Researchers in China have developed bimetallic Bi-Sn microparticles (μ-BiSn)for use as high-performance anode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) using ether-based electrolytes. In an open-access paper in the RSC journal Chemical Communications, they report that the μ-BiSn material exhibits superior electrochemical performance, such as high initial Coulombic efficiency (90.6%), good cycling... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz has been awarded a far-reaching contract for road monitoring through vehicle data by the Netherlands’ Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management (Min I&W). The project spans two years and covers three key areas: Winter Management, Asset Management and Road Safety. The geographical breadth of the Road Monitor program (ROMO)... Read more →

The all-electric Rolls-Royce Spectre has concluded winter testing 55km from Arctic Circle. Temperatures at the facility used by the marque, located in Arjeplog, Sweden, drop to -26 ˚C (-14.8 ˚F) and are further cooled to -40 ˚C (-40 ˚F). The EV has completed 25% of its 2.5 million km testing... Read more →

Renewable Energy Group has introduced a line of branded fuel solutions, EnDura Fuels. This branded product launch supports Renewable Energy Group’s ongoing efforts to help the transport industry meet its sustainability and business growth objectives, while strengthening the company’s position in the marketplace. The EnDura Fuels line consists of five... Read more →

Swiss battery Technology pioneer Battrion AG has teamed up with German roll-to-roll production specialist Jagenberg Converting Solution GmbH to supply anode pilot and GWh-production lines utilizing Battrion’s Aligned Graphite Technology for the lithium-ion battery industry. Aligned Graphite Technology improves the performance of the negative electrode in a lithium-ion battery by... Read more →

Urbix Inc., a US-based processor of battery-grade graphite (earlier post), has entered the first stage of its global expansion program by establishing a UK entity. Urbix UK, Ltd. will accelerate deployment of local facilities to supply UK- and European-based automakers and battery industries with Urbix’s advanced materials for anodes. The... Read more →

FPX Nickel Corp., a Vancouver-based junior nickel mining company developing the large-scale Decar Nickel District in central British Columbia, has established a new subsidiary company, CO2 Lock Corp., to pursue opportunities in large-scale, low-cost and permanent carbon capture and storage (CCS). CO2 Lock has raised $1.7 million in a seed... Read more →

Volta Trucks announced the conclusion of a successful Series C funding round of €230 million. Existing New York-based investor, Luxor Capital Group, LP, led this funding round, while Stockholm-based initial seed investor and co-lead, Byggmästare Anders J Ahlström, extended its holding. The latest funding round will fund engineering and business... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group will collaborate with the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco) and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) jointly to research and develop an advanced fuel for an ultra lean-burn, spark-ignition engine that aims to lower the overall carbon dioxide emissions of a vehicle. Hyundai Motor Group... Read more →

Berlin-based Theion, a developer of lithium-sulfur cathode technology, appointed Dr. Ulrich Ehmes as CEO and announced the upcoming commercial availability of its Crystal Battery for applications, beginning with the aerospace sector. Dr. Ehmes, who has a long track record of industrializing battery production at companies such as Leclanché, will lead... Read more →

In support of the Danish initiative to promote the production and development of green e-methanol (earlier post), Zhejiang Geely Holding Group (Geely Holding) is partnering with Circle K Denmark, Aalborg University, and Fonden Green Hub Denmark to collaborate on a 15-month test and demonstration trial for green e-methanol fuel and... Read more →

The Danish developer of renewable energy European Energy and Denmark’s largest inland port, Port of Aalborg, signed a letter of intent that secures European Energy an option for a 25-hectare area at the Eastern Port in Aalborg, which is planned to be the location for a new electrolysis plant with... Read more →

Volvo Trucks in North America has won an order for 110 Volvo VNR Electric trucks from the global logistics company Maersk. The deal adds to a previous order of 16 vehicles of the same model and marks the single largest commercial order to date for Volvo’s electric trucks. The order,... Read more →

Lotus has unveiled the electric Lotus Eletre (formerly codenamed Type 132), the first of a new breed of pure electric SUVs. The Eletre delivers a significant number of firsts for Lotus: the first five-door production car, the first model outside sports car segments, the first lifestyle EV, the most ‘connected’... Read more →

Honda gave the 2.4-liter internal combustion component of the next-generation (4th) NTT INDYCAR SERIES hybrid power unit its on-track debut at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. With six-time INDYCAR SERIES champion Scott Dixon at the controls of the Honda test chassis operated by Chip Ganassi Racing, the new internal combustion engine... Read more →

Vietnam-based VinFast and the government of North Carolina signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the establishment of VinFast’s first North American manufacturing plant. The company intends to invest up to $2 billion in the project’s phase 1. VinFast’s factory will create a major manufacturing center in Chatham County’s Triangle... Read more →

bp and Uber Technologies announced a new global strategic convenience delivery partnership, extending their existing local arrangements to reach more consumers across the world. Together, the partners will offer a range of convenience products, including fresh and prepared ranges, from select retail locations. bp is the first convenience retailer to... Read more →

