The all-new Toyota Yaris (earlier post) has been named as the 2021 European Car of the Year. Selected by a jury of 59 automotive journalists from across Europe, the fourth-generation Yaris receives the award 21 years after the innovative first generation was named European Car of the Year in 2000,... 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 →

Nissan announced a breakthrough in engine efficiency, reaching 50% thermal efficiency with its in-development, next-generation e-POWER system. Nissan’s e-POWER system utilizes an on-board gasoline engine to provide electrical energy to the e-powertrain battery pack. Nissan’s latest approach to engine development has raised the bar to world-leading levels, accelerating past the... Read more →

Cadillac is upgrading the XT5 and XT6 SUV lineups in China with a 48V mild hybrid system for improved fuel economy and better driving performance. The 48V mild hybrid technology includes a 48V motor, power battery, power management module and hybrid control unit. As a result, the fuel efficiency of... Read more →

As a direct result of the state’s Clean Cars 4 All program, more than 10,000 Californians have now scrapped old, dirty cars and replaced them with cleaner alternatives such as new and used zero-emission, plug-in hybrid, or hybrid cars. There is strong consumer demand for Clean Cars 4 All (CC4A)... Read more →

Vitesco Technologies, a leading international supplier of advanced powertrain technologies and electrification solutions, is now making electrical catalyst heating available in high-voltage hybrid vehicles as well. With a new DC/DC converter, the heating discs of the electrically heated EMICAT catalyst (earlier post) can now also be supplied with electricity in... Read more →

Audi has upgraded the battery capacity for the Q5, A6, and A7 Sportback PHEVs. The TFSI e models now come with 14.4 kWh net (17.9 kWh gross), which supports an increased electric range of up to 91 kilometers (57 miles), measured in accordance with the NEDC cycle (73 km (45... Read more →

Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc. (MMNA) announced pricing and availability of the 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) crossover. Outlander PHEV is substantially upgraded for 2021, and features a revised powertrain, an enlarged battery pack offering extended all-electric range, and increased performance from a new, more efficient, 2.4... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz is supplying 129 Citaro G hybrid 18m articulated buses to Belgium’s TEC Group. This is one of the largest orders for articulated buses in recent years. The vehicles will be delivered by summer of this year. The delivery also includes a comprehensive service contract valid for eight years. The... Read more →

Hyliion Holdings, a provider of electrified powertrain solutions for Class 8 commercial vehicles, instroduced its next generation battery module which integrates Toshiba’s LTO cells with Hyliion’s technology to achieve longer battery life, higher charging rates and improved safety. Building on Hyliion’s proprietary battery system, the battery module will be incorporated... Read more →

Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) plans to debut three new electrified models—two BEVs and a PHEV—in the US market this year. Toyota currently has more than 40% share of the total alternative fuel vehicle market, which includes a 75% share of the fuel cell market and a 64% share of... Read more →

ZF Group has received several large-scale orders worth several billion euros from North American vehicle manufacturers for its automatic 8-speed PowerLine transmission—including the largest individual commercial-vehicle-related order in company history. In 2023, production will start in Gray Court, South Carolina. ZF consequently is expanding its transmission plant, investing more than... Read more →

Bombardier Transportation (now part of Alstom) introduced a variety of green innovations to reduce CO2 emissions and pollution in the railway sector. One of our first sustainable mobility solutions was a dual-mode Autorail à Grande Capacité (AGC) train, designed and developed by its Crespin site in France; the AGC was... Read more →

XL Fleet Corp. has entered into a strategic partnership with Curbtender, a market leader in Under CDL (vehicles that do not require a Commercial Drivers License) refuse trucks and a pioneer in automated side-loader collection. Under the terms of the agreement, XL Fleet and Curbtender will jointly develop a series... Read more →

Rheinmetall Automotive has booked its first orders for an environmentally friendly fuel tank isolation valve (FTIV). Developed by Pierburg in Neuss, Germany, it is used in modern plug-in hybrid vehicles, which generally feature a hermetically sealed tank system so that fuel fumes cannot escape when the vehicle is operating in... Read more →

Orders for the all-new Nissan Note e-POWER have surpassed 20,000—more than double the compact car’s monthly sales target—since it was released in Japan in late December. (Earlier post.) Equipped with Nissan’s e-POWER electrified powertrain, the fully refreshed Note went on sale on 23 December with a monthly sales target of... Read more →

Leclanché SA has developed a modular, all-in-one, high-performance battery system optimized for powering new and retrofit hybrid and fully electric commercial vehicles. INT-39 Energy HV pack (INT-39 Energy) is a fully integrated product comprising Leclanché’s advanced M2 battery modules, powered by its high density and high life cycle 60 Ah... Read more →

