26 May 2012
The US Department of Energy (DOE) is soliciting (DE-FOA-0000719) research projects for up approximately $12 million in awards in FY 2012 for work on biosynthetic pathways for advanced biofuels to demonstrate transformational, not incremental, improvements in yield and productivity.
Synthetic biology technologies hold promise for addressing critical barriers in the biological and chemical production of important advanced biofuels and products, notes the DOE, including such barriers as product inhibition, tolerance to inhibitors, process robustness in the face of complex pretreatment processes and low yields, and productivity of conversion processes. The FOA invites the R&D community to apply these newer techniques to enhance and enable the development in biological or hybrid systems for producing advanced biofuels and high energy impact bio-based products. The focus of the FOA is in two topic areas:
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25 May 2012
The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), the European Association of Automotive Suppliers (CLEPA) and the Union of the Electricity Industry (EURELECTRIC)—the association representing the common interests of the electricity industry at the pan-European level—have jointly agreed on the need for a single harmonized plug system (connector types/modes and communication) for the recharging of electric vehicles on both the vehicle and the infrastructure sides.
ACEA has updated its position paper to cover recent developments (earlier post, earlier post), and CLEPA is now co-signatory of the paper. EURELECTRIC has recently issued its own paper reflecting the same position.
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25 May 2012
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| Nanoneedles. Source: WSU. Click to enlarge. |
Researchers at Washington State University (WSU), led by Dr. Grant Norton, professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, are developing a nanoneedle tin (Sn) anode material for Li-ion batteries. Elemental Sn is attractive as a high-performance anode material because of its high theoretical specific capacity (992 mAh g-1) and high operating voltage along with the absence of solvent intercalation.
However, similar to silicon, tin experiences huge volumetric expansion/shrinkage on cycling, causing severe mechanical disintegration (such as cracking and pulverization) and hence shortened cycle life. A number of research groups are working on methods to prevent such life-limiting mechanical problems, such as the use of tin nanopillars layered between graphene sheets. (Earlier post.)
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25 May 2012
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| The new BMW ActiveHybrid 7. Click to enlarge. |
BMW is updating its flagship BMW 7 Series for 2013 with significant powertrain upgrades in the 740i/Li and 750i/Li models—including BMW’s 8-speed Steptronic automatic transmission; and xDrive, BMW’s intelligent all-wheel drive system, now available for the 740Li—as well as a completely new powertrain for the ActiveHybrid 7. The new 2013 7 Series arrives in US BMW center showrooms in late summer 2012, expect for the ActiveHybrid 7, which arrives in early fall.
The updated BMW ActiveHybrid 7 features BMW’s 3.0-liter TwinPower Turbo inline 6-cylinder engine combined with full-hybrid power for lower fuel consumption and emissions, as well as innovative auxiliary functions. In this application, the engine is the same 315 hp (235 kW) version as in the new BMW 740Li and replaces the V8 engine previously used in the ActiveHybrid 7.
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25 May 2012
by Bill Cooke
Search engine giant Google is looking for partners within in the auto industry to help launch one of the most significant applications of artificial technology over the next several years, the self-driving car.
In a keynote address to the SAE 2012 World Congress on 25 April 2012, Anthony Levandowski, Business Lead for Google’s Self Driving Car Project provided an overview of Google’s autonomous vehicle program and requested that the auto industry partner with Google on the implementation. (Levandowski joined Google in 2007 to launch StreetView—Google Maps with Street View lets you explore places around the world through 360-degree street-level imagery.)
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25 May 2012
The US Senate Committee on Armed Services completed its markup of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2013. The bill emerging from the Senate committee authorizes $631.4 billion for national defense programs. The bill authorizes $498.0 million more than the President’s request for the base budget of DOD and $301.0 million less than was requested for OCO ( overseas contingency operations, which funds the war in
Afghanistan). The bill authorizes $431.0 million less than the requested level of funding for national security programs of the DOE.
Among the many provisions of the markup are (a) a provision that would prohibit the use of funds authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Defense (DoD) in FY 2013 from
being obligated or spent for the production or sole purchase of
an alternative fuel if the cost exceeds the cost of traditional fossil fuels used for the same purpose, except for continued testing
purposes; and (b) a provision prohibiting the construction of a biofuels refinery or any other facility or infrastructure used to refine biofuels unless the requirement is specifically authorized by law.
