Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 27, 2013

'Innovators at NASA’s Glenn Research Center have developed an automated pulse-and-glide technique using a flywheel energy storage system for on-road vehicles; the technology, which NASA Glenn says can improve fuel economy over existing internal combustion or battery hybrid systems by 40-100%, is available for licensing. Drivers can use a manual “pulse-and-glide” (PnG) driving technique—accelerating and decelerating an automobile in cycles of approximately 10-30 seconds—as a way to im

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Fuel Economy Economy Fuel 2009 382

Creative Greenius

DECEMBER 1, 2013

'It all started with the video. It was sent to me last Thursday via email. A YouTube link from someone calling themself Primrose Evergreen. The email said “ We made this video. We want 2 talk 2 U. If U want 2 talk w/us B sitting on the 9/11 bench @ Pier & Valley/Ardmore @ 11:15 PM. Thanksgiving. No phones. No cameras. No recording devices. “ Debra didn’t want me to go and I will admit I was tired from too much food and too much drink.

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Chevron Re-Charge Climate Change Climate 342

Green Car Reports

DECEMBER 26, 2013

'Many people like to think they can predict the future, but only futurists (and psychics) get paid to do it. And futurist Lars Thomsen thinks that electric cars are such a disruptive technology that they will make gasoline cars obsolete--starting in 2016, or much earlier than most other analysts suggest. Thomsen delivered a speech this past.

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National Green Transportation

DECEMBER 2, 2013

'Renault is working on a plug-in hybrid for 2014, and is joining General Motors in predicting that by 2020 electric cars will commonly have an electric range over 200 miles. The statements were made late last week and.

Miles 103

Miles Electric Cars All-Electric Range 103

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Green Cars News

DECEMBER 5, 2013

'A loophole which allowed motorists to have their diesel particulate filters (DPFs) removed yet still pass their MOTs, is to be closed in response to concerns over the environmental impact of this practice. It was an issue raised by the campaign group, Clean Air in London (CAL) back in August, whic[.].

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Diesel London Cleaning Clean 74

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 30, 2013

'A team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and General Motors, led by ORNL researcher Dr. Jun Qu, has developed a new group of ionic liquids as lubricant additives that could help improve the energy efficiency of cars and trucks. Prototype low-viscosity ionic liquid-additized engine oil demonstrated a 2% improved fuel economy compared to Mobil 1 5W-30 engine oil (3.93% over the 20W-30 baseline oil) in standard fuel efficiency engine dynamometer tests.

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Fuel Economy Oil Economy Engine 369

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 5, 2013

'Mustang 2.3L EcoBoost. Click to enlarge. Ford revealed its new 2015 version of the Mustang (with great fanfare simultaneously in six cities on four continents and CEO Alan Mulally on ABC’s Good Morning America ) with a choice of three powertrains: a upgraded 5.0L V8, a 3.7-liter V6 and an all-new 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine developed specifically for Mustang.

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Ford Exhaust Fuel Economy Engine 355

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 1, 2013

'Bamboo, the composition of which is highly similar to energy grasses used for biofuel production such as switchgrass, is an interesting potential feedstock for advanced bioethanol production in China due to its natural abundance, rapid growth, perennial nature and low management requirements. Now, researchers at Imperial College London have shown that bioethanol production from bamboo in China is both technically and economically feasible, as well as cost-competitive with gasoline.

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Gasoline China Tax London 351

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 13, 2013

'Auto Start-Stop technology will be available on 70% of Ford’s North American vehicle lineup by 2017, the company said. Ford Auto Start-Stop can increase fuel efficiency by up to 10% in city driving. A major part of the company’s Blueprint for Sustainability, the expansion of Auto Start-Stop comes as the 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine ( earlier post ) is set to go on sale in the 2014 Ford Fiesta.

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Available Ford 2017 America 351

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 28, 2013

'In a study in the journal Fuel , researchers in India report that diesel modified with nanoparticles of aluminum (Al), iron (Fe) or boron (B) reduced specific fuel consumption by up to 7% compared with standard diesel. These “nano-fuels” showed reduced ignition delay, and longer flame sustenance. Emissions of CO and hydrocarbons were reduced, however NO x marginally increased.

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Diesel Fuel Exhaust Emissions 326

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 23, 2013

'Bio-isobutanol company Gevo, Inc. announced that the US Army has successfully flown the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter on a 50:50 blend of Gevo’s ATJ-8 (Alcohol-to-Jet)—a renewable, drop-in alternative fuel for JP8 derived from isobutanol. ( Earlier post.). This flight marks the first Army Aircraft to fly on the isobutanol ATJ blend. (The US Air Force flew its first test flight using ATJ fuel in 2012.

