The US Department of Energy (DOE) issued a Request for Information (RFI) (DE-FOA-0002794) on the development and implementation of a $675-million Critical Materials Research, Development, Demonstration, and Commercialization Program. The program will address vulnerabilities in the domestic critical materials supply chain. Critical materials, which include rare-earth elements, lithium, nickel, and... Read more →

Volvo Cars, in cooperation with Starbucks Corporation, announced the first Starbucks stores where new electric vehicle (EV) chargers, powered by ChargePoint, will be available to customers and members of the public. Four chargers at the first Starbucks location in Provo, Utah (East Bay – University & 9th, 979 S University... Read more →

FedEx Office, in collaboration with Ford Pro, is piloting 10 Ford E-Transit vans across its FedEx SameDay City network as part of the goal to transition its entire pickup and delivery fleet to zero tailpipe emission vehicles by 2040. FedEx SameDay City is the company’s local shipping option, which offers... Read more →

Ford is reopening order banks for the next wave of reservation holders of the popular F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck, adding new improvements including boosting its standard range battery models to an EPA-estimated targeted range of 240 miles and adding Pro Trailer Hitch Assist technology. Pro Trailer Hitch Assist automatically... Read more →

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects US electricity consumption this year to increase 2.4% over 2021, resulting primarily from increased economic activity but also from hot summer weather throughout most of the country. According to the agency’s August 2022 Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), growth in renewable energy will meet... Read more →

The Kaohsiung City (Taiwan) government has teamed up with Taiwan-based Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) to work on projects such as smart electric buses and smart city development, with the aim of becoming an arena that offers a comprehensive business and service model to attract global manufacturers to invest in... Read more →

Researchers at the Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium have designed and synthesized a new class of electrically conducting anionic coordination polymers for all practically relevant alkali-cation storage. Coordination compounds are molecules that possess a metal center bound to ligands (atoms, ions or molecules that donate electrons to the metal);... Read more →

A team from Central South University in China has developed a new type of deep eutectic solvent (DES) that can efficiently leach metal elements from spent Ni-Co-Mn lithium-ion batteries (LNCM). The leaching rates of Ni, Co, Mn, and Li can all reach 99% under the conditions of T=140°C, t=10 min... Read more →

The Inflation Reduction Act, which the Senate passed last week, revamps the electric vehicle Federal tax credit of $7,500 (earlier post). Among the changes are an extension of the tax credit through 2032, the removal of the unit-sales cap of 200,000 per OEM, and a new mandate for qualified cars... Read more →

Baidu, Inc., a leading AI company with strong internet foundation, has secured the first permits in China to offer commercial fully driverless robotaxi services to the public on open roads. Apollo Go, Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing service, is now authorized to collect fares for robotaxi rides—completely without human drivers in the... Read more →

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) robotics researchers working with Ford Motor Company have found a way to tell an autonomous vehicle which cameras to use when navigating. Professor Michael Milford, Joint Director of the QUT Center for Robotics and Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow and senior author, said the research... Read more →

Newly founded Rheinmetall subsidiary MIRA GmbH is pooling the expertise of multiple Group companies in offer a modular, scalable system of certified hardware and software for teleoperated driving—the remote-control of vehicles on public roads. MIRA is aalready able to meet the challenges facing local public transport, logistics and industry by... Read more →

As 5G networks start coming online, there is an expected associated increase in the scale of the Internet of Things network. With so many devices on the network, there is a growing need to make wirelessly powered devices that can work with 5G signals. The production of such devices has... Read more →

At Prawaas 3.0 in Hyderabad (India) earlier this month, Eberspaecher presented its new all-electric air-conditioning system AC135 AE, especially developed for hybrid and battery-electric driven buses in the Asia-Pacific region. Market forecasts show that by 2030, 40% of the bus fleet in India will consist of BEVs. In this context,... Read more →

Researchers in the Transport Technologies Division of Saudi Aramco have used using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and advanced machine learning (ML) techniques to co-optimize the piston bowl and the injector design of a gasoline compression ignition (GCI) engine. The optimum ML design provided similar performance at mid-load but a 3.8%... Read more →

The US Senate has passed the Inflation Reduction Act, with nearly $400 billion in funding over 10 years for climate- and energy-related programs; among the myriad provisions in the 755-page bill are changes to the electric vehicle Federal tax credit of $7,500. The bill renews the credit starting in January... Read more →

by Michael Sivak, Sivak Applied Research. This post examines the distances that the average American traveled by passenger road vehicle and by plane in 2021. In both instances, the distances to be compared are person miles. The derivation of person miles traveled by air is straightforward from the available monthly... Read more →

