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Researchers at China’s Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, CAS (Chinese Academy of Sciences) have developed a catalyst for solar photocatalytic hydrogen production that shows enhanced performance. A report on the work led by Prof. Li Can is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.  [...]
In a statement issued at the conclusion of their meeting in Osaka, Japan (13-14 June), the G8 finance ministers expressed strong concern about the sharp rise in oil prices, and called for the energy efficiency of all economies to be further improved along with the diversification of energy sources. [...]
The US Department of Energy has published a new reference document detailing best practices and limitations in measuring hydrogen storage properties of materials, and is seeking comment on it. The document is intended to reduce errors in measurements and improve reporting and publication or results; to improve efficiency in measurements [...]
Xinhua. The Shenhua Group, China’s largest coal company, will establish two joint projects with South Africa’s Sasol to produce fuels from coal beginning in 2016. Feasibility studies of two Coal to Liquids (CTL) projects in northwest China, jointly invested by Sasol and Shenhua, are going smoothly and expected to [...]
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| Projected system efficiency of the Delphi prototype SOFC APU compared to that of a conventional diesel APU. Click to enlarge. Source: Delphi |
Two US DOE (Department of Energy)-funded projects to develop a SOFC (solid oxide fuel cell)-based APU (auxiliary power unit) system for heavy-duty trucks reported on [...]
Mazda Motor Corp. and Hiroshima University are collaborating on research to develop a new bioplastic from cellulosic biomass, which they are targeting for use in vehicles by 2013. The Mazda Bioplastic Project will focus on designing a production process for an extremely versatile polypropylene, appropriate for extensive use in vehicles, [...]
Neste Oil will build an 800,000 tonne/year (about 240 million gallons US) plant to produce NExBTL renewable diesel in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Construction will start immediately and the facility is scheduled to be completed in 2011. Total cost of the investment is projected to be €670 million (US$1 [...]
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| CO2 emissions by region. Click to enlarge. Data: PBL |
In 2007, global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from fossil fuel use and cement production increased by 3.1%, following a 3.5% increase in 2006. An analysis by the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving, PBL) [...]
BrightSource Energy, Inc. and subsidiary Luz II, Ltd., developers of large-scale solar thermal power plants, dedicated their Solar Energy Development Center (SEDC) in the Negev’s Rotem Industrial Park, Israel. The Center is an operational solar field that will provide the company with the ability to test equipment, materials [...]
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| The new PHEV in front of Szencorp offices, where it will charge. |
Australia’s first plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) was unveiled in Melbourne by the University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) and green development company Szencorp. The Szencorp/UTS PHEV is based on a 2005 Toyota Prius, fitted [...]
Volkswagen of America, Inc. is showcasing the Tiguan HyMotion Fuel Cell Concept hybrid in its North American debut along with a range of near-term fuel-efficient powertrain technologies including the all-new 2.0 liter TSI Tiguan and the upcoming 2.0 liter Jetta TDI. Originally shown at the Shanghai Motor Show and the [...]
Cirol. Students at the RV College of Engineering, Bangalore have developed India’s first indigenous plug-in hybrid for city roads—a REVA electric vehicle converted to a biodiesel-burning PHEV.
Called the Chimera, the PHEV is the result of a collaboration between the university and companies including REVA, National Instruments, and Bosch.
The REVA [...]
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will award a $200,000 grant to Mississippi State University (MSU) for research into significantly increasing the yield of biodiesel from the processing of sewage plant sludge. MSU assistant professors Rafael Hernandez and Todd French, and associate professor Mark Bricka use aerobic, oleaginous (oil-producing) [...]
Linc Energy, the Australian company developing the Chinchilla Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) to Gas to Liquids (GTL) facility, will merge with SAPEX, an oil and gas exploration company based in South Australia, in a deal that values SAPEX at approximately $104 million. Linc is offering 72 cents per SAPEX share and [...]
Caterpillar Inc. is entering a strategic alliance with Navistar International and will exit the on-road engine business. The two companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to pursue global on-highway truck business opportunities and cooperate on a variety of engine platforms. The two companies intend to focus on [...]
The US Department of Energy (DOE) will provide up to $30 million in funding over three years for three cost-shared Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) demonstration and development projects led separately by General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and General Electric.
The selected projects are designed to accelerate the development [...]