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Fuel Oil Hydrogen Alternative Fuels 319

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 28, 2013

'Summary of the path to enable EVs to provide grid services. Source: CA ISO. Click to enlarge. The California Independent System Operator Corporation (ISO) has released a blueprint for integrating electric vehicles (EVs) into the grid: “ California Vehicle-Grid Integration Roadmap: Enabling Vehicle-based Grid Services ”. The VGI blueprint outlines three inter-dependent tracks to assess how consumer use of electric vehicles could benefit electric reliability, and to determine policies and technol

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Grid California Charging Market 319

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 22, 2013

'Mercedes-Benz announced a strategic partnership with smart watch company Pebble Technology in the run-up to the 2014 International CES. The partnership gives Mercedes-Benz early access to some of the newest hardware and early releases of application programming interfaces (APIs) offered by the Silicon Valley-based company, allowing it to develop innovative integrated applications that pave the way for the future of in-vehicle use cases.

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Mercedes Companies 2014 Concept 319

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 10, 2013

'ClipperCreek introduced its latest product, the HCS-40, a 30 Amp, 240 Volt Level 2 electric vehicle charging station, with prices starting at $590. The indoor/outdoor HCS features a fully sealed NEMA 4 enclosure and comes standard with 25 feet of charging cable and a 3-year warranty; an optional connector holster costs $19. The HCS-40 is designed to be easy to install by any licensed electrician; after the junction box is run from the main service, installing the HCS requires just two wall scre

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Charging Vehicles Low Cost Volt 317

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 17, 2013

'The Electrification Coalition released two case studies outlining how two cities— Houston, Texas and Loveland, Colorado —are saving money by using electric vehicles (EVs) in their vehicle fleets. The Electrification Coalition, launched in November 2009, is committed to promoting policies and actions that facilitate the deployment of electric vehicles on a mass scale in order to combat the economic, environmental, and national security threats posed by US dependence on petroleum. ( E

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Houston Fleet Tax Credit Plug-in 312

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 23, 2013

'The global geothermal industry surpassed 12,000 MW of geothermal power operational, with about 600 MW of new geothermal power coming online globally, according to a year-end update by the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA). New geothermal power came on line in Kenya, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Turkey, and Mexico, as well as Oregon, Nevada and Utah in the United States.

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Costa Rica El Salvador Industry Industrial 310

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 20, 2013

'American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM) announced the introduction of the automotive industry’s first disconnecting all-wheel-drive (AWD) system. EcoTrac is featured on the all-new 2014 Jeep Cherokee (rear-axle disconnect). The EcoTrac Disconnecting All Wheel Drive takes a new approach to minimizing the effect of inertia and drag on a vehicle’s driveline system by disconnecting many of the rotating components from the driveline when they are not needed.

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Fuel Economy Economy Jeep Michigan 309

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 15, 2013

'By 2040, hybrids are expected to account for about 35% of the global light-duty vehicle fleet, up from less than 1% in 2010. Hybrids are expected to account for about half of global new-car sales by 2040. Source: ExxonMobil. Click to enlarge. Driven by increasing population, urbanization and rising living standards, the world will require some 35% more energy in 2040, according to ExxonMobil’s annual forecast report: Outlook for Energy: A View to 2040.

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Oil-Sands Energy Hybrid Sale 309

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 8, 2013

'VMT per capita has declined across the US (2006 to 2011). States with shading are missing reliable data for all or part of an urbanized area, and ‘X’s denote the location of excluded urbanized areas. Source: US PIRG. Click to enlarge. A new report by the US PIRG Education Fund and the Frontier Group details reduced driving miles and rates of car commuting in the US’ most populous urbanized areas, as well as greater use of public transit and biking in most cities.

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 5, 2013

'Honda has joined a demonstration project for experimental vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology aimed at providing a potentially valuable energy storage resource to the electrical grid while providing for more cost-effective ownership of plug-in electric vehicles. The Honda technology builds off of the research conducted by the University of Delaware and now supported by NRG Energy, Inc. through their eV2g joint venture ( earlier post ). eV2g came online early in 2013 with the first revenue-generati

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Delaware Grid Honda Universal 304

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 14, 2013

'Rotterdam Taxi Centre (RTC), one of the biggest taxi operators in the Netherlands, is switching to electric taxis and has put into service two BYD e6 models, following successful extensive operation with an e6 model. RTC plans to extend its fleet of emissions free pure electric taxis to 25 within the next 18 months, according to CEO Sjaak de Winter.

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 6, 2013

'Siemens Rail Systems and Cummins are partnering to bring EPA Tier 4 compliant locomotives to market. Under the agreement, Cummins QSK95 diesel engines will be used in Siemens’ diesel electric locomotives in the US. Leveraging Siemens proven rail technology, these locomotives will be designed and built specifically to deliver a smoother, more reliable and more energy-efficient riding experience for passengers.

