Green Car Congress

MAY 13, 2011

Audi A3 TCNG for e-gas project. Click to enlarge. Starting in 2013, Audi will begin series production of TCNG models whose engines—derived from TFSI units—will be powered by e-gas: synthetic methane produced via the methanation of hydrogen produced by electrolysis using renewable electricity. Audi’s newly unveiled e-gas project is a component of achieving its goal of “Audi balanced mobility”—i.e., achieving a neutral CO 2 balance across the entire mobility chain.

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Gas Audi Hydrogen 2013 370

Electric Cars are for Girls

MAY 16, 2011

The notorious Top Gear , aka the electric car hater show, (mostly) drained a Nissan Leaf's battery pack and limped it around a neighborhood in England known for having few public charging stations. The lead photo was a couple of people pushing the Leaf. What was the point?

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Neighborhood Nissan Electric Cars Charging 229

Green Car Reports

MAY 24, 2011

We get punchy around High Gear Media occasionally, and sometimes we BS back and forth about topics less salubrious than, say, fuel efficiency and lowering our oil dependency. Which is how the following question came up: If the urea runs low in my new clean-diesel car, can I just pee in the tank to top it up? Urea to cut NOx First, a bit of.

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Cleaning Clean Diesel Cars 156

All Cars Electric

MAY 23, 2011

Oh no, not again. It’s only a few weeks since the Top Gear boys were spotted in Lincolnshire trying to find somewhere to charge two electric cars after forgetting failing to plug them in the night before. And now electric cars are in the firing line again. This time we’re hearing reports that claim sickly sweet teen pop/R&B prince.

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Electric Cars Re-Charge Charging Cars 100

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National Green Transportation

MAY 4, 2011

Most of the talk about taxes and electric cars is the tax credits or rebates meant to incentivize electric vehicle purchases. Recently some proposals to levy taxes on electric vehicle owners has triggered confusion and even outrage. It.

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Tax Tax Credit Electric Cars Cars 89

Green Cars News

MAY 12, 2011

Audi has confirmed it is to make a small production run of the R8 e-tron; the car maker’s first electric car. Renowned for its high performance vehicles, Audi will build the new R8 e-tron at its Neckarsulm site in Heilbronn, Germany, where specially qualified employees will borrow from the series production of the successful R8 [.].

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Audi Electric Cars Production Cars 70

Green Car Congress

MAY 2, 2011

The optimized photo-electrochemical water splitting device uses light absorbers made of silicon arranged in closely packed pillars, dotted with tiny clusters of the new molybdenum sulfide catalyst. Image courtesy of Christian D. Damsgaard, Thomas Pedersen and Ole Hansen, Technical University of Denmark. Click to enlarge. Researchers from the US and Denmark have engineered a bio-inspired molybdenum sulfide catalyst as an inexpensive, abundant alternative to platinum and coupled it with a light-ab

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Water Hydrogen Low Cost Denmark 332

Green Car Congress

MAY 16, 2011

The reduced complexity of the design of the new integrated exhaust manifold cylinder head ( bottom ) compared to the old ( top ). Click to enlarge. GM has combined the exhaust manifold with the cylinder head into a single aluminum casting in the 2012 Camaro 3.6L direction injection V6, achieving both better fuel economy while reducing emissions. Each integrated exhaust manifold cylinder head (a V6 has two) replaces a cast iron exhaust manifold, six bolts, a gasket and a heat shield and three bol

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Fuel Economy Exhaust Economy GM 305

Green Car Congress

MAY 26, 2011

Flywheel KERS component details. Click to enlarge. Volvo Car Corporation (VCC) has received a grant of 6.57 million Swedish kronor (US$1.05 million) from the Swedish Energy Agency to develop and test a flywheel kinetic energy recovery system in a joint project together with Volvo Powertrain and SKF. SKF is also a partner in the Ricardo-led KinerStor project to demonstrate the viability of low-cost flywheel hybrid systems ( earlier post ).