Solazyme has unveiled a microalgae-derived renewable diesel fuel, SoladieselRD, that meets American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D-975 specifications for petroleum diesel fuels. SoladieselRD is the first algal renewable diesel to meet these standards, and the second algae-derived fuel from the company.
SoladieselRD is output from a refinery, where a [...]
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| The prototype motor. Click to enlarge. |
Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. (SEI) unveiled an electric vehicle equipped with a prototype superconducting motor cooled by liquid nitrogen and built using SEI’s high-temperature superconducting (HTS) wires.
High-temperature superconducting wires, cooled to about -200° C, can reduce electrical resistance to almost [...]
The Environmental Appeals Board of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) upheld a challenge to an air permit required by ConocoPhillips for an expansion of its Wood River Refinery in Roxana, IL. The Illinois EPA (IEPA) had granted the permit; NRDC led the challenge representing American Bottom Conservancy, and [...]
The science academies of the G8 countries, as well as those of China, India, Brazil, Mexico, and South Africa (the G8+5 countries), issued a statement urging the G8+5 leaders to make “maximum efforts” to cut global greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2050, and “to commit to these [...]
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| Ford’s flex-fuel Escape PHEV. |
Ford Motor Company delivered its first flexible-fuel capable plug-in hybrid (PHEV) SUV to the US Department of Energy (DOE).
Like the other prototype Escape PHEVs, this vehicle is equipped with a 10 kWh lithium-ion battery supplied by Johnson Controls-Saft that stores enough electric [...]
The California Air Resources Board (ARB) has released a proposed regulation that would require ocean-going vessels within 24 nautical miles off California’s coastline to use lower-sulfur marine distillates rather than heavily polluting heavy fuel oil (bunker fuel) in their main and auxiliary engines, and boilers.
The measure, to be considered [...]
GM and Clean Energy Fuels Corp. are partnering to open a hydrogen fueling station at Clean Energy’s compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling facility near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The LAX station will help both companies better understand the synergies between hydrogen and natural gas fueling. The hydrogen station—expected to [...]
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| Xtrac CVT variator for F1. Click to enlarge. |
Transmission technology specialist Xtrac says the flywheel kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) currently being developed for Formula One (earlier post) could be applied to road vehicles in a number of ways.
Xtrac’s role in designing, developing and integrating [...]
Firefly Energy Inc., developer of a portfolio of next-generation lead-acid battery technologies, has completed a $15 million Series C equity round of financing led by Quercus Trust, Khosla Ventures, and Infield Capital, investment firms focused primarily on clean technologies addressing environmental issues. These new investors join existing Firefly Energy [...]
Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell has signed a bill requiring reductions in the state’s greenhouse gas emissions to 10% below 1990 levels by 2020 and 80% below 2001 levels by 2050. Similar measures have been enacted in California, Hawaii, New Jersey and in Washington state.
In addition to establishing [...]
Toyota Motor Company (TMC) President Katsuaki Watanabe outlined the company’s new action plans in the areas of research and development, manufacturing and social contribution for promoting energy diversity in automobiles and reducing its carbon footprint.
Hybrid drive technology remains a core strategic element for Toyota, but Watanabe briefly touched on [...]
The Raytheon Company has awarded a research and development contract to Cyclone Power Technologies, Inc. in connection with its external combustion engine. Raytheon’s contract is to conduct a series of developmental tests on the Cyclone Engine, which can run on a multitude of fuels and is scalable to almost any [...]
Kyoto University and IBM’s Tokyo Research Laboratory jointly have developed a system that can simulate a broad range of urban transport situations—including millions of individual vehicles involved in complex traffic interactions—to predict what will happen if a new office building, sports arena or other major facility is built and [...]
EDAG Engineering + Design AG (EDAG) has awarded Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc. a contract to develop plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) and hydrogen fuel cell hybrid vehicle (FCHV) powertrains for the Future Steel Vehicle program sponsored by WorldAutoSteel, the automotive group of the International Iron and Steel Institute [...]
Start-up Raven Biofuels International Corporation, formed in September 2007, plans to build a cellulosic biorefinery in Washington state. The plant, which will use a two-stage acid hydrolysis process for pre-treatment, will convert 500 tons per day of wood waste, such as construction and demolition wood or wood chips, and [...]
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| One of the catalyst formulations has run in the MEA for more than 7,300 hours. Click to enlarge. |
A research team led by 3M is developing high-performance fuel cell cathodes (catalyst and support) based on 3M’s nanostructured thin film (NSTF) catalyst technology platform. A membrane electrode [...]
