Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 31, 2014

'A study by a team from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) shows that state electric vehicle incentives are playing a significant early role in reducing the effective cost of ownership and driving electric vehicle sales. As described in their white paper, “Evaluation of state-level US electric vehicle incentives”, the researchers found that some of the states with the largest electric vehicle incentives—i.e., California, Georgia, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington—h

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Sale PHEV District of Columbia North Dakota 374

Green Car Reports

OCTOBER 29, 2014

'We already know that in the next few years, we''ll see a slew of mid-size SUVs offered with plug-in hybrid powertrains--most from luxury brands like Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, and Range Rover. But the German luxury marques are making plans to compete more directly with Tesla Motors and its Model S all-electric long-range luxury sedan. All have.

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Green Cars News

OCTOBER 30, 2014

'In recent years, LPG has been a bit of a side-show in the field of alternative fuel vehicles, and unjustifiably so, when you actually consider its eco-credentials. So we were delighted to get the chance to drive our first LPG-converted vehicle; after all it has to be one of the most affordable ways[.].

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Alternative Fuels Affordable Convert Fuel 74

National Green Transportation

OCTOBER 9, 2014

'Last week Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk taunted us with a vague tweet about showing us his D, and on Thursday he made good on that promise. In front of a packed crowd in Hawthorne (near Los Angeles), Elon.

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Tesla Motors Los Angeles Motor Motoring 67

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Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 27, 2014

'Graphene 3D Lab Inc., which develops, manufactures, and markets proprietary graphene-based nanocomposite materials for various types of 3D printing, including fused filament fabrication, has developed a 3D printable graphene battery. CEO Daniel Stolyarov, presented the prototype 3D printable graphene battery at the Inside 3D Printing Conference in Santa Clara, CA last week.

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Batteries Battery Carbon Fiber San Diego 362

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 9, 2014

'Researchers from Uppsala University, KTH and the University of Bologna have reported that during a 32-day test, an “E-Cat” reactor developed by Andrea Rossi ( earlier post ) released an abundance of heat that cannot be explained by chemical reactions alone. They further reported that isotope changes in the analyzed fuel (lithium and nickel) indicate that nuclear reactions might have occurred at low temperatures.

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Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 11, 2014

'On-road NO x emission levels of Euro 6 diesel cars in Europe are on average about seven times higher than the NO x limit set by the Euro 6 emission standard, according to a new report published in Berlin by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). The study follows another recent ICCT report showing that the gap between official and real-world fuel-economy figures in Europe has risen to about 38%. ( Earlier post.).

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Diesel Emissions West Virginia 2014 344

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 29, 2014

'Cutaway of the new power electronics unit, which is much smaller than in gen 1, and which is now integrated into the drive unit housing. The power electronics and the motors use separate cooling: water for the PE and ol for the motor unit. Click to enlarge. The second-generation Volt, which makes its world debut in about 10 weeks at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, features a clean-sheet, all-new Voltec propulsion system—new battery, new electric drive unit, new powe

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Volt GM Motor Motors 341

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 17, 2014

'The Hugoton cellulosic ethanol plant covers 400 acres, more than 380 of which will be used to store biomass from local farmers. Click to enlarge. Abengoa held the grand opening of its cellulosic ethanol plant in Hugoton, Kansas, located about 90 miles (145 km) southwest of Dodge City. Abengoa’s new biorefinery finished construction in mid-August and began producing cellulosic ethanol at the end of September with the capacity to produce up to 25 million gallons (94.6 million liters) per year.

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Commercial United States Renewable Kansas 334

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 1, 2014

'Engineers from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) have designed a “2-in-1” electric motor unit which can increase the range of electric vehicles in hot climates. This innovative electric machine integrates the A/C compressor, the compressor drive motor and the traction motor into a single housing physically clutching with the compressor during braking events.

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Motor Motors Motoring Climate 326

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Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 14, 2014

'An initial report from IHS’ Teardown Analysis Service finds that, in terms of design, components and manufacturing, the Tesla Model S user-oriented subsystems—i.e., the infotainment and instrumentation system—have more in common with a tablet or smartphone than they do with a conventional automobile. IHS is in the process of conducting a complete teardown of a 2013 Model S acquired at auction, dissecting and analyzing each subsystem, from the air-conditioning controls, to the safety

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Tesla Auto Cadillac Automobile 322

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 20, 2014

'Researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated a solid-state high-voltage (5 V) lithium battery with an extremely long cycle life of more than 10,000 cycles, with 90% capacity retention. The solid electrolyte enables the use of high-voltage cathodes and Li anodes with minimum side reactions, leading to a high Coulombic efficiency of 99.98+%.