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EPA Diesel Indiana Sacramento 301

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 11, 2013

'During his keynote and subsequent question-and-answer session at the BIO Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy in San Diego this week, Dr. Craig Venter, Founder, Chairman, and CEO, J. Craig Venter Institute and Founder and CEO, Synthetic Genomics, Inc. (SGI) tangentially provided a brief update on the status of SGI’s research work with ExxonMobil into algae biofuels, as well as some general observations on the prospects for algae biofuels. “ As far as I know, the same exp

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 20, 2013

'VEZEL HYBRID. Click to enlarge. Honda Motor Co., Ltd. began sales of the VEZEL in Japan today. Honda says that the VEZEL fuses the dynamic qualities of an SUV, the elegance of a coupe, the functionality of a minivan and excellent fuel economy. The conventional VEZEL is equipped with a 1.5L direct-injection DOHC i-VTEC engine coupled to a CVT, as is available in front-wheel and four-wheel drive versions.

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Japan Honda Hybrid Sale 296

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 4, 2013

'2010 engines emissions reduction relative to 2010, 2007, and 2004 US emission standards. Source: CRC. Click to enlarge. A rigorous emissions testing of modern heavy-duty diesel engines in the US has demonstrated a greater than 94% reduction in the levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2 - an important contributor to ozone smog), and substantial reductions in all other pollutants, even when compared to engines first marketed to meet 2007 standards, according to a study released today by the Coordinatin

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Diesel Emissions 2004 San Antonio 296

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 27, 2013

'Diesel is currently taxed at a lower level than gasoline in Europe; however, since 2011 the EC has been considering reversing that situation by making energy taxes systematically reflect the CO 2 performance of the energy product. As on a volumetric basis, diesel contains more carbon than gasoline, the tax on diesel fuel would increase. In a paper published in the journal Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board , a team of researchers in France explore the e

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Tax Gasoline Diesel Europe 294

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 23, 2013

'FTP cycle-weighted tailpipe emissions of N 2 O, NO x , and the sum of NMOG and NO x. The minimum in NO x and NMOG emissions for midlevel ethanol blends points to future opportunities for emission reductions from FFVs. Credit: ACS, Hubbard et al. Click to enlarge. A team at Ford Motor Company’s Research and Innovation Center in Dearborn conducted a detailed study of the effect of ethanol blend level in emissions, using a 2006 model Mercury Grand Marquis flexible fuel vehicle (FFV) operating on E

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Emissions Ford Exhaust Engine 294

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 16, 2013

'A team at the University of Idaho has demonstrated that glycerol, a byproduct from biodiesel production, could be used as a substrate for producing drop-in gasoline-range biofuel. In a paper published in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels , Guanqun Luo and Armando G. McDonald describe their study of converting methanol (MTG) and a mixture of methanol and glycerol (MGTG) into gasoline-range hydrocarbons using a bench-top, fixed-bed microreactor.

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Gasoline Convert Production Conversion 294

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 9, 2013

'Royal DSM, together with DONG Energy (Denmark), has demonstrated the combined fermentation of C 6 and C 5 sugars from wheat straw on an industrial scale. The combined fermentation results in a 40% increase in ethanol yield per ton of straw, which can result in significant cost cuts in the production of bio-ethanol from cellulosic feedstock. The demonstration took place in DONG Energy’s Inbicon demonstration plant in Kalundborg (Denmark), the longest running demonstration facility for cellulosic

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Industry Industrial Denmark Supplies 287

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 5, 2013

'This schematic depicts the new soft X-ray spectroscopy technique. Windows etched into a foil covering allow soft X-rays to measure charge dynamics in an operating electrode. Click to enlarge. Researchers at Berkeley Lab and its Advanced Light Source have developed a new soft X-ray spectroscopy technique that can measure the migration of ions and electrons in an integrated, operating battery electrode.

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Batteries Battery Li-ion Charging 286

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 20, 2013

'The US Department of Energy (DOE) released three new reports showcasing strong growth across the US fuel cell and hydrogen technologies market. According to these reports, the US continues to be one of the world’s largest and fastest growing markets for fuel cell and hydrogen technologies. In 2012, nearly 80% of total investment in the global fuel cell industry was made in US companies.

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Hydrogen Market Fuel 2012 284

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 19, 2013

'Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) introduced the latest in a series of discussion drafts to overhaul the US tax code. This new staff discussion draft focuses energy tax policy on stimulating domestic, clean production of electricity and transportation fuels, which account for 68% of energy consumed in the US. It also would repeal a number of current tax incentives, including those for plug-in electric vehicles and fuel cell vehicles.

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Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 16, 2013

'The new C-Class. Click to enlarge. Mercedes-Benz has launched its new C-Class, featuring a lightweight design concept with weight savings of up to 100 kg (220 lbs); excellent aerodynamics and new, economical engines along with a hybrid model. The C-Class is the top-selling model series from Mercedes-Benz; sales of the preceding model, which was launched in 2007, total more than 2.4 million.

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Plug-in Mercedes Diesel Engine 281

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 4, 2013

'The average fuel-economy (EPA window-sticker) value of new light-duty vehicles sold in the US in November was 24.8 mpg, up 0.1 mpg from the revised October value, according to the monthly report from Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. Vehicle fuel economy is up 4.7 mpg or 23% since October 2007 (the first month of their monitoring).

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