Lithium miners hunt for capital as demand for metal climbs
An aerial view of the brine pools and processing plant of the Soquimich (SQM) lithium mine on the Atacama salt flat, the world’s second largest salt flat and the largest Continue Reading
Electric Car War Sends Lithium Prices Sky High
With lithium prices skyrocketing beyond wildest expectations, talk heating up about acquisitions and mergers in this space and a fast-brewing war among electric car rivals, it’s no wonder everyone’s bullish Continue Reading
Here’s How Electric Cars Will Cause the Next Oil Crisis
A shift is under way that will lead to widespread adoption of EVs in the next decade. Your browser does not support the video tag. With all good technologies, there Continue Reading
Honda CEO Shifts Focus to Electric Vehicles
Honda Motor Co. wants partially or fully electric cars to account for two-thirds of global sales by 2030, its chief executive said, laying out long-term priorities after his inaugural year Continue Reading
Kemp: US Gasoline Demand Is Critical To Oil Outlook In 2016
U.S. gasoline consumption increased by more than 2.6 percent last year thanks to a combination of lower oil prices and economic growth. In volume terms, consumption rose by around 240,000 Continue Reading
NREL analysis of Proterra electric bus demo finds average fuel economy nearly 4x that of CNG baseline buses
Proterra battery-electric buses in service in a 12- vehicle demonstration by Foothill Transit in California offered significant fuel savings compared to similar conventional vehicles, according to a recently published analysis Continue Reading
CPUC approves SDG&E pilot EV grid integration project; 3,500 charging stations at 350 sites, dynamic pricing
Almost two years after SDG&E proposed its Electric Vehicle Grid-Integration (VGI) pilot project (April 2014), the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved a modified version of the program, enabling the Continue Reading
Silicon Valley and Detroit learn to share the road
When this year’s North American International Auto Show opens to the public in Detroit on Saturday, visitors will be confronted with a scene that suggests carmakers are as confident as Continue Reading
Obama plans $4bn boost for driverless cars
The Obama administration is hoping to accelerate testing of fully autonomous vehicles in the US by creating a “consistent national policy”, threatening to override a patchwork of state rules around Continue Reading
Auto Executives Dismiss Fears of Plateau in Global Auto Demand
Convinced that low oil prices are here to stay, domestic auto executives shrugged off concerns about a potential plateau in global automobile demand, issuing bullish forecasts for 2016 and pledging Continue Reading
Drilling slump saps U.S. diesel demand
El Nino and the warm winter weather are being blamed for the weak demand for distillate fuel oil in the United States, but the slump in oil production is probably Continue Reading
Carmakers Forge Ahead With Electric Vehicles
Although sales of electric and hybrid vehicles have struggled, automakers are charging ahead to bring new battery-powered vehicles to market. Several car companies have focused on electric vehicles at the Continue Reading
Ford will expand self-driving test car fleet to 30
Ford Motor Co ( F.N ) said Tuesday it plans to triple to 30 the size of its fleet of self-driving test cars as part of an effort to accelerate Continue Reading
Faraday Unveils Amped-Up ‘Concept’ Electric Car
Faraday Future Inc. stole a page from the Tesla Motors Inc. TSLA -6.92 % handbook, unveiling an amped-up “concept” electric car in Las Vegas in front of hundreds of media Continue Reading
Ford in Talks with Google on Autonomous-Driving Venture
The talks are intended to help Ford, which under Chief Executive Mark Fields has sharpened its focus on advancing car technologies, accelerate its efforts to bring autonomous cars to market. Continue Reading
The Latest: Texas reminds Google self-driving cars welcome
The latest on the California Department of Motor Vehicles’ draft regulations that would allow consumers to get self-driving cars (all times local): 2 p.m. Texas is already reminding Google that Continue Reading
Tesla in stand-off over lithium supply
On the edge of the Nevada desert, Tesla, the electric carmaker, is building the world’s largest battery plant. The mile-long, so-called Gigafactory is expected to boost demand for lithium, the Continue Reading
Could Self-Driving Cars Spell the End of Ownership?
