A multi-institutional team led by the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) has developed a low-cost cobalt-based catalyst for the production of hydrogen in a proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEMWE). Other contributors include DOE’s Sandia National Laboratories and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Giner Inc.. Proton... Read more →

Daimler Truck Holding AG, Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC), Hino Motors Ltd. (Hino) and Toyota Motor Corporation concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on accelerating the development of advanced technologies and merging MFTBC and Hino. Daimler Truck, MFTBC, Hino, and Toyota will collaborate toward achieving carbon neutrality by... Read more →

The eActros 300 Tractor for distribution haulage has covered around 3,000 kilometers from the Mercedes-Benz Wörth plant to Aksaray in Turkey, where the road endurance and reliability testing of the electric truck will be taking place. Test engineers chose a route across Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Bulgaria for the... Read more →

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander goes on sale in the US this summer with three available powertrains across three grades: the 2.4L turbo gasoline engine, the 2.5L hybrid, and the 362 hp Hybrid MAX. (Earlier post.) Designed by Calty Design Studios and exclusively assembled at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing plant... Read more →

Toyota announced a series of improvements and enhancements to strengthen its Yaris Hybrid hatchback range, increasing the market appeal of a model range that has proved an outstanding success for the brand. As well as strengthening the power and performance of the hybrid electric powertrain to give European customers more... Read more →

Lloyd’s Register (LR), Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute (SDARI) and MAN Energy Solutions (MAN-ES) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for a design for the ammonia dual-fuel operation of an MSC container ship. Under the MOU, a technical specification and the associated design... Read more →

Stellantis, TotalEnergies and Mercedes-Benz celebrated the inauguration of Automotive Cells Company’s (ACC) battery gigafactory in Billy-Berclau Douvrin, France—the first of three planned in Europe. ACC was founded by Stellantis and TotalEnergies/Saft in 2020; Mercedes-Benz became a partner in 2022. With an initial production line capacity of 13 gigawatt-hours (GWh), rising... Read more →

Stellantis N.V. and Vulcan Energy Resources Limited have signed a binding term sheet for the first phase of a multiphase project to develop new geothermal projects aimed at decarbonizing the energy mix of Stellantis’ Mulhouse industrial site in France, which is home to the DS 7, Peugeot 308 and 308... Read more →

Dow and New Energy Blue announced a long-term supply agreement in North America in which New Energy Blue will create bio-based ethylene from renewable agricultural residues. Dow expects to purchase this bio-based ethylene, reducing carbon emissions from plastic production, and using it in recyclable applications across transportation, footwear, and packaging.... Read more →

The US Department of Energy Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) announced up to $10 million in funding to develop novel manufacturing technologies for superconducting tapes. (DE-FOA-0002784 Modification 06) Enabling widely available low-cost, high-performance superconducting (HTS) tapes could help enable the market growth and proliferation of nuclear fusion, superconducting... Read more →

From May 2023 onwards, two tankers transporting Neste’s renewable diesel from Finland to Sweden will be fueled with a lower-emission marine fuel: Neste Marine 0.1 Co-processed. (Earlier post.) Neste Marine 0.1 Co-processed is an ISCC PLUS certified marine fuel and a lower-emission solution for marine professionals, including cargo owners and... Read more →

Australian battery technology company Li-S Energy recently announced the development of its first 20-layer battery cells utilizing third-generation (GEN3) semi-solid-state lithium-sulfur battery technology. Key benefits Li-S Energy’s GEN3 lithium-sulfur battery cell include: a 45% improvement in volumetric energy density, reaching 540Wh/l; higher gravimetric energy density of more than 400Wh/kg; and... Read more →

A study led by researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) examines the causes behind the ordering, or pattern formation, of ions that carry a positive charge, also called cations, in double perovskite oxides, a type of metal considered promising as a potential source of cleaner,... Read more →

Global technologies and materials group Haydale will contribute to Viritech’s development of fuel cell hydrogen electric vehicles (FCHEVs). Viritech secured a major role in Ford Motor Company’s three-year hydrogen fuel cell E-Transit trial. (Earlier post.) For the Ford project, Viritech will develop hydrogen pressure vessels using its proprietary integrated mounting... Read more →

H2X Global has been awarded a contract valued at up to 240 million Swedish Kronor ($US22.9 million) to supply hydrogen fuel-cell trucks for the city of Gothenburg, Sweden. Upon completion, this contract will establish the largest fleet of its kind in Sweden. The award, received by H2X Global’s subsidiary H2X... Read more →

RINA, an international company specializing in inspection, certification and engineering consultancy, and Eni have signed an agreement jointly to develop initiatives that can contribute to the energy transition and decarbonization of their respective operations and particularly maritime transport, where RINA and Eni can benefit from each other’s expertise. Specifically, the... Read more →

Antwerp Terminal Services (ATS), a joint venture between MSC PSA Europe Terminal (MPET) and PSA Antwerp (PSAA), recently launched the first hydrogen dual-fuel straddle carrier in the Port of Antwerp. Using H2 dual fuel combustion engine technology developed by cleantech company CMB.TECH and integrated into a straddle carrier with the... Read more →

