Green Car Congress

CoolPlanet BioFuels, a start-up developing technology to convert low-grade biomass into high-grade fuels including gasoline, and carbon that can be sequestered (earlier post), claims it has achieved a conversion yield of 4,000 gallons gasoline/acre biomass in pilot testing using giant... Mike Millikin

New Energy dCi 90 engine. Click to enlarge. Renault is introducing two new 1.5L diesel engines in its Energy family (earlier post)—the Energy dCi 90 and 75—and applying them first in the Kangoo range. Fuel consumption will be 4.4 liters/100... Mike Millikin

Toyota released a few more snippets of detail about the new FT-Bh—Future Toyota B-segment hybrid—to be unveiled at the Geneva show. (Earlier post.) The new concept is as spacious as an average five-door supermini, but produces about 50% less CO2,... Mike Millikin

Relative enzyme dose reduction with succeeding generations of Cellic product. Source: Novozymes. Click to enlarge. Novozymes has introduced its next-generation of enzyme technology for cellulosic biofuels, Cellic CTec3, an advanced cellulase and hemicellulase complex. The enzyme enables more cost-efficient conversion... Mike Millikin

A coalition of 13 leading industrial companies and electric utilities, including General Motors Company, The Dow Chemical Company and Duke Energy, issued a white paper recommending the installation of up to 300 GWh of distributed energy storage (DES) systems around... Mike Millikin

AGA Gas AB, a member of the Linde Group, and Viking Line Abp have signed an agreement on delivery of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Viking Line’s new LNG-fueled ferry. Viking Line’s newbuild “NB 1376”, recently named the M/S Viking... Mike Millikin

The Ford Tourneo Custom Concept will make its global debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show in March. Previewing the introduction of a completely new range of people movers, with commercial vehicles to follow, the Tourneo Custom Concept showcases a... Mike Millikin

The Financial Times reports that PSA Peugeot Citroën and General Motors are in advanced talks about an alliance to join forces to build cars and components in Europe. The partnership, if concluded, would see Peugeot and GM’s Opel/ Vauxhall unit... Mike Millikin

UK Transport Secretary Justine Greening and Business Minister Mark Prisk announced the first vans eligible for the Government’s new Plug-in Car Van Grant. (Earlier post.) Van buyers will be able to receive 20%—up to £8,000 (US$12,600)—off the cost of this... Mike Millikin

Alcoa and China Power Investment Corporation (CPI) have finalized an agreement to establish a joint venture company to produce high-end fabricated aluminum products for the China market. The two partners had signed a Letter of Intent in September 2011. The... Mike Millikin

The coming Chevrolet Cruze diesel engine for the US market (earlier post) will leverage GM’s global powertrain expertise. GM sold more than half a million diesel-powered cars across Europe, Asia, Africa and South America last year, including 33,000 Cruzes. GM... Mike Millikin

3M and Chesapeake Energy Corporation will collaborate in designing, manufacturing and marketing a broad portfolio of compressed natural gas (CNG) tanks for use in all sectors of the United States transportation market. Currently the fuel tank on a CNG vehicle... Mike Millikin

The military is interested in replacing lead-acid batteries with higher performing Li-ion systems. From a 2011 TARDEC presentation. (Skalny). Click to enlarge. A123 Systems has introduced the Military 6T Battery, a robust Li-ion battery system engineered specifically to meet the... Mike Millikin

BASF will acquire the electrolytes business for high-performance batteries from chemical and pharmaceutical company Merck. The companies have agreed not to disclose financial details of the transaction. The acquisition comprises the technologies and products for enhancing battery performance that Merck... Mike Millikin

Charge and discharge profile of first and second cycles of Li2MnSiO4 samples measured at 45 °C at 0.02C rate. Credit: ACS, Rangappa et al. Click to enlarge. Researchers from Tohoku University, Japan, have developed novel ultrathin Li2MnSiO4 nanosheets for use... Mike Millikin

Westport Innovations Inc. and Cummins Inc. have entered into an amended and restated joint venture agreement (JVA) for the Cummins Westport Inc. (CWI) joint venture. The JVA was amended to provide for, among other things, clarification concerning the scope of... Mike Millikin

Johnson Controls will showcase its next-generation low-profile prismatic automotive lithium-ion cells and sub-modules at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. In September 2011, Johnson Controls and Saft reached an agreement to end their joint venture, Johnson Controls-Saft, which was formed in... Mike Millikin

The US and Mexico have signed an agreement on the exploration and development of oil and natural gas reservoirs along the United States’ and Mexico’s maritime boundary in the Gulf of Mexico. As a result of this Transboundary Agreement—which Presidents... Mike Millikin

A complete overhaul of global environmental governance is urgently needed if the challenges of global sustainability are to be met for seven billion people, according to a wide-ranging Foresight Process conducted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The process... Mike Millikin

The Waterloo Global Science Initiative (WGSI)—a non-profit partnership between Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and the University of Waterloo—has released the Equinox Blueprint: Energy 2030. The Blueprint provides a view of high impact energy technologies along with a set of... Mike Millikin