HENRY FORD WAS A smart guy but he never did the math when he decided to put every American household on wheels. A century after the Model T, the world Continue Reading
The Powder That Could Be Key for Natural-Gas Cars
Natural gas burns relatively cleanly, and thanks to new extraction technologies, there is plenty of it. But few cars use it; most of the more than 150,000 U.S. vehicles running on natural gas are still trucks and buses. One reason is that natural-gas-powered cars would need a much bigger fuel tank—perhaps filling the entire trunk as well as current gas-tank space—to achieve the range that drivers are accustomed to getting from gasoline. A given volume of gasoline contains more than triple the energy found in an equal volume of compressed natural gas. Now scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, and other institutions on both sides of the Atlantic have come up with a new technology to pack more natural gas into a small space without the very high pressure or very low temperatures that are normally required. The result may be smaller and lighter tanks that are better […]
California’s gasoline demand slowed over the summer: Kemp
An employee unloads copper at a factory in Nantong, Jiangsu province, June 18, 2011. California motorists drive almost 1 billion miles every day, and in doing so consume around 40 million gallons of gasoline and 8 million gallons of diesel. Californians use their cars a bit less than the average U.S. resident but the state’s population is so large it is one of the largest driving markets in the world. State motorists account for 11 percent of all miles driven in the United States and consume more motor fuel than any individual country except China and Japan. State data on traffic and fuel sales are therefore often used as a proxy for national trends, but California’s gasoline consumption reflects a mix of local and national factors that are not always easy to separate. Like other parts of the United States, California has seen a surge in car and truck […]
Passenger travel accounts for most of world transportation energy use
: U.S. Energy Information Administration, International Transportation Energy Demand Determinants (ITEDD-2015) model estimates Source: The transportation of people and goods accounts for about 25% of all energy consumption in the world. Passenger transportation, in particular light-duty vehicles, accounts for most transportation energy consumption—light-duty vehicles alone consume more than all freight modes of transportation, such as heavy trucks, marine, and rail. The United States was the world’s largest transportation energy consumer in 2012, the most recent year with detailed international transportation data by mode. The United States, where on-road passenger travel is especially prevalent, consumed 26 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu), or 13 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (b/d), representing 25% of global transportation energy demand in 2012. Major European countries (those in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD) and China are also major transportation energy consumers, at 19 quadrillion Btu and 13 quadrillion Btu, […]
Google antsy as California slow on self-driving car rules
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) — Hustling to bring cars that drive themselves to a road near you, Google finds itself somewhere that has frustrated many before: Waiting on the Department of Motor Vehicles. The tech titan wants the freedom to give the public access to self-driving prototypes it has been testing on public roads since the summer. Before granting that permission, California regulators want Google to prove these cars of the future already drive as safely as people. The Department of Motor Vehicles was supposed to write precedent-setting rules of the road by last Jan. 1. Nearly a year later, it is still struggling. After all, the agency is geared to administering driving tests and registering cars, not settling complicated questions the technology raises. If the cars’ advanced sensors and computing power can drive better than humans, do they need a steering wheel and pedals? Would a person even […]
IHS Automotive sees Google leading technology, testing, software development for autonomous driving