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24 May 2012
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| Improvement in fuel consumption (red line) from one of the case models using the POD learning model. Source: Malikopoulos 2010. Click to enlarge. |
Dr. Andreas Malikopoulos at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is leading an effort to enable an automobile engine to function as an autonomous intelligent system capable of learning and realizing its optimal calibration in real-time under different conditions while the driver is driving. (Calibration is defined as the procedure required to optimize one or more engine performance indices—such as fuel economy, emissions, or engine power—with respect to the engine controllable variables.)
Equipped with this capability, an engine should be able personalize its calibration for each driver—i.e., progressively to perceive a driver’s unique driving style and then to optimize one or more engine performance indices for that style. Malikopoulos has run a number of simulation studies (using the enDYNA high fidelity simulation model) showing up to 10% fuel economy improvement using his proposed method compared to a standard baseline engine.
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24 May 2012
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| Orbital’s air-assisted direct injection can deliver similar droplet sizes for all size fuels. Spray shape is not affected by fuel type. Source: Orbital. Click to enlarge. |
Australia-based Orbital Engine has been contracted to supply spark-ignited heavy fuel engines for use in AAI Unmanned Aircraft Systems’ (AAI) Aerosonde Small Unmanned Aircraft System (SUAS). AAI, an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. company, recently won military contracts from the US Navy and Special Operations Command to provide SUAS fee-for-service operations utilizing the newest configuration of its Aerosonde SUAS.
This new engine and system uses Orbital’s FlexDI Engine Management system (earlier post) to enable spark ignition operation of heavy fuels such as JP5 (naval operations) and JP8 (land-based operations) satisfying a US Department of Defense initiative to eliminate gasoline fuels for safety and logistic reasons—the “one fuel” policy.
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24 May 2012
Enova, a developer of proprietary hybrid electric and all-electric drive systems and drive system components for the commercial vehicle market, has begun development of its next-generation drive system, code-named ACUMEN. With the completion of its OMNI drive system (earlier post), Enova is now looking to further optimize its ability to interface with all worldwide EV and HEV systems, including those powered by natural gas.
Enova previously announced its new OMNI drive system which combines the 170 kW OMNI Inverter with a new 10 kW OMNI Charger with an entire range of AC induction and permanent magnet motors. While OMNI was developed in-house, with the ACUMEN system, Enova is looking to evaluate and utilize technologies that are emerging worldwide.
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23 May 2012
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| WTW GHG emissions of vehicles across driving patterns and PHEV charging scenarios. Solid portions represent GHG emissions associated with gasoline propulsion. Patterned portions represent GHG emissions associated with electric propulsion. (Solid left bar = hydro electricity scenario.) Credit: ACS, Raykin et al. Click to enlarge. |
A new study by researchers at the University of Toronto examines the impact of the interaction between driving patterns (distance and conditions) and the mode of electricity generation (e.g., coal, hydro, natural gas) on well-to-wheel (WTW) energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of plug-in hybrid electric
vehicles (PHEVs). Their paper is published is the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology.
Driving patterns affect the WTW performance of PHEVs in two ways, they found. First, driving distance determines the proportions of electricity and gasoline consumed by the PHEV. Second, driving conditions impact the fuel efficiency of all vehicle technologies, but there are differences in the impact across technologies. Fuel efficiency, in turn, affects the magnitude of energy use and GHG emissions associated with each WTW stage.
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23 May 2012
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| GraalBio will use the Chemtex PROESA cellulosic ethanol process. Source: Chemtex. Click to enlarge. |
GraalBio, a biotechnology company of the Graal Group, is planning to build a commercial plant for the production of cellulosic ethanol in Brazil. The company will also install an agricultural station to develop new cane varieties with high fiber content; build a pilot plant to develop new biochemical pathways; and establish a research center to develop genetically modified organisms, which will be used in the production of biochemicals and biofuels.
With a total investment of R$300 million (US$145 million), the plant will have a nominal production capacity of 82 million liters (~22 million gallons US) of ethanol. This first Brazilian cellulosic ethanol plant will be constructed in Alagoas and will initially run using sugarcane bagasse and straw as feedstock, which will be eventually replaced by energy cane.
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