The US Army has awarded Cummins an $87-million contract to complete the development of the Advanced Combat Engine (ACE), a modular and scalable diesel engine solution, capable of hybridization, that uses innovative opposed-piston (OP) technology to provide leap-ahead capabilities in power density and heat rejection not available in the current... Read more →

US production capacity for renewable diesel could increase significantly through 2024, based on announced projects and those that are under construction, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Growing targets for state and federal renewable fuel programs and incentives for renewable diesel production are driving this expansion. As of... Read more →

The European Commission has found that Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen group (Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche) breached EU antitrust rules by colluding on technical development of NOx aftertreatment systems. The Commission has imposed a fine of €875,189,000 (US$1.04 billion). Daimler was not fined, as it revealed the existence of the cartel... Read more →

Kia has presented the fifth-generation Kia Sportage SUV. Developed on a new architecture, the all-new Sportage will offer gasoline and diesel powertrains at market launch later this year, followed by hybrid-electric (HEV) and plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) models. The new Sportage debuts numerous technologies, including Kia’s E-Handling system that enhances... Read more →

Neste, the world’s leading provider of renewable diesel (RD) and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) has launched Neste MY Renewable Diesel in the Belgian market. The fuel, produced from 100% renewable raw materials, is brought to the Belgian market in collaboration with the channel partner EG Group. Neste MY Renewable Diesel... Read more →

Tula Technology, Inc., a leader in propulsion efficiency, will release the findings of a recent simulation study to evaluate the efficacy of its newest technology at the FEV Powertrain Conference. The study validated that Tula’s Dynamic Skip Fire (DSF) developed for mild-hybrid diesel vehicles reduced CO2 emissions in a 2.3... Read more →

A team at Chalmers University (Sweden) has tested blends of OME3-5, HVO and RME in a light- and heavy-duty CI engine. For the study, which is published in an open-access paper in the journal Fuel, OME3-5 was blended with hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), rapeseed methyl ester (RME) and the C8-alcohol... Read more →

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and PBF Chalmette Refinery Manager Steven Krynski announced that the company is studying the possible conversion of an idled refinery unit into a renewable diesel production complex. The refinery’s parent company, PBF Energy, would make a $550-million capital investment to retrofit a hydrocracker unit—out of... Read more →

Aemetis awarded an engineering services contract to Worley for the Aemetis ‘Carbon Zero’ renewable jet and diesel plant in Riverbank, California. (Earlier post.) The Aemetis Carbon Zero renewable jet and diesel project is designed to hydrotreat renewable oils with hydrogen from orchard and forest wood waste. By utilizing hydroelectric electricity... Read more →

Canada-based Covenant Energy Ltd. has chosen Haldor Topsoe’s HydroFlex renewable fuel technology to produce renewable diesel from vegetable oil. The 6,500 barrels-per-day renewable diesel unit will be built in Saskatchewan, Canada, and is scheduled to go into operation early in 2024. Topsoe will also provide its H2bridge hydrogen technology based... Read more →

Aemetis, Inc. has awarded an engineering services contract to Worley for the Aemetis “Carbon Zero” renewable jet and diesel plant in Riverbank, California. The Aemetis Carbon Zero renewable jet and diesel project is designed to hydrotreat renewable oils with hydrogen from orchard and forest wood waste. By utilizing hydroelectric electricity... Read more →

UrbanX Renewables Group of Long Beach, CA, executed a front-end engineering design (FEED) contract with Hyundai Engineering Co., Ltd—an essential step for building the state’s first facility producing ultra-low carbon renewable diesel. The company will produce its XRD renewable diesel from vegetable oil, fats and waste cooking oils through a... Read more →

UK-based ULEMCo signed an exclusive MoU with ENGV Pty Ltd to collaborate on developing a market for its hydrogen dual fuel technology in Australia. The scope of the agreement extends across Australia and into commercial vehicles, particularly heavy-duty applications like refuse collection, urban trucks, buses and prime movers. By using... Read more →

ADM plans to build North Dakota’s first dedicated soybean crushing plant and refinery to meet fast-growing demand from food, feed, industrial and biofuel customers, including producers of renewable diesel. Based in Spiritwood, ND, the approximately $350-million crush and refining complex will feature state-of-the-art automation technology and have the capacity to... Read more →

Startup ClearFlame Engine Technologies announced a partnership with Alto Ingredients, a leading producer of specialty alcohols and essential ingredients, to conduct pilot demonstrations of ClearFlame’s solution for diesel engines using low-cost ethanol in Class 8 trucks. ClearFlame will provide Alto with a Class VIII truck retrofitted with a 500hp heavy-duty... Read more →

Seaboard Energy has chosen Haldor Topsoe’s HydroFlex hydroprocessing fuel technology to produce renewable diesel from tallow and soybean oil. The 6,500 barrels-per-day renewable diesel unit is currently under construction at Seaboard Energy’s site in Hugoton, Kansas, and is scheduled for operation at the end of 2021. Topsoe has been developing... Read more →