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Corporation Volvo Energy Cars 301

Green Car Congress

MAY 17, 2011

Inductive charging schema. Source: Volvo. Click to enlarge. Volvo Car Corporation is participating in an inductive charging project led by Belgian technological and development specialists Flanders’ Drive (owned by the Belgian state), along with bus manufacturer Van Hool, tram manufacturer Bombardier and others. ( Earlier post.). Volvo will deliver a C30 Electric to Flanders’ Drive on 19 May to be modified for inductive charging.

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Volvo Charging Cars Corporation 291

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Green Car Congress

MAY 25, 2011

Quantum Fuel Systems Technologies Worldwide, Inc. has received a contract to deliver 100+ plug-in hybrid electric (PHEV) pickup truck fleet vehicles ( earlier post ) powered by Dow Kokam lithium ion battery technology to The Dow Chemical Company. Quantum developed the new hybrid drive system Quantum F-Drive specifically for the Ford F-150 pickup truck, one of the highest volume selling fleet vehicles in America.

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F-150 Li-ion Fleet Plug-in 285

Green Car Congress

MAY 2, 2011

Projected saturation of private cars in China by fuel type under the two scenarios. Source: LBL. Click to enlarge. China’s energy use will level off well before mid-century even as its population edges past 1.4 billion due to the phenomenon of saturation, according to a new study by Berkeley Lab’s China Energy Group. According to this new forecast, the current steeply rising curve of energy demand in China will begin to moderate between 2030 and 2035 and flatten thereafter.

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China Energy 2005 Cars 285

Green Car Congress

MAY 29, 2011

Researchers at Utah State University report on an engineered bacterial enzyme—a molybdenum (Mo) nitrogenase—capable of converting carbon monoxide into usable hydrocarbons in a reaction similar to Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. A open access paper on their work appears in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Nitrogenase is the bacterial enzyme responsible. for the biological reduction of N 2 to ammonia (NH 3 ), accounting for more than half of the input of fixed nitrogen into the biogeoch

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Convert Carbon Utah Waste 278

Green Car Congress

MAY 20, 2011

(Part 1 of a series). Low Temperature Combustion (LTC) strategies offer the potential to enable high-efficiency and low-emission operation. Source: Gurpreet Singh, DOE. Click to enlarge. Many near-term (<10 years) efforts of industry and academia in developing more efficient, low-emitting engines are being applied to Low Temperature Combustion (LTC) strategies.

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Engine 2011 2010 Fuel 277

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Green Car Congress

MAY 9, 2011

Three Volvo car models will be taking part in the 11 th Michelin Challenge Bibendum in Berlin (18-22 May 2011), the theme of which is Clean-Safe-Connected: the Volvo V60 Plug-in hybrid ( earlier post ); the Volvo C30 Electric; and the Volvo V50 DRIVe. The V60 Plug-in Hybrid, which will be available on the market in 2012, is the result of close cooperation between Volvo Cars and Swedish energy supplier Vattenfall.

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Volvo Plug-in Plug Hybrid 277

Green Car Congress

MAY 18, 2011

1.3L SKYACTIV-G. Click to enlarge. The first of Mazda Motor Corporation’s next-generation SKYACTIV technologies ( earlier post ) to be introduced to the market will be the SKYACTIV-G 1.3 direct-injection 1.3-liter gasoline engine. Mazda will unveil the engine at the Automotive Engineering Exposition that will be held from 18 – 20 May at the Pacifico Yokohama convention center near Tokyo, Japan.

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Mazda Gasoline Engine Japan 275

Green Car Congress

MAY 26, 2011

The GE EV Solar Carport Project made its debut in Plainville, Connecticut. With greater than a 25-year lifespan, the EV Solar Carport will annually deliver 125 MWh via 100 kW DC power. GE EV Solar Carport in Plainville, CT. Click to enlarge. GE Energy Industrial Solutions combined forces with Inovateus Solar LLC, a national solar power distributor and integrator, to install the carport.

