Green Car Congress

APRIL 12, 2018

XL recently completed a successful pilot deployment of school buses with Careful Bus Company in New York City outfitted with the XL hybrid system. The XLH system uses regenerative braking during deceleration and electric assist during acceleration to increase fuel economy. The system, which was installed on five of the company’s standard Ford E-Series vehicles in just a few hours, is expected to increase miles driven per gallon by 25% and improve brake life, while decreasing CO 2 emissions by 20

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Green Car Reports

APRIL 12, 2018

Amidst nine months of "production hell" for the Tesla Model 3 electric car, the company's next vehicle has somewhat fallen off the radar. According to a report Wednesday by Reuters, Tesla has now put out requests to suppliers for initial bids on parts for the Tesla Model Y, its high-volume crossover utility intended to be more affordable than the.

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Green Fleet Magazine

APRIL 24, 2018

The AV START Act, which would allow automakers to sell more than 80,000 autonomous cars each per year, is facing an uncertain future on Capitol Hill, as at least five senators have expressed serious concerns about it, reports the Detroit News.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 26, 2018

The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) has awarded New Flyer a contract for 10 Xcelsior hydrogen fuel cell electric, forty-foot, heavy-duty transit buses (10 equivalent units). OCTA and New Flyer are partners in the Fuel Cell Electric Bus Commercialization Consortium ( FCEBCC ) project. This project is sponsored by a grant from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and is supported by the California Climate Investments (CCI) program.

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Hydrogen Fuel California Environment 313

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 8, 2018

Blue Bird is taking orders for its electric school buses for delivery in 2018. Blue Bird is the only school bus OEM to offer electric Type C & D configurations. ( Earlier post.) Blue Bird electric buses have completed certification testing; they are now in pre-production. Blue Bird RE Electric. Our electric buses have received an Executive Order from the California Air Resources Board and both HVIP and TVIP listing, which qualify Blue Bird’s electric buses for grants available in California and

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Lithium Ion Kentucky Re-Charge Production 301

Green Car Congress

APRIL 12, 2018

Volvo Trucks introduced its first battery-electric truck for commercial use: the Volvo FL Electric for urban distribution and refuse operations, among other applications. Sales and series production of the new model will start in Europe next year. The first trucks in the Volvo FL Electric range are now entering regular operation with customers—refuse collection and recycling company Renova and haulage firm TGM—in Gothenburg, the home of Volvo Trucks.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 9, 2018

Impact Coatings, which develops and sells technology for PVD-coatings of fuel cell plates and vehicle reflectors, recently received its first production order for Ceramic MaxPhase coatings from Michelin. PVD (physical vapor deposition) is a method of producing thin layers of metals and ceramics under vacuum for surface coatings that maximize performance and durability.

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Fuel Hydrogen Low Cost Sweden 287

Green Car Congress

APRIL 30, 2018

Shell has partnered with the Airflow Truck Company to collaborate on a hyper-aerodynamic, fuel-efficient Class 8 concept truck: Starship. This next-generation concept truck features a custom, aerodynamic design and aims to demonstrate improvements in fuel economy for Class 8 trucks. Starship will undertake a cross-country run, carrying a full cargo of clean reef material, 18-25 May starting in San Diego, Calif. and ending in Jacksonville, Fla.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 4, 2018

Benzene, an aromatic hydrocarbon, is a natural component of crude oil and is one of the elementary petrochemicals. It is used as a precursor to the manufacture of more complex chemicals, and, with a high octane number, is an important component of gasoline. Researchers at the University of Konstanz in Germany have now developed a two-step, one-pot process for the synthesis of benzene from the five-fold unsaturated fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), a component of microalgae oils.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 23, 2018

Short-term oil demand is still growing strong and will continue to do so through the end of 2020 despite the market’s increasing focus on electric vehicles and the forecasted future plateau in oil demand, according to new analysis from IHS Markit, a global business information provider. Five-year rolling aggregate global liquids demand growth. Source: IHS Markit 2018.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 11, 2018

A team of Japanese researchers from multiple institutions has calculated that an area of deep-sea mud in the western North Pacific Ocean near Minami-Torishima Island, Japan, contains more than 16 million tons of rare-earth elements and yttrium (REY). In an open-access paper published in Scientific Reports , they estimate that this research area could supply yttrium (Y), europium (Eu), terbium (Tb), and dysprosium (Dy) for 780, 620, 420, and 730 years, respectively, and has the potential to suppl

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 29, 2018

The Los Angeles Metro Board of Directors approved a plan last week to begin charging solo motorists in designated clean air vehicles (CAVs) a discounted toll to use the ExpressLanes on the 10 and 110 freeways, beginning in late 2018. Under the change, drivers in clean air vehicles without enough passengers to meet HOV occupancy requirements would get a 15% discount on the tolls.

