Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 19, 2010

Radiative forcing due to perpetual constant year 2000 emissions grouped by sector for 2020 (left) and 2100 (right) showing the contribution from each species. The net sum of total radiative forcing is indicated by the title of each bar. From Unger et al., PNAS. Click to enlarge. A new study by led by Nadine Unger at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) that analyzes the net climate impacts of emissions from economic sectors rather than by individual chemical species has found that o

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Creative Greenius

FEBRUARY 10, 2010

Ever since the Copenhagen climate treaty talks ended in impotence two months ago there hasn’t been a single ounce of positive news on the international scene about our chances of cutting the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and getting CO2 levels back down to the safe 350 ppm zone. Here in the United States our President and Congress haven’t shown the leadership or sense of urgency necessary to prevent a climate catastrophe and they’ve given the people no hope for their

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Revenge of the Electric Car

FEBRUARY 26, 2010

2010 Tesla Roadster. Tesla is hoping its new leasing strategy will help usher in a new round of early adopters into the mainstream. Read more in the article: Tesla to Offer Auto Leases. ‘Starting Wednesday, the 2010 Roadster, which competes against exotic sport cars like the Porsche 911, will be available on a three-year, 30,000-mile lease based on the manufacturer’s price of $111,005, Tesla said.

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Electric Cars are for Girls

FEBRUARY 20, 2010

I've been considering for a while on building an all electric car. I live in an area where I have to drive to get pretty much anywhere, and decided the.

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Green Car Reports

FEBRUARY 24, 2010

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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All Cars Electric

FEBRUARY 19, 2010

The State of Washington is currently considering a new policy that would implement a new annual registration fee of $100 on electric vehicles. This new fee would be in addition to other registration fees currently assessed on all highway vehicles. Is this a fair policy for electric vehicle owners? Apparently, the Washigton State Senate is.

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Green Cars News

FEBRUARY 17, 2010

The city of Amsterdam is to award grants to business worth up to €45,000 (around £39,195) to buy an electric vehicle. The new Electric Transport Project subsidy from Amsterdam City Council, is designed to encourage local corporations and entrepreneurs to electrify their vehicles and help reduce emissions and improve air quality in the city. As part [.].

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Revenge of the Electric Car

FEBRUARY 19, 2010

Our Consulting Producer Chelsea Sexton has written a tribute to the three Tesla employees who lost their lives in Wednesday’s plane crash in Palo Alto: We lost a few of our own yesterday; there’s just no other, more elegant way to say it. The electric vehicle community is a close knit one and too small to begin with. To all of us, Doug Bourn, Brian Finn and Andrew Ingram were colleagues.

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Electric Cars are for Girls

FEBRUARY 20, 2010

Would a 3 kw electric car motor suffice, seeing that I am content with a speed of 30 kmph (about 18 mph), if my car weighs 650 kilos and with one passenger.

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Electric Cars Motor Motoring Motors 112

Green Car Reports

FEBRUARY 24, 2010

A key member of the small team brought together four years ago to create the 2011 Chevrolet Volt electric car is unexpectedly leaving General Motors. Denise Gray, director of global battery systems engineering at General Motors, will leave the company on Friday, March 5, to take an unspecified position with an unidentified battery startup in.

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Volt General Motors Batteries Battery 134

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All Cars Electric

FEBRUARY 8, 2010

In early 2004, a tiny new car appeared on the streets of London. It confused, surprised and confounded everyone who saw it. It was more compact than a Smart ForTwo, it had cheeky, quirky styling that demanded attention, it could turn around in the width of a narrow street, it squeezed into the tiniest parking space, and it traveled in silence. The.

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Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 10, 2010

NREL simulation results showed similar fuel consumption vs. energy window trends for various drive cycles, with approximately half of the fuel savings being provided by a window ? 50Wh. Source: Gonder et al. Click to enlarge. A National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) project, funded by GM, found that an ultracapacitor-based energy storage system (ESS) in a Saturn VUE BAS (belt alternator starter) mild hybrid performed at least as well or better than the NiMH battery system in the production

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Green Cars News

FEBRUARY 3, 2010

Croatia’s first dip into electric car production is to be unveiled at the forthcoming Geneva Motor Show. The XD concept is manufactured by DOK-ING, a speciality vehicle manufacturer based in Zagreb. Better known as a maker of mining, fire fighting and mine-clearance vehicles, its first attempt at a electric car comes in the form of [.]. Tags: Electric cars concept Croatia debut DOK-ING electric car XD.