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Connecticut Solar Indiana Grid 268

Green Car Congress

MAY 20, 2011

Cutaway of the 875cc TwinAir. Click to enlarge. Fiat’s 875cc TwinAir engine ( earlier post ) was named the International Engine of the Year 2011. Judged by a panel of 76 motoring journalists from 36 countries as disparate as the USA, Japan, China, Russia, New Zealand, India, Korea, Germany, France, Romania, South Africa, Mexico and the UK, the Awards highlight and acknowledge engine engineering excellence.

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International 2011 Engine Ferrari 268

Green Car Congress

MAY 26, 2011

Ignition drop test. The ILs presented in Schneider at al. are hypergolic with H 2 O 2 and are hydrogen-rich, thus helping to boost performance. Credit: Schneider et al. Click to enlarge. Researchers at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) are proposing a more environmentally friendly high-performance fuel for rockets: a hydrogen-rich ionic liquid that self ignites (hypergolic) in the presence of hydrogen peroxide.

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Hydrogen Fuel Green Store 262

Green Car Congress

MAY 2, 2011

John McGinnis unveiled his new aircraft design, Synergy, at the fifth annual CAFE Electric Aircraft Symposium (EAS V) last week in Santa Rosa, California. McGinnis believes Synergy will achieve performance capable of winning the $1.65 million NASA/CAFE Green Flight Challenge scheduled for this July. McGinnis describes the design as half sailplane-half fighter jet.

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Wisconsin 2009 IDEA Design 262

Green Car Congress

MAY 31, 2011

In partnership with Gestamp Solar , Renault is launching the world’s biggest solar energy project in the automotive industry by installing solar roof panels at its French plants. Solar panels will cover the roofs of the delivery and shipping centers at the Douai, Maubeuge, Flins, Batilly and Sandouville sites, and the staff parking lots at Maubeuge and Cléon.

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Solar Industry Industrial 2016 261

Green Car Congress

MAY 23, 2011

Artist’s conception of Honda Smart Home System. Click to enlarge. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. and the city of Saitama signed an agreement to cooperate in the E-KIZUNA Project. The E-KIZUNA Project, managed by the city in collaboration with a wide variety of stakeholders, aims to help fight global warming and realize a sustainable, low-carbon society through the popularization of electric vehicles.

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Honda Gas-Electric Gas Engine 261

Green Car Congress

MAY 30, 2011

Energy-related carbon-dioxide (CO2) emissions in 2010 were the highest in history, according to the latest estimates by the International Energy Agency (IEA). After a dip in 2009 caused by the global financial crisis, emissions are estimated to have climbed to a record 30.6 Gigatonnes (Gt), a 5% jump from the previous record year in 2008, when levels reached 29.3 Gt.

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2010 Emissions 2020 CO2 257

Green Car Congress

MAY 19, 2011

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has launched US DRIVE, a cooperative partnership with industry to accelerate the development of clean, advanced, energy-efficient technologies for cars and light trucks and the infrastructure needed to support their widespread use. The announcement of US DRIVE marks the addition of two new members that bring additional focus on electric-drive vehicle technologies to the partnership: the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and Tesla Motors.

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EPRI Industry Industrial Chevron 257

Green Car Congress

MAY 1, 2011

Methanol-to-gasoline process flow diagram. Source: EMRE. Click to enlarge. At a recent hearing of the Alaska state legislature’s House Resources Committee, Deo van Wijk, chairman of Swiss company Janus Methanol AG (formed in 2007), outlined a potential approach to converting North Slope gas to gasoline via the combination of a new methanol production technology (GigaMethanol) and the Methanol-to-Gasoline (MTG) process developed by ExxonMobil Research and Engineering (EMRE).

