Transportation News

ESW Beauty makes eco-friendly sheet masks your skin will love

Nov 26, 2020: Few people would argue that the convenience and skincare benefits of sheet masks outweigh the environmental harm and extra waste these products create. Offering a solution to this puzzling problem, ESW Beauty’s Raw Juice Cleanse Sheet Masks will help your skin without harming the environment.

Inspiring mud-and-bamboo Anandaloy Building uplifts a Bangladeshi community

Nov 26, 2020: This unconventional project combines sustainable construction and social development to catalyze local development in rural Bangladesh.

Fiat 500 3+1 electric vehicle gets a fresh redesign

Nov 26, 2020: The Fiat 500 3+1 electric car is designed to attract customers who want a smart, sustainable ride that blends style and functionality.

Researchers create hydrogen-producing living droplets

Nov 26, 2020: Researchers at the University of Bristol in the UK and Harbin Institute of Technology in China have built tiny droplet-based algal factories that produce hydrogen, instead of oxygen, when exposed to daylight in air. An open-access paper on their work is published in Nature Communications. Normally, algal cells fix carbon...

Nissan launches all-new Note in Japan, exclusively with second-generation e-POWER electrified powertrain

Nov 26, 2020: Nissan launched the all-new Note compact car in Japan, with sales planned to begin 23 December. The new Note will come exclusively with Nissan’s e-POWER electrified powertrain (earlier post). As the company’s best-selling model in its home market, the car continues to play a key role in the Nissan NEXT...

Groupe Renault creating first European factory dedicated to the circular economy of mobility in Flins

Nov 26, 2020: Groupe Renault is creating the REFACTORY in Flins, the first European circular economy site dedicated to mobility. By 2030, it will employ more than 3,000 people in dedicated professions. The implementation of this industrial and commercial ecosystem will take place gradually between 2021 and 2024, replacing the production of new...

Solaris to supply two hydrogen buses to Transdev in Sweden

Nov 26, 2020: Operator Transdev has signed a contract with Solaris Bus & Coach to supply two hydrogen buses. The vehicles will roll out onto the streets of the Swedish city of Sandviken in autumn 2021. Solaris Urbino CNG (in yellow and red), operating X-Trafik Gävle—the hydrogen buses in Sandviken will have the...

EPA confirms 250-mile range for Volkswagen ID.4 Pro and 1st Edition electric SUV

Nov 26, 2020: The Volkswagen 2021 ID.4 electric SUV 1st Edition and Pro models officially have an EPA-estimated 250 miles of range on a single charge. The EPA-estimated fuel economy for city driving is 104 MPGe; highway driving is rated at 89 MPGe, and combined city/highway at 97 MPGe. The first models to...

TTTech Auto establishes Car.OS unit and expands company structure

Nov 26, 2020: TTTech Auto—a provider of software and hardware platforms for automated driving and beyond, applicable in series production programs—has expanded its development scope and altered its structure based on three distinct pillars. These include a newly set-up Car.OS unit that will focus on forward-looking technology; a scaled-up customer programs unit; and...

Move Quick: Here Are the Best Black Friday Automotive Deals

Nov 26, 2020: Many major retailers are taking a different approach to Black Friday in 2020, launching deals ahead of Thanksgiving. That means you don’t have to necessarily wait until Black Friday to save money this year. But that also means it’s not as easy to find the best deals, since they’re scattered all across the internet over […] The post Move Quick: Here Are the Best Black Friday Automotive Deals appeared first on HybridCars.com.

Fram Museum extension is dedicated to environmental education

Nov 25, 2020: The building follows the architects' vision "that architecture exemplifies how we care for our environment."…

Denmark's top fur cooperative is closing

Nov 25, 2020: While animal-lovers may rejoice at the end of Kopenhagen Fur, it comes after the culling of 17 million mink.

New eco-friendly, decomposing construction foam unveiled

Nov 25, 2020: Researchers have come up with a new, more eco-friendly and effective form of building insulation material. The new material was developed due to the shortcomings of the traditional polyurethane-based foam insulators.

The Ocean Cleanup launches sunglasses made from ocean plastic

Nov 25, 2020: Profits from the sunglasses go toward the organization's cleanup efforts in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Arplan envisions a new, green City Oasis for Latvia

Nov 25, 2020: City Oasis is expected to serve as an example of sustainable urban planning for the future.

Motherson Group collaborating with UBQ to bring carbon-negative thermoplastics into auto parts

Nov 25, 2020: Global automotive Tier 1 manufacturer Motherson Group is collaborating with Israeli cleantech company UBQ Materials. The companies are joining efforts to implement the carbon-negative UBQ thermoplastic (earlier post) into auto parts manufactured by Motherson Group for the automotive industry. UBQ is a patented material converted from 100% unsorted household waste,...

Roskill sees recovery in lithium industry, buoyed by demand from rechargeable battery applications

Nov 25, 2020: Despite the trend toward transportation electrification, the lithium industry has had a rough few years. In its new Lithium Outlook to 2030 report, Roskill notes that the prolonged downward trend for lithium compound and mineral concentrate prices has caused a difficult environment for many lithium producers since 2018. In 2019,...

CARB approves significant changes to stationary source emissions reporting requirements; reportable chemicals approximately triple to more than 1300

Nov 25, 2020: The California Air Resources Board has approved significant changes to the requirements for reporting emissions from stationary sources to help communities assess air pollution at a local level. The improvements to the emission inventory will help with prioritizing efforts to further reduce emissions of pollutants that cause smog as well...