Cummins Inc. announced that the latest B6.7 Performance Series engine in Europe—used in agriculture, mining and construction applications—not only meets EU Stage V, delivering near-zero emission levels of NOx and PM, but it also features stop-start capability which can help operators further reduce running costs, as well as their environmental... Read more →

Argonne National Laboratory is helping Caterpillar improve efficiency and reduce emissions in their heavy-duty diesel engines. Heavy-duty diesel engines still power most large vehicles used in the construction, mining and transportation industries in the United States. Engineers are working to improve the fuel efficiency of these engines while minimizing pollution... Read more →

In the first quarter of 2021, hybrid electric vehicles made up 18.4% of total passenger car sales in the EU, almost doubling their market share in a year, according to data from the European Association of Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA). Demand for electrically-chargeable cars also increased in Q1: battery-electric vehicles made... Read more →

ExxonMobil and Global Clean Energy have expanded their five-year agreement to increase ExxonMobil’s purchase of renewable diesel to up to 5 million barrels per year. ExxonMobil will be the exclusive buyer of renewable diesel from Global Clean Energy’s biorefinery in Bakersfield, California, which is on schedule to begin production in... Read more →

The Love’s Family of Companies, Cargill and their affiliates have entered into a 50/50 joint venture to produce and market renewable diesel. The joint venture is called Heartwell Renewables and will result in the construction of a new production plant and more than 50 jobs in Hastings, Nebraska. The plant... Read more →

Topsoe has signed a contract with Tidewater for the delivery of Topsoe’s HydroFlex technology (earlier post) in Canada. The technology will be utilized in a new 3,000 barrels per day renewable diesel facility that will be constructed at the site of Tidewater’s existing Prince George refinery in British Columbia, Canada.... Read more →

Cummins Inc. and Tula Technology, Inc., a leader in propulsion efficiency, announced at SAE International’s WCX the results of their collaborative study on the effectiveness of Tula’s diesel Dynamic Skip Fire (dDSF) in reducing nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions on a Cummins X15 HD Efficiency Series diesel... Read more →

Neste and NuStar Energy L.P. announced that supply trucks are now able to load Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel at the NuStar-operated Selby Terminal near San Francisco, California. The first gallons have been safely picked up and delivered to the nearby Monterey Regional Airport. Due to the strategic location of... Read more →

A team at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has achieved diesel-like efficiency in a single-cylinder spark-ignition (SI) research engine while maintaining compatibility with stoichiometric 3-way catalyst (TWC) systems. A paper on their work is published in the International Journal of Engine Research. The ORNL team conducted engine experiments with both... Read more →

Following several years of research and development, Central & East European (CEE) oil and gas corporation MOL has stepped up the value chain and has become a biofuel producer through the realization of an investment in the Danube Refinery. Bio feedstock will be co-processed together with fossil materials increasing the... Read more →

Neste announced in March 2020 an intention to increase its renewable products production capacity in Europe according to the company strategy. The company has now concluded a thorough study phase concerning the two possible locations, Porvoo, Finland and Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Neste has existing sites in both locations. While... Read more →

Hino Trucks intends to produce medium- and heavy-duty Hino trucks with Cummins engines for sale in North America. Hino intends to offer Cummins B6.7 and L9 engines in Hino’s L and XL Series models by the end of 2021. Hino plans to redirect engineering and other resources to accelerate the... Read more →

CWind, a leading provider of project services, crew transfer vessels (CTVs) and GWO-accredited training courses to the offshore wind industry, and part of the Global Marine Group (a market leader in offshore engineering), has delivered the world’s first hybrid-powered Surface Effect Ship (SES), the CWind Pioneer. A surface effect ship... Read more →

Daimler Truck AG and Cummins Inc. signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a global strategic partnership for medium-duty engine systems. The companies added that other opportunities for collaboration are also being evaluated. As part of the planned strategic partnership, Cummins will invest in the further development of medium-duty engine systems... Read more →

Canada-based Nova Bus, a member of the Volvo Group, recently was awarded a contract for 15 LFSe+, Nova Bus’ long range electric buses, by TransLink, Metro Vancouver’s transportation network. TransLink will be adding these to their two LFSe vehicles delivered in 2019 as part of the Canadian Consortium for Urban... Read more →

Honeywell recently introduced a single-stage UOP Ecofining technology offering for the production of renewable diesel fuel. The new single-stage technology is a fast-to-market, low capital cost solution that is suited for repurposing an underutilized hydrotreating or hydrocracking unit in a refinery, producing higher yields of renewable diesel fuel than other... Read more →

Cummins Inc. and Isuzu Motors Limited announced agreements for a global mid-range diesel powertrain and an advanced engineering collaboration, marking another step forward in the Isuzu Cummins Powertrain Partnership (ICPP). The partnership, formed in May 2019, formalized a business structure for the two companies to evaluate and carry out opportunities... Read more →

