A team of researchers from the Chemistry Division of the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division in China Lake has demonstrated that fuels with both high energy densities and excellent low temperature properties can be generated from bio-based substrates through cyclopropanation (a chemical process which generates cyclopropane rings) reactions. A... Read more →

Researchers at Northeastern University in Shenyang, China, have identified a novel carbon arsenide (AsC5) monolayer as a promising anode material for sodium-ion batteries (NIBs). A paper on their work is published in Journal of Power Sources. In this work, we perform unbiased first-principles structure-search simulations to find a novel AsC5... Read more →

Bentley has installed a 1,200-liter biofuel tank at its Crewe factory after successful performance trials of biogasoline—Sustain by Coryton—at Goodwood Festival of Speed. Bentley ran its six-strong fleet at Goodwood using the fuel and successfully completed all 32 hill-climbs. The 750PS, W12-engined Batur fueled with the second-gen biofuel completed a... Read more →

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation introduced the fully redesigned Triton one-ton pickup truck in Bangkok, Thailand, with sales already commencing in Thailand. The all-new Triton will be rolled out in markets centering on the ASEAN and Oceania regions and is scheduled for launch in Japan in early 2024 for the first time... Read more →

Since the EU imposed sanctions on Russia in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine, there has been a redrawing of the global oil map, a new study by Transport & Environment (T&E) shows. Instead of cutting demand, Europe has simply replaced imports from Russia with oil from other producing... Read more →

In November 2021, Finnish Minerals Group announced that it was negotiating with China-based Beijing Easpring Material Technology on the possibility to establish a cathode active materials (CAM) plant in Kotka, Finland. The parties have now agreed to set up a joint venture company by the end of 2023, of which... Read more →

Porsche AG will gradually take over all shares in the MHP GmbH by January 2024. Already the majority owner, Porsche intends to consistently utilize the growth potential of the management and IT consultancy MHP. Until now, Ralf Hofmann, co-founder, shareholder and Chairman of the Board of Management, held 18.2% of... Read more →

The governments of Canada and British Columbia will jointly invest more than $395.5 million to support public transit in British Columbia. Through this investment, BC Transit will purchase up to 115 Battery Electric Buses (BEBs) and install 134 charging points to enable the deployment of the new buses in communities... Read more →

Steven Guilbeault, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, released the Inefficient Fossil Fuel Subsidies Government of Canada Self‑Review Assessment Framework and the Inefficient Fossil Fuel Subsidies Government of Canada Guidelines, which were jointly developed by Environment and Climate Change Canada and the Department of Finance Canada. The Government of... Read more →

Toyota Motor Corporation will enter the ENEOS Super Taikyu Series 2023 Supported by Bridgestone Round 4 Super Taikyu Race (5h x 1 race), to be held from 29-30 July at the Autopolis international racing course in Oita Prefecture, with the #32 ORC ROOKIE GR Corolla H2 Concept, which runs on... Read more →

Over the past year, Consumer Reports (CR) sought to answer the question of the effect of temperature on electric vehicle range by conducting seasonal testing on popular new all-wheel-drive EVs: the Ford Mustang Mach-E extended range, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Tesla Model Y Long Range, and Volkswagen ID.4 Pro S. The... Read more →

The US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is proposing new fuel economy standards for passenger cars and light trucks and fuel efficiency standards for model years (MYs) 2027-31 that increase at a rate of 2% per year for passenger cars and 4% per year for light... Read more →

BASF has completed the carve-out of its mobile emissions catalysts and precious metal services businesses and named the separate legal entity BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions (ECMS). The company’s intention to carve out the entity was first announced in December 2021 with an expected completion timeframe of 18 months.... Read more →

Stellantis N.V. completed its 33.3% purchase in Symbio, a leader in zero-emission hydrogen mobility. FORVIA and Michelin are equal shareholders. Acquiring an equal stake in Symbio bolsters Stellantis’ position in hydrogen-powered vehicles by supporting the fuel cell van production in France, and it also serves as a perfect complement to... Read more →

DG Fuels, LLC (DGF), a developer of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) facilities (earlier post), announced the successful closing of investment transactions with two Japanese companies. With the investments in DGF made by aviner & co., inc., Chishima Real Estate Co., Ltd. and an undisclosed investor, DGF has now exceeded its... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems received an order for additional fuel cell engines from Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC). These eighteen, 200 kW fuel cell engines (3.6 MW total) are planned for delivery in 2023 and will support the expansion of CPKC’s Hydrogen Locomotive Program. Over the past two years, Ballard has... Read more →