Neste and ITOCHU have agreed to extend their collaboration with a licensing agreement allowing ITOCHU to become an official distributor of Neste MY Renewable Diesel in Japan. Based on this agreement, the availability of Neste MY Renewable Diesel will be expanded in the market, for example, to the area around... Read more →

India’s state-run Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC) said that oil output from the Sakhalin-1 project in Russia has returned to a plateau level of 190,000 - 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) from zero. Sakhalin-1 produced an average of 227,000 bpd in 2021. Following the onset of sanctions against Russia... Read more →

Cirba Solutions, a battery materials and management processor for end-of-life batteries and gigafactory manufacturing scrap, has agreed to partner with Volta Energy Technologies, a venture capital firm backed by some of the biggest names in energy and energy storage materials. Cirba Solutions and Volta will be collaborating in numerous strategic... Read more →

ElDorado National (ENC), a subsidiary of REV Group, secured an order for 19 Axess EVO-FC hydrogen fuel cell buses from California public transit provider Foothill Transit. Foothill Transit currently operates a fleet of 359 buses, which includes zero-emission models, and serves Southern California’s San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys, including Pasadena... Read more →

China-based Semcorp said that its €340-million Li-ion battery separator factory in Hungary will start operations within the year. The company’s goal is to raise its global market share to 50% by 2025. The 97,000 m2 plant will increase the company’s annual film production capacity by approximately 12%. SEMCORP is one... Read more →

The Cushing Economic Development Foundation, Inc. and the City of Cushing, Oklahoma announced that Southern Rock Energy Partners, LLC (SREP) has selected Cushing as the site for its 250,000 BPD next-generation, full conversion crude refinery. The project is expected to have $5.56 billion in capital investment and supply 423+ full-time... Read more →

The Ohio State (OSU) & Wilberforce University Team has been named the winner of Year One of the EcoCAR Electric Vehicle (EV) Challenge, taking the lead in the four-year collegiate engineering competition. West Virginia University took second place and University of Alabama finished third in the judged competition, which was... Read more →

Natilus, a designer and developer of new autonomous blended-wing body (BWB) cargo aircraft, and ZeroAvia announced a strategic partnership jointly to develop hydrogen-electric engines for the Natilus Kona cargo aircraft. ZeroAvia’s ZA600 will be the sole hydrogen fuel cell powertrain offered for the novel Kona short-haul feeder UAV, with the... Read more →

Toyota will enter the ENEOS Super Taikyu Series 2023 Round 2 NAPAC Fuji SUPER TEC 24 Hours Race, to be held from May 26 to 28, with the #32 ORC ROOKIE GR Corolla H2 Concept (hydrogen-powered Corolla) running on liquid hydrogen. (Earlier post.) It is the first time in the... Read more →

MAHLE Powertrain and Clean Air Power have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to combine their efforts in providing rapid and cost-effective solutions for net-zero fueled internal combustion engines. The two companies have a longstanding collaborative relationship that has delivered results across a number of research projects. As part of these... Read more →

Synthetic fuels from renewable energy sources will be needed to reach the climate goals in the full transport sector. So-called “refuels” promise to reduce CO2 emissions by 90% compared to conventional fuels. To cover future needs of heavy-duty vehicles, airplanes, and ships and provide chemical industry with basic substances, we... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced partnering opportunities for industry to work with National Laboratories on manufacturing scale-up and associated verification and validation for flow batteries and solid-state lithium batteries. (DE-LC-0000027.0001) Topic 1. Developing Innovative Solid-State Battery Manufacturing Capabilities: All Topic 1 projects require a cost share of at... Read more →

Ford Motor Company reached an agreement with Tesla Motors that will provide Ford electric vehicle customers access to more than 12,000 Tesla Superchargers across the US and Canada—doubling the number of fast-chargers available to Ford EV customers—starting Spring 2024. A Tesla-developed adapter will provide Ford F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E and... Read more →

Infineon Technologies AG, the global leader in automotive semiconductors, and Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn), the world’s largest electronics manufacturing services provider, aim to establish a long-term partnership in the field of electric vehicles (EV) to develop advanced electromobility with efficient and intelligent features. A recently signed Memorandum of Understanding... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution (LGES) announced an EV battery cell manufacturing joint venture in the US. Hyundai Motor Group and LGES signed a memorandum of understanding to produce EV batteries in the US. Hyundai and LGES will each hold a 50% stake in the JV, which will... Read more →

According to MAN Engines, all MAN off-road engines from the current product portfolio can be operated with regenerative diesel—also known as HVO (hydrogenated vegetable oil)—in accordance with the EN15940 standard in Europe or the US specification ASTM D975. By burning regenerative diesel, engines emit up to 30% less particulate matter... Read more →