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Alaska Gasoline Gas Trinidad 257

Green Car Congress

MAY 28, 2011

A new conference in Europe aims to foster discussion between research institutes, industry, NGOs and public authorities to ensure that the needs and constraints from these different stakeholders are mutually well understood and that the most appropriate products for electrified vehicles are selected for market introduction. The European Electric Vehicle Congress (EEVC-2011) will be held in Brussels, 26–28 October 2011, and is organized by Frédéric Vergels, who has served as the Secretary G

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Congress 2011 Electric Vehicles Vehicles 253

Green Car Congress

MAY 2, 2011

Ragone plot of the asymmetrical supercapacitor made of Ni(OH) 2 /graphene and RuO 2 /graphene hybrids: Ni(OH) 2 /graphene and RGO paired electrodes (black); RuO 2 /graphene and RuO 2 /graphene pair (blue), RGO and RGO pair (green) together with two reference data (dashed lines). Wang et al. Click to enlarge. Supercapacitors in aqueous solutions are low-cost energy storage devices with high cycling stability and fast charging and discharging capabilities, but suffer from low energy densities.

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Hybrid Energy Powered Power 252

Green Car Congress

MAY 12, 2011

The Volkswagen Group is launching a new car sharing concept in Hanover, Germany this fall featuring 200 VW Golf BlueMotion. The name of the concept is “Quicar – Share a Volkswagen”. Volkswagen is cooperating closely with the city on this project. The first model in the fleet will be the VW Golf BlueMotion. Its 1.6 TDI diesel engine has an average fuel consumption of 3.8 liters per 100 kilometers (62 mpg US), corresponding to CO 2 emissions of 99 grams per kilometer.

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Cars Fleet MPG Concept 250

Green Car Congress

MAY 12, 2011

Transit bus deliveries by fuel type, world markets: 2010-2016. Source: Pike Research. Click to enlarge. According to a recent report from Pike Research, the current trend toward cleaner transit buses will continue over the next several years, with alternative fuel vehicles representing more than 50% of the 64,000 total transit buses that will be delivered worldwide during 2015, up from 28% of total bus deliveries in 2010.

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Alternative Fuels 2015 Fuel 2016 250

Green Car Congress

MAY 31, 2011

(Part 2 of a series on low-temperature combustion). In contrast to conventional diesel combustion, the highest temperature for RCCI combustion in center of chamber (adiabatic core). The high temperature in conventional diesel combustion is next to the piston bowl surface. Source: Rolf Reitz. Click to enlarge. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin Engine Research Center ( ERC ) led by Dr.

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Wisconsin Gasoline Light Engine 249

Green Car Congress

MAY 3, 2011

Secreted FFAs (white deposit) from a culture. Picture on the left shows secreted FFAs precipitated out of the culture medium as a granular ring on the flask wall above the aqueous phase. Picture on the right shows microscopy of FFA secretion. (Scale bar: 10 µm) Liu et al. (2011a) Click to enlarge. In two open-access papers published in the Proceedings of the National Academies (PNAS), a team from Arizona State University describes the genetic modification of cynanobacteria to produce and s

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Arizona Green Engine Production 249

Green Car Congress

MAY 25, 2011

The Volvo FE Hybrid ( earlier post ) is propelled in parallel by an electric motor and a diesel engine, making possible fuel savings of up to 30%, and is equipped with a battery pack weighing 578 kg (1,274 lbs). Volvo crash-tested the hybrid, which will primarily perform distribution and refuse collection duties in urban areas, by simulating a collision in which a car hits the side of the battery pack at a speed of 46 km/h (29 mph).

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Volvo Hybrid Volt MPH 247

Green Car Congress

MAY 10, 2011

A new study by Ricardo and National Grid examining the market potential for grid balancing services provided by a future fleet of plug-in vehicles (PIVs) found that demand-side management services provide only a modest financial benefit but at zero cost, while more robust vehicle-to-grid (V2G) services offer potentially attractive returns, but with likelihood of high investment and limited market.

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Grid Plug-in Plug Market 247

Green Car Congress

MAY 4, 2011

Hindustan Times. India plans to introduce new fuel efficiency standards; the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards will give auto manufacturers time until 2015 to increase fuel economy from the current average of 14.1 km/liter (33.2 mpg US, 7.1 L/100km) of gasoline to 17.3 km/liter (40.7 mpg US, 5.8 L/100km). With it, cars will have one to five star labels depending on their fuel efficiency.

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Standards India Fuel Fuel Economy 247