« Ford first to test autonomous vehicle at U Michigan Mcity | Main | 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid coming to market with EPA-estimated 27-mile electric range; starts at $34,600 » The key to self-driving cars is software that can interpret all of a vehicles’ sensors and learn to mimic the driving skills and experiences of the very best drivers. Google is the current technology leader in this arena, according to a report from industry analysts IHS Automotive: “Google Self-Driving Car Strategy and Implications”. IHS estimates suggest Google has invested nearly $60 million so far in autonomous vehicle research and development, at a run rate of nearly $30 million per year. Unlike traditional vehicle manufacturers, Google also has the ability to leverage adjacent technologies and learnings from its other projects and investments—including robotics, drones and related technologies that help automotive operations, such as neural networks, artificial intelligence (AI), machine […]
Ford first to test autonomous vehicle at U Michigan Mcity
« Sendyne patents novel active battery cell balancing method | Main | IHS Automotive sees Google leading technology, testing, software development for autonomous driving » Ford is the first automaker to test autonomous vehicles at Mcity—the full-scale simulated real-world urban environment at the University of Michigan. ( Earlier post .) The 32-acre facility is part of the university’s Mobility Transformation Center. Ford has been testing autonomous vehicles for more than 10 years and is now expanding testing on the diversity of roads and realistic neighborhoods of Mcity near the North Campus Research Complex to accelerate research of advanced sensing technologies. The Ford Fusion Hybrid Autonomous Research Vehicle merges today’s driver-assist technologies, such as front-facing cameras, radar and ultrasonic sensors, and adds four Velodyne LiDAR sensors to generate a real-time 3D map of the vehicle’s surrounding environment. Mcity opened in July. The full-scale urban environment provides real-world road scenarios—such as […]
Get ready for car-as-a-service (CaaS)
Self-driving cars are expected to take over the roadways in the next two decades, but the vast majority of the fleet will likely be dedicated to services and not owned by individuals, according to a new report by IHS Automotive. Within five years, Google and carmakers are expected to have driverless vehicles on the world’s roadways. By 2035, 12 million self-driving and driverless cars will be sold globally, IHS Automotive estimates. However, given that 85% of the world’s population doesn’t have a driver’s license and teenagers in developed countries are waiting longer to get a license — and driving less when they do — the majority of autonomous vehicles will likely be used by a services industry. Car-as-a-service (CaaS) opportunities are becoming a new driving force for urban transportation, according to IHS Automotive. Essentially an extension of ride-sharing using driverless vehicles, CaaS will enable people to summon a car […]
Vehicle of the Future Might Be an Electric Tricycle
The latest solution for congested cities is an electric, autonomous tricycle for adults. The challenge of moving people and things around the world’s dense, growing major cities is bad and getting worse. Ninety percent of the world’s population growth in this century will be in “megacities,” and cities will soon account for 80 percent of global carbon emissions, according to the United Nations Environment Program. Much of that will come from idling cars stuck in miles-long traffic jams. Ryan Chin, a research scientist at the MIT Media Lab, specializes in dreaming up solutions to urban transportation problems. His latest invention, unveiled at the EmTech conference earlier this week in Cambridge, Massachusetts, tries to marry the three dominant trends in urban automobiles: autonomy, vehicle sharing, and electrification. But it’s not a car; it’s a three-wheeled EV that Chin has dubbed the “persuasive electric vehicle,” or PEV. With a carbon fiber […]
U.S. oil demand growth slows to 2.1 percent in August as driving slows down
A drop of diesel is seen at the tip of a nozzle after a fuel station customer fills her car’s tank in Sint Pieters Leeuw December 5, 2014. The resurgence in U.S. oil demand is showing signs of flagging, with drivers easing off the gas pedal a bit in August, according to U.S. data on Friday that may weaken one of the key arguments for bullish oil traders. After several months of near 4 percent growth in fuel use that has helped offset weakness in demand from China, U.S. consumption climbed by just 2.1 percent or 414,000 barrels per day (bpd) in August versus the same month a year ago, U.S. Energy Information Administration data showed. Separate data from the Department of Transportation helps explain why: The number of miles Americans drove in August rose at the slowest pace this year, up 2.3 percent from a year ago. While […]
Technical review outlines challenges for both batteries and fuel cells as basis for electric vehicles