Starting August 9, 2022, applications will be accepted in California for replacement of eligible Class 8 trucks with zero-emission technology. Approximately $9 million is available on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible applicants throughout California from the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust for Class 8 zero-emission freight and port drayage trucks,... Read more →

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) has announced up to $6 million available (DE-FOA-0002620) for research and development (R&D) projects that will repurpose domestic coal resources for products that can be employed in clean energy technologies such as batteries and advanced manufacturing.... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $32 million in funding (DE-FOA-0002616) toward the research and development of new monitoring, measurement, and mitigation technologies to help detect, quantify, and reduce methane emissions across oil and natural gas producing regions of the United States. The United States has more... Read more →

Michigan will enable four new mobility services to help address challenges across the state related to sustainable transit, roadway safety, parking and staffing shortages in the service industry. In partnership with key universities, four companies—Bluecity, GEKOT Inc., Mouvit and Nimbus—will receive $285,000 in total funding through the Michigan Mobility Funding... Read more →

Africa could overtake China as the world’s largest producer of natural graphite for lithium ion batteries as soon as 2026, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, in a sign of the continent’s growing importance to the electric vehicle supply chain. Benchmark forecasts Africa to increase its share of global graphite production... Read more →

Based on new business awards and actions announced to date, BorgWarner believes it is already on track to achieve approximately $3.7 billion of electric vehicle revenue by 2025. The company now expects its 2022 electric vehicle revenue to grow to approximately $850 million—more than double what it was in 2021.... Read more →

MAN Energy Solutions will provide a methanation unit for a wastewater treatment plant in Pau, France. A public call for tenders by the urban community of Pau Bearn, Pyrénées —related to the construction of a new sludge-treatment unit for a wastewater treatment plant—has been won by a temporary consortium of... Read more →

Argonne National Laboratory has published a new cradle-to-grave (C2G) lifecycle analysis (LCA) of US LDV vehicle-fuel pathways. The report was prepared by Argonne researchers and members of the US Drive Integrated Systems Analysis Technical Team. This analysis builds on a previous comprehensive life cycle analysis, updating that study’s 2016 assumptions... Read more →

Autocar, a leading manufacturer of specialized severe-duty vocational trucks, has built its first two alpha units that feature an all-electric powertrain. The two E-ACX battery-electric cabover refuse trucks are going through a strict validation testing process to ensure the trucks are built to handle the same challenges and requirements as... Read more →

In its second quarter 2022 report, Fisker affirmed the expected timing plan for Fisker Ocean start of production (SOP) on 17 November 2022. 5,000 pre-orders are fully sold out for the launch edition Fisker Ocean One, secured by $5,000 down payments. The Fisker Ocean One will be fully loaded with... Read more →

Tesla’s Board of Directors has approved and declared a three-for-one split of Tesla’s common stock in the form of a stock dividend to make stock ownership more accessible to employees and investors. Shareholders approved the proposal during the company’s annual meeting on Thursday. Each stockholder of record on 17 August... Read more →

Volkswagen of America is starting pricing for the 2023 ID.4 electric compact SUV at an MSRP of $37,495, with a new 62 kWh entry battery pack, upgraded exterior and interior design, new aluminum-alloy wheels, updated improved center console, and more features. Now assembled in Chattanooga, Tenn., the ID.4 is offered... Read more →

Using an inexpensive polymer called melamine, researchers from UC Berkeley, Texas A&M and Stanford have created a cheap, easy and energy-efficient way to capture carbon dioxide from smokestacks. The process for synthesizing the melamine material, published in an open-access paper in the journal Science Advances, could potentially be scaled down... Read more →

Researchers at Monash University in Australia have developed an electrochemical process for the conversion of nitrogen to ammonia with nearly 100% current-to-ammonia efficiency. A paper on their work is published in the journal Nature. Beyond its use in the fertiliser and chemical industries, ammonia is currently seen as a potential... Read more →

UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography selected naval architecture and marine engineering company Glosten as the naval architect for the university’s new California coastal research vessel. The new vessel will feature a new hydrogen-hybrid propulsion system that integrates hydrogen fuel cells alongside a conventional diesel-electric power plant, enabling zero-emission... Read more →

Bureau Veritas has issued an Approval in Principle (AiP) to Alstom subsidiary HELION for its marine fuel cell system, the FC-RACK Marine. The marine fuel cell system uses a double envelope enclosure that enables the system to be perfectly sealed in a saline environment. In addition, HELION’s new FC-RACK Marine... Read more →

Plug Power, a leading provider of turnkey hydrogen solutions for the global green hydrogen economy, has entered an agreement with New Fortress Energy Inc. (NFE) for a 120 MW industrial-scale green hydrogen plant near Beaumont, Texas. Expected to be one of the largest of its kind in North America, the... Read more →

