Inorganic NASCION‐type Li conductors have great potential to bring high capacity solid‐state lithium batteries (SSLBs) to realization, due to properties such as high ionic conductivity, stability under ambient conditions, wide electrochemical stability window, and inexpensive production. However, despite the merits, the integration of NASCION-type electrolytes in SSLBs is still hampered... Read more →

Northvolt and Vattenfall have launched of a new battery energy storage solution, Voltpack Mobile System—a rugged, highly modular lithium-ion battery system envisioned as a zero-emission alternative to replace diesel generators. Voltpack Mobile System delivers up to 250 kW with a scalable capacity from 245 to 1225 kWh of available energy.... Read more →

The technology group Wärtsilä and Vantaa Energy Ltd., a Finnish energy company, have signed an agreement on a joint concept feasibility study for a Power-to-Gas facility at Vantaa Energy’s waste-to-energy plant in the city of Vantaa in the capital region. The co-development agreement was signed in May and is valid... Read more →

A preliminary analysis of global data has found that carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel sources reached a maximum daily decline of 17% in April as a result of drastic decline in energy demand that have occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. Percentage change in global daily fossil CO2 emissions, Jan-May... Read more →

ViriCiti, in collaboration with BAE Systems, has developed a new functionality that enables fleet operators with Series-ER (Electric Range) electric hybrid systems on transit buses to switch the engine on or off automatically in predefined geofenced areas. BAE Systems’ Series-ER all-electric mode is accessible to operators via ViriCiti’s intuitive online... Read more →

Teletrac Navman, a global software-as-a-service provider that leverages location-based technology and services for managing mobile assets, has issued a report of driving behaviors across millions of miles driven by a sample of its connected vehicles in the US during the first 36 days of the federal declaration of emergency due... Read more →

Link Transit of Wenatchee, Washington has achieved 50 megawatt-hours of energy delivered wirelessly to its electric bus fleet. Link Transit is the first electric bus operator in the Americas to reach this technology milestone, and the first in the world to do so in under two years. The wireless charging... Read more →

Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers have developed a thin-film, highly conductive solid-state electrolyte made of a polymer and ceramic-based composite for lithium metal batteries. Solid electrolytes are promising in enabling lithium metal to replace the conventional graphite anode to significantly increase the capacity and energy density of lithium-ion batteries. There... Read more →

The construction sector accounts for a quarter of CO2 emissions, in Sweden and globally. Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg studied the construction of an 8km stretch of road in detail and calculated how much emissions can be reduced now and until 2045, looking at... Read more →

Southwest Research Institute has launched a new automotive emissions aftertreatment catalyst testing facility, expanding the capacity and capabilities of its Universal Synthetic Gas Reactor (USGR) technology. These systems simulate real-world exhaust gas conditions to characterize catalyst performance quickly and accurately. The Catalyst Technology Center includes two new USGR systems, bringing... Read more →

Toyota unveiled the 2021 Venza midsize two-row crossover utility vehicle (CUV). The all-new 2021 Venza comes equipped exclusively with the Toyota Hybrid System II powertrain and advanced Electronic On-Demand All-Wheel Drive. The Venza brings the number of Toyota Hybrids available to 10—Mirai makes it 11 electrified vehicles—for 2021, more than... Read more →

BASF and DiDi, the world’s leading mobile transportation platform, signed a strategic cooperation agreement in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, where Xiaoju Autocare (Xiaoju Yangche), a subsidiary of DiDi, is headquartered. Under the agreement, BASF will provide DiDi with sustainable automotive refinish products developed at its research and production site in... Read more →

Various manufacturers worldwide already rely on the ZF AxTrax AVE portal axle as an electric drive for buses in public transport. Starting in the third quarter of 2020, ZF’s CeTrax electric central drive will be the second electric drive from ZF for public transport to go into volume production. The... Read more →

Hyundai Motor will display a 1:8-scale model of its ‘UAM-PBV-Hub’ smart mobility ecosystem (earlier post) in its headquarters lobby until June 12 and at global events afterward. The 1:8-scale model on display is a miniature of the exhibit shown at CES 2020 and includes integration of its Urban Air Mobility... Read more →

Scientists at Kyoto University’s Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) have developed a new coordination polymer glass membrane for hydrogen fuel cells that works just as well as its liquid counterparts with added strength and flexibility. A paper on the work is published in the journal Chemical Science. PEM hydrogen... Read more →

HydroWing, in partnership with Tocardo, introduced the THyPSO (Tidal Hydrogen production, Storage and Offtake), a concept that creates green hydrogen from the sea, contributing to the wider global decarbonization of energy systems. THyPSO is a floating platform, housing 1 – 6 conventional bi-directional tidal turbines that convert tidal flows into... Read more →