In an open-access invited review for the Journal of the Electrochemical Society , Dr. Oliver Gröger ( earlier post ), Volkswagen AG; Dr. Hubert A. Gasteiger, Chair of Technical Electrochemistry, Technische Universität München; and Dr. Jens-Peter Suchsland, SolviCore GmbH, delve into the technological barriers for all-electric vehicles—battery-electric or PEM fuel cell vehicles. They begin by observing that the EU’s goal of 95 gCO 2 /km fleet average emissions by 2020 can only be met by means of extended range electric vehicles or all-electric vehicles in combination with the integration of renewable energy (e.g., wind and solar). Based on other studies, they note that without an increasing percentage of renewables in the European electricity generation mix, the only vehicle concept which could meet the 95 gCO 2 /km target is the pure battery electric vehicles. (Hydrogen produced via electrolysis using the EU mix or by natural gas reforming would exceed […]
U.S. jet fuel demand is rising strongly: Kemp
An airport worker fuels a JetBlue plane on the tarmac of the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York December 11, 2013. Fuel consumption by U.S. airlines is growing at some of the fastest rates for a decade, according to data published by the federal government. U.S. carriers consumed 1.6 billion gallons of fuel in July, up 3.4 percent from the same month a year earlier ( link.reuters.com/qad75w ). Fuel consumption for the first seven months of the year rose nearly 2.9 percent, the biggest increase since 2011 and before that 2005, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Separately, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has reported jet fuel consumption rose 4.7 percent year-on-year in January-June (according to product-supplied statistics) or by 6.6 percent in January-July (using prime supplier data). Unlike the U.S. Department of Transportation fuel consumption data, which covers only U.S. airlines, the EIA numbers […]
Tesla Prepares to Launch Electric SUV
Kenneth Adelman has had to learn to be patient. An electric-car enthusiast and retired “computer geek,” in February 2012 he was the first person to plunk down a $40,000 deposit for Tesla Motors Inc. TSLA -3.30 % ’s Model X sport-utility vehicle. At the time, Mr. Adelman didn’t know the Model X’s total price, but Chief Executive Elon Musk said the vehicle would be in his hands by the end of 2013. He is still waiting. After nearly two years’ worth of delays, Tesla kicks off Model X deliveries Tuesday. Although first on the order list, Mr. Adelman, 52 years old, doesn’t know when he will get his vehicle and he is showing little concern. “I’m happy to have waited for the X to be all that it could be,” Mr. Adelman, who also owns a Tesla Roadster and Model S sedan, said in a recent interview. He is […]
U.S. gasoline sales surge at fastest for over a decade
A view of the Tesoro refinery in Martinez, California, February 2, 2015. Gasoline sales to U.S. motorists rose by more than 5 percent in July compared with the same month a year before, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). Gasoline sales are rising at the fastest year-over-year rates for more than 14 years as demand surges. Continued economic expansion, rising employment and cheaper fuel are putting a record volume of traffic on U.S. roads as well as encouraging motorists to upgrade to larger and more fuel hungry vehicles. Gasoline sales were up 5.1 percent in July 2015 compared with July 2014, according to the EIA’s Prime Supplier Report published on Tuesday ( link.reuters.com/pyv65w ). Sales for the first seven months as a whole were up 4.4 percent compared with 2014 ( link.reuters.com/myv65w ). The Prime Supplier Report is based on a census of around 200 firms that […]
Why Shippers Are Turning to LNG-Powered Vessels
When TOTE Inc., a shipper that operates between the U.S. and the Caribbean, launched its latest container ship last month, the 760-foot craft carried a certain distinction: It’s only the second of the massive vessels worldwide fueled by liquefied natural gas. The first was launched four months earlier by the same company. TOTE is among a growing number of shipowners turning to natural gas at a time of record output, stringent emission rules and churning oil prices. About 70 vessels of all sizes worldwide of are now powered by LNG, up from 42 in just two years, according to DNV GL, which certifies ships for safety. By 2020, the number may pass 1,000. “More companies see natural gas as a viable alternative fuel source, given the abundance of supply and the relatively stable prices,” Peter Keller, executive vice president of Princeton, New Jersey-based TOTE, said in a telephone interview. […]
API: US petroleum demand rose in August to 5-year highs
Total US petroleum deliveries, a measure of demand, increased 0.8% from August 2014 to average 19.6 million b/d last month, recording the highest August deliveries in 5 years, according to Continue Reading