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Revenge of the Electric Car

FEBRUARY 12, 2010

©Nikki Kahn - The Washington Post. One morning just over a year ago, I was surprised to see the above photo taken from President Obama’s Washington, DC-bound train appear in a Washington Post collection from the inauguration. It was still a novelty to see anything pro-EV in a major publication, but what struck me at the time was that I had no idea who these people in Delaware were.

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Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 22, 2010

The new 3.0L V9X diesel engine. Click to enlarge. Infiniti will introduce a newly-developed 3.0-liter V6 diesel for the European market. The engine, the first in the brand’s 20-year history, will initially be available in both the EX and FX crossovers and later in the Infiniti M luxury performance sedan. Designated V9X, Infiniti’s new V6 diesel develops 175 kW (238 hp) and 550 N·m (406 lb-ft) of torque.

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Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 6, 2010

Results of GIS statistical analysis for CO 2 : (a) eGrid subregion emissions factors (kg CO 2 /kWh), (b) average emissions factor for each district (kg CO 2 /kWh), (c) coefficient of variation of CO 2. emissions factor by district, and (d) difference between eGrid subregion emissions factor and US average emissions factor, 0.65 kg CO 2 /kWh (kg CO2/kWh).

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Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 4, 2010

Velozzi, a Los Angeles-based car designer and manufacturer, will integrate Capstone Turbine’s C65 and C30 microturbines into its electric supercar and a crossover vehicle, respectively. Capstone said that these would be the first production automotive applications of its microturbines, which have been used in buses, trolleys and shuttles. The Velozzi Supercar will be powered by a 770 hp (574 kW) AC-induction electric motor charged by an on-board Capstone C65 microturbine.

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Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 13, 2010

Pike global markets forecast of annual electric two-wheel vehicle sales, excluding Asia-Pacific, through 2016. Click to enlarge. A new report from Pike Research anticipates that the global market for electric two-wheeled vehicles—e-bikes, e-scooters, and e-motorcycles—will grow at a compound annual rate of 9% through 2016. China is currently the largest marketplace for electric two-wheel vehicles, commanding 98% of the global market in 2009.

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Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 17, 2010

The 2011 Elise. Click to enlarge. When Lotus introduces its 2011 model year Elise lineup at the upcoming Geneva Motorshow, it will include a new entry-level vehicle incorporating a Toyota 1ZR-FAE 1.6-liter engine with Valvematic (a variable valve lift mechanism) and Dual VVT-I (Variable Valve Timing-intelligent) technology. The 136 PS model (134 hp, 100 kW) emits less than 155 g CO 2 /km—an improvement of more than 13% compared to the 2010 Elise S—and offers combined EUropean cycle f

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Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 8, 2010

Comparison of regenerative/hydraulic (friction) braking ratios under normal braking. Left: 2001-2003 Toyota Prius (THS). Right: 2004-2009 Toyota Prius (THS-II). Source: Toyota Motor Company. Click to enlarge. by Jack Rosebro. Recent brake feel and application issues in Ford and Toyota hybrids ( earlier post ) have drawn attention to the inherent complexity of hybrid and electric vehicle braking systems, which typically combine regenerative braking with conventional friction braking, antilock bra

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Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 24, 2010

Shot of the Evora 414E Hybrid concept. Click to enlarge. Lotus Engineering will unveil the Lotus Evora 414E Hybrid concept at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. The concept is a high-performance technology demonstrator with a plug-in series hybrid drive system—featuring the Lotus Range extender engine ( earlier post )—and new technologies for enhanced driver involvement.

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Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 14, 2010

Ford Motor Company is launching a voluntary sustainability initiative for Ford and Lincoln Mercury dealers—the Go Green Dealership Sustainability Program—to reduce their carbon footprint and improve the energy-efficiency of their dealerships. Ford has partnered on the initiative with Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), an organization recognized as a leader in providing energy-efficiency solutions to businesses, communities and organizations around the world.

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Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 5, 2010

Schematic of the conceptual ideal piston engine used for the TCR study. The outer control volume (CV0) encloses the entire system. The upper inner control volume (CV1) contains the combustion chamber and piston. The lower inner control volume (CV2) contains the reformer and intercooler. When reforming is not used, the fuel and exhaust pass through CV2 unchanged.

