacity, has executed its inaugural offtake agreement for at least 31 GWh of low-carbon battery cells with an undisclosed, leading global publicly listed manufacturer and provider of energy storage systems (ESS). The two companies have agreed to develop innovative technology... Read more →

In a study published in Nature Energy, researchers led by Kyoto University’s Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) describe how nanodiamond-reinforced composite membranes can purify hydrogen from its humid mixtures, making the hydrogen generation processes more efficient and cost-effective. This image offers an abstract visual representation of graphene oxide sheets... Read more →

Over the entire lifecycle (with use over 300,000 kilometers and recycling), the new plug-in hybrid Mercedes-Benz S 580 e (earlier post) produces around 14.1 (charging with European power mix) or 36.2 percent (hydroelectric power) lower CO₂ emissions than its predecessor, the S 560 e, according to Mercedes-Benz’ 360° environmental check.... Read more →

NXP Semiconductors, a leading automotive semiconductor company, has announced a strategic partnership with Foxconn Industrial Internet (FII), a subsidiary of Hon Hai, to transform the car into the ultimate edge device. NXP will provide FII with its comprehensive portfolio of automotive technologies. The initial phase of the joint project will... Read more →

Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) has selected Cerence Browse, Cerence’s AI-powered, cloud-based content domain, to bring the power and intelligence of internet search engines directly into Toyota and Lexus vehicles in its next-generation multimedia system. TMNA is the first automaker to deploy Cerence’s new cloud service, Browse. Cerence Browse will... Read more →

New processing methods developed by MIT researchers could help ease looming shortages of the essential metals that power everything from phones to automotive batteries by making it easier to separate these rare metals from mining ores and recycled materials. Selective adjustments within a sulfidation process allowed professor of metallurgy Antoine... Read more →

​ At NIO Day 2021 in Suzhou, China, NIO unveiled ET5, its new mid-size smart electric sedan. Inheriting NIO’s high-performance DNA, the 360 kW ET5 accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.3 seconds with its dual-motor architecture (150 kW induction asynchronous motor in the front and 210 kW permanent... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz delivered five eCitaro buses to Bremer Straßenbahn AG (BSAG); immediately afterward the transport company ordered another 15 Mercedes-Benz eCitaro as well as 24 Citaro G hybrid buses. BSAG received 65 Mercedes-Benz Citaro (solo and articulated buses as well as Citaro G hybrid buses) this year and the last. Now... Read more →

Malaysia Airlines, the national carrier of Malaysia, operated its inaugural flight using sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in partnership with PETRONAS Dagangan Berhad (PDB) and Neste. The flight marks Malaysia Airlines’ commitment to make SAF the cleaner and more viable energy option for regular flights by 2025. The historic flight MH7979... Read more →

Ford is launching a new sustainable charging program that allows plug-in electric vehicle owners in California to opt into carbon-neutral charging at home, reducing their carbon footprint from energy used to power their vehicles. Ford is choosing to participate in the California Air Resource Board (CARB) Low Carbon Fuel Standard... Read more →

General Motors has begun deliveries of its first next-generation electric vehicles, the GMC HUMMER EV Edition 1 Pickup and BrightDrop EV600 light commercial vehicle, both built on the Ultium Platform. This dedicated EV architecture and propulsion system is the foundation for GM’s all-electric future, giving the company the capability not... Read more →

Nikola Corporation delivered the first Nikola Tre battery-electric vehicle (BEV) pilot trucks to Total Transportation Services Inc. (TTSI), one of Southern California's prominent port trucking companies, to expedite zero-emission transportation solutions at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. As previously announced, TTSI’s LOI is for 100 zero-emission trucks... Read more →

Cummins is releasing its new PowerDrive 8000 system to integrate into the terminal tractor application. Cummins will begin field tests in early 2022 with Kalmar, one of Cummins’ lead customers for this solution. Cummins and Kalmar will together offer battery-electric terminal tractors globally. Cummins designed the PowerDrive 8000 for the... Read more →

Aemetis, a renewable fuels company focused on negative carbon intensity products (earlier post), has signed a 10-year, 450-million-gallon renewable diesel supply agreement with an industry-leading travel stop company, which is expected to generate more than $3 billion in revenue. The renewable diesel to be supplied under the agreement will fuel... Read more →

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has launched the new ElectricDrive GT, Goodyear’s first replacement tire in North America tuned for electric vehicles (EVs). The Goodyear ElectricDrive GT is an ultra-high performance, all-season tire that delivers long-lasting tread wear and a quiet ride for EV drivers and passengers. Electric vehicles... Read more →