DOE awarding $35M to 11 projects for hydrokinetic turbine development; ARPA-E SHARKS

Nov 25, 2020: The US Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding $35 million to 11 projects as part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s (ARPA-E) Submarine Hydrokinetic And Riverine Kilo-megawatt Systems (SHARKS) program. SHARKS teams will develop new economically competitive Hydrokinetic Turbines (HKT) designs for tidal and riverine currents. Hydrokinetic energy is an...

Freudenberg Sealing Technologies starts series production of DIAvent pressure equalization element for batteries for BJEV EV

Nov 25, 2020: Freudenberg Sealing Technologies is starting high-volume production of its DIAvent pressure compensation component for the first time for use in a Chinese passenger car: the new ARCFOX α-T electric car from the Chinese manufacturer Beijing Electric Vehicles (BJEV). In 2017, Freudenberg introduced the innovative pressure compensation element DIAvent. In batteries...

MAHLE opens new €3M test bench for electric drives in Germany

Nov 25, 2020: MAHLE has commissioned a test bench for electric drives in Stuttgart/Germany. This equipment will be used to develop and test e-axles and e-drive units for a wide range of electric and hybrid vehicles. The first test on a unit was successfully performed on behalf of a customer just a few...

Solaris delivers electric school bus; Kangaroo program

Nov 25, 2020: Solaris has delivered an electric Urbino 12 school bus to the commune of Gręboszów in Poland. The purchase of the eco-friendly vehicle was subsidized by the NFOŚiGW (the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management) as part of the “Kangaroo: A Safe and Environmentally Friendly Way to School” program....

Ebusco and ROCSYS partnering to use robots to automate charging at bus depots

Nov 25, 2020: Ebusco, supplier of electric buses & chargers and Rocsys, supplier of EV charging automation, will provide a fully automated charging solution at bus depots. The innovative Rocsys robotics solution ensures that the CCS plug of the depot charger is plugged into the bus automatically and 100% correctly. As a part...

EGC enters trading agreement with Trafigura with the aim to transform the ASM cobalt mining sector in DRC

Nov 25, 2020: Entreprise Générale du Cobalt (EGC) signed a trading agreement with Trafigura Pte Ltd. The trading agreement includes the provision of finance by Trafigura to fund the creation of strictly controlled artisanal mining zones, the installation of ore purchasing stations and costs related to the transparent and traceable delivery of cobalt...

Reused teak and earthy stone make up a luxury Goan home with canal views

Nov 24, 2020: This luxury home makes the most of its lush, tropical surroundings.

Climate change is leading to increased winter drownings

Nov 24, 2020: Skating, ice fishing, and other survival and recreational activities are becoming more dangerous as rising temperatures lead to weaker ice.

New global bee map gives scientists a conservation baseline

Nov 24, 2020: A new, global bee map is tracking the more than 20,000 bee species on Earth to help aid in their conservation.

MVRDV unveils sustainable Chengdu Sky Valley masterplan

Nov 24, 2020: Sky Valley will promote self-sufficient lifestyles.

A lakeside, prefab home in Quebec aims for LEED Gold

Nov 24, 2020: See how an architect turns the site of a humble country home into a beacon of sustainability that shines LEED Gold.

Buick debuts V2X technology in China; first V2X vehicle to roll out by year end

Nov 24, 2020: Buick’s vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology made its debut at the Guangzhou International Automobile Exhibition. Later this year, Buick will become the first brand in China officially to roll out the market-ready technology on a production vehicle, a Buick GL8. V2X technology has a crucial role to play in improving safety and...

Xpeng announces next-gen autonomous driving architecture; lidar for enhanced object recognition

Nov 24, 2020: Xpeng Inc., a leading Chinese smart electric vehicle company, announced its next-generation autonomous driving architecture at Auto Guangzhou 2020. The company is incorporating lidar as a new hardware component for its next-generation autonomous driving architecture, significantly improving the vehicle’s high-precision object recognition performance. The new hardware architecture is a combination...

TUAT team develops more efficient method to recover heavy oil using novel chemical flooding

Nov 24, 2020: By making use of a previously undesired side effect in oil recovery, researchers at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) have developed a method that yields up to 20% more heavy oil than traditional methods. A paper on the work is published in the ACS journal Energy & Fuels....

Cummins survey finds growing commuter support for hydrogen-fueled public transport in Europe; willing to pay more

Nov 24, 2020: Cummins, in conjunction with European Hydrogen Week, shared new research showing that more than half of the United Kingdom (UK) commuters would be willing to travel to work on a train or bus powered by hydrogen to lower their carbon footprint and reduce emissions. Nearly half of commuters in Belgium...

T&E study finds plug-in hybrids show higher CO2 emissions than claimed

Nov 24, 2020: Three of the most popular plug-in hybrids in 2020 all emitted more CO2 than advertised when tested in the real world, according to tests commissioned by European environmental NGO Transport & Environment (T&E). T&E said governments should therefore end the purchase subsidies and tax breaks for plug-in hybrids. T&E has...

Audi and KIT working on recycling for automotive plastics via pyrolysis oil

Nov 24, 2020: A large number of components in automobiles are made from plastics; these have to meet exacting safety, heat-resistance and quality requirements. That is why, so far, only petroleum-based materials have been suitable for manufacturing plastic components in automobiles that are subjected to particularly intensive wear. Such materials are not recyclable...

XL Fleet: largest partner expects to double orders in 2021 to more than 2,000 units

Nov 24, 2020: XL Fleet announced that Farmbro