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Exhaust International Engine Concept 249

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 17, 2010

Comparison of cycle life, 8C. Click to enlarge. Mitsubishi Electric Corp has demonstrated prototypes of a hybrid energy storage cell that combines the fast charge-discharge power capabilities and long life of an EDLC (electric double layer capacitor) and the greater energy storage capacity of a Li-ion battery in a single cell. The new device is expected to be used for storing regenerated power from a motor (i.e., through regenerative braking) or leveling the output of a photovoltaic system.

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Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 8, 2010

The approach for hybrids using multiple inverters and motors (left) and a single inverter and motor (right). Additional components are shown in red. Each INV/CONV functions as a switch leg while splitting the current among the 6 switches. Source: Su. Click to enlarge. Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have designed , fabricated and demonstrated a PHEV traction drive power electronics system that functions as the on-board charger, and that also provides signi

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Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 24, 2010

The new two-cylinder Twin-Air. Click to enlarge. Among its displays at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, Fiat will preview its new turbocharged two-cylinder 85 hp (63 kW) Twin-Air engine fitted aboard a 500, the first Fiat model on which it will be introduced next September. CO 2 output from the engine is projected to be 95 g/km. Progenitor of new family of two-cylinder engines—to range in output from 65-105 hp—made by Fiat Powertrain Technologies (FPT), the engine implements a Multiair system com

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Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 27, 2010

Left, global light-duty fleet in the electric-favoring case; right, the hydrogen-favoring case. Top, without CCS and CSP; bottom, with CCS and CSP. In both electric- and hydrogen-favoring cases, availability of low-carbon electricity and hydrogen prolonged the use of petroleum-fueled ICE vehicles. Credit: ACS, Wallington et al. Click to enlarge. Increased availability of low CO 2 sources of electricity and hydrogen could counter-intuitively delay, rather than accelerate, a large-scale transition

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Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 17, 2010

Car Charging Group, Inc., a startup owner and provider of electric car charging stations aspiring to build-out a nationwide infrastructure, said it plans to deploy Level 3 fast charging stations. The charging stations, designed by Coulomb Technologies in partnership with Aker-Wade Power Technologies ( earlier post ) will be powered by dedicated 480-volt, 125-amp circuits.

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Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 26, 2010

One of the K2 series ultracapacitors. Maxwell Technologies, Inc. introduced its new K2 Series large cell BOOSTCAP ultracapacitors. The K2 replaces Maxwell’s previous MC series cell, the most widely sold large cell ultracapacitor in the world with more than 1 million cells currently in service. Primary applications for Maxwell’s K2 series products, which operate at 2.7 volts and range from 650 to 3,000 farads, include automotive subsystems; hybrid and electric vehicle drivetrains; renewable energ

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Volt Power Grid Batteries Battery 231

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 20, 2010

The new Volkswagen Polo GTI. Click to enlarge. Volkswagen is premiering the new Polo GTI. The new Polo GTI, in what Volkswagen is calling “textbook downsizing”, is powered by a new 1.4-liter TSI with gasoline direct injection plus turbo- and supercharging. The engine, which delivers 132 kW (177 hp), is coupled with a 7-speed DSG as standard.

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Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 20, 2010

Business Standard. The Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) will launch road-trials of an 18% blend of hydrogen with Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in the next 2-3 months. ( Earlier post.). The project, spearheaded by SIAM along with participation from all major automobile makers in the country, aims at modifying engines to suit the new blend, giving optimum power with minimum emission.

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Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 17, 2010

President Obama announced that the Department of Energy has offered conditional commitments for a total of $8.33 billion in loan guarantees for the construction and operation of two new nuclear reactors at a plant in Burke, Georgia. The project is scheduled to be the first US nuclear power plant to break ground in nearly three decades. The two new 1,100 megawatt Westinghouse AP1000 (Advanced Passive 1000) nuclear reactors ( earlier post ) at the Alvin W.

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Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 14, 2010

Cost-effectiveness of vehicle electrification using today’s assumptions. The EHEV pathway is the dynamic, road-charged hybrid. Source: Brooker et al. Click to enlarge. A study by researchers at the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory has found that, under today’s battery assumptions, while plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles significantly decrease consumption, none of a variety of electrification pathways were cost-effective compared to conventional vehicles or hybrids, except

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Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 1, 2010

President Obama today transmitted the proposed $3.8-trillion FY 2011 Budget to the US Congress. The President’s 2011 Budget provides $28.354 billion for the Department of Energy (DOE) in discretionary budget authority—an 8.9% increase over FY 2009 actuals and a 7.4% increase over FY 2010 estimates— to support scientific innovation, develop clean and secure energy technologies, maintain national security, and reduce environmental risk.

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