The rapid growth of the hybrid and electric vehicle segment could potentially cause demand for electrical steel to outpace supply from 2025, according to a new report by a team of analysts from the Automotive Supply Chain and Technology team at IHS Markit. This potential shortage could severely affect OEMs’... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a funding opportunity announcement (DE-FOA-0002641) for up to $100 million to support the scaling and deployment of high-risk and potentially disruptive new technologies across the full spectrum of energy applications. “Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy technologies with Untapped Potential” 2021 (SCALEUP... Read more →

SK Inc., the strategic investment arm of South Korea’s SK Group, was part of a $50-million investment in Fulcrum BioEnergy, a US-based waste-to-fuels company. SK Inc. was joined in the investment with a Korean private equity fund. Fulcrum produce biofuel on a commercial scale by chemically converting municipal solid waste... Read more →

Blue Biofuels (BIOF) and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA ARS) are collaborating on optimizing the yields of Pennisetum hybridum, commonly known as king grass, a perennial grass biomass crop, that the Company is using as feedstock for its patented mechanocatalytic cellulose-to-sugar (CTS) process. The USDA... Read more →

Leading commercial vehicle manufacturers Volvo Group, Daimler Truck, and the TRATON Group have signed a binding agreement to create a joint venture (JV) to install and to operate a high-performance public charging network for battery-electric, heavy-duty long-haul trucks and coaches across Europe. The partners are committed to initiating and accelerating... Read more →

Volkswagen of America, Inc., (VWoA) unveiled the first major results of its nationwide Network Readiness Co-Op Program, an investment of $20 million to support its more than 600 dealership partners to transform into regional hubs of EV experience. With sales and reservations for the all-electric ID.4 SUV climbing, Volkswagen’s program... Read more →

A microgrid based on renewable energies with hydrogen-powered fuel cells for emergency and peak power as well as hydrogen combustion engines can meet the special energy requirements of port facilities. A similar solution is being created in the near future for the Port of Duisburg’s new container terminal with mtu... Read more →

Atom Power, manufacturer of the first and only UL-listed solid-state digital circuit breaker, launched PURPL, Atom Power’s EV charging solution that charges vehicles directly from the circuit breaker and incorporates novel energy management technology to keep electricity costs low. These capabilities provide utilities, cities, property and fleet owners with a... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has certified a maximum all-electric range (AER) of 310 miles for the 2022 Kia EV6 when equipped with a 77.4 kWh battery and rear-wheel drive. The all-electric range (AER) for the entire EV6 lineup was announced ahead of the EV6 going on sale in... Read more →

Samsung Electronics unveiled an extensive lineup of automotive memory solutions designed for next-generation autonomous electric vehicles. The new lineup includes a 256-gigabyte (GB) PCIe Gen3 NVMe ball grid array (BGA) SSD, 2GB GDDR6 DRAM and 2GB DDR4 DRAM for high-performance infotainment systems, as well as 2GB GDDR6 DRAM and 128GB... Read more →

IBM and Samsung Electronics jointly announced a breakthrough in semiconductor design utilizing a new vertical transistor architecture (VTFET) that demonstrates a path to scaling beyond nanosheet, and has the potential to reduce energy usage by 85% compared to a scaled fin field-effect transistor (finFET). VTFET Vertical Transport Nanosheet Field Effect... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group (the Group) revealed the Mobile Eccentric Droid (MobED), an all-new and pioneering small mobility platform using advanced robotics technologies. The MobED has an innovative design arrangement. A flat, rectangular body rides on four large wheels, with an independent suspension that enables optimal body posture and stable movement... Read more →

Volvo Penta and TICO have completed the build of the first terminal tractor prototypes powered by Volvo Penta’s electric driveline. Several prototypes will be built and tested by the two parties over the coming year. The Volvo Group recently announced its ambition to be a net-zero emissions company by 2050,... Read more →

Progress Rail, a Caterpillar Company, BNSF Railway Company (BNSF), and Chevron USA, a subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to advance the demonstration of a locomotive powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The goal of the demonstration is to confirm the feasibility and performance of hydrogen fuel... Read more →

Start-up Mote is establishing its first facility to convert wood waste into hydrogen fuel while capturing, utilizing, and sequestering CO2 emissions resulting from its process. With the engineering work of their first facility underway, Mote expects to produce approximately seven million kilograms of carbon-negative hydrogen and remove 150,000 metric tons... Read more →

Charging and energy are becoming a core business for Volkswagen; the company is building a universal and seamless eco-system for charging its electric models. The We Charge service will be enhanced step-by-step to offer higher performance, convenience and sustainability—with new charging solutions for home and mobile charging, new functions in... Read more →