Intelligent power management company Eaton has introduced a new approach simplifying electric vehicle (EV) fleet charging by eliminating costly cable runs and major modifications to existing parking and conveyor structures. The overhead EV Charging Busway enables fleets to expand and reconfigure infrastructure with no concrete work required—often the biggest cost... Read more →

KAUST researchers have demonstrated the use of laser pulses to modify the structure of a promising alternative electrode material known as MXene, boosting its energy capacity and other key properties. The researchers hope that this strategy could help to engineer an improved anode material in next-generation batteries. A paper on... Read more →

Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) today announced plans to launch three new projects as part of its next phase of research, dedicated to advancing safety in mobility technologies. The research projects include an investigation on driver support features for vehicle lane centering; the creation of an in-vehicle intervention prototype... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation introduced the AI-enabled, blockchain-based Supplier CO2 Emission Monitoring System (SCEMS) to manage the carbon emissions of its cooperative business partners. SCEMS is designed to compute carbon emissions at every stage of a cooperative partner’s supply chain while assuring data transparency and integrity. Hyundai Motor... Read more →

onsemi and Magna announced a long-term supply agreement (LTSA) for Magna to integrate onsemi’s EliteSiC intelligent power solutions into its eDrive systems. By integrating onsemi’s industry-leading EliteSiC MOSFET technology, Magna eDrive systems can offer better cooling performance and faster acceleration and charging rates, improving efficiency and increasing the range of... Read more →

Dymag, a designer and manufacturer of lightweight wheels for the automotive industry, and its strategic partner, composites material specialists Hankuk Carbon, are working with Hyundai on the development of advanced new carbon hybrid wheel technology for the carmaker’s N Performance products. A prototype of a new jointly-developed N Performance carbon... Read more →

Lockheed Martin won a contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop and demonstrate a nuclear-powered spacecraft under a project called Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO). The project will represent a rapid advancement in propulsion technology to benefit exploration and national defense. Cislunar refers to... Read more →

Calumet Specialty Products Partners, L.P. reported that ramp-up of unit operations was completed during the second quarter, making its Montana Renewables subsidiary the largest producer of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in North America (approximately 30 million gallons per year). The Montana Renewables team delivered on our first mover strategy and... Read more →

LiquidPiston, a developer of efficient engine technology and hybrid power systems, has been awarded an $8.3-million contract by Parsons Corporation to integrate its recently launched high-performance rotary X-Engine, the XTS-210 (earlier post), into a lightweight, compact 10 kW generator set to be field-tested by the Army, delivering unmatched power flexibility... Read more →

Africa’s mined lithium production output is set to increase more than ten-fold this decade, according to Benchmark’s Lithium Forecast. This will increase the region’s strength in the supply of critical minerals beyond cobalt, which the continent has historically dominated. Benchmark’s Lithium Forecast shows that the region is expected to account... Read more →

The BMW Group launched its new test site for fully automated development and test drives in Sokolov (Czechia), the Future Mobility Development Center (FMDC). As the first development location of its kind in central Europe, the FMDC, in which BMW Group invested €300 million, will play a key role in... Read more →

Lithium-metal solid-state battery company QuantumScape (QS) announced that it is working closely with a prospective launch customer in the automotive sector for the first commercial QS product. QS previously disclosed customer sampling agreements with six automakers and a stationary storage provider as well as product tests with some of the... Read more →

The Volkswagen Group is strengthening its position on the Chinese automotive market with cooperations between the VW brand and XPENG and between Audi and SAIC. The VW brand has concluded a technological framework agreement with XPENG. The initial stage of the cooperation will provide for the joint development of two... Read more →

Global sales of Nissan Motor electric vehicles have surpassed the 1-million unit milestone. Since its launch in December 2010, the Nissan LEAF has sold more than 650,000 units worldwide. The model is currently sold in approximately 50 markets centering on Japan, the US and Europe. In 2022, Nissan started sales... Read more →

Seven major global automakers—BMW Group, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz Group, and Stellantis NV—will create a joint venture to build a new charging network that will significantly expand access to high-powered charging in North America. Targeting to install at least 30,000 high-powered charge points in urban and highway locations,... Read more →

Global research and advisory firm Aranca has launched the Green Hydrogen Hub—an interactive online tool that tracks all green hydrogen proejcts that have come into operations since 2018. It currently is tracking 461 projects. Users can register to gain full access to 10,000+ datapoints showcased on the platform. The tool... Read more →

SunGas Renewables Inc. announced the formation of Beaver Lake Renewable Energy, LLC (BLRE), which will construct a new green methanol production facility in Central Louisiana. A wholly-owned subsidiary of SunGas Renewables, BLRE is expected to generate from the facility nearly 400,000 metric tons of green methanol per year for marine... Read more →