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Li-ion Lithium Ion Batteries Battery 319

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 22, 2014

'A new techno-economic analysis by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and MIT has found that economies of scale for manufacturing current Li-ion batteries for light-duty EV applications (in this case, prismatic pouch NMC333-G batteries and packs) are reached quickly at around 200-300 MWh annual production. Increased volume beyond that does little to reduce unit costs, except potentially indirectly through factors such as experience, learning, and innovation, they determined. “ That’

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Li-ion MIT Manufacturer Batteries 318

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 11, 2014

'The US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) annual report “Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends” ( earlier post ) has, in its past editions since its inception in 1975, treated alternative fuel vehicles—electric vehicles (EVs), plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), and compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles—separately from gasoline and diesel vehicles, with the vast majority of its analysis limited to gasoline and diesel vehicles only.

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Fuel Economy EPA Economy PHEV 312

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Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 29, 2014

'A new study on the combustion properties of biodiesel for use in urban transit buses found that using biodiesel can effectively reduce the mass of particulate matter released in both hot and cold idle modes. The study, published by the Mineta National Transit Research Consortium (MNTRC), observed a reduction in amount of particulate matter, number of elements, and elemental carbon; the reduction is considered beneficial to promoting the clean air and human health.

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Exhaust Oil Emissions Carbon 312

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 4, 2014

'2015 Honda CR-V. Click to enlarge. Honda has given its 2015 CR-V compact SUV, which launched in US dealerships on 1 October, the most significant mid-model cycle refresh in the 17-year history of the model. The 2015 CR-V offers a new direct-injected Earth Dreams Technology i-VTEC engine and new continuously variable transmission (CVT); a new suite of “Honda Sensing” safety and driver assistance systems (DAS); significantly enhanced exterior and interior styling; as well a long list of new stand

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Fuel Economy 2015 Honda Fuel 311

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 7, 2014

'Neste Oil, the producer of NExBTL renewable diesel, is realigning its long-term R&D and switching from an emphasis on research into the production of microbial oil as a feedstock for NExBTL renewable diesel and renewable jet fuel ( earlier post ) to other areas of technology for using cellulosic forestry and agricultural waste, due in part to feedstock cost issues.

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Oil Renewable Diesel Waste 310

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 1, 2014

'Volkswagen XL Sport concept. Click to enlarge. On the evening before the Paris Motor Show, the Volkswagen Group presented not only the production-bound Passat GTE plug-in hybrid ( earlier post ), but also staged the world premiere of the XL Sport—a highly efficient sports car concept based on Volkswagen’s XL1 diesel plug-in hybrid ( earlier post ).

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Plug-in Concept Plug Hybrid 309

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 5, 2014

'Gas chromatography comparison of Conoco fuel and a Conoco-CoolPlanet blend. Cool Planet’s biogasoline blendstock is 100% compatible with pump gasoline. Source: Cool Planet. Click to enlarge. USDA has reached an agreement with Silicon Valley Bank to provide a $91-million Biorefinery Assistance Program loan guarantee to Cool Planet to help the company finish construction on an advanced biofuel plant at the Port of Alexandria in Louisiana. ( Earlier post.).

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Conversion Renewable Water Gasoline 308

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 5, 2014

'The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is developing an autonomous offensive swarming capability for unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) not only to protect Navy ships, but also, for the first time, to attack hostile vessels. The technology under development—based on the Control Architecture for Robotic Agent Command and Sensing ( CARACaS ) developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)—can be put into a transportable kit and installed on almost any boat.

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Vehicles Yemen Mariner Fusion 307

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 20, 2014

'System components of the Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept. Click to enlarge. At the DTM season finale, an autonomous Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept completed a lap on the Grand Prix track in Hockenheim at racing speed—without a driver. It took the Audi RS 7 piloted driving concept just slightly over two minutes to complete a lap on the track, piloted with high precision and accuracy to within centimeters.

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Audi Concept Insight MPH 306

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 6, 2014

'Design of the IC 90 ionic compressor. (US+EU Version) Source: Linde. Click to enlarge. Linde LLC is close to completing the first retail hydrogen fueling station the company will operate in the US. The station, which Linde expects to be online before the end of the year, is being installed at the Ramos Oil Company multi-fuel station in West Sacramento, California, where Ramos currently retails gasoline, diesel, bio-diesel, ethanol-85, methanol, and racing fuels.

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Fuel Oakland Hydrogen Sacramento 304

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 16, 2014

'Lockheed Martin revealed yesterday that its Skunk Works team is working on a new compact fusion reactor (CFR)—the size of a Class 8 trailer rather than a building—that could be developed and deployed in as little as 10 years. There are several patents pending that cover their approach, the company said, although the team has yet to publish scientific papers on its approach.