U.S. job market and automotive sales trends support growth in gasoline use
graph of monthly U.S. product supplied of finished motor gasoline, as explained in the article text U.S. motor gasoline product supplied , a proxy for gasoline use in the United States, has been rising after reaching an 11-year low in 2012. Although lower gasoline prices have been an important factor in the increase in gasoline use so far in 2015, changes in the labor market and in the vehicle sales mix over the past few years also have contributed to the rise in gasoline use. Because more than 90% of U.S. motor gasoline is used in light-duty vehicles (LDVs), factors that affect vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and the average fuel economy of the LDV fleet can also lead to changes in gasoline consumption. In addition to lower gasoline prices, a stronger U.S. job market and higher wage growth may have contributed to record-high VMT , and sales trends in […]
Interest in hybrid vehicles wanes
Interest in hybrid motor vehicles rises and falls with the price of gasoline. Today, with gasoline prices relatively low, some of the steam has gone out of the movement to compressed natural gas vehicles or the hybrids that also use gasoline. Interest was sky high in 2011 when the Legislature authorized two state agencies — the Department of Administration and Information and the Department of Transportation — to retrofit existing vehicles or to buy new ones capable of running on natural gas or a combination of natural gas and gasoline. The Legislature authorized $200,000 for the pilot program, enough to retrofit 10 vehicles for each of the two departments. A report from the state’s Economic Analysis Division issued at that time said the natural gas vehicles reduce carbon monoxide emissions by 90 to 97 percent. But the driving range of the vehicles is limited, the report warned. At the […]
Bosch presenting new heat pump EV thermal management system at IAA; up to 25% increase in effective range
« Toyota Tsusho becomes official partner for EFOY Pro direct methanol fuel cells in Japan | Main | DEINOVE and Tyton partner to combine bacterial fermentation solutions with energy tobacco feedstock for biofuels and bio-based chemicals » At IAA next week, automotive supplier Bosch is presenting a new heat-pump-based thermal management system for EVs that it says can enable an increase in effective range of up to 25% without modifications to the battery. In battery-driven powertrains, heating and cooling can play a significantly greater role than in gasoline or diesel engines, since without a combustion engine, the vehicle does not have a generous supply of heat. If the passenger compartment is heated using a purely electrical system drawing its power from the battery, range can be significantly reduced. As a result, there has been interest in the industry about the use of heat pumps as a lower energy-intensity solution. […]
Auto Industry’s Ranks of Electric-Car Battery Suppliers Narrow
Failed technology gambles and a half-decade of jockeying among suppliers have top auto makers increasing choosing LG, Samsung Electronics Co. SSNHZ 0.00 % ’s SDI unit and Panasonic Corp. PCRFY -0.79 % The three are emerging as the early winners amid a shift by car companies away from in-house efforts, traditional battery makers and startup ventures. Their quick rise as key suppliers to European, Asian and U.S. car makers is remarkable for an industry that typically insists on reducing risks by building key components such as engines in-house—or using lots of suppliers for less-critical parts. In part, experts say few companies so far have shown they can meet the challenge of building advanced batteries with the quality, weight and cost expectations that auto makers demand. And the technology is moving so fast that few auto makers have tried to master the exotic chemistry required. Of course, electric cars remain […]
Tesla Executive Calls for Stricter Auto-Efficiency Rules
A Tesla Motors Inc. executive called on rival automakers to put more compelling electric vehicles on the road and said fuel-efficiency standards should be far more stringent. Most competitors “are focused on minimum compliance, lowest common-denominator behavior, and the vehicles reflect that,” Diarmuid O’Connell, vice president of business development, said Tuesday at an auto-industry conference in northern Michigan. He cited Tesla, Nissan Motor Co. and BMW AG as exceptions. Automakers are under a U.S. mandate to boost average fuel economy to 54.5 miles (87.7 kilometers) per gallon by 2025. Those rules come under mid-term review in 2017. Tesla would like them strengthened, a move that would benefit the electric-car maker while pressuring traditional auto manufacturers. Forrest McConnell, president of a Honda dealership in Montgomery, Alabama, and a former chairman of the National Automobile Dealers Association, countered O’Connell’s remarks by holding up a donut and broccoli as symbols of consumer […]
