Green Car Congress

JUNE 23, 2014

'Cummins reports that it, along with partners Johnson Matthey and Nissan, is on plan in a 4-year, $30-million ($15 million from the US Department of Energy) research project to deliver a light-duty diesel engine with fuel economy 40% improved over that of baseline gasoline V8 engine for a half-ton pickup truck while also meeting the requirements of US Tier2 Bin2 tailpipe emissions. ( Earlier post.).

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Fuel Economy Economy Gasoline Downsizing 357

Creative Greenius

JUNE 24, 2014

'South Bay Gets More Done In 3 Months Than SCE’s Former Flack Got Done in a Dozen As A City Councilman in Gardena. What a unique concept. First admit what a failure you were in your own personal efforts of launching a Community Choice power program where you live. Then i gnore or lie about the progress made by so many outside your community.

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Vietnam Climate Change Climate Environment 340

Green Car Reports

JUNE 28, 2014

'Three and a half years after the first Nissan Leaf went on sale, Nissan has announced the cost of a replacement lithium-ion battery pack for its electric car. It''s a surprisingly low $5,499 (after a $1,000 credit for turning in the old pack, which is required), plus installation fees and tax. The installation is estimated at roughly 3 hours of.

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Nissan Lithium Ion Battery Batteries 167

National Green Transportation

JUNE 2, 2014

'History was made on Monday when Mugen's rider, John McGuinness, had the fastest lap time ever in TT ZERO electric motorcycle racing, 115.598 miles/hr. McGuinness and Mugen teammate, Bruce Anstey, both shattered the previous record.

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Miles Electric Motorcycles Motorcycles Electrical 89

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Green Cars News

JUNE 13, 2014

'Could an electric bike solve your commuting nightmare — and get you fit too? Isn’t this summer weather wonderful? There’s barely a cloud in the sky, there’s a gentle summer breeze wafting through the trees, and it’s lovely and light in the evenings. If you’re stuck in traffic on your way to work[.].

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Transportation Electrical Electric Light 71

Green Car Congress

JUNE 12, 2014

'Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk announced in a blog post that the company is opening up access to its patents; Tesla will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use the company’s technology. Tesla Motors was created to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport. If we clear a path to the creation of compelling electric vehicles, but then lay intellectual property landmines behind us to inhibit others, we are acting in a manner contrary to that goal.

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Tesla Tesla Motors Sustainable Transportation Gasoline-Electric 355

Green Car Congress

JUNE 24, 2014

'The US Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding $100 million in the second round of funding for Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs); research supported by this initiative will enable fundamental advances in energy production, storage, and use. The 32 projects receiving funding were competitively selected from more than 200 proposals. Ten of these projects are new while the rest received renewed funding based both on their achievements to date and the quality of their proposals for future res

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Energy Solar Energy Storage Universal 337

Green Car Congress

JUNE 30, 2014

'Mitsubishi Motors’ iMiEV Evolution III all-electric racecars ( earlier post ) took first and second place in the the Electric Modified Division of the 2014 edition of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. With a time of 9 minutes 08 seconds 188, Greg Tracy won the Electric Modified Division honors and 2 nd overall—just a few seconds shy of taking the overall win.

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Mitsubishi International 2014 i-MiEV 326

Green Car Congress

JUNE 11, 2014

'A Houston, Texas start-up is proposing a different approach to building out a hydrogen refueling infrastructure. Instead of relying on a series of heavily-subsidized “mega-stations”, Hydrogen-XT is proposing combining many small, inexpensive fueling outlets that reform hydrogen from natural gas with intelligent software that locates the stations and displays fuel availability, reserves the amount a customer wants, routes the customer to the selected station, and then completes the transaction,

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Houston Hydrogen Available Today Texas 326

Green Car Congress

JUNE 5, 2014

'A new report from Frost & Sullivan, “Strategic Analysis of Inductive Charging for Global Electric Vehicles (EV) Market,” finds forecasts the total market for inductive (wireless) charging will experience a compound annual growth rate of 126.6% from 2012 to 2020, with approximately 351,900 units likely to be sold. Inductive charging will account for 1.2% of both public and residential charging in North America and more than 2.6% in Europe, according to the report.

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2020 2012 Charging North America 321

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Green Car Congress

JUNE 16, 2014

'A123 Systems LLC, a developer and manufacturer of advanced lithium-ion batteries and systems, has acquired Leyden Energy’s intellectual property in battery materials covering lithium titanate (LTO) and non-flammable electrolyte (Li-imide) developments for an undisclosed amount. As a part of the deal, key technical staff of Leyden Energy have also agreed to join A123 Systems’ R&D organization.

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Lithium Titanate Li-ion Energy Hybrid 319

Green Car Congress

JUNE 11, 2014

'DuraBlue cell. Click to enlarge. Maxwell Technologies, Inc. has introduced its new DuraBlue Shock and Vibration Technology with the latest addition to its K2 series of ultracapacitor cells. The new 2.85-volt, 3400-farad DuraBlue ultracapacitor cell increases the range of available specific power by 17% and stored energy by 23% in the industry-standard 60 mm cylindrical “K2” form factor.

