General Motors became the first major automaker to commit to producing a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, with its announcement that it would introduce a plug-in version of an upcoming two-mode hybrid model of the Saturn VUE Green Line in 2009. The VUE will have three hybrid powertrain options with different fuel efficiencies. (More...)
US sales of light-duty trucks in November climbed to 663,626 units, an increase of 6.3% from November 2005. US sales of passenger cars dropped to 535,491 units, a decrease of 1.1% from November 2005.
Mayor of London Ken Livingstone and Transport for London (TfL) have laid out a 20-year transport program designed to ensure London’s future economic prosperity, balancing support for growth against reducing carbon emissions to deal with climate change. (More...)
The presidents of 22 locals of five unions—the American Federation of Government Employees, the Engineers and Scientists of California, the National Association of Government Employees, the National Association of Independent Labor, and the National Treasury Employees Union—that represent public employees signed a petition calling on Congress to take immediate action against global warming. (More...)
The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) is working with the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) and the Federation of Tour Operators (FTO) to develop a scheme for offsetting carbon dioxide emissions from travel. (More...)
HYBRIDS and PLUG-IN HYBRIDS
The hybrid development team at Siemens VDO has built a full hybrid vehicle as a demonstration of its Hybrid Tool Box—a portfolio of hybrid components including high- and low-voltage motor inverters, electric motors and vehicle control algorithms and integration capabilities. (More...)
The redesigned 2008 Escape and Escape Hybrid feature the first US automotive applications of 100% recycled fabric seating surfaces. The new fabric significantly exceeds Ford’s internal target of introducing seating fabrics with 25% recycled content into production by 2009. (More...)
Odyne Corporation, a manufacturer of propulsion systems for advanced Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) for medium and heavy-duty trucks and buses (earlier post), has entered into a sales and marketing agreement with Nassau Suffolk Truck, a leading regional medium and heavy duty truck fleet services firm, located in Hauppauge, New York. (More...)
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and Argonne National Laboratory have entered into a three-year collaborative agreement to conduct detailed analysis of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) aimed at assessing the commercial feasibility of this technology for the US Department of Energy. (More...)
ENERGY STORAGE AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES
Phoenix Motorcars has installed the first Altairnano NanoSafe production battery pack system in a Phoenix Motorcars all-electric sports utility truck (SUT), and completed initial testing with satisfactory results. (More...)
Acheson Industries has introduced Dag EB-012, a versatile conductive, protective coating for lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries. In addition, Dag EB-012 can be used as a current collector primer coating for electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) applications and as a conductive coating on screw threads. (More...)
Nissan Motor plans to put lightweight, subcompact electric cars powered by lithium-ion batteries developed in-house on the market in three years. Estimated range for the cars on a single charge is about 125 miles. (More...)
BIOFUELS
Tamarack Energy, Inc., and Mascoma Corporation, a developer of biomass-to-ethanol technologies will collaborate on the joint development of cellulosic ethanol facilities in New York, as well as follow-on opportunities in Pennsylvania and New England states, leveraging wood mills and other production facilities. (More...)
Neste Oil has decided to build a second plant to produce premium-quality synthetic NExBTL diesel at its Porvoo refinery in Finland. (More...)
HYDROGEN
Ford Motor Company unveiled an all new fuel-cell powered Explorer SUV with a range of 350 miles at the Los Angeles Auto Show. (More...)
Scientists from Waseda University in Japan and Imperial College in London have combined two molecules that occur naturally in blood to engineer a molecular complex that uses solar energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. (More...)
Researchers at New Mexico State University are attempting to use cow manure and other organic solid wastes to produce hydrogen cost-effectively. The researchers will develop and demonstrate a two-stage process to produce hydrogen from cattle manure. In the first stage, hydrogen will be produced through anaerobic hydrolysis and fermentation. In the second stage, additional hydrogen will be produced through photo-fermentation of the products of the first stage. (More...)
The Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded 3M a set of grants totaling $17.3 million to further the progress of projects aimed at improved fuel cell membranes and advanced electrocatalysts—two of the key components of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs). (More...)
Researchers from Ohio University, Inergy and DaimlerChrysler are exploring the use of conformable microstructures of polymeric foams for on-board hydrogen storage. (More...)
DIESEL
Chevrolet Europe will introduce its first diesel-engined car at this year’s Bologna Motor Show (7-17 December). Set to go on sale in the first half of 2007, the new Lacetti TCDi comes with an all-new 2.0-liter common rail turbodiesel engine, developing 89 kW (120 hp) at 3,800rpm and 280 Nm (206 lb-ft) of torque at 2,000 rpm. (More...)
DaimlerChrysler, Volkswagen and Audi officially announced that they intend to establish the BLUETEC brand name as the designation for particularly clean, highly fuel-efficient passenger cars and SUVs with diesel engines. (More...)
At the Los Angeles Auto Show, Volkswagen introduced the new Concept Tiguan, a “small Touareg� that it will put on the market at the end of next year. The concept shown in Los Angeles is powered by a “Clean TDI�, a new diesel engine with reduced engine-out emissions combined with a BLUETEC-labeled NOx aftertreatment system. (More...)
The BMW Group has announced that it will launch diesel-engined vehicles in the US in 2008. (More...)
Toyota reportedly has developed a next-generation clean diesel engine to meet stricter emissions standards in the US, and in Japan and the European Union in coming years. (More...)
Inco Limited (Inco), a leading nickel and nickel specialties producer based in Toronto, Canada, and Süd-Chemie AG, Munich, Germany (Süd-Chemie), a leading supplier of catalysts for the chemicals and refining industry and for environmental applications, are establishing a joint venture company for the production and marketing of catalyzed diesel emission control materials for the automotive industry. (More...)
OTHER
DuPont Refrigerants recently unveiled the first demonstration of its new, low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerant, DP-1, as part of its presentation at the recent European Automotive Air Conditioning (EAAC) Show in Frankfurt, Germany. (More...)