Ford’s demonstration fleet of 20 Escape plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) will use lithium-ion battery packs from Johnson Controls-Saft (JCS). The fleet is the result of an ongoing collaboration among Ford, Johnson Controls-Saft, Southern California Edison (SCE) and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). (Earlier post.) The first PHEV research [...]
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| The Delphi-led project seeks to leverage technology innovation in multiple areas to drive down the cost of future propulsion inverters. Click to enlarge. |
Delphi Corporation is leading an industry-government team to develop next-generation propulsion inverter technology to reduce the cost and size of current inverters by [...]
The US Department of Energy (DOE) is holding its annual merit review and peer evaluation for the Hydrogen Program this week in Washington DC.
The scale of the program—which now spans areas including basic science, hydrogen production and delivery; storage; fuel cells; technology validation; safety, codes and standards; manufacturing; analysis; [...]
Siam Toyota Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (STM), Toyota’s engine production base in Thailand, will build a new plant to boost its annual diesel engine production capacity by 150,000
units in 2010. The new plant, to be built on STM’s current premises, will give [...]
Sun Microsystems’s Open Work Energy Measurement Project, an internal study comparing the home and office energy use of more than 100 participants in its flexible work program, found that working at home an average of 2.5 days/week saved energy, time and money. Key findings of the study include:
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) will begin producing the Camry Hybrid at the Altona Plant of Toyota Motor Corporation Australia Ltd. (TMCA), as part of an effort to further popularize hybrid vehicles worldwide. We decided to build the Camry Hybrid in Australia because Australians are keenly aware of environmental issues including [...]
Petrobras has signed an agreement with Oil Shale Exploration Company (Osec) and Japanese investment and trading company Mitsui & Co. Ltd (Mitsui) under which the three will conduct a joint study on the feasibility of oil shale development project in Utah. Petrobras will undertake a technical, economical and environmental commercial [...]
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| Marginal costs increase significantly between the parity-with-today scenario (ACT Map) and the halving scenario (BLUE Map), in its technology optimistic and pessimistic variants. The cost uncertainty increases as well. Click to enlarge. |
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has outlined two scenarios delivering two different levels of [...]
CleanFUEL USA has received US EPA and California Air Resources Board (CARB) certification of a propane engine system that is an OEM replacement technology for both new and aftermarket gasoline-powered engines. CleanFUEL’s liquid propane fuel injection (LPI) system is a drop-in and replace propane conversion system for 8.1L gasoline [...]
The Port of San Diego is launching its own clean truck program, in line with programs at other major California ports. At the 10 June Board of Port Commissioners meeting, the Board will vote on a resolution authorizing an agreement with the San Diego Air Pollution Control District for [...]
The global natural gas vehicle (NGV) fleet can grow from more than 7 million vehicles today to 65 million by 2020, according to John Lyon, President of the International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles (IANGV). That represents a “conservative” growth rate of 18% per year, Lyon said in a [...]
ANBA. Brazil’s fleet of 1.5 million natural gas vehicles (NGV) should grow 10% this year, according to the Brazilian Institute of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (IBP). Brazil’s NGV fleet expanded by 14% last year. According to data for April this year, the southeastern Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro [...]
EnerDel, has installed and demonstrated a fully functional lithium-ion battery pack in
a Th!nk City electric vehicle at its manufacturing facility in Indianapolis. The integration of the battery pack into a Th!nk City EV was completed ahead of the schedule previously announced by EnerDel. (Earlier post.) The successful completion of [...]
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| The M9R diesel. |
Nissan Motor will showcase an X-TRAIL diesel prototype featuring the 2.0-liter M9R diesel engine at the 2008 Integrated Exhibition of the Environment in Hokkaido (19-21 June) as well at the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit’s International Media Center (7-9 July).
Japan is slated to introduce [...]
Miami Herald. The Columbia-based Inverandino business group is poised to begin production of sugarcane ethanol in Louisiana by the middle of next year.
According to projections from Louisiana Green Fuels (LGF), the holding company that is advancing the project, the sugarcane ethanol operations will produce 100 million gallons of [...]