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Fusion Concept Design Building 300

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 29, 2014

'The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) and the Hydrogen Education Foundation (HEF) launched the $1-million H2 Refuel H-Prize. The two-year competition challenges America’s engineers and entrepreneurs to develop affordable systems for small-scale hydrogen fueling. This H-Prize competition is intended to assist in expanding the hydrogen infrastructure across the country to support more transportation energy options for US consumers, including fuel cell electric v

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Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 31, 2014

'Philippe Wahl, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of La Poste group, and Carlos Ghosn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Renault group, signed a new partnership agreement today to pursue and strengthen their cooperation on the search for eco-mobility solutions. Since the launch of France’s low-carbon vehicle project in January 2009, La Poste group, which has the country’s largest industrial fleet with some 69,000 vehicles, has equipped itself with a complete range of electric vehicl

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Fleet France Cleaner Range 294

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 22, 2014

'The Swedish Energy Agency has awarded Volvo Group spinout PowerCell SEK7 million (US$965,000) for the MoRE Zero project to develop a fuel cell system for use in a modular range extender system for electric vehicles in the European ERA-NET project. The kick-off meeting of the MoRE Zero project took place on June 2014. PowerCell will develop a modular and scalable fuel cell system in the order of 20-25 kW.

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Fuel Range Belgium Energy 294

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 22, 2014

'A research team led by The University of Texas at Austin has been awarded approximately $58 million to analyze methane hydrate deposits under the Gulf of Mexico. The grant, one of the largest ever awarded to the university, will allow researchers to advance the scientific understanding of naturally occurring methane hydrate so that its resource potential and environmental implications can be fully understood.

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Mexico Austin Oil-Sands Mariner 294

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 20, 2014

'Freescale Semiconductor introduced the FXTH87 tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) family—the smallest integrated package TPMS solution available at an extremely light weight of 0.3 grams. The FXTH87 family is 50% smaller than competing products, helping designers reduce overall bill of materials costs. Freescale’s newest TPMS system-in-package solution provides low power consumption combined with a high level of functional integration in one package, featuring a dual-axis accelerometer

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Taiwan Fuel Economy United States Japan 294

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 21, 2014

'Daimler AG has restructured its cooperation with Tesla Motors. Daimler has terminated the share-price hedge it initiated in 2013 and has sold its stake in Tesla of approximately 4%. The cooperation between the partners on the automotive projects is unaffected. Development work for the Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive ([link] is completed, and the partnership with Tesla remains in place, Daimler said.

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Price Mercedes Tesla Sale 291

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 16, 2014

'The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced the 5 winners of the 2014 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards, including biotechnology companies Amyris and Solazyme, Inc. Solazyme received the award for Greener Synthetic Pathways for its tailored oils produced from microalgal fermentation. Amyris received the Small Business award for its renewable hydrocarbon farnesane for use as diesel and jet fuel.

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Green Oil EPA Diesel 290

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 13, 2014

'Researchers from Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore) led by Professor Xiaodong Chen have developed a new TiO 2 gel material for Li-ion battery anodes. A battery equipped with the new anode material can be recharged up to 70% in only 2 minutes. The new battery will also be able to endure more than 10,000 charging cycles. A paper on their work is published in the journal Advanced Materials.

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Li-ion Singapore Lithium Ion Batteries 290

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 12, 2014

'XXXXX Click to enlarge. A study by researchers at the Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis finds that buyers of plug-in vehicles (PEVs) are substantially less satisfied with the dealer purchase experience than buyers of conventional vehicles—with the notable exception of Tesla buyers. A fundamental problem appears to be divergent expectations regarding the level of support buyers receive from dealerships.

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Davis Plug-in Plug Sale 290

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 2, 2014

'TomTom and Volkswagen Group Research have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to join forces for the development of Highly Automated Driving (HAD) systems. The goal of this research co-operation is to develop jointly the digital map that is essential for automated driving. The two partners bundle their competencies by combining TomTom’s expertise in map content and map-making with Volkswagen’s know-how about the car as well as automated driving.

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Standards Environment Concept Light 290

Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 29, 2014

'The City of Indianapolis will upgrade 425 non-police-pursuit sedans in its muncipal fleet to plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles by early 2016, cut the size of the fleet by 100 vehicles, and save $8.7 million over ten years. The Indy fleet would be the largest municipal fleet of electrified vehicles in the US. The new Indy fleet vehicles will include 100% electric models, such as the Nissan LEAF, as well as plug-in hybrid models like the Chevrolet Volt and the Ford Fusion Energi, which

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Indianapolis 2016 Fleet PHEV 287