Warren Buffett And Elon Musk To Spark A Lithium Boom
The age of electrification across the transportation sector, the solar panel revolution, and Tesla’s battery gigafactory are igniting a battle for the cheapest battery. That will transform lithium into a boom-time mineral and the hottest commodity on the energy investor’s radar. It has been easy to take lithium for granted. This wonder mineral is the backbone of our everyday lives, popping up in everything from the glass in our windows to our mountains of electronics. And while investors have long appreciated the steady rise in demand for this preferred mineral, the number of new applications continues to multiply. Smart phones, tablets, laptops, and other consumer electronics demand more lithium. But the largest driver for future lithium use will be in electric vehicles and home batteries for solar panels. That has lithium on the verge a boom for which supply can no longer be taken for granted. Not since the […]
Zero-Pollution Buses Emerge With Backing From Silicon Valley
An all-electric bus made by Kleiner Perkins-backed Proterra Inc. Source: Proterra via Bloomberg Chicago Transit Authority expects two electric buses it bought from New Flyer Industries will each save $300,000 in fuel costs and $660,000 in public health costs over their 12-year expected runs. That more than makes up for the $500,000 premium over the diesel buses that the electric ones replaced. They can run for 100 miles — a full day’s work — before needing to recharge overnight. CTA operates about 1,800 buses. ‘Most Sense’ “Electric drive trains make the most sense in heavier vehicles,” said Michael Linse, a partner at venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins that’s made early investments in Proterra. “Hybrids get a third of the market now and they’re just marginally better and very expensive at $650,000 to $700,000. It was almost all diesel 10 years ago.” BYD Co., the Chinese automaker partly-owned by Warren […]
Flotilla of European Gasoline Tankers Fuels U.S. Driving Binge
As a flotilla of gasoline tankers steams across the Atlantic Ocean to the U.S., European motorists are paying more for their gasoline because Americans are driving more than ever. Surging demand and rising prices for gasoline in the U.S. are luring about double the number of tankers compared with 2014, boosting shipping rates to the highest seasonal levels in seven years. With so much being exported, fuel prices in Europe have increased almost four times faster than crude since February to the equivalent of more than $6 a gallon. The flotilla underscores the rising thirst for fuel after oil prices fell by half since June 2014 and the U.S. economy improved. Americans are driving record miles, raising consumption of gasoline and profit margins for refiners. The International Energy Agency said global oil demand is expected to increase 1.5 percent this year, the most since 2010. “There’s cheap crude and […]
Using the PHEV (Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle) to Transition Society Seamlessly and Profitably From Fossil Fuel to 100% Renewable Energy
« BMW launches operations at Center of Urban Mobility Competence; boosting electromobility through EV sharing | Main | New non-metallic molecular catalyst system approaches efficiency of platinum in fuel cell oxygen reduction reaction » by Professor Andrew Alfonso Frank CTO Efficient Drivetrains Inc. and UC-Davis Emeritus and Catherine JJ DeMauro Abstract. The alternative-fuel car evolved to reduce exhaust emissions and other problems derived from burning fossil fuels. The PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), a subset of the electric car, combines a primary electric motor with a much smaller back-up engine fueled with a hydrocarbon/biofuel mix. (In this paper PHEV refers solely to the long-range PHEV of 60 miles (100 km) electric-only range.) The PHEV does not require the heavy, costly batteries required by other electric cars, nor does it suffer from a limited range or poor freeway performance. Though the PHEV combines the two types of energy and power, […]
U.S. gasoline demand roars back to life: Kemp
