Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 27, 2015

'A new study from the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) demonstrates the conversion of lignin-derived compounds to adipic acid, an important industrial dicarboxylic acid produced for its use as a precursor to nylon, plasticizers, lubricants, polyesters, and other popular products and chemicals. Published in the RSC journal Energy & Environmental Science , the research demonstrates how lignin-derived compounds can first be converted to muconic acid via a biological p

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Convert Renewable Polymer Energy 295

Creative Greenius

FEBRUARY 3, 2015

'If you hate Hermosa Beach, its children, its history and its future then you’ll love the Barbarians’ plans to turn Hermosa into Bakersfield. Filed under: environment Tagged: climate wrecking oil loving sellouts & sycophants.

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Oil Climate Environment Future 199

Green Car Reports

FEBRUARY 27, 2015

'Before next week''s official debut of the second-generation Audi R8 sports car at the Geneva Motor Show, Audi released some advance information—including the first official details about the all-electric R8 e-tron sports car that will soon follow the gasoline version. The R8 e-tron information arrives far earlier than expected, as company.

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Audi All-Electric 2017 Gasoline-Electric 131

National Green Transportation

FEBRUARY 12, 2015

'The Chevy Bolt is now committed to going to production, according to an announcement on Thursday GM North America President Alan Batey ahead of the Chicago Auto Show. The Chevy Bolt, unveiled in January at the NAIAS, is.

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GM North America Chicago Production 61

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Norway

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 17, 2015

'Monday afternoon, a CSX oil train (109 cars, two locomotives, carrying Bakken crude from North Dakota) derailed in West Virginia, resulting in a fire, with an as yet unspecified number of cars rupturing and exploding. WVNS earlier reported that firefighters with the Boomer Fire Department said that there have been at least six explosions in connection with the fire.

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West Virginia Oil North Dakota Virginia 290

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 18, 2015

'Energy consumption per mile averaged across the LEAF fleet over a full year (Wh/mi). Credit: ACS, Yuksel and Michalek. Click to enlarge. An adage about batteries is that they are like humans in performing best at moderate (e.g., room) temperatures; extremes in either direction impact performance. Thus, the efficiency of battery electric vehicles can vary with ambient temperature due to battery performance—as well as the energy required for cabin climate control.

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Emissions Range Grid Nissan 282

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 4, 2015

'Speaking at the 15 th CAR Symposium in Bochum, Germany, Dr. Volkmar Denner, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch GmbH, said that that Bosch expects roughly 15% of all new cars built worldwide to have at least a hybrid powertrain by 2025. Denner, whose responsibilities on the board of management include research and advanced development, believes that by 2020 batteries will deliver twice as much energy density for half the present cost.

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2020 Hybrid Battery Batteries 276

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 5, 2015

'Ed. introduction: The following technology positioning paper is a joint effort by a team from Battelle and Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC). The paper outlines the technology landscape and the opportunities that exist in the area of improved Li-ion battery safety. Energy is a common technology area on which both research organizations focus in different ways, noted Dr.

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Li-ion Corporation Battery Batteries 270

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 23, 2015

'Land Rover will stage the world debut of the MY 2016 Range Rover Evoque. Equipped with the EU6-compliant, four-cylinder Ingenium diesel ( earlier post) , the new Evoque will be the most efficient production Land Rover yet, with fuel consumption as low as 4.2 l/100 km (56 mpg US) and CO 2 emissions of 109 g/km. The all-aluminium 2.0-liter Ingenium TD4 engine, 20-30 kg (44-66 lbs) lighter than its predecessor with stiff cylinder blocks and decoupled injectors ensuring low levels of vibration and

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2016 MPG Land Rover Diesel 269

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 25, 2015

'Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) will stage the global debut of the Mitsubishi Concept XR-PHEV II at the 85 th Geneva International Motor Show. The Concept XR-PHEV II is a small crossover powered by a new plug-in hybrid EV (PHEV) system. Mitsubishi said it expects the Concept XR-PHEV II to become MMC’s second production PHEV following the Outlander PHEV launched in January 2013. ( Earlier post.

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PHEV Mitsubishi Concept Motoring 264

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Connect

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 17, 2015

'At the Bosch ConnectedWorld conference in Berlin, the company unveiled wireless sensors, to be installed on pavement, that will create real-time maps of available parking spaces. These sensors recognize whether a parking space is occupied or not, and share this information via the internet. The wireless sensors installed on the pavement are built into stable, semicircular plastic housings similar to the kind often used to mark lanes on roads.