Australia-based Hysata, which is commercializing capillary-fed electrolysis technology developed at the University of Wollongong (earlier post) has closed its oversubscribed Series A funding round of $42.5 million AUD (US$30 million). Virescent Ventures led the funding round on behalf of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) (Aus), with participation from Kiko... Read more →

Drive systems supplier GKN Automotive has reached a major milestone with more than two million electrified vehicles using its eDrive technology on the road globally. Rising demand for electric vehicles has enabled GKN Automotive to increase the range and volume of its products to its existing customers, which make up... Read more →

Orange EV has closed a $35-million institutional funding round led by S2G Ventures and CCI, an affiliate of Henry Crown and Company, to support and accelerate the company’s growth. The investment will allow Orange EV to scale its manufacturing to meet tremendous demand increases, deliver class-leading vehicles to new markets,... Read more →

Sakuú, developer of the first 3D-printed solid-state battery (earlier post), has opened a multi-faceted engineering hub for its battery platform printing initiatives in Silicon Valley. This multi-million dollar buildout follows the recent opening of Sakuú’s battery pilot line facility currently producing batteries for clients and the company’s successful follow-on funding... Read more →

Blue Bird Corporation will offer a factory-certified electric repower program on select gasoline- and propane-powered Blue Bird school buses. The company is collaborating with Lightning eMotors to develop this repower electric vehicle (EV) powertrain system. Blue Bird customers can future-proof their school bus fleet by purchasing gasoline- or propane-powered vehicles... Read more →

SK On has secured a total of US$2 billion as its investment resource for its European battery business with the aid of Euler Hermes, a trade credit insurance institution of Germany, Korea Trade Insurance Corporation, and the Export-Import Bank of Korea. The three agencies will finance SK On by providing... Read more →

Electric vehicle manufacturers are searching for a significant increase in energy density, an improvement of fast-charging capabilities, and a reduced cost for lithium-ion batteries. A graphene nanotube dispersion, developed by OCSiAl, allows for a substantial increase in key battery parameters and is now experiencing growing interest from Chinese battery manufacturers.... Read more →

To meet the growing demand for battery electric heavy-duty vehicles and machines, the Volvo Group has initiated the process to establish a large-scale production plant for battery cells in Sweden. An extensive site localization study indicates that the Skaraborg region in Sweden is an ideal location for the plant. The... Read more →

Further to the announcement of its strategic partnership with and investment from SKC on 26 January 2022, Nexeon, a leading battery materials developer and manufacturer has completed the second close of its fundraise resulting in a total investment of US$170 million. Additionally, a further US$50 million of commercial investments is... Read more →

Newcastle University research has shown that women respond more quickly and exhibit more stable takeover control than men in automated cars. The open-access study, published in Nature Scientific Reports, focused on level 3 automated vehicles (L3 AVs), which allow drivers to be completely disengaged from driving and perform non-driving related... Read more →

General Motors announced that Super Cruise, the hands-free driver assistance technology, will soon be expanded so that it works on even more roads, giving customers greater accessibility to hands-free driving. By doubling the Super Cruise road network, hundreds of thousands of additional miles of roads in the US and Canada... Read more →

American Airlines announced an investment in ZeroAvia, a developer of hydrogen-electric aviation. (Earlier post.) In addition to the investment, a memorandum of understanding provides American the opportunity to order up to 100 engines from ZeroAvia’s hydrogen-electric powertrain development program. The engines are intended to power regional jet aircraft with zero... Read more →

Russia-based Udokan Copper, the developer of Russia’s largest new copper deposit, outlined scenarios to cut the carbon intensity of copper production up to 75% by 2035, bringing the company closer to its ultimate goal of climate neutrality in the long run. The mine is part of the Udokan Ore Region... Read more →

Chile is the world’s top copper producer (27% of global production) and exporter. In Chile, copper is mostly found in sulfide ores, especially in chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), bornite (Cu5FeS4) and chalcocite (Cu2S). The continual exploitation of ore reserves leads to the necessity of mining ores from deeper parts of deposits, often... Read more →

Canada-based Aurora Hydrogen, a company developing emission-free hydrogen production technology, has raised $10 million in Series A funding led by Energy Innovation Capital. Participating investors include Williams, Shell Ventures, Chevron Technology Ventures and the George Kaiser Family Foundation. This funding adds to additional funding by the Natural Sciences and Engineering... Read more →

Norway-based TECO2030, a provider of specifically designed modular fuel cell system for heavy-duty marine applications, and AVL List GmbH have signed a collaboration agreement under which TECO2030s fuel cell stacks will be deployed in AVL’s DemoTruck which is powered by the HyTruck Fuel Cell System. The DemoTruck project is currently... Read more →