Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 11, 2011

Light duty vehicle fleet by type and average fuel efficiency. Source: ExxonMobil Outlook. Click to enlarge. Exxon Mobil Corporation’s new The Outlook for Energy: A View to 2040 , released last week, projects that global energy demand in 2040 will be about 30% higher than it was in 2010 as population grows to 9 billion and global GDP doubles. Growth is led by developing regions such as China, India, Africa and other emerging economies.

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Personal Global Transportation Fuel 408

Plugs and Cars

FEBRUARY 26, 2011

I just ran across the latest available data, from 2005, for the electricity consumption by petroleum refineries. ( Source: Energy Statistics Database | United Nations Statistics Division ) The US is, hoorah, #1. Almost 49,000,000,000 kWh. One electric car, roughly speaking, will use about 3000 kWh to go about 12,000 miles. That means the electricity alone we use to refine petroleum each year could drive over 16,000,o00 electric cars 12,000 miles each year.

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Gasoline-Electric Gasoline 2005 Electric 274

Electric Cars are for Girls

DECEMBER 20, 2011

"For your average drag race fan, this change opens a new and exciting chapter on the drag race scene, not seen since the likes of the inception of the electric vehicle itself.

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International Electric Cars Electrical Electric 229

Green Car Reports

APRIL 14, 2011

Americans aren't stupid. We're just badly informed. And occasionally, stubborn. Why else would we ignorantly cling to using miles per gallon as the way to measure how efficiently a car uses fuel? But maybe you don't quite see the problem. OK, so here's a little test: Which saves more gasoline, going from 10 to 20 mpg, or going from 33 to 50 mpg?

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Miles MPG Gasoline Fuel 167

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All Cars Electric

MARCH 31, 2011

Believe it or not, most of what you watch on television is scripted. What you may not know is that some shows which appear unscripted, like the BBC’s infamous Top Gear, are also scripted word for word. Everything from the banter between its three middle-aged hosts to its madcap challenges and car reviews has been meticulously planned, before.

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BBC Electric Cars Cars Tesla 111

National Green Transportation

JULY 24, 2011

Today, the first joint TTXGP/e-Power electric motorcycle race was run, with Mission Motors winning in a spectacular show. They won convincingly over a field containing the who's-who of electric motorcycle racing including last years.

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Electric Motorcycles Motoring Motors Motor 106

Green Car Congress

JUNE 8, 2011

Electric and hybrid cars generate more carbon emissions during their production than current conventional vehicles, but still have a lower carbon footprint overall, according to a new report prepared by Ricardo for, and in collaboration with, the expert membership of the UK’s Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership that includes major vehicle manufacturers and oil companies.

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Carbon Hybrid Production Gasoline-Electric 399

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 28, 2011

General Motors today announced initiatives for customer satisfaction and outlined its steps in battery safety research to ensure ongoing confidence in the safety of Chevrolet Volt extended-range electric vehicle. On Friday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened a formal safety defect investigation to assess the risk of a battery-related fire in Chevy Volts that have been involved in a serious crash. ( Earlier post.

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Volt GM Battery Batteries 379

Green Car Congress

AUGUST 30, 2011

Research project Turbosteamer, Generation 2. Click to enlarge. Despite improvements in engine efficiency—e.g., with technologies such as direct fuel injection, variable valve timing, exhaust-driven turbochargers, brake energy regeneration and Auto Start Stop function—about 60% of the generated energy is still lost, half of it being exhaust heat, with the remaining half as heat absorbed by the engine cooling system.

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Waste BMW Exhaust Gas-Electric 376

Green Car Congress

FEBRUARY 14, 2011

The President’s Budget proposes a 12% increase in funding for the Department of Energy. Click to enlarge. In support of President Obama’s goal of having 1 million advanced technology vehicles on US roads by 2015, the President’s Budget submitted today proposes a new effort to support electric vehicle manufacturing and adoption in the United States through new consumer. rebates, investments in R&D, and competitive programs to encourage communities. that invest in electric vehicl

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Obama 2012 Hydrogen Tax Credit 372

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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

Green Car Congress

APRIL 16, 2011

The overall market for energy storage technologies that power electric vehicles is set to grow from $13 billion in 2011 to $30 billion in 2016, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18%. Despite the visibility of plug-in passenger cars with large packs such as the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf grab most of the headlines, the bulk of future growth will be driven by more humble vehicles, such as e-bikes and micro-hybrids, according to a new report from Lux Research.

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Energy Storage Lead Acid Market Hybrid 370

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 10, 2011

Urban density is one of the most important determinants of car use and transport-related energy consumption in cities. Source: WHO report. Click to enlarge. Among strategies to reduce CO 2 emissions in the transport sector, a shift to active transport (walking and cycling) and rapid transit/public transport combined with improved land use can yield much greater immediate health “co-benefits” than improving fuel and vehicle efficiencies, according to a new WHO (World Health Organization) report.