Modesto City Schools in California has a{purchased} 30 Blue Bird All American Type D electric school buses. The order—the single largest order of electric school buses from a school district for Blue Bird so far—enables the school district to convert nearly 50% of its diesel-powered bus fleet to electric. Modesto... Read more →

Synhelion, a developer of solar fuels, and INERATEC, a manufacturer of chemical reactor technologies, are partnering to to scale up the production of solar fuels as replacement for fossil fuels for transportation. While electrification is a viable option for many sectors, fuel-intensive industries such as aviation will continue to require... Read more →

Raven SR, a US-based renewable fuels company (earlier post), plans to build a waste-to-hydrogen production facility in Aragón, Spain, following the opening of its subsidiary Raven SR Iberia in Zaragoza, announced earlier this month. The Raven SR project in Aragón will produce 1,600 metric tons per year of renewable hydrogen... Read more →

Amprius Technologies, a provider of silicon anode Li-ion battery cells with the Si-Nanowire platform (earlier post) is using Orbia’s Fluorinated Solutions brand Koura’s Silatronix OS3 electrolyte material in commercial lithium-ion batteries. OS3 is the latest generation in performance enhancing organosilicon electrolyte materials available from Silatronix. The introduction of Silatronix OS3... Read more →

Lightning eMotors, a provider of medium-duty and specialty commercial electric vehicles for fleets, has expanded its partnership with Forest River (earlier post) to offer a factory-certified all-electric repower program for shuttle buses and passenger vans. Forest River is a Berkshire Hathaway Company that manufactures shuttle buses, recreational vehicles, cargo trailers,... Read more →

GoFor, a North American delivery company committed to carbon-negative last mile services, and ODIN Automotive announced a preferred partnership to deploy ODIN’s electric delivery vehicle ecosystem in the US and Canada starting in Q2 of 2022. ODIN acquired StreetScooter production rights from DHL in January. (Earlier post.) The partnership gives... Read more →

Enovix Corporation, the developer of 3D Silicon Lithium-ion batteries (earlier post), announced BrakeFlow technology, an intra-cell system that significantly increases tolerance against thermal runaway from internal shorts, without compromising high energy density. Enovix’ 3D cell architecture vertically stacks high-capacity silicon anodes, cathodes, and separators in an inherently flat structure. Unlike... Read more →

Rio Tinto has completed the acquisition of the Rincon lithium project in Argentina for $825 million, following approval from Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB). (Earlier post.) A binding agreement to purchase the project from Rincon Mining, a company owned by funds managed by the private equity group Sentient Equity... Read more →

The Mayor of London’s Energy Efficiency Fund (MEEF)—a £500-million investment fund to deliver low-carbon, sustainable projects and infrastructure in London—is providing capital to Vehicle-as-a-Service provider Breathe, supported by fintech Zeti’s pay-per-mile platform ZERO, for the deployment of 100 Tesla Model 3 electric vehicles to private hire drivers, including Uber, in... Read more →

Blackstone Technology GmbH may begin commercialization of 3D-printed solid-state sodium-ion batteries as early as 2025. Blackstone, together with a German industry and research consortium, will take the validated laboratory results of the 3D-printed solid-state batteries to the stage of demonstration in a real environment within the next three years. The... Read more →

In the presence of the Egyptian Prime Minister, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on Monday in a joint bid to further accelerate the supply of green fuels and the global transformation to net-zero shipping. This partnership follows six fuel sourcing partnerships announced earlier this month, and with it... Read more →

LG Energy Solution will invest 1.7 trillion won (US$1.39 billion) in Queen Creek, Arizona to build a new cylindrical battery plant with a total capacity of 11 GWh. Construction is scheduled to start in the second quarter of this year and mass production is targeted for the second half of... Read more →

Lithium-sulfur batteries are prospects for future batteries as they are made from cheaper and more environmentally friendly materials than lithium-ion batteries. They also have higher energy storage capacity and work well at much lower temperatures. However, they suffer from short lifetimes and energy loss. A research group from Uppsala University... Read more →

SHV Energy and LanzaTech are partnering to employ LanzaTech’s Carbon Capture and Transformation (CCT) technology to bring renewable propane and other sustainable fuels to the market via existing and novel pathways. The collaboration will further expand LanzaTech’s existing CCT technology and synthetic biology platform, which transforms waste carbon into sustainable... Read more →

The Swiss technology company ecovolta, a division of ecocoach AG, together with the vehicle and boat specialists of Friedli Fahrzeuge AG, has electrified the well-known Can-Am Traxter for the first time. The vehicle is used in the mountain village of Stoos, which is located in the Swiss canton of Schwyz... Read more →

by Michael Sivak, Sivak Applied Research. One possible consequence of the recent jump in the price of gasoline in the United States might be a reduction in driving. This post briefly outlines the complexity of this issue and presents some recent data. I must emphasize up front that no attempt... Read more →