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Cleaning Clean Los Angeles Vehicles 262

Green Car Congress

APRIL 3, 2018

Tesla reported Q1 2018 vehicle production of 34,494 vehicles—a 40% increase from Q4 and its most productive quarter. Of the total, 24,728 (72%) were Model S and Model X, and 9,766 (28%) were Model 3. The Model 3 output increased fourfold over last quarter. Tesla was able to double the weekly Model 3 production rate during the quarter by addressing production and supply chain bottlenecks, including several short factory shutdowns to upgrade equipment.

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2018 Production Tesla Vehicles 262

Green Car Congress

APRIL 15, 2018

Engineers from Loughborough University in the UK and Jaguar Land Rover have proposed a coordinated control architecture for motion management in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) to increase safety and comfort across all vehicles, regardless of ADAS specifics. They published their proposal in an open-access paper in the IEEE/CAA Journal of Automatica Sinica , a joint publication of the IEEE and the Chinese Association of Automation.

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Engine Land Rover Universal 2018 259

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 18, 2018

Electrify America will install electric vehicle fast chargers at more than 100 Walmart locations across 34 states by June 2019. This initiative will more than double the number of electric vehicle charging stations at Walmart stores across the US. The announcement is expected to make Walmart one of the leading electric vehicle charging station hosts in the US retail sector.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 16, 2018

Researchers led by a team at UC Berkeley have demonstrated high-capacity manganese-rich cathodes for advanced lithium-ion batteries. The work, reported in the journal Nature , shows a possible design approach for cathode materials that move away from the current reliance on nickel and cobalt—which are limited resources and are associated with safety problems.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 4, 2018

Lightning Systems, a global developer of zero-emissions solutions for commercial fleets, is taking its new Ford Transit LightningElectric model ( earlier post ) on the road, showcasing the recently released vehicle efficiency ratings of 61 MPGe on in-town routes and 66 MPGe on highway. The LightningElectric is a battery-electric drivetrain package for the heavy-duty Ford Transit, a product used extensively by commercial and government fleets.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 14, 2018

Even the briefest increase in airborne PM 2.5 is associated with the development of acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI) in young children, according to a new, large-scale study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine , an American Thoracic Society journal. Increases in PM 2.5 levels also led to increased doctor visits for these lung infections.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 12, 2018

Dürr is building a paint shop in Mexico for the BMW Group that meets the requirements for connected Industry 4.0 production. This plant, featuring the first integrated smart factory concept from Dürr, is being built at the San Luis Potosí site. San Luis Potosí will build the BMW brand’s best-selling model series, the BMW 3 Series Sedan. Start of production is scheduled for 2019, with an annual production capacity of up to 150,000 units.

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BMW Mexico Industry Industrial 253

Green Car Congress

APRIL 9, 2018

Audi has produced the Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo concept car, which it will deploy as a race taxi in Formula E starting with the race in Rome on Saturday 14 April. Employees at Audi’s pre-production center developed and produced this one-of-a-kind car within the space of just eleven months based on the example of the Audi e-tron Vision Gran Turismo from the “Gran Turismo” PlayStation game.

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Taxi Audi Concept Switzerland 249

Green Car Congress

APRIL 6, 2018

A team of engineers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) recently discovered that a naturally occurring bacterium, Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum TG57, isolated from waste generated after harvesting mushrooms, is capable of directly converting cellulose to biobutanol. In an open-access paper in the journal Science Advances , the research team, led by Associate Professor He Jianzhong, reported that TG57 is capable of using microcrystalline cellulose directly to produce but

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 12, 2018

Volkswagen Braunschweig has been awarded the contract to further the development and production of battery systems for the Modular Electric Drive Modular System (MEB). In the future, the plant will produce up to half a million battery systems per year for the electric vehicles of the Volkswagen brand and other Group brands. The Volkswagen brand is doing its utmost to develop and produce the electric cars of the future in Germany.