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Climate Change Transportation Emissions Climate 365

Green Car Congress

DECEMBER 14, 2011

Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant is starting production of the 2012 Focus Electric ( earlier post )—a five-passenger, battery-electric car Ford expects will achieve more than a 100 miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) fuel economy rating. By comparison, the Nissan LEAF carries a 99 MPGe (combined) EPA rating, while the smaller i-MiEV carries a 112 MPGe (combined) rating. (1 gallon of gasoline=33.7 kWh).

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Michigan 2012 Ford Lithium Ion 363

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Green Car Congress

OCTOBER 24, 2011

Saying that “ investment-grade climate change and clean energy policy is required to shift private sector investment from high-carbon to low-carbon assets ”, a group of 285 investors has urged governments and international policy makers to take new and meaningful steps in the fight against climate change. In a joint statement, the group, representing more than $20 trillion in assets under management, stressed the urgent need for policy action which stimulates private sector investmen

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Climate Change Climate Global Energy 360

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 25, 2011

Skeleton Technologies , an energy-storage start-up located in Tartu, Estonia, was recently awarded a US patent ( #7,803,345 ) on its nanoporous carbon powder supercapacitor material. The material possesses very high surface area and a high packing of nanopores, according to Skeleton, which aims to commercialize the carbon material and supercapacitor technology.

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Carbon Energy Powered Power 353

Green Car Congress

JUNE 30, 2011

A general diagram of Blue Marble’s manufacturing system. A photobioreactor and algae perform the “water recycling”; the pelletized solid waste material will be used in the gasifier. Source: Blue Marble. Click to enlarge. Blue Marble Biomaterials, a wholly owned subsidiary of Blue Marble Energy Corp., has launched the first zero-waste chemical biorefinery in the US in Missoula, Montana.

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Waste Saudi Arabia Montana Obama 352

Green Car Congress

APRIL 20, 2011

Top : Schematics of ignition by (a) a spark plug and (b), (c) a laser. (c) shows multipoint ignition. Bottom : Schlieren photographs for early stage of ignition in a constant-volume chamber ignited by (a) spark plug and (b) micro-laser in a stoichiometric mixture. Click to enlarge. Lasers have been discussed as a promising alternative ignition source for efficient internal combustion engines since the mid 1970s.

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Fuel Emissions Auto Plug-in 350

Green Car Congress

JANUARY 12, 2011

US transportation GHG emissions under the Base Case and three Mitigation Scenarios. Source: Greene and Plotkin (2011). Click to enlarge. A new study published by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change finds that combined actions across three fronts—technology, policy, and consumer behavior—could deliver up to a 65% reduction in transportation emissions from current levels by 2050.

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Transportation Climate Change 2010 Emissions 350

Green Car Congress

APRIL 3, 2011

Contribution of each metric to the FCI Success and VMT-FE Success scenarios. Credit: ACS, Melaina and Webster. Click to enlarge. Aggressive near-term actions are necessary in three areas—vehicle miles traveled (VMT), vehicle fuel economy (FE), and fuel carbon intensity (FCI)—in order to achieve a “fair share” reduction within the light-duty-vehicle sector toward meeting US goals of an 83% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions below 2005 levels by 2050, according to a new study by a t

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Fuel Economy Fuel Carbon Economy 346

Green Car Congress

MAY 26, 2011

Scheme of the semi-solid flow cell (SSFC) system using flowing lithium-ion cathode and anode suspensions. The SSFC could enable new models such as transportation ‘fuels’ tuned for power versus range, or cold versus warm climates, with flexible refueling and recycling options. Source: Duduta et al. Click to enlarge. Researchers at MIT, led by Dr. Yet-Ming Chiang (co-founder of A123 Systems), report on their development of a new energy storage concept—a semi-solid flow cell (SSFC) combining

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Li-ion Recharge Grid Lithium Ion 345

Green Car Congress

AUGUST 9, 2011

The new HD National Program covers vehicle classes 2b through 8. Click to enlarge. US President Barack Obama announced fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emission standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. The US Department of Transportation (DOT) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed the standards—fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions, respectively—in coordination with truck and engine manufacturers, fl

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Fuel Economy Standards Obama Economy 344

Green Car Congress

AUGUST 24, 2011

Virent’s BioForming platform can produce drop-in gasoline, diesel or jet fuels from plant sugars. Source: Virent. Click to enlarge. Virent has taken another step in the gasoline certification process, successfully completing its first road fleet test organized and executed by Virent collaborator and investor Royal Dutch Shell. Virent’s biogasoline was found to cause “no harm” to vehicles in comparison to Shell’s baseline fuel.

