Transportation News

Continental unveils sixth generation of long-range radar and surround radar

Apr 15, 2021: Continental has been manufacturing radar sensors for more than 20 years. In that time, the technology company has launched a total of more than 100 million radar sensors on the market worldwide. Continental is now unveiling its sixth generation of long-range radar and surround radar. Production is scheduled to start...

Porsche adopts new production process using patches, not plugs; Taycan EV first

Apr 15, 2021: Porsche AG has developed a new production process at its headquarters in Zuffenhausen in collaboration with Tesa SE. Using this process, the holes in the car body, which are necessary for corrosion prevention, can now be sealed much more effectively; these holes are required so that all of the body...

Motor and controller company Aeristech closes $7M private placement; SAIC participation

Apr 15, 2021: UK-based Aeristech, a developer of high-speed electric motor and controller technology (earlier post), closed a £5.15-million (US$7-million) private funding round led by investors Sabien Technology, Vela Technologies and SAIC Venture Capital, the venture capital arm of China-based automaker SAIC Motor. The funding round will supercharge the company’s investment in its...

Dürr delivers one of biggest paint shops in China to SAIC Volkswagen; AI and big data

Apr 15, 2021: Despite all the restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Dürr has handed over one of the biggest paint shops in China to SAIC Volkswagen (SVW) on schedule. The new plant in Anting boasts a production capacity twice that of a standard paint shop at 120 bodies per hour, and behind...

Ford to offer BlueCruise hands-free highway driving technology later this year via OTA to select F-150, Mach-E models

Apr 15, 2021: Via over-the-air (OTA) software updates, Ford will offer its BlueCruise hands-free highway driving technology later this year on 2021 F-150 and 2021 Mustang Mach-E models equipped with the available Ford Co-Pilot360 Active 2.0 Prep Package. Over-the-air software updates allow owners of select Ford vehicles to update software from the convenience...

Strategy Analytics: Overall UX of BEVs does not match price point

Apr 15, 2021: A new report from the Strategy Analytics In-Vehicle UX (IVX) service, “Consumer Interest in EVs: Lingering Concerns Meet a COVID Bump,” surveyed car owners across the US, UK, and China regarding their interest in and concerns with BEV ownership. While interest in BEV and hybrid ownership is relatively strong in...

Audi presents Q4 e-tron and Q4 Sportback e-tron

Apr 15, 2021: Audi presented the Audi Q4 e-tron (earlier post) and the Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron. These all-electric models represent the brand’s entry into premium e-mobility in the compact segment. Depending on the motor version, they achieve ranges of up to 520 kilometers (323.1 mi) (WLTP), and the top versions come with...

In Europe, industry and environmentalists call for binding targets for infrastructure for zero-emission trucks

Apr 15, 2021: Truck makers and environmentalists have joined forces to push for the deployment of 11,000 charging points for electric trucks across the EU by 2025, rising to 42,000 by 2030. The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) and Transport & Environment (T&E) made this call to the European Commission in a joint...

California EV rebate demand exceeds CVRP funding; rebates have gone to nearly 65% of all California EV owners

Apr 15, 2021: In response to strong demand for electric vehicles, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) expects rebate funds for the statewide Clean Vehicle Rebate Project (CVRP) to be exhausted within 30 days. Electric vehicles (EVs) account for nearly 8% of all light-duty vehicles sold in California. More than 145,000 EVs were...

Bosch and Qingling Motors cooperate on fuel cells; new JV in China

Apr 15, 2021: Bosch and China-based premium commercial vehicle manufacturer Qingling Motors have established a joint venture in China: Bosch Hydrogen Powertrain Systems (Chongqing) Co. Ltd. The new company will develop, assemble and market fuel cell systems for the Chinese market. The goal is to pool the technology and market expertise of both...

LADOT count shows a 22% increase in biking, 6% drop in walking in 2019 from 2017

Apr 15, 2021: The Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) has published findings and data from its inaugural study counting the number of people biking and walking on Los Angeles streets. The count, which took place at 63 intersections over several weekends in 2019, reveals trends in active transportation while observing the demographics...

A campus building is designed to reduce stress from Californias car culture

Apr 14, 2021: Efficiency Lab for Architecture unveils Community Information Center for an Avenues: The World School campus in San Jose.

Fukushima nuclear power plant to release contaminated water into ocean

Apr 14, 2021: Ten years after an earthquake and tsunami caused meltdowns at the Fukushima power plant, Japan has announced plans to release contaminated water from the plant into the ocean.