Argonne National Laboratory will co-organize and host the 1st International Conference on Advanced Lithium Batteries for Automotive Applications on 15-17 September 2008. Researchers from the US, Japan, and Korea jointly initiated the International Conference on Advanced Lithium Batteries for Automobile Applications with the mission to:
The Age. GM Holden (GMH) is considering the start of production in Australia of a smaller car that is a size down from the Commodore and could use a smaller version of the V6 made locally. GMH chief Mark Reuss said on Friday a range of engine technologies was working [...]
China is making “vast progress” in lithium-ion battery manufacturing technology, according to a review published earlier this year by Argonne National Laboratory under the sponsorship of the US Department of Energy’s Office of
Vehicle Technologies (OVT).
The scope of the study, by Pandit G. Patil, was (1) to determine the state [...]
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| The DEUTZ hybrid unit. |
Engine manufacturer DEUTZ has developed a mild hybrid drive system for off-road construction equipment that has the potential to reduce fuel consumption by as much as 30%. The hybrid drive consists of a DEUTZ four-cylinder diesel engine, an electric motor, a lithium-ion [...]
W2 Energy Inc., the developer of a GAT (Gliding Arc Tornado) plasma reactor for biomass gasification for power and fuels generation, and TecFuels, LLC have formed a joint venture to build one waste-to-energy plant which will convert 40 tons of bituminous coal and agricultural waste into electricity and 70 [...]
PowerGenix, manufacturer of rechargeable nickel-zinc (NiZn) batteries (earlier post), has entered into a multi-year supply agreement with Original Power, a specialist in AC/DC power solutions for cordless outdoor power equipment. Under the agreement, PowerGenix will supply its patented NiZn Sub-C cell battery packs for introduction into multiple key [...]
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| Liquid Hydrogen (LH2) lightweight formtank with integrated auxiliary systems. Click to enlarge. |
BMW Group Forschung und Technik, the company’s research and technology arm, and other partners in the EU’s StorHy project, including some from the European aerospace industry, have developed a novel type of tank made of [...]
According to the latest Kelley Blue Book marketing research study, 61% of new-vehicle shoppers believe that increased biofuel demand has tightened supplies of farmland and water worldwide, thereby pushing food prices up. In addition, the May 2008 study results reveal that 58% of new-car shoppers do not think that [...]
Boeing’s Integrated Defense Systems has selected Versa Power Systems, Inc., a developer of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC), to develop a power system for an ultra-long endurance unmanned aircraft as part of Boeing’s contract for Phase 1 of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s (DARPA) Vulture air vehicle [...]
Startup Ronn Motor Company (RMC) unveiled the Scorpion, an exotic sports car featuring supplementary hydrogen fuel injection to improve the performance and fuel consumption of its gasoline engine. RMC plans for the Scorpion to be available for purchase this fall.
The hydrogen delivery system with dual computer processor controls [...]
Napier University (Edinburgh, Scotland) has signed an agreement with Chinese consortium Breeze Global Inc. to establish a partnership to further the development of second-generation biofuel from waste products. In December 2007, Napier University launched a Biofuel Research Centre (BfRC), the first of its kind in the UK, to research and [...]
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| Passenger car sales have exceeded those of light trucks for three months running, with the gap widening. Click to enlarge. |
May 2008 US sales of light-duty trucks dropped 23.6% compared to May 2007 to 601,703 units, according to Autodata. Overall light-duty vehicle sales were down by [...]
Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques (IPM) in Germany are developing thermoelectric materials, modules and systems to harness waste heat in automobiles. Electricity produced by the thermoelectric generators (TEG) will feed the energy into the car’s electronic systems. The thermoelectric generator exploits the several hundred degrees [...]
Evonik, which incorporates the former Degussa AG, is stepping up its investment in Lithium-ion batteries and has doubled its stake in Li-Tec Battery GmbH to 40%. Li-Tec uses Evonik’s Separion flexible ceramic separator and Litarion electrodes (developed in partnership with Enax, earlier post) to manufacture lithium-ion cells. Litarion cathodes [...]
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| Power and energy densities for different Enax LSB batteries. Click to enlarge. Source: Enax Europe. |
International automotive supplier Continental has taken a 16% share in the Japanese lithium-ion battery company Enax, a developer and manufacturer of high-power and high-energy lithium-ion cells.
The two partners have agreed [...]
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., will produce an all-new compact car at its Sunderland plant in the United Kingdom (UK), starting in 2010. The all-new vehicle will be an addition to the current Nissan range and for the Sunderland plant, and it will take up the manufacturing capacity created when [...]