Professor Yutaka Amao of the Osaka City University Artificial Photosynthesis Research Center and Ryohei Sato, a 1st year Ph.D. student of the Graduate School of Science, have shown that the catalyst formate dehydrogenase reduces carbon dioxide directly to formic acid. Their work, published in a paper in the RSC’s New... Read more →

Groupe Renault has identified some 20 projects to deploy blockchain technology. These projects concern, in particular, the traceability of financial transactions and communication with equipment manufacturers and the sales network. Some of these will be deployed soon. For Groupe Renault, blockchain has to be used as a collaborative, multi-company digital... Read more →

A new report from Guidehouse Insights provides forecasts for blockchain-enabled charging hardware deployment, electricity demand from blockchain-based platforms, and revenue from electric vehicle (EV) charging and integration applications through 2029. Traditional energy stakeholders increasingly are experimenting with blockchain technology. Whether in house or in partnership with an industry consortium or... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has launched the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) within the Office of Nuclear Energy (NE). ARDP is designed to help domestic private industry demonstrate advanced nuclear reactors in the United States. For the Fiscal Year 2020 budget, Congress appropriated $230 million to start a... Read more →

Tritec Marine and Stena LNG have collaborated to create the innovative SAFE Bunker concept. SAFE Bunker is an LNG bunker/feeder vessel of payload capacity of 7,500 m3 with 2C type tanks and offsets accommodation. The vessel is designed with dual fuel diesel-electric engines and podded propulsors in the bow and... Read more →

Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute have developed a web tool called the Carculator that can be used to compare the environmental performance of passenger cars in detail. The program determines the environmental balance of vehicles with different size classes and powertrains, and presents the results in comparative graphics. The... Read more →

ZF Friedrichshafen AG and Israel-based VisIC Technologies Ltd., a developer of gallium nitride (GaN) devices for automotive high-voltage applications, are partnering to develop an EV inverter based on GaN semiconductor technology. The partnership will see the two companies deepen their development efforts, based on VisIC D3GaN (Direct Drive Depletion-mode GaN)... Read more →

The new Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicle can add an estimated average of 61 miles of range in approximately 10 minutes at an Electrify America DC fast charging station with the extended-range battery and rear-wheel drive—an improvement of approximately 14 miles or 30% versus previous estimates. The all-wheel-drive version with... Read more →

Air Products, a leader in industrial gases and megaproject development, and Haldor Topsoe, a leader in high-performance catalysts and proprietary technology for the chemical and refining industries, have signed a global Alliance Agreement. The two companies will collaborate, using their extensive market network outreach for developing potential projects and the... Read more →

ABB has entered into an agreement with Norway’s largest grocery wholesaler ASKO, and its owner NorgesGruppen, to supply charging infrastructure for its growing fleet of electric trucks. Currently, ASKO has 600 trucks on the road each day and has a goal to achieve zero emissions distribution of groceries by 2026.... Read more →

BMW Group has selected the new NVIDIA Isaac robotics platform to enhance its automotive factories, utilizing logistics robots built on advanced AI computing and visualization technologies. The collaboration centers on implementing an end-to-end system based on NVIDIA technologies—from training and testing through to deployment—with robots developed using one software architecture,... Read more →

High-tech mobility innovator Lightyear and Royal DSM will jointly scale the commercialization of Lightyear’s unique solar-powered roof for the electric vehicle market. With this solution, both companies aim to accelerate the global adoption of a broad range of Electric Vehicles (EVs). Specifically, the partnership aims to integrate solar-powered roofs in... Read more →

HUBER+SUHNER, a leading global supplier of electrical and optical connectivity solutions, launched the RADOX HPC500; a new addition to the RADOX high power charging portfolio. It is the world’s first cooled charging cable system that allows continuous charging at 500 Amperes even in high-temperature environments. The HPC500 cable and connecter... Read more →

Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are evaluating the use of blockchain for transactive energy using hardware in the laboratory’s Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF). Distributing grid operational decision-making is revolutionary. It’s really like somebody in the 1980s expounding on the economic opportunity of the Internet. Everyone would... Read more →

Karma Automotive announced its newest flexible and modular E-Flex platform with two motor all-wheel drive (AWD) and extended range electric vehicle (EREV) architecture (e.g., earlier post). The new platform is the final of five demonstration projects designed to illustrate Karma’s technical direction and capabilities using highly versatile EREV and battery... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $30 million in funding (DE-FOA-0002322) for research and development that focuses on field validation and demonstration, as well as next-generation extraction, separation, and processing technologies for critical materials. Through this funding opportunity announcement (FOA), the Advanced Manufacturing Office (AMO) seeks to... Read more →

General Motors expects its Spring Hill Manufacturing plant will be powered by 100% solar energy beginning in late 2022. A green tariff agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority is expected to supply up to 100 megawatts of solar energy per year, or the amount of electricity consumed by 18,000 United... Read more →