SABIC recently announced its new PCR-based NORYL resin technology, formulated using 25% or more post-consumer recycled (PCR) content and aimed at providing additional, sustainable material options for customers. The technology was validated through the commercialization of several grades, including NORYL NH5120RC3 resin containing 30% PCR content, which helps to lower... Read more →

TECO 2030 and its consortium partners will receive HORIZON EUROPE funding of €13.5 million to build and demonstrate a passenger ferry powered by TECO 2030 fuel cells. The grant amount reserved for TECO 2030 is €2.3 million. The principal goal of the project is to accelerate the transition towards safe... Read more →

Enerkem, a producer of bio-methanol from mixed waste at commercial scale, and Dimeta, a joint venture between the two of the largest off-grid energy suppliers, are initiating feasibility studies for the development of two large-scale projects that will convert waste into renewable and recycled carbon dimethyl ether (DME). DME is... Read more →

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) has created a framework to assess the economic viability of recovering rare earth elements (REEs) from unconventional feedstocks such as coal and coal waste—an advance that is part of NETL efforts to unlock new domestic sources of critical minerals (CM) that can ease US... Read more →

The European Council has formally adopted the FuelEU Maritime Regulation. The main objective of the FuelEU Maritime initiative, as a key part of the EU’s Fit for 55 package, is to increase the demand for and consistent use of renewable and low-carbon fuels and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from... Read more →

Porsche is planning to set up its own fast-charging stations offering a premium charging experience along Europe’s most important routes. As a pilot site, the first Porsche Charging Lounge has opened outside Bingen am Rhein. Two minutes from motorway junction A60/A61, it offers six 300-kW DC fast-charging stations and four... Read more →

MAHLE and the Taiwan-based battery manufacturer ProLogium have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for developing and evaluating thermal management solutions for next generation solid-state batteries. Solid-state cells are expected to have significant advantages in the future in terms of safety and energy density, which contribute to higher driving ranges and... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group announced the inauguration of its Joint Battery Research Center with Seoul National University (SNU). This collaborative effort between the Group and SNU aims to advance battery technologies and foster industry-academia cooperation to establish global leadership in the battery field. The Joint Battery Research Center began to take... Read more →

GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra announced during the company’s quarterly earnings conference call that Chevrolet will introduce a next-generation Bolt. GM said that drawing on various Ultium and Ultifi technological advancements will help it bring this popular model back to market on an accelerated timeline. Timing and specific details... Read more →

US-based battery swapping company Ample (earlier post) is partnering with Mitsubishi Fuso to deliver Mitsubishi Fuso electric trucks powered by Ample’s Modular Battery Swapping technology. The initial deployment will leverage Mitsubishi Fuso’s latest all-electric FUSO eCanter starting this winter in Japan. Initially, the eCanter will provide a range from 62-200... Read more →

Continental, a subsidiary of Continental Aerospace Technologies Holding Limited, is finalizing testing of Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) as a sustainable fuel option in its CD-100 series of engines. This research and development investment signifies Continental’s commitment to fostering a more sustainable general aviation industry aimed at reducing carbon emissions and... Read more →

Gevo, Inc. has entered into a Master Services Agreement (MSA) with a subsidiary of McDermott International, Ltd to provide front end engineering and early planning services for Gevo’s development of multiple sustainable aviation fuel facilities in North America. The first facility, Net-Zero 1, is expected to be located near Lake... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) Urban Mobility Solutions and the Boston’s Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics and Citywide Analytics Team announced a pilot partnership to identify the causes of uneven roads using vehicle data analytics. MBUSA is using an advanced algorithm to process vehicle data and use it for infrastructure analytics.... Read more →

Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) has awarded Stadler a framework agreement for up to 120 battery-powered trains. The FLIRT Akku vehicles are designed to replace the current diesel fleet and will enable sustainable operation on lines that are only partially electrified. The signing of the framework agreement and the initial order... Read more →

Canada-based Vortex Energy has completed a hydrogen storage capacity assessment for the East and West Salt Structures at the Robinsons River Salt Project. The work was done by the company’s contracted consultant partner, RESPEC Consulting, a geology, geophysical and engineering consultancy with direct experience in underground hydrogen storage caverns. Salt... Read more →

ZF Friedrichshafen AG (ZF Group), one of the world’s largest automotive suppliers, and Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) (TWSE:2317), the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, announced a 50-50 partnership in passenger car chassis systems, a key move aimed at accelerating and expanding automotive and supply chain opportunities with top-tier customers. In... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) will award $10.9 million to 10 projects across nine states that will advance innovative technologies to extract and convert battery-grade lithium from geothermal brine sources in the United States. (DE-FOA-0002823, earlier post) Currently, the United States has limited capabilities to produce and refine domestically... Read more →