Global warming driving mass migration of marine life

Apr 14, 2021: Marine life is migrating from the equator to the tropics, according to a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Lessons from Schoonschip, Amsterdam's floating eco-village

Apr 14, 2021: How can people live in harmony with global warming and rising water levels? In Amsterdam, a group of forward-thinking people decided to go with the flow.

Eco-friendly, affordable housing emphasizes walkability in Milan

Apr 14, 2021: Cascina Merlata Lot R7/2 is a social housing complex that will function as a “city within the city” where residents can walk or ride their bicycles to everything they need for their daily lives.

Mazda’s first EV MX-30 coming to US market in fall 2021; series-hybrid version with rotary engine to follow

Apr 14, 2021: Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) announced the introduction of the all-new Mazda MX-30, the brand’s first battery-electric vehicle that was unveiled at the 2019 Tokyo Motor Show, to the US market beginning in fall 2021 with California dealerships. The vehicle will mark the first step in Mazda’s multi-solution electrification strategy....

UMD-led study: road salts and other human sources are threatening world’s freshwater supplies

Apr 14, 2021: When winter storms threaten to make travel dangerous, people often turn to salt, spreading it liberally over highways, streets and sidewalks to melt snow and ice. But a new study led by Sujay Kaushal of the University of Maryland warns that introducing salt into the environment—whether it's for de-icing roads,...

New powertrain line-up for Hyundai 2022 Tucson

Apr 14, 2021: Hyundai’s 2022 Tucson, with its all-new design, will begin arriving in the US market this spring (gasoline and hybrid models), with plug-in models available in summer 2021. The new 2022 Tucson internal combustion models will be produced at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) and Ulsan, Korea. The new Tucson for...

Yamaha Motor accepting orders for prototype 350kW-class hyper-EV electric motor

Apr 14, 2021: Yamaha Motor has developed an electric motor reaching the industry’s highest class in output density. This unit is aimed at use in hyper-EV models and other offerings in the high-output mobility segment; Yamaha is accepting orders for commissioned prototype development from April this year. Since 2020, Yamaha Motor has been...

Udelv to use Mobileye DRIVE in more than 35,000 autonomous delivery vehicles

Apr 14, 2021: Mobileye, an Intel Company, and Udelv, a Silicon Valley venture-backed company, announced that Mobileye’s self-driving system—Mobileye Drive—will “drive” the next-generation Udelv autonomous delivery vehicles (ADV), called “Transporters.” The companies plan to produce more than 35,000 Mobileye-driven Transporters by 2028, with commercial operations beginning in 2023. Our deal with Udelv is...

Cummins and Tula study of Diesel Dynamic Skip Fire (dDSF) shows 74% reduction in NOx, 5% in CO2 on low load cycle

Apr 14, 2021: Cummins Inc. and Tula Technology, Inc., a leader in propulsion efficiency, announced at SAE International’s WCX the results of their collaborative study on the effectiveness of Tula’s diesel Dynamic Skip Fire (dDSF) in reducing nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions on a Cummins X15 HD Efficiency Series diesel...

Ampcera announces internal battery heating architecture for fast-charging solid-state batteries

Apr 14, 2021: Ampcera Inc., a developer of solid electrolyte technologies for advanced electric vehicle batteries (earlier post), announced a new, low-cost, energy-efficient internal heating battery architecture that directly targets the solid electrolyte separator, the key component in solid-state batteries. This novel technology enables solid-state batteries to deliver superior performance, including starting and...

California Energy Commission announces first incentive project for zero-emission truck and bus infrastructure

Apr 14, 2021: The California Energy Commission (CEC) has approved a first-of-its-kind project to accelerate the deployment of infrastructure needed to fuel zero-emission trucks, buses and equipment. Administered by CALSTART, the EnergIIZE Commercial Vehicles (Energy Infrastructure Incentives for Zero-Emission Commercial Vehicles) project will use a concierge-like model working directly with eligible applicants to help plan and...

Proterra selected in electric bus contract by Washington State Department of Enterprise Services

Apr 14, 2021: Proterra Inc has been selected by the Washington State Department of Enterprise Services as a vendor to supply zero-emission battery-electric transit buses and charging infrastructure under the state’s regional Cooperative Purchasing Contract. Proterra was chosen to help streamline local transit agencies’ access to vehicles that best meet their specific transit...

Neste, NuStar expand renewable fuel hub in Northern California

Apr 14, 2021: Neste and NuStar Energy L.P. announced that supply trucks are now able to load Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel at the NuStar-operated Selby Terminal near San Francisco, California. The first gallons have been safely picked up and delivered to the nearby Monterey Regional Airport. Due to the strategic location of...