Dana Incorporated has introduced an expanded family of Dana TM4 SUMO HP electric motors and inverters, including the HV1000 and HV2500. The TM4 SUMO family is specifically designed for battery-electric, range-extended, and fuel-cell vehicles. These high-performance motors and inverters are engineered to offer maximum flexibility, enabling direct-drive, series-hybrid, or parallel-hybrid... Read more →

Shin-Etsu Chemical has developed innovative silicone thermal interface materials for applications in electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). With the electrification of automobiles, the demand for heat dissipation measures for lithium-ion batteries and for various other electronic control systems are increasingly becoming more sophisticated and diversified. With the... Read more →

While the lithium-ion battery is dominant in battery-electric vehicles, NiMH batteries are still the most common in full hybrid vehicles (HEVs), according to a new report—“Full Hybrid Electric Vehicle Markets 2021-2041”—from IDTechEx. Toyota is the ruling OEM in the global HEV car market, with more than 60% market share in... Read more →

Rolls-Royce is supplying two mtu 16V 4000 M55RN gas engines to Sembcorp Marine Integrated Yard for the construction of the first liquefied natural gas (LNG)-hybrid powered tug. This is the first LNG-hybrid tug to be powered by mtu gas engines. Designed by LMG Marin (Norway), part of the Sembcorp Marine... Read more →

Supporting Nissan’s goal of achieving 50% electrified sales in Europe by 2024, the new Nissan Qashqai will not only be available with a 1.3 DiG-T gasoline engine equipped with mild hybrid technology, but also e-POWER, Nissan’s non-plug-in series-hybrid electric powertrain in its European debut. The e-POWER system for New Qashqai... Read more →

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has launched the all-new GR010 HYBRID Le Mans Hypercar, which will compete in the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). The reigning World Champions and three-time Le Mans winners will defend those titles against new manufacturer competitors using a racing version of the upcoming hypercar road car,... Read more →

At cruising altitude, airplanes emit a steady stream of NOx into the atmosphere, where the chemicals can linger to produce ozone and fine particulates. Previous research has shown that the generation of these chemicals due to global aviation results in 16,000 premature deaths each year. Now, MIT engineers are proposing... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz experienced a sharp increase in xEV deliveries in 2020, with more than 160,000 plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles sold worldwide (+228.8%), including about 87,000 units in the fourth quarter alone. We more than tripled sales of our plug-in hybrids and all-electric cars. Demand for these vehicles increased sharply, especially... Read more →

In 2020, e-mobility became more popular in Germany, despite a 20% decline in registration numbers in the year of the COVID 19 pandemic. Alternative drives (battery-electric, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, hydrogen fuel cell, gas, and hydrogen) took up around a quarter of all new light-duty vehicle registrations in Germany in 2020,... Read more →

The FCA Group will invest more than $200 million in its plant in Tychy, Poland, where new hybrid and electric Jeep, Fiat and Alfa Romeo models will be built. The investment will involve the expansion and modernization of the FCA Poland plant and will last several years. The goal is... Read more →

Nissan launched the all-new Note e-POWER AWD compact car, with dual electric motors that give the driver enhanced control and acceleration. The car comes exclusively with Nissan’s e-POWER electrified powertrain—a non-plug-in series hybrid configuration (earlier post)—and is scheduled to go on sale in Japan in early 2021. The introduction of... Read more →

India’s first greenfield and largest shipbuilding yard, Cochin Shipyard Ltd., has selected Siemens Energy to provide advanced marine solutions for the country’s first fleet of 23 boats to be equipped with electric propulsion drive trains with energy storage integration (batteries) and vessel automation technologies. Cochin Shipyard Ltd. is building the... Read more →

Volkswagen’s plug-in hybrid version of its Tiguan SUV—the Tiguan eHybrid (earlier post)—is now available to configure and order in Europe; the starting price in Germany is €42,413.11 (US$51,500). The Tiguan eHybrid has an all-electric range (WLTP) of up to 50 km (31 miles). In Hybrid mode, the electric motor supports... Read more →

PEUGEOT Sport and TOTAL have released the main technical characteristics of the powertrain of their Hypercar LMH for the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC)—the PEUGEOT HYBRID4 500KW. The main features of the PEUGEOT HYBRID4 500KW are: Hybrid technology, with a mid-rear, 2.6-liter, 500 kW (680 horsepower), twin- turbo, V6,... Read more →

XL Fleet announced that Essential Utilities, Inc. one of the largest publicly traded water, wastewater and natural gas providers in the US, serving approximately 5 million people across 10 states under the Aqua and Peoples brands, is launching a pilot program to electrify its two most popular commercial GM vehicle... Read more →

In a new report—“Full Hybrid Electric Vehicle Markets 2021-2041”—IDTechEx forecasts that market value for hybrid electric vehicles will peak at $792 billion in 2027. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) have seen significant growth in sales over recent years, and the HEV market is set to increase in 2020 despite the implications... Read more →