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Available Installation Tax Germany 263

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 22, 2015

'Driven by a faster-than-expected pace of technology development, carbon-fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs) will be poised to gain widespread adoption for automotive lightweighting by 2025, according to a new report from Lux Research, “Scaling Up Carbon Fiber: Roadmap to Automotive Adoption.”. Advances already underway in fiber, resin and composite part production will lead to a $6 billion market for automotive CFRPs in 2020, more than double Lux’s earlier projection. ( Earlier post.

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Carbon Fiber Carbon Automobile 2007 260

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 2, 2015

'Electric drive axle module with two motors and integrated power electronics. Groschopp AG. Click to enlarge. The ESKAM (Electric Scalable Axle Module, Elektrische SKalierbare AchsantriebsModule) consortium in Germany, sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), is completing the development of an optimized electric drive axle module for commercial vehicles, consisting of two motors, transmissions and power electronics.

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Commercial Vehicles Production Electrical 260

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 13, 2015

'Honda gave the all-new 2016 Honda Pilot SUV its global premiere at the 2015 Chicago Auto Show. The 2016 Pilot, launching at Honda dealerships nationwide this summer, is the third generation of Honda’s three-row midsize SUV to be designed, developed and manufactured in the US. The 2016 Pilot features a new 3.5-liter, direct-injected i-VTEC V-6 engine with two-stage Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) cylinder deactivation technology.

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Fuel Economy Honda 2016 Economy 258

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Guyana

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 10, 2015

'Scientists from a team spanning Harvard University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard Medical School and the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University have developed a scalable, integrated bioelectrochemical system that uses bacteria to convert solar energy into a liquid fuel. Their work integrates water-splitting catalysts comprising earth-abundant components with wild-type and engineered Ralstonia eutropha bacteria to generate biomass and isopropyl alcoho

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Solar Convert Fuel Energy 257

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 24, 2015

'In Japan, Toyota Motor held a production ceremony at the Motomachi Plant, which first began production in 1959, to mark the production of the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, which the company launched in November 2014, and began selling in Japan in December 2014. ( Earlier post.). Motomachi has been home to some of Toyota’s most notable models, including the Publica, Corona, Cresta, Soarer, Supra, RAV4, and the Lexus LFA supercar.

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Fuel Vehicles Toyota Lexus 256

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 28, 2015

'Audi is testing a new technology that eases many assembly activities at its plant in Neckarsulm: the “chairless chair.” The carbon-fiber exoskeleton allows employees to sit without a chair. At the same time, it improves their posture and reduces the strain on their legs. The chairless chair, which Audi has further developed together with a Swiss start?

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Carbon Fiber Audi Carbon Future 253

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 12, 2015

'Porsche has awarded GKN Driveline “Technology Partner” status for its development of the high-performance eAxle for the 918 Spyder, an advanced plug-in hybrid supercar. ( Earlier post.) GKN Driveline’s eAxle module—used for the 918 Spyder’s front axle—supports full-electric mode, all-wheel drive and provides a boost function. The eAxle that supplements the 918 Spyder’s hybridized 4.6-liter V8 is an evolution of the company’s innovative eAxle drive. ( Earlier post.

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Porsche Plug-in Plug Hybrid 253

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 9, 2015

'Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has filed an application with the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) for permission to build an estimated 25,000 electric vehicle (EV) chargers at sites across its service area in Northern and Central California—8 times the number currently installed. If approved, this program would be the largest deployment of EV charging stations in the country, PG&E said.

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California Building Electric Vehicles Charging 250

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 13, 2015

'Autonomous vehicles (completely self-driving, level 4) may reduce the number of vehicles a family needs, but may lead to an increase in total miles driven per vehicle, according to a new analysis by researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. UMTRI researchers Brandon Schoettle and Michael Sivak examined the 2009 National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) data set, which contains detailed information about each trip made by a person within a selected household, inc

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Miles Cars Scrappage 2015 248

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 26, 2015

'Audi is presenting the second generation of its high-performance R8 sports car at the upcoming Geneva show, featuring new V10 engines, newly developed quattro drive, and a new multimaterial Audi Space Frame (ASF) combining aluminum and carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP). The top of the range version delivers 449 kW (610 hp), achieving 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 3.2 seconds, with a top speed of 330 km/h (205.1 mph).

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Audi Li-ion MPH Range 244

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 24, 2015

'Electric transitbus manufacturer Proterra Inc. has launched a new extended-range product line. With the new TerraVolt XR extended-range battery, Proterra buses can now be configured to travel up to 180 miles (290 km) between charges. This newest high energy density battery complements the existing TerraVolt FC fast-charge battery which has been extensively tested over nearly one million customer revenue miles.