A solar-ready holiday home disappears into a Czech forest

Apr 13, 2021: When Czech architecture firm NEW HOW Architects was asked to design a holiday home in the Ore Mountains, it decided to craft a nature-inspired home that would go against the trend of white plaster houses in the area.

French government to ban short domestic flights in favor of trains

Apr 13, 2021: The French government is planning to end all short flights for routes that could be traveled in 2.5 hours or less by train in order to reduce carbon emissions.

Nepal's rhino population is on the rise

Apr 13, 2021: The 2021 numbers are up 16% for a total of 752 rhinos, according to results released by Nepal’s government this week.

Charlotte McCurdy, Phillip Lim design carbon-neutral algae sequin dress

Apr 13, 2021: Fashionable materials like sequins don’t have to come at a cost to the environment.

Virtual Pollinator Park shows a future with or without pollinators

Apr 13, 2021: What will the world be like once pollinating insects, like the honeybee, are gone?

Group14 Technologies launches commercial manufacturing factory in US for lithium-silicon anode materials

Apr 13, 2021: US-based Group14 Technologies, a global provider of silicon-carbon composite materials for lithium-ion markets, announced the launch of its first commercial-scale 27,000-square foot US manufacturing factory to meet demand for higher-performing lithium-silicon anode materials. The new factory, located at Group14 HQ in Woodinville, Washington, also will house a new R&D center,...

NVIDIA’s automotive pipeline now exceeds $8B for DRIVE AI-based mobility solutions

Apr 13, 2021: Volvo Cars, Zoox and SAIC are among the growing number of leading transportation companies using the newest NVIDIA DRIVE solutions to power their next-generation AI-based autonomous vehicles. NVIDIA’s design-win pipeline for NVIDIA DRIVE now totals more than $8 billion over the next six years, reflecting a growing range of next-generation...

New partnership to advance high-temperature PEM fuel cells; focus on heavy-duty applications

Apr 13, 2021: A new partnership comprising Los Alamos National Laboratory, Advent Technology Holdings Inc., Brookhaven National Laboratory, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) will work over the next few years to bring to market high-temperature proton exchange membrane (HT-PEM) fuel cells. Traditional PEM fuel cells have a relatively low operating temperature,...

ABB to provide power and propulsion solution for 10 all-electric ferries

Apr 13, 2021: ABB has secured a contract with Spanish shipbuilder Astilleros Gondán to supply the all-electric power solution for fast 40-meter urban passenger ferries transporting up to 540 passengers each across Lisbon’s Tagus river. The 10 new ferries will be operated by the public ferry company Transtejo, S.A. and will replace the...

Altom receives first order for hydrogen trains in France

Apr 13, 2021: The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Grand Est and Occitanie regions in France have signed the first order for dual-mode electric-hydrogen trains in France. Acting on behalf of the four regions, SNCF Voyageurs has placed an order with Alstom for the first 12 dual mode electric-hydrogen trains (plus two optional trainsets) in the...

Leclanché develops 65 Ah high-energy lithium-ion pouch cell for electric and hybrid bus and truck applications

Apr 13, 2021: Leclanché SA has developed a new, high-energy 65 Ah lithium-ion pouch cell to meet the demands of bus and truck manufacturers seeking increased range and operating time for fully electric and hybrid-electric vehicles. Leclanché’s new high energy, 65 Ah lithium-ion pouch cell is designed for energy intensive applications. It features...

Li-ion battery recycling and manufacturing startup Battery Resourcers completes $20M Series B

Apr 13, 2021: Battery Resourcers, a vertically integrated lithium-ion battery recycling and manufacturing company, recently completed a $20-million Series B equity round with financing led by Orbia Ventures, the venture capital arm of the multinational Orbia, and participation from other investors including At One Ventures, TDK Ventures, TRUMPF Venture, Doral Energy-Tech Ventures andJaguar...

REE Automotive signs strategic collaboration agreement with Magna; Modular Electric Vehicles with REEcorner technology

Apr 13, 2021: REE Automotive Ltd (REE) announced a strategic collaboration agreement with Magna International to bring to market Modular Electric Vehicles (MEVs) for tech companies and new electric mobility players under the “Powered by REE” brand. The strategic collaboration will explore the combination of REE’s REEcorner technology (earlier post) with Magna’s vehicle...

Baker Institute: China positioning itself to dominate world’s copper supply

Apr 13, 2021: China is positioning itself to dominate the global supply of copper, a material in high demand as the world transitions to alternative energy systems, according to experts from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. “If China’s dominance of rare earth element supplies is the global energy transition’s ‘elephant in...