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Chad Energy Powered Power 317

Green Car Congress

JUNE 5, 2014

'Woven carbon fiber can act as an electrode for lithium ion batteries. (Photo: Peter Larsson) Click to enlarge. Researchers in Sweden are exploring the use of carbon fiber as an active electrode in a multifunctional structural Li-ion battery in an electric car; i.e., electrical storage is incorporated into the body of the car. Carbon fiber material is a good candidate for structural electrodes since it has high specific tensile stiffness and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) as well as high lithiu

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Carbon Fiber Carbon Li-ion Electric Vehicles 317

Green Car Congress

JUNE 19, 2014

'The US Department of Energy (DOE) has six recently launched applied battery research (ABR) projects as part of its Vehicle Technologies portfolio. ABR, noted Peter Faguy, the DOE manager of the applied battery research program, during his presentation at the Annual Merit Review in Washington, DC, is the difficult regime between the discovery of materials and their application in batteries that can be commercialized.

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Li-ion PHEV Ni-Li Battery 316

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Creative Greenius

JUNE 17, 2014

'My politically connected friends (who prefer to remain nameless) advise me to accept State Senator Ted Lieu as he is and be happy for his strong environmental record. . They tell me to stop wishing he was somebody else and that I’m dreaming if I think he’s ever going to change into the dynamo that I fantasize about. . And I get that. You go to climate battle with the Ted Lieu you have, not the Ted Lieu you wished you had.

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Climate Mariner Cleaning Clean 316

Green Car Congress

JUNE 30, 2014

'Greenkraft truck. Click to enlarge. Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. (EDI), a producer of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) and continuously variable transmission (CVT) solutions ( earlier post ), is partnering with Greenkraft , CALSTART, and the California Energy Commission (CEC) to develop a Class-4 vehicle that combines the benefits of compressed natural gas (CNG) and PHEV technology.

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PHEV Plug-in Gas-Electric Gas 306

Green Car Congress

JUNE 19, 2014

'A team from Duke University, Stanford University, Dartmouth College and Ohio State University has published in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology an overview and synopsis of recent investigations (as of January 2014) into one set of possible environmental impacts from unconventional shale gas development: the potential risks to water resources.

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Water Gas Oil Universal 306

Green Car Congress

JUNE 25, 2014

'Toyota’s Mitsuhisa Kato briefs the media in Japan on the timing and pricing of the FCV, and outlines the company’s view of the role of fuel cell vehicles. Click to enlarge. Toyota Motor Corporation revealed the exterior design and Japan pricing of its hydrogen fuel cell sedan, first unveiled as a concept at the Tokyo Motor Show last year. ( Earlier post.

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Japan Toyota 2015 Fuel 304

Green Car Congress

JUNE 13, 2014

'OSU’s series-parallel PHEV. Click to enlarge. The US Department of Energy and General Motors Co. announced that the Ohio State University (OSU) team was the overall winner of the EcoCAR 2: Plugging In to the Future finals. The OSU team’s engineered 2013 Chevrolet Malibu featured a series-parallel plug-in hybrid drive with E85-fueled engine technology.

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Ohio Plug-in Plug Hybrid 299

Creative Greenius

JUNE 5, 2014

'Your Friendly Neighborhood Greenius (white shirt) talks to Manhattan Beach Councilman Wayne Powell (center) and Councilman Mark Burton at the 2014 Manhattan Beach Earth Day Celebration. A lot of my political friends are still suffering from election night hangovers this Throwback Thursday. Their heads continue to pound, they’re still suffering from dry mouth and disorientation.

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Climate Change Neighborhood Los Angeles Climate 297

Green Car Congress

JUNE 9, 2014

'Audi is racing three R18 e-quattros at Le Mans. Click to enlarge. The Audi R18 e-tron quattro diesel hybrids ( earlier post ) that will race at Le Mans this coming weekend (14-15 June) are the lightest and most fuel efficient LMP1 racers has yet to bring to the track. New WEC regulations require up to 30% less fuel use this year. For the powertrain, Audi, in the 25 th year of the TDI engine, has developed a new diesel 4.0-liter V6 unit for Le Mans.

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2006 Audi 2014 Engine 294

Green Car Congress

JUNE 27, 2014

'Schematic of ORBAT. Click to enlarge. Scientists at USC have developed a novel water-based Organic Redox Flow Battery (ORBAT) for lower cost, long lasting large-scale energy storage. An open access paper on their work is published in the Journal of the Electrochemical Society. ORBAT employs two different water-soluble organic redox couples on the positive and negative side of a flow battery.

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Energy Storage Energy Battery Batteries 290

Green Car Congress

JUNE 15, 2014

'Survey results show the importance of incentives in PEV purchases. Click to enlarge. A new online tool published by the California Air Resources Board (ARB) and California Center for Sustainable Energy offers the general public, researchers, policymakers and stakeholders the opportunity to learn about who is buying plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) in California, and why.