AUDI AG plans a total investment of approximately €35 billion, in spite of a difficult business environment, to 2025. Some €17 billion of that, amounting to half of the investment sum, is allocated to future technologies alone. Audi has earmarked approximately €15 billion for electromobility and hybridization, thus underlining the... Read more →

SEAT continues to expand its range of electrified vehicles, as the SEAT Tarraco e-HYBRID enters production this week. The plug-in hybrid version of the brand’s flagship delivers a maximum power of 245PS (180kW), making it the most powerful Tarraco produced to date. With a 13 kWh lithium-ion battery back, it... Read more →

Audi will be competing in the famous Dakar Rally for the first time in 2022 with an innovative prototype. The alternative drive concept combines an electric drivetrain with a high-voltage battery and a highly efficient energy converter for the first time. Cross-country rallying will be the spearhead of the factory... Read more →

SEAT has invested more than €30 million in recent years to create the most advanced powertrain test center in southern Europe. The facilities are equipped with nine multi-energy test benches, which enable different types of tests to be carried out on internal combustion, electric, hybrid and CNG engines, with the... Read more →

Volkswagen’s new Arteon and Arteon Shooting Brake are available in Europe as plug-in hybrid models. Prices in Germany start from €51,064.37 (US$60,800) for the Arteon eHybrid with a hatchback and from €51,927.06 (US$61,900) for the Arteon Shooting Brake eHybrid. Volkswagen now offers the Golf, Tiguan, Passat, Passat Estate, Arteon, Arteon... Read more →

Nissan launched the all-new Note compact car in Japan, with sales planned to begin 23 December. The new Note will come exclusively with Nissan’s e-POWER electrified powertrain (earlier post). As the company’s best-selling model in its home market, the car continues to play a key role in the Nissan NEXT... Read more →

Buick’s vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology made its debut at the Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition. Later this year, Buick will become the first brand in China officially to roll out the market-ready technology on a production vehicle, a Buick GL8. V2X technology has a crucial role to play in improving safety and... Read more →

Three of the most popular plug-in hybrids in 2020 all emitted more CO2 than advertised when tested in the real world, according to tests commissioned by European environmental NGO Transport & Environment (T&E). T&E said governments should therefore end the purchase subsidies and tax breaks for plug-in hybrids. T&E has... Read more →

XL Fleet announced that Farmbro Inc., an Ontario-based upfitting solutions service provider specializing in commercial and work vehicles, expects to double its sales volume from approximately 1,000 XL unit installations in 2020 to more than 2,000 in 2021 to meet the increasing demand for fleet electrification in Canada. As part... Read more →

Daimler AG and Geely Holding, the respective parent companies of Mercedes-Benz AG and Volvo Cars, plan to collaborate on developing highly efficient powertrain systems for next-generation hybrid vehicle applications. The companies expect to work together on hybrid powertrain solutions to enhance their global competitiveness and create economies of scale. Areas... Read more →

XL Fleet announced that the Company’s XLP plug-in hybrid electric drive technology is being expanded for use across a range of fleet vehicles from General Motors. The platform is expected to begin shipping on select configurations of the Chevrolet and GMC Silverado / Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD pickup... Read more →

BYD launched its DM-i hybrid technology alongside the official announcement of the high efficiency version of the 1.5L Xiaoyun engine, which is dedicated for plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs). After defining new performance standards for PHEVs with its DM-p technology, BYD is prioritizing ultra-efficient fuel consumption with the DM-i technology. The... Read more →

Buick will introduce the 2021 GL6 to strengthen its lineup in China’s midsize MPV segment. It will officially go on sale on 19 November. The refreshed family-size GL6 is equipped with a standard 48V mild hybrid propulsion system. It also has a refined interior and offers an elevated connected experience... 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 →

Hyundai committed to offer ten electrified vehicles by the end of 2022, including seven SUVs and three car models. This product blitz includes eco solutions for many of Hyundai’s current products as well as all-new models, such as the Ioniq 5 and Ioniq 6. Product details for these Hyundai models... Read more →

Infinitum Electric, developer of the printed circuit board (PCB) motor (earlier post), announced an agreement with a leading US automotive supplier to support the development of a hybrid vehicle. Under the agreement, Infinitum Electric will validate performance of its IEm Series motor using oil cooling techniques before building a purposefully... Read more →

Hyundai announced a sustained product blitz of 12 new and enhanced SUVs continuing through the 2021 calendar year. The fresh pipeline of new SUV products will include new and refined internal combustion, hybrid, plug-in, BEV and N performance models. These models include the Tucson, Santa Fe, Kona, Santa Cruz and... Read more →