A man gets gasoline at a BP station in St. Louis, Missouri January 14, 2015. Consumption of gasoline in the United States is surging according to estimates prepared by the Energy Information Administration. More than 9.5 million barrels per day (bpd) of gasoline were supplied to domestic customers over the last four weeks. Consumption is running about 480,000 bpd above the 2014 level and 250,000 bpd above the 10-year seasonal average ( link.reuters.com/wuh25w ). The amount supplied to domestic customers has to be estimated from refinery production, imports, exports and stockpiles so it is subject to some estimating errors but the data all paint a consistent picture of strong demand. Refineries are running flat out to meet fuel demand from motorists. U.S. refineries have been processing a near-record 16.5 million bpd of crude in recent weeks,1 million bpd higher than the seasonal average ( link.reuters.com/zuh25w ). Gasoline production is […]
BioSolar extends agreement with UCSB for further development of novel polymer cathode; projecting up to 459 Wh/kg and $54/kWh for Li-ion cells
« Bosch offering sub-$10K 24 kW DC fast charger for North America; SAE J1772 DC Combo connector | Main Startup BioSolar, Inc. has signed an agreement to extend the funding of a sponsored research program at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), to further develop its “super battery” technology—a novel polymer cathode that leverages fast redox-reaction properties rather than conventional lithium-ion intercalation chemistry to enable rapid charge and discharge. The lead inventors of the technology are UCSB professor Dr. Alan Heeger, the recipient of a Nobel Prize in 2000 for the discovery and development of conductive polymers, and Dr. David Vonlanthen, a project scientist and expert in energy storage at UCSB. Both are scientific advisors to BioSolar. In a 2014 paper publishedin the journal Advanced Materials , Heeger, Vonlanthen and their colleagues reported the development of a polyaniline-supercapacitor with quinone electrolytes that remained stable over 50,000 galvanostatic charge-discharge […]
China’s ZTE pushing ahead with high-power wireless charging vehicle test deployment
ZTE Corporation, China’s largest listed telecommunications equipment company, is developing high-power wireless charging systems and services for electric vehicles, with a focus on public charging infrastructure. At a China-US workshop on electric vehicle standardization held in June ( earlier post ), Academus Tian, VP of ZTE New Energy Vehicle Co., presented an overview of ZTE’s efforts in wireless power transfer (WPT). Tian said that ZTE’s inductive charging WPT module has a potential capacity of up to 30 kW, with a gap of 20 cm and efficiency of up to 90%. The footprint of the device is less than 1 m 2 ; frequency is 85 kHz. ZTE, which has aggressively partnered with a number of passenger and commercial vehicles makers over the past few years, has recently launched a series of commercial vehicle (bus) WPT trials. In September, in a joint R&D project between ZTE and Dongfeng Automobile, the […]
CMU policy briefs outline benefits and potential for adoption of electrified vehicles in the US
« Toyota, Nissan and Honda agree on details of H2 station support in Japan | Main | Researchers find Nissan LEAF creates less CO2 than Toyota Prius hybrid in west US and Texas, but more in N. Midwest » Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) have published two new policy briefs, along with accompanying videos, about the benefits of electrified vehicles and the potential for their adoption in the US. The briefs condense the findings of a number of recent papers coming out of the CMU group led by Professor Jeremy Michalek. The first—“ Electric Vehicle Benefits and Costs in the United States ”—shows that the benefits of vehicle electrification vary based on vehicle type; driving style; climate; how supplying electricity is generated; and time of charge. To achieve the best outcomes, the brief suggests, plug-in vehicle adoption should typically be focused on HEVs and PHEVs by city drivers […]
4 more cities sign Global Clean Bus Declaration raising total to >40K ultra-low emission buses by 2020; London to trial BYD electric double-decker
« Wireless charging company Evatran gains $1.6M strategic investment from China Tier 1 supplier | Main | Tire-integrated triboelectric generator harvests electricity from rolling tire friction; est. up to +10% fuel econ » Four additional cities—Amsterdam, Lima, Catalonia (Barcelona) and Rome— signed up to the Global Clean Bus Declaration at the 1 st global Clean Bus Summit in London. The Global Clean Bus Declaration , developed by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson in partnership with the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group , launched in Buenos Aires in March 2015 with 20 original signatories. Bus manufacturers including BYD, Volvo, Wright Bus, Optare, Mercedes, Evo Bus, and Alexander Dennis attended the London summit and committed to supporting cities in delivering fleets of new ultra-low emission buses. The World Bank and Green Investment Bank have also signed up to this commitment. Cities of the Low Emission Vehicles Network collectively forged an […]