Aurora Innovation unveiled its test fleet of its autonomous custom-designed Toyota Sienna vehicles featuring Toyota’s Vehicle Control Interface (VCI) and “Sienna Autono-MaaS” (S-AM) platform. The Toyota S-AM will serve as the backbone platform for the expected launch of Aurora Connect, its autonomous ride-hailing product. Aurora has worked with Toyota Motor... Read more →

FlyZero is the UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) project aiming to realize zero-carbon emission commercial aviation by 2030. Funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the project FlyZero began in early 2021 as an intensive research project investigating zero-carbon emission commercial flight. The independent study brought together... Read more →

Aemetis signed an offtake agreement has been signed with oneworld Alliance airline member Finnair for 17.5 million gallons of blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to be delivered over the 7-year term of the agreement. The value of the contract including incentives is approximately $70 million. Sustainable aviation fuel provides environmental... Read more →

An EIT RawMaterials-supported vanadium recovery joint venture in Finland between two Australian project development companies—Critical Metals Ltd and Neometals Ltd—plans to increase high-purity vanadium production in Europe for use in grid-scale vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs), specialty steel applications and next-generation lithium vanadium cells. The Vanadium Recovery Project (VRP) is... Read more →

Nissan and Enel have partnered to launch the Second Life project. Combining used Nissan electric vehicle batteries at a conventional power plant in Melilla, Spain, operated by the Enel Group’s Spanish subsidiary, Endesa, the project enhances grid stability to help meet the needs of an isolated network. A pioneering initiative... Read more →

BYD and Shell signed a strategic cooperation agreement to help accelerate the energy transition and improve charging experience for BYD’s battery electric vehicle (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) customers. The partnership will start in China and Europe and will extend to other regions across the globe. A BYD... Read more →

City of York (UK) Council has been awarded more than £8.4 million (US$11 million) by the UK’s Department for Transport to support the purchase of 44 fully electric buses. The council submitted the multi-million pound bid to the Government’s Zero Emission Bus Regional Area (ZEBRA) scheme to further support the... Read more →

ResponsibleSteel has awarded its first certification to a steelmaking site in Latin America: ArcelorMittal Tubarão. ArcelorMittal Tubarão is the third-largest Brazilian producer of rolled flat steels. The company manufactures flat steel products—primarily hot-rolled plates and coils—for both domestic and international markets. ArcelorMittal Tubarão Launched in 2015, ResponsibleSteel sets global standards... Read more →

Stellantis revealed its new, 3.0-liter, twin-turbo, inline, six-cylinder engine, named Hurricane, that delivers better fuel economy and fewer emissions than larger engines while at the same time generates more horsepower and torque than many competitors’ naturally aspirated V-8 and boosted six-cylinder power plants. The Hurricane twin-turbo’s robust base architecture enables... Read more →

Austria-based OMV, an international, integrated oil, gas and chemicals company, announced its intention to become a net-zero (Scope 1, 2 and 3) company by no later than 2050. In keeping with this strategic shift of business, OMV will reduce its oil and gas production by around 20% by 2030 and... Read more →

bp plans to invest £1 billion (US$1.3 billion) in electric vehicle charging in the UK, supercharging the roll-out of fast, convenient charging across the country. bp pulse, bp’s EV charging business, intends to make the investment over the next 10 years helping to meet the UK’s fast-growing demand for EV... Read more →

Vale Canada and lithium-ion cell producer Northvolt AB announced a multi-year agreement for Vale to supply low-carbon nickel products to Northvolt, reinforcing the companies’ shared commitment to sustainability in the electric vehicle supply chain and electrification of the broader mining industry. Vale is the world’s largest producer of nickel. The... Read more →

The US Postal Service has placed its initial Next Generation Delivery Vehicle (NGDV) delivery order with Oshkosh Defense at a cost of $2.98 billion. The first order is for 50,000 vehicles—a minimum of which will be for 10,019 battery electric vehicles (BEVs)—approximately a doubling of the earlier targeted EV cohort.... Read more →

One of the more promising candidates for batteries beyond the current standard of lithium-ion materials is the sodium-ion (Na-ion) battery. Na-ion is particularly attractive because of the greater abundance and lower cost of sodium compared with lithium. In addition, when cycled at high voltage (4.5 V), a sodium-ion battery can... Read more →

In Europe, Honda has unveiled the all-new Civic e:HEV, the 11th generation of its iconic global compact car. The all-new hybrid Civic features Honda’s e:HEV powertrain technology as standard, and completes the brand’s mission to electrify all its mainstream European models by the end of 2022. Honda’s e:HEV (hybrid electric... Read more →

The Volkswagen Group will apply to Spain’s Electric Vehicle PERTE program after the Spanish government announced it will open the call for applications on 1 April 2022. The Group’s ‘Future Fast Forward’ program would include a total investment of more than €7 billion together with external suppliers along the entire... Read more →

Toyochem Co., Ltd., the polymers and coatings arm of Japan’s Toyo Ink Group, launched a new low-odor, low-VOC acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA), the Oribain EXK 21-046, for use in enclosed spaces such as vehicles and building interiors. EXK 21-046 PSAs not only demonstrate good bonds to metals, plastics, textiles and... Read more →