Results of a test project for the Indian electricity market show that a 400kW Cummins diesel generator can run on a mixture of Eden Energy’s Hythane (a hydrogen-CNG mix) and diesel fuel to reduce the cost of electricity production from 10.97 to 6.5 Rupees per kilowatt hour (US$0.26 to [...]
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| GM’s new 1.4L direct-injection turbocharged gasoline engine will have a US market variant. Click to enlarge. |
GM announced a range of strategic initiatives in response to growing demand for fuel-efficient vehicles and to economic and market challenges in North America. Rick Wagoner, GM chairman and CEO, made [...]
Air Products has signed an agreement for long-term hydrogen supply with Total Petrochemicals USA, Inc. to support Total’s new deep conversion expansion project at its Port Arthur, Texas refinery. Total’s Port Arthur refinery will use the hydrogen to process alternative crudes and expand its output of cleaner burning transportation [...]
A national energy survey of 1,007 US respondents by RBC Capital Markets, released in conjunction with the investment bank’s annual North American Energy Conference being held in New York, found that in response to higher prices at the pump, 76% of those polled said they are driving less, 19% [...]
AC Transit of Oakland, CA has ordered a minimum of eight new 120 kW PureMotion Model 120 fuel cell systems from UTC Power of South Windsor, CT, with options for an additional 13 units, to power AC Transit’s next-generation hybrid-electric, Van Hool fuel cell buses, scheduled for delivery in [...]
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| Charge-discharge and power characteristics of a prototype 18 Ah Li-ion cell in a new elliptical format using the Mn-based cathode and new anode materials. Click to enlarge. |
The Nikkei reported that Hitachi plans to commercialize automotive lithium-ion batteries featuring its next-generation materials for use in hybrid [...]
ZAP has acquired an ownership interest in a motor company to develop and manufacture and market a new line of wheel motors for application in a range of vehicles from an electric bike or scooter to an electric car. Under the agreement, ZAP is collaborating and investing in the development [...]
Bernama. New Zealand has invited Malaysia to be part of its research and development in using raw material from wood for the production of biofuel, the country’s Agriculture and Forestry Minister Jim Anderton said Monday. He said New Zealand was already cooperating with a few countries like the European Community, [...]
Shell Exploration Company B.V. and Arrow Energy Ltd. (Arrow), have signed a preliminary agreement to jointly develop projects to extract natural gas from coal deposits in Australia, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and India. The alliance with Australian company Arrow will boost Shell’s existing strategic positions in potential coal seam gas (CSG) [...]
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| Three different configurations of the HEDDAT-based series hybrid system with increasing hybrid functionality leading to up to 30% reduction in CO2. Click to enlarge. |
Artemis Intelligent Power has unveiled a new hydraulic hybrid powertrain for vehicles based on its Digital Displacement (DD) technology, which replaces [...]
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| FESEM micrograph of the electrospun POM fibers. Click to enlarge. Courtesy of the American Chemical Society |
Researchers at Tsinghua University in China reported the first successful electrospinning of polyoxymethylene (POM)—a type of plastic widely used in automobiles and electronics due to its properties such as good strength, [...]
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) has opened the 21st Century Greater Beijing Afforestation Center in Fengning Man Autonomous County, Hebei Province, China. Set up jointly by the China-Japan Scientific Technology & Economic Exchange Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Hebei Province Forestry [...]
Reuters reports that Japan Post Service Co., the mail delivery unit of Japan Post Group, is exploring the feasibility of transitioning its entire fleet of some 21,000 delivery vehicles to electric vehicles beginning this business year. “We’re discussing the feasibility with automakers and battery makers to that end,” said a [...]
by Jack Rosebro
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| The proposed valuation framework for biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. Click to enlarge. |
The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB), an assessment of the potential economic costs of deteriorating ecosystems and mass extinctions, was released 30 May at the Ninth Conference of Parties (COP 9) [...]
The 1,000th city transit bus equipped with the two-mode GM-Allison Hybrid EP-System has entered service in Las Vegas, Nevada. The hybrid bus powertrain, manufactured and sold by Allison Transmission, was introduced in 2003. So far the Seattle King County Metro Transit Authority has made the biggest commitment to the system, [...]
Ford Motor Company will produce the new Ford Fiesta small car (earlier post) for North America at the company’s transformed Cuautitlán Assembly Plant—currently producing F-Series (F-150 to F-550) pickups for the Mexican market—beginning in early 2010.