Without targeted support for low- and middle-income countries to transition toward zero-emission mobility, global progress toward zero-emission goals will be critically slowed, risking serious and inequitable outcomes, warns a new report by the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies and the UK government’s ZEV Transition Council, supported by the FIA... Read more →

Dürr is setting new benchmarks in sustainable production with its new EcoBell4 atomizer family. The innovative application technology achieves up to 98% efficiency for clear coat application. It reduces paint loss and rinsing agent consumption by 50% during color changes, or up to 91% in combination with the EcoProBooth modular... Read more →

8 Rivers Capital announced the development of the 8RH2 CO2 Convective Reformer—a technology for the production of ultra-low carbon hydrogen from natural gas. The 8RH2 technology has been invented by Rodney Allam MBE, a chemical engineer from Bath in the UK, who also pioneered the Allam-Fetvedt-Cycle (AFC) cycle. The Allam-Fetvedt... Read more →

Stellantis Ventures, the corporate venture fund of Stellantis, has invested in materials innovation and applications company Lyten to accelerate the commercialization of Lyten 3D Graphene applications for the mobility industry, including the LytCell Lithium-Sulfur EV battery (earlier post), lightweighting composites, and novel on-board sensing. Lyten uses proprietary reactor technology which... Read more →

For the 107th Running of the Indianapolis 500 on 28 May, Bridgestone has incorporated ISCC PLUS certified recycled butadiene, a monomer produced from hard-to-recycle used plastic shopping bags, film, stretch wrap and other flexible polymer packaging, developed in partnership with Shell, in all Firestone Firehawk race tires used at the... Read more →

Chile’s development agency Corfo has tasked state copper miner Codelco with renegotiating SQM and Albemarle’s lithium contracts in the Salar de Atacama. Although SQM’s contract extends through 2030 and Albemarle’s through 2043, all parties agreed on renegotiations after the government presented its national lithium strategy in April, which involves public-private... Read more →

Higher crude prices and continued optimization improvements have driven the first upward revision to the S&P Global Commodity Insights 10-year oil sands production outlook in more than half a decade. The new forecast, produced by the S&P Global Commodity Insights Oil Sands Dialogue, expects Canadian oil sands production to reach... Read more →

Prieto Battery, a company commercializing a 3D Lithium-ion battery technology (earlier post), unveiled the most recent prototype of its patented 3D interdigitated battery that: Supports a 3-minute hyper-fast full charge, with a 50% charge in 90 seconds; Operates and charges in extremely low (-30 ˚C) and high (+100 ˚C) temperatures;... Read more →

Mitsubishi Shipbuilding, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Group, has completed delivery of an ammonia fuel supply system for large, low-speed two-stroke marine engines, to Japan Engine Corporation (J-ENG), a manufacturer of marine engines. Ammonia fuel supply system J-ENG is currently conducting tests of ammonia fuel under various conditions... Read more →

Volkswagen’s updated Touareg SUV will launch in five powertrain versions: a turbocharged gasoline engine, two turbodiesel engines and two plug-in hybrids. All use a 3.0-liter V6 engine. All are paired as standard with an 8-speed automatic gearbox and the 4MOTION permanent all-wheel drive. Presales of the new Touareg have started.... Read more →

BMW introduced the eighth generation of the BMW 5 Series Sedan, including two all-electric i5 variants; BMW will extend the range to include two plug-in hybrid variants (530e and 550e xDrive) from the spring of 2024. The market launch of the new BMW 5 Series Sedan will begin in October... Read more →

Mitsubishi Turbocharger and Engine Europe B.V. (MTEE) and the STORM-Group have signed a letter of intent for cooperation to develop a Dual Fuel Methanol/Diesel Retrofit Kit for inland shipping. Koedood Marine Group, part of the STORM-Group, will market this new technology by utilizing its network within the marine industry. Like... Read more →

Honda Motor plans to participate in the FIA Formula One World Championship (F1) from the 2026 season as a power unit supplier. Honda has agreed to enter into a works partnership with the Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant Formula One Team to supply power units compliant with the new F1 power... Read more →

A group of industrial stakeholders, including the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, have sent President Biden a letter urging “your administration to make it clear that electrical steel is critical to the national and economic security of the United States and to prioritize actions that will create a sustainable supply.” Electrical... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) launched the Clean Fuels & Products Shot, a new initiative that aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) from carbon-based fuels and products significantly. This is the seventh DOE Energy Earthshot, which focuses on reducing carbon emissions from the fuel and chemical industry through... Read more →

Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. (VWGoA) and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT) plan to accelerate their research collaboration. Building on the program’s initial success, both partners aim to kick off more than 10 new joint research projects through 2025, introduce more Ph. D. fellowship and internship positions with Volkswagen,... Read more →

The Lightweight Materials Consortium (LightMAT), funded by the Department of Energy (DOE) Vehicle Technologies Office, announced its annual funding opportunity for 2023 for the automotive industry to leverage technical assistance from DOE national laboratories. LightMAT seeks proposals to identify key technical challenges limiting the use of lightweight materials that can... Read more →