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California Plug-in Purchase Plug 290

Green Car Congress

JUNE 24, 2014

'Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) announced funding for a new joint research projects to advance clean emission technologies. Funding through the organizations’ Connecting through Research Partnerships (“Connect”) program has been granted for $125,000 for this project. One of the main groups of pollutants resulting from fuel combustion is the oxides of nitrogen, or NO x.

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San Antonio Exhaust Clean Emissions Fuel Economy 287

Green Car Congress

JUNE 20, 2014

'Impact of GTL diesel blending (5% penetration relative to refinery crude input) on US average overall refinery efficiency. Credit: ACS, Forman et al. Click to enlarge. A team from Sasol Synfuels, Jacobs Consultancy and Argonne National Laboratory has used results from a US industry-wide linear programming (LP) modeling study of individual US refineries to examine the impacts of a number of significant and looming changes—such as shifts in refinery crude slates; regional and seasonal varia

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Diesel Gasoline-Electric Oil Gasoline 287

Green Car Congress

JUNE 25, 2014

'H2 Logic A/S and Air Liquide have concluded a joint investment in their joint venture hydrogen fuel company, Copenhagen Hydrogen Network A/S (CHN). The company is already operating a hydrogen refueling station in Copenhagen that will be followed by four more stations during 2014. This will make Denmark will be the world’s first country where hydrogen fueling is available nationwide and based 100% on renewable energy.

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Denmark Hydrogen Building 2014 286

Green Car Congress

JUNE 19, 2014

'The US Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) is awarding $33 million to 13 new projects aimed at developing transformational fuel cell technologies for low-cost distributed power generation. The projects, which are funded through ARPA-E’s new Reliable Electricity Based on ELectrochemical Systems (REBELS) program, are focused on improving grid stability, balancing intermittent renewable technologies, and reducing CO 2 emissions using electrochemical distributed power generation sys

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Convert Fuel South Carolina Los Angeles 286

Green Car Congress

JUNE 17, 2014

'Chevrolet Volt owners have accumulated more than half a billion all-electric miles since the vehicle’s launch in 2010. Additionally, based on a GM study of more than 300 Volts in service in California for more than 30 months, many owners are exceeding the EPA-rated label of 35 miles of EV range per full charge, with about 15% surpassing 40 miles of range.

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Volt Chevrolet Miles Idaho 285

Green Car Congress

JUNE 28, 2014

'Honda Aircraft Company announced that the first production HondaJet ( earlier post ) achieved its initial flight, marking another milestone toward aircraft certification and entry into service in 2015. The event took place at the company’s world headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina. During the 84-minute flight, the aircraft climbed to 15,500 feet and reached a speed of 348 Knots True Airspeed (KTAS).

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Production North Carolina North America Honda 284

Green Car Congress

JUNE 18, 2014

'Earlier this month, Ford unveiled its Lightweight Concept vehicle, which uses advanced materials to explore future weight-reduction solutions that could improve performance and fuel efficiency while reducing CO 2 emissions. The Ford Lightweight Concept reduces the weight of a 2013 Fusion to that of a Ford Fiesta, resulting in a nearly 25% weight reduction. ( Earlier post.).

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Concept Carbon Fiber Vehicles Ford 284

Green Car Congress

JUNE 19, 2014

'The hydrogen shuttle bus. Click to enlarge. California-based US Hybrid Corporation has been awarded a contract by the Hawaii Center for Advanced Transportation Technologies (HCATT) for the design, integration and delivery of its H 2 Ride Fuel Cell Plug-In Shuttle Bus for operation by the County of Hawaii Mass Transit Agency’s (MTA) HELE-ON Big Island bus service.

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Hawaii Plug-in Plug Hybrid 281

Green Car Congress

JUNE 9, 2014

'New observations by researchers at MIT have revealed the inner workings of a lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO 4 ) cathode—a material widely used in lithium-ion batteries. The new findings, published in a paper in the ACS journal Nano Letters , explain the unexpectedly high power and long cycle life of such batteries, the researchers say. The MIT researchers found that inside this electrode during charging, a solid-solution zone (SSZ) forms at the boundary between lithium-rich and lithium-de

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MIT Li-ion Lithium Ion Battery 281

Green Car Congress

JUNE 27, 2014

'2015 Ram ProMaster City. Click to enlarge. Chrysler’s Ram brand introduced the 2015 Ram ProMaster City commercial van. The Ram ProMaster City is based on the Fiat Doblò, a two-time International Van of the Year winner with more than 1.3 million units sold. The new, smaller van joins the ProMaster and Ram Cargo vans, and is intended to provide incremental growth for Ram’s brand sales volumes.

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2015 Transit Connect Engine Turkey 278

Green Car Congress

JUNE 20, 2014

' Performance of the new ESTEC engine (1NR-FKE) compared to the current 1NR-FE engine applied in the Yaris. Yamada et al. Click to enlarge. Engineers at Toyota have developed an approach to applying the Atkinson cycle—used in the engines in Toyota hybrids since 1997—for engines in conventional, non-hybrid vehicles. The Atkinson cycle with a high compression ratio is a common approach that hybrid vehicle engines use to enhance thermal efficiency.

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Fuel Economy Economy Engine Toyota 278