Green Car Congress · Page 55

Replacing all of the oldest, highly polluting school buses in the US could lead to 1.3 million fewer daily absences annually, according to a University of Michigan study. The suspected cause of these preventable absences is exposure to high levels of diesel…

Woven by Toyota, Inc., a mobility technology subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation (“Toyota”), will play a key role in Toyota’s next generation products and technology as announced by Koji Sato, President and CEO of Toyota, at a recent press event held…

Kobe Steel, Ltd. and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on comprehensive cooperation for the Low-CO₂ Iron Metallics Project to commercialize the manufacture and sale of direct reduced iron (DRI) produced through Kobe Steel’s…

A new survey of automakers and Tier 1 suppliers conducted by Ducker Carlisle concludes that as electric vehicles continue to enter the mass market, aluminum demand will grow through the end of the decade. The report—“2023 North American Light Vehicle…

Honeywell UOP has introduced its Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC), a solution that enables the long-distance transportation of clean hydrogen. This cost-effective solution can help meet the growing requirements for hydrogen use across various industries…

Independent research and business intelligence company Rystad Energy estimates that there are about 91 planned hydrogen pipeline projects in the world, totaling 30,300 kilometers and due to come online by around 2035. Today, more than 4,300 kilometers already…

Mullen Automotive, an emerging EV manufacturer, has integrated solid-state polymer battery technology into Mullen’s commercial Class 1 EV cargo van program. Currently, the Mullen Class 1 EV cargo van features a 46 kWh lithium-ion battery pack with a 110-mile…

The all-electric MINI Cooper SE Convertible (earlier post) celebrates its world premiere at Auto Shanghai, 18 to 27 April at the China Expo Convention and Exhibition Complex, Shanghai. The MINI Cooper SE Convertible (power consumption combined: 17.2 kWh/100 km…

Ford Pro recently revealed the E-Transit Courier, a ground-up new all-electric commercial vehicle. Extending Ford Pro’s line-up of electrified and connected cargo vans, the new E‑Transit Courier is fully integrated with Ford Pro’s platform of software…

Through a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award from the Department of Defense, Radiant will develop base modeling and simulation capabilities for key energy resilience scenarios at Hill Air Force Base. Founded by former SpaceX engineers, Radiant is…

Tesla will build its next Megafactory—the company’s utility-scale battery factory—in Shanghai; the plant will be capable of producing 10,000 Megapacks per year, equal to approximately 40 GWh of energy storage. Tesla’s original Megapack factory is in…

New analysis has found increasing emissions of several ozone-depleting chemicals despite their production being banned for most uses under the Montreal Protocol—and a loophole in the rules is likely responsible. The research, published in Nature Geoscience…

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) offer high energy efficiency and fuel flexibility, but require high operating temperatures. Although lowering the operating temperature of SOFCs can minimize material degradation and enable the use of less expensive materials,…

A team from Technische Universität Darmstadt, Universität Stuttgart, Justus Liebig Universität Gießen, and Universität des Saarlandes have developed a two-step recycling approach using citric acid as the leaching agent to separate and recover the…

In Germany, a project led by electrolyte company Elyte Innovations GmbH is pursuing the recovery of the non-metallic components—including lithium salts, solvents and electrolyte additives—from spent lithium-ion batteries. Named SWELL (Stoffliche…

CerebrumX Lab, a leading AI-driven automotive data services & product provider (earlier post), announced a strategic investment from BlackBerry that will help the company ramp up the delivery of new data-driven, in-vehicle products and services that make it…

Toyota recently restructured its senior management. Chairman Takeshi Uchiyamada resigned his post, the former President Akio Toyoda was appointed chairman, and Operating Officer Koji Sato was appointed president, effective 1 April 2023. On 7 April, Sato, along…

A spinout from the University of Birmingham (UK)—About:Energy—has launched its battery design software platform: The Voltt. The Voltt will shorten R&D timelines, improve battery performance, and reduce development risk for battery cells and systems in…

Bridgestone Americas has produced a run of demonstration tires made with 75% recycled and renewable materials (38% renewable, 37% recycled content), including synthetic rubber made with recycled plastics and natural rubber harvested from hevea and guayule…

Aquatech recently was awarded a contract for the lithium refining and purification process plants by Lithium Americas Corp. for the Thacker Pass lithium project in Nevada (earlier post). Aquatech has commenced work on the project, which includes multiple…