Ford also said that it will add a sporty European hatchback model to the [...]
At the recent meeting of the Premiers of Canada’s Western provinces, the premiers of Alberta and Saskatchewan—the two provinces with substantial oil sands resources—agreed to take the lead in making carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology a national priority.
The two provinces also agreed to lead a process with other [...]
by Jack Rosebro
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| A Unicell representative prepares to demonstrate the Quicksider’s kneeling capabilities. The vehicle can kneel at both front and rear to assist driver productivity and comfort. |
Commercial vehicle body manufacturer Unicell displayed its prototype Quicksider electric delivery van (earlier post) at Green Fleet Expo III [...]
In a commentary piece in Nature Reports Climate Change, three of the scientists who led the impacts assessment for the IPCC (UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) argue that the 50% reduction in greenhouse gas being discussed as a global target is far from sufficient to avoid the dangerous global [...]
Short-term exposure to low levels of particulate air pollution may increase the risk of stroke or mini-stroke, according to findings by a University of Michigan team that suggest current exposure standards could be insufficient to protect the public. The study suggests future research on ambient air pollution and stroke [...]
People’s Daily. South African-designed battery-electric passenger vehicles will be unveiled by early next year. The development of the prototype involves a range of stakeholders, including South African universities and industry. Boni Mehlomakulu, group executive of the department’s [Department of Science & Technology] research, development and innovation program, told SAPA [...]
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels unveiled the first of four converted plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) the city of Seattle will test over the next year. (Earlier post.) 
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| The first Seattle PHEV. |
Last October, the city of Seattle joined with the Port of Seattle, King County and the [...]
The Mercedes-Benz Actros trailer/tractor combination has entered the Guinness World Records as the most fuel-efficient 40-tonne truck, with fuel consumption of 19.44 liters of diesel per 100 km— the equivalent less than 0.8 liters per hundred tonne-kilometers (tkm)—during a test drive of more than 12,728 kilometers. The consumption was determined during [...]
Almost two-thirds of UK motorists say fuel economy is the number one priority when buying a new car, according to a new survey by Motorpoint, the UK’s leading car supermarket group. The poll found that 64% of people regarded fuel economy as the key consideration when changing their vehicle—a [...]
The University Research Corridor (URC), an alliance of Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University—Michigan’s three research universities—has awarded its first seed fund grants to provide startup support for two “revolutionary but feasible” energy projects: thermoelectric power generation and nano-biocarriers for the production of low-cost [...]
Nikkei. Thai oil and gas company PTT PCL is partnering with the Thai unit of Toyota Motor Corp. to study the development of bio-hydrogenated renewable diesel. The study is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
Bio-hydrogenated diesel is a renewable diesel produced by hydrogenating crude palm [...]
Renault has introduced a new prototype fuel cell vehicle: the Scenic ZEV H2. The Scenic ZEV H2 is a joint Nissan-Renault Alliance project.
Based on a Renault Grand Scenic, the Scenic ZEV H2 features Nissan’s in-house developed fuel cell stack, high-pressure hydrogen storage tank and compact lithium-ion batteries. Renault engineers and [...]
After 41 years of oil sands mining operations in northern Alberta, only 0.2%—one square kilometer—of disturbed land is certified as reclaimed, according to a new report by environmental group the Pembina Institute. Oil sands mining is transforming northeastern Alberta. By the end of 2007, oil sands companies had cleared or [...]
Integrated Genomics, Inc. (IG), a US microbial genomics company, and TMO Renewables Limited, a UK developer of a cellulosic ethanol production process, are extending their research collaboration on organisms for TMO’s system. Scientists at IG will work with TMO to identify pathways that can be exploited in future upgrades to [...]
Frost & Sullivan presented its 2008 European Automotive Powertrain Company of the Year Award to Reva Electric Car Company (RECC) for demonstrating excellence in sales volumes, superior market penetration and high levels of customer satisfaction within the electric vehicle (EV) industry. In 2007, on average one REVA electric car [...]
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| Collantes proposes a logic sequence to assess whether to keep, eliminate, or revise the AMFA provisions. Click to enlarge. |
The two decade-old Alternative Motor Fuels Act—the statute that currently provides automakers with incentives under the CAFE program to manufacture Flex Fuel Vehicles—needs to be overhauled or scrapped [...]
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