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Fleet Auto Gasoline Wisconsin 343

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 17, 2011

20Ah SCiB cell. Click to enlarge. Honda selected Toshiba Corporation’s SCiB rechargeable Li-ion battery to power the Fit EV. ( Earlier post.) Toshiba will supply battery modules for the new car, which Honda will launch in summer 2012 in Japan and the US. In 2010, Toshiba announced that it was working with Mitsubishi Motors Corporation to bring the SCiB battery ( earlier post ) to electric vehicles (EVs). ( Earlier post.

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Li-ion Battery Batteries Lithium Titanate 342

Green Car Congress

JULY 15, 2011

Coulomb Technologies published its open protocol for communicating with Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE). The OpenCharge Protocol is a proposed communication standard for charging station networks that defines the communications between a charging network and the charging station. The protocol definition supports applications that include billing, asset management, real-time mapping, EVSE reservations, fleet management, and energy management.

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Charging Raleigh Standards Plug-in 341

Green Car Congress

JUNE 24, 2011

US President Barack Obama today launched the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP), a national effort bringing together industry, universities, and the federal government to invest in emerging technologies such as information technology, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. The President’s plan, which leverages existing programs and proposals, will invest more than $500 million to jumpstart this effort.

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Obama Manufacturer Ford Universal 341

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 11, 2011

Construction of the molten-salt electrolyte battery. Source: Sumitomo. Click to enlarge. Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. is considering targeting its lower-temperature molten-salt electrolyte battery, being developed in partnership with Kyoto University ( earlier post ), to makers of electric and hybrid passenger cars, according to Bloomberg. Sumitomo had earlier said that it intended to commercialize the battery around 2015 for commercial-vehicle fleet operators and stationary applications, a

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Molten Salt Sodium Battery Batteries 339

Green Car Congress

JULY 18, 2011

Dabiri suggests using optimized arrays of smaller vertical-axis wind turbines to increase the power density and reduce the cost, and visual, acoustic, radar and environmental impacts, of wind farms using giant horizontal-axis turbines. Source: Dabiri 2010. Click to enlarge. Research by Prof. John Dabiri at Caltech suggests that using counter-rotating vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) arrayed in layouts that enable them to extract energy from adjacent wakes and from above the. wind farm could p

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Wind Powered Power Los Angeles 339

Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

FHSPV flywheel CVT system layout. Click to enlarge. A research vehicle fitted with a flywheel hybrid system including stop-start has demonstrated improvements in fuel economy of up to 22.4% in the new European ARTEMIS test cycles. Developed by a consortium of British companies as part of the Government-supported Flywheel Hybrid System for Premium Vehicles (FHSPV) program, the mechanically-driven flywheel system delivers up to 80 bhp (82 PS, 60 kW) of recovered energy from a self-contained hybrid

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Fuel Economy Economy Hybrid Fuel 338

Green Car Congress

NOVEMBER 16, 2011

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the US Department of Transportation (DOT) formally unveiled their joint proposal to set stronger fuel economy and greenhouse gas pollution standards for Model Year 2017-2025 passenger cars and light trucks. DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is proposing Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), as amended by the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA),

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Fuel Economy EPA Economy MPG 338

Green Car Congress

JULY 5, 2011

Humanity is close to breaching the sustainability of Earth, and needs a technological revolution greater and faster than the industrial revolution to avoid “ a major planetary catastrophe ,” according to a new United Nations report. The reports estimates that incremental green investment of about 3% of world gross product (WGP) (about $1.9 trillion in 2010) would be required to overcome poverty; increase food production to eradicate hunger without degrading land and water resources; and avert th

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Global Energy Green Coal 338

Green Car Congress

APRIL 11, 2011

Among the R&D projects Toyota Motor is exploring to further lower fuel consumption and emissions are two concepts on a pathway to deliver gasoline engines featuring more than 45% thermal efficiency for application in its future hybrid vehicles, according to Koichi Nakata of Toyota in his presentation today at SAE 2011 High Efficiency IC Engines Symposium in Detroit.

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Toyota Gasoline Engine Hybrid 337

Green Car Congress

APRIL 9, 2011

The donor Lupo, the old diesel powertrain, and the new electric powertrain. Click to enlarge. Over the past year the Dynamics and Control group of the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) (The Netherlands) has developed a battery electric research vehicle based on a VW Lupo 3L 1.2 TDI. The vehicle, formally launched this week, will be on display at AutoRAI in Amsterdam, 13-23 April.

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Convert Range Li-ion DC 337

Green Car Congress

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

Mercedes-Benz F 125! research vehicle. Click to enlarge. Mercedes-Benz presented the F125! research vehicle (the “125” marking 125 years of the automobile), a fuel-cell plug-in hybrid with a range of more than 1,000 km (621 miles) that anticipates more than two generations of vehicles to 2025 and beyond. The F125!, intended to demonstrate emission-free individual mobility in the luxury segment in the future, incorporates already well-proven concepts and technologies which are not yet

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