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Extended Range Lithium Titanate Miles Range 244

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 23, 2015

'The Ricardo RapidSR switched reluctance drive motor avoids the use of rare earth elements. Click to enlarge. Ricardo has developed a new prototype 85 kW synchronous reluctance motor designed primarily for electric vehicle traction applications. The motor avoids the use of expensive rare earth elements, while delivering strong performance at a significantly reduced cost.

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Motoring Motors Motor Land Rover 243

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 26, 2015

'US Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) have introduced a bill to abolish the corn ethanol mandate in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) is also a co-sponsor of the measure. The federal mandate for corn ethanol is both unwise and unworkable. Our bill addresses that with a simple, smart modification to the Renewable Fuel Standard program.

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2004 Renewable 2005 Price 241

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 4, 2015

'The California Energy Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program (ARFVTP) announced the availability of up to $1,297,816 in Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Readiness funding to support new and existing planning efforts for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). ( PON-14-607 ) Grant funds will be awarded on a “first-come, first-served basis.”.

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Plug-in Plug Fuel Energy 240

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 10, 2015

'Volkswagen of America will invest $10 million by 2016 to support the build-out of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the US, said Jörg Sommer, vice president, product marketing and strategy. At the same time, Sommer said in his presentation at the 2015 Electric Drive Congress in Washington DC, continued legislative support is needed to reach the next level of electric vehicle adoption.

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America 2016 Charging Gas-Electric 237

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 20, 2015

'Switching from diesel fuel to natural gas may hold advantages for the US heavy-duty trucking fleet, but more needs to be done to reach the full environmental benefits, according to a new white paper released by the Institute of Transportation Studies at the University of California, Davis, and Rice University. The recent shale-driven emergence of natural gas as an abundant, inexpensive fuel in the US has raised the possibility of a “ momentous shift ” in the level of natural gas used in transpo

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Gas Fleet Economy Davis 236

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 4, 2015

'A team led by researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has developed an integrated framework to determine and to compare greenhouse gas (GHG) intensities and production costs of cellulosic ethanol derived from corn stover, switchgrass, and miscanthus grown on high and low quality soils for three representative counties in the Eastern United States.

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Cost Of Range Production Gasoline-Electric 235

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 20, 2015

'The Northeast Electrochemical Energy Storage Cluster ( NEESC ), administered by Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology Inc. ( CCAT ), released the 2015 Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Development Plans for each of the eight states in the Northeast US. The state-specific plans focus on hydrogen and fuel cell applications that are both technically and economically viable, and recommend specific goals for stationary and transportation hydrogen fuel cell deployment to meet economic, environmental, and e

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Hydrogen Rhode Island 2015 Connecticut 235

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 1, 2015

'The Mercedes AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team unveiled its 2015 Formula One World Championship challenger, the F1 W06 Hybrid, ahead of the first day of pre-season testing at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain. An intensive design phase combining incremental gains and targeted innovation has produced the F1 W06 Hybrid, a car which delivers mechanical, structural, aerodynamic and weight saving developments over its predecessor, the F1 W05 Hybrid.

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2015 Mercedes Hybrid 2014 235

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 24, 2015

'In a pilot vehicle-to-grid project, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) is actively bidding a group of energy storage systems and electric vehicle fleets as one resource directly into the California Independent System Operator’s ( CAISO ) energy markets. These markets include those that address short-term imbalances in electricity supply caused by such things as intermittent renewable energy.

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Energy Storage San Diego Energy Market 230

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 15, 2015

'The International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) has published a new paper reviewing and summarizing data on commercial vehicle sales and real-world fuel consumption for heavy-duty tractor-trailers in the three key markets of the US, China and Europe, which together account for more than 70% of HDV sales worldwide. The review found that in the US, average tractor-trailer fuel consumption rates for the entire fleet are approximately 39 L/100 km (6 mpg).

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Fuel Economy China Fuel Europe 228

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 11, 2015

'Bosch is cooperating with BMW and Vattenfall to explore second-life applications for EV batteries. The partners have launched the Second Life Batteries alliance and are interconnecting used batteries from electric vehicles to form a large-scale energy storage system in Hamburg. BMW and Vattenfall has announced the start of a research project on such second-life uses in 2013. ( Earlier post.).

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BMW Battery Batteries Lithium Ion 226

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 24, 2015

'Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have developed a new electrolyte that allows lithium-sulfur, lithium-metal and lithium-air batteries to operate at 99% efficiency, while having a high current density and without growing dendrites that short-circuit rechargeable batteries. An open-access paper on their work is published in the journal Nature Communications. “ This new discovery could kick-start the development of powerful and practical next-generation rechargeable batt

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Battery Batteries Lithium Sulfur Recharge 224