Darling and Valero jointly announced that their 50/50 joint venture, Diamond Green Diesel (DGD), has received approval from both companies’ Boards of Directors to proceed with the construction of the renewable diesel production facility to be located at Valero’s Port Arthur, Texas refinery. DGD Port Arthur’s capacity is estimated to... Read more →

Achates Power was recently awarded a $5-million contract from the US Army to expand the family of opposed-piston engines for military vehicles. The project, awarded in late-2020, builds upon the success of the Advanced Combat Engine (ACE). (Earlier post.) The US Army, after seeing the demonstrated capability of the Advanced... Read more →

CVR Energy will base a revamp of its Wynnewood, Oklahoma, refinery on Haldor Topsoe’s HydroFlex technology to produce approximately 100 million gallons of renewable diesel and more than 6 million gallons of renewable naphtha per year. Topsoe will deliver basic engineering, license, proprietary equipment and catalyst for HydroFlex. Construction work... Read more →

ECB Group Paraguay and Shell Trading (US) Company signed a multi-year contract that will provide more than 500 million liters (130 million gallons US) of renewable diesel and renewable jet fuel per year to Shell, one of the world’s largest energy companies. The contract is expected to run from 2024.... Read more →

As of the beginning of 2021, Audi has converted its European vehicle range to the level of the Euro 6d emission standard. All models included in the currently valid sales program comply with the strict limits of the Euro 6d-ISC-FCM standard. Currently, 193 models are certified according to the new... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the availability of grant funding to implement projects which reduce emissions from the nation’s existing fleet of older diesel engines. EPA anticipates awarding approximately $46 million in Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) grant funding to eligible applicants, subject to the availability of funds.... Read more →

Earlier this month, Achates Power announced that its innovative 3-cylinder, 10.6L opposed-piston (OP) heavy-duty diesel engine achieved Ultralow NOx (ULNOx) performance results. (Earlier post.) A key element of the achievement is the low engine-out NOx from the opposed-piston engine, which reduced the requirements for the aftertreatment system (ATS). The original... Read more →

Since forming in 2013, Argent Materials, a San Francisco Bay Area recycler of concrete and asphalt, and supplier of aggregate such as crushed rock, entry, cutback, sand, backfill and base rock for construction projects, has diverted more than a billion pounds of waste from local landfills. As a result, Argent... Read more →

Achates Power’s innovative 3-cylinder, 10.6L opposed-piston heavy-duty diesel engine has achieved performance results that comply with pending 2027 requirements of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California to reduce sharply emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx). Engine and aftertreatment system development and performance assessments were conducted at the Achates Power... Read more →

Grön Fuels, LLC’s renewable diesel and jet fuel option facility at the Port of Greater Baton Rouge is based on Topsoe’s proprietary HydroFlex hydrotreating and H2bridge hydrogen technologies, including an option to capture ~1 million tons per year of bio-CO2 for carbon sequestration in suitable deep saline aquifers located below... Read more →

Volkswagen 2.0 TDI diesel for Euro 6d; SCR twin-dosing Volkswagen continues to refine its most important diesel engine, the 2.0-liter TDI. With SCR twin dosing technology in the exhaust gas system, the diesel unit now undercuts the Euro 6d emission standard limits while also running quietly and smoothly, according to... Read more →

Altair Paramount, LLC (Altair) has applied for California LCFS fuel pathways for renewable diesel, renewable naphtha and renewable jet fuels derived from rendered animal fat feedstock and processed at their facility in Paramount, California. Altair sources rendered inedible animal fat from an integrated meatpacking and rendering facility owned by JBS1... Read more →

In a new report, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Air Enforcement Division (AED) estimates that the emissions controls have been removed from more than 550,000 diesel pickup trucks in the last decade. The AED report includes only tampering that involves the complete removal and disablement of emissions controls hardware.... Read more →

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that the government will accelerate the ban on the sale of new gasoline and diesel vehicles, bringing it forward by ten years to 2030, as part of a “Green Industrial Revolution.” The sale of hybrid cars will be allowed until 2035. Johnson announced the... Read more →

Westport Fuel Systems Inc. announced a follow-on contract for new product development work with its current European-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partner to apply Westport HPDI 2.0—the company’s LNG system for heavy-duty diesel vehicles—to an updated base engine platform. The program will incorporate new features for the resulting HPDI 2.0... Read more →

For the first time, renewable raw materials are being converted to Swedish Environmental Class 1 diesel (maximum sulfur content of 10 ppm) at Preem’s refinery in Lysekil. The aim is to annually produce up to 950,000 cubic meters (251 million gallons US) of renewable fuel by 2024. This is part... Read more →

Audi has introduced the latest version of the SQ5 TDI diesel. The SQ5 TDI was first introduced in the fall of 2012 as the first Audi S model powered by a diesel engine. In its latest version, the three-liter V6 delivers 251 kW (341 PS) and 700 N·m (516.3 lb-ft)... Read more →