OXIS Energy and the Minas Gerais Development Company CODEMGE have signed a 15-year lease agreement with Mercedes Benz Brazil (MBB) to take possession of a plant located at the MBB manufacturing site in Juiz de Fora in southeast Brazil to build a Li-sulfur battery manufacturing operation. NORDIKA Pharmaceutical of Brazil... Read more →

London-based sustainability consultancy Kumi, a market leader in responsible sourcing practices for global supply chains, has launched a due diligence tool called CAHRA Map to enable companies in the minerals and metals sector to identify “conflict-affected and high-risk areas” (CAHRAs). The identification of CAHRAs is a critical step in the... Read more →

MAN is introducing a new 18-meter articulated electric bus this year. The new MAN Lion’s City 18 E electric articulated 18-meter bus will begin testing with customers in Barcelona and Cologne in the second half of 2020. Sales of the 18-meter electric bus started in April. As part of its... Read more →

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts that US energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions will decline by 11% in 2020. If realized, this decline would represent the largest decline in not only percentage but also absolute terms in EIA’s energy-related CO2 series that dates back to 1949. Source: U.S. Energy... Read more →

ASTM International has approved and published a seventh annex to D7566, the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) specification, with support from the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI). In February 2020, ASTM International approved and published the sixth annex to D7566, establishing criteria for the production and use of catalytic hydrothermolysis... Read more →

The US Department of Energy announced $27 million in funding for 9 projects as part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s (ARPA-E) Generating Electricity Managed by Intelligent Nuclear Assets (GEMINA) program. GEMINA’s goal is to reduce fixed operations and maintenance (O&M) costs from ~13 $/MWh in the current fleet to... Read more →

The California Energy Commission (CEC) awarded $7.8 to two lithium recovery projects. Uniquely high concentrations of the dissolved soft metal are found in the brine produced by the state’s geothermal hotspots. The Salton Sea Known Geothermal Area contains an estimated six million tons of recoverable lithium within presently available geothermal... Read more →

A team from the University of Delaware and the University of Denver has created a new global simulation model to predict how urban land will change over the next 100 years under different social and economic conditions. The research team’s projections show that the amount of urban land on Earth... Read more →

Volta Power Systems has partnered with Stellar Industries to provide lithium-ion power systems that reduce idling from fleet utility and work trucks. The auxiliary system stores enough energy to provide all-day power to operate hydraulics, power tools, and multiphase worksite power without idling. Available as an accessory to replace a... Read more →

In the first quarter of 2020, the electrically-chargeable vehicle segment in Europe significantly increased its market share, rising to 6.8% (from 2.5% in Q1 2019) against the backdrop of the overall decline in passenger car registrations due to the COVID-19 outbreak. By contrast, demand for diesel and gasoline vehicles tumbled... Read more →

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are refining their design of a 3D-printed nuclear reactor core, scaling up the additive manufacturing process necessary to build it, and developing methods to confirm the consistency and reliability of its printed components. The Transformational Challenge Reactor Demonstration Program’s approach... Read more →

In China, Wuling launched its first electric minivan, the Rong Guang EV, and Chevrolet launched four new Monza variants featuring 48V mild hybrid technology. In China, General Motors, its subsidiaries and its joint venture entities sell vehicles under the Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Holden, Baojun and Wuling brands. Rong Guang... Read more →

Lexus’ first full electric vehicle, the UX 300E, unveiled in China in November 2019, will offer a 10-year (or 1 million kilometer / 621,000 mile) battery warranty. (Earlier post.) The UX 300e will be introduced to selected markets in Europe by the end of the year. The UX 300e is... Read more →

Australia-based EcoGraf Limited has received confirmation that its high-purity graphite, which is produced from low-value graphite by-product fines utilising the EcoGraf process, has been qualified by two leading European industrial customers as meeting their strict physical and chemical specifications. The company’s product samples achieved the customers’ strict specifications including particle... Read more →

BYD, Europe’s leading electric bus manufacturer, received an order for a further 13 eBuses from Nobina—the principal bus operator in Sweden and the Nordic region. The new 12-meter models are destined for the town of Piteå in the north-east of Sweden where the new BYD fleet will go into service... Read more →

Israel-based IRP Systems, a provider of electric powertrain products, raised $17 million in Series B funding. The round was led by Chinese VC Fosun RZ capital, with additional funds provided by JAL ventures, previous investor Entrée Capital, Tal Capital, Union Tech Ventures, Cendana Capital and Allied Group subsidiary Champion Motors,... Read more →

Levels of two major air pollutants have been reduced significantly since lockdowns began in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but a secondary pollutant—ground-level ozone—has increased in China, according to new research. Two new studies in AGU’s journal Geophysical Research Letters find nitrogen dioxide pollution over northern China, Western Europe and... Read more →