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Batteries Battery Building Low Cost 247

Green Car Congress

APRIL 26, 2018

Volkswagen will launch a 48V mild hybrid version of its globally best-selling Volkswagen Golf, offering a sustainable, efficient and powerful alternative. The introduction of new hybrid systems in the eighth generation of Golf vehicles will mark a new era for the brand with regard to drive technology. The Volkswagen brand’s 48V mild hybrid system. Volkswagen Group sibling Audi has been gradually introducing 48V mild hybrid systems as standard into its line-up since last year. ( Earlier post.).

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 23, 2018

Electrify America will be installing ultra-fast electric vehicle chargers at more than 100 retail, convenience and refueling locations across the US, increasing the convenience for consumers who drive or are considering purchasing an electric vehicle. Each location will offer multiple chargers. Initial partners include major retail companies Target Corporation, Brixmor Property Group, Kimco Realty Corporation and DDR Corporation.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 16, 2018

The European H2FUTURE project consortium, comprising voestalpine, Siemens, VERBUND, and Austrian Power Grid, together with the research partners K1-MET and ECN, officially gave the green light to the construction of a 6 MW “green” hydrogen pilot production plant—the world’s largest—at a voestalpine Linz steel plant. ( Earlier post.). The partners from industry and power generation will use this facility to research into future breakthrough technologies which are needed to meet global

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Hydrogen Green Industry Industrial 240

Green Car Congress

APRIL 9, 2018

A new study by researchers at Leiden University in The Netherlands, with colleagues at the University of Freiburg (Germany) and PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, shows that climate policies can strongly increase metal demand. In an open-access paper published in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology , the team explores toward 2050 for the demand of copper, tantalum, neodymium, cobalt, and lithium in electricity production, cars, and electronic appliances.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 27, 2018

Opel is introducing a new advanced diesel in the Grandland X compact sport utility vehicle (SUV). The new 1.5-liter, four-cylinder, turbocharged diesel is more powerful and more economical than the engine it replaces. The new powertrain is designed to meet strict future emissions requirements through the use of an innovative oxidation catalyst/NO x adsorber coupled with Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR).

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 27, 2018

Continental is expanding its global development activities for the safe launch of automated driving. The engineers are now testing their prototype vehicles on autobahns in Lower Saxony under real traffic conditions. The prototypes are always monitored and operated by a development expert in the driver’s seat. Continental is developing sensors, vehicle computers, operating systems, and software for automated driving, particularly in Japan, China, the US, and Germany.

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Taxi Japan Germany Environment 231

Green Car Congress

APRIL 23, 2018

The “classic” high-energy capacity Lithium-sulfur battery is predicated on the use of a sulfur-based cathode and a Lithium-metal anode. Among the issues hampering the commercialization of this attractive technology are the safety and performance issues associated with the use of the lithium-metal anode. Accordingly, a number of different approaches have been taken to try to address these issues.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 20, 2018

For the first time, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has published state-by-state energy and water Sankey diagrams in one location so that analysts and policymakers can find all the information they need in one place. These diagrams depict energy use and water flow during the year 2010, the latest year for which comprehensive data is available.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 19, 2018

Momentum Dynamics has commissioned the US’ first 200 kW wireless charging system for a battery-electric transit bus fleet. The wireless charging system is now operational on a BYD K9S bus at Link Transit in Wenatchee, Washington. Within five minutes, the wireless charging system automatically adds enough energy to the vehicle’s battery to complete another route during its routine transfer station stop.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 18, 2018

The US Department of Energy (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) announced up to $39 million in available funding to support early stage research and development (R&D) of innovative hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. ( DE-FOA-0001874 ) The work supported through this investment will address key early-stage technical challenges for fuel cells and for hydrogen fuel production, delivery, and storage related to hydrogen infrastructure.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 16, 2018

The BMW Group will invest more than €10 million in a new Additive Manufacturing Campus. Located in Oberschleissheim, just north of Munich, the facility will allow the company to continue developing its expertise in this field of work. Our new Additive Manufacturing Campus will concentrate the full spectrum of the BMW Group’s 3D printing expertise at a single location.

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Green Car Congress

APRIL 16, 2018

India-based Ola, one of the world’s largest ride-hailing companies, launched “ Mission: Electric ”, with a commitment to place 10,000 E-rickshaws and Electric auto-rickshaws in its service in the next 12 months. The company will develop “Mission: Electric” as a platform to bring one million electric vehicles on the road by 2021. From cycle rickshaws to shuttles and last-mile transport, three-wheelers continue to be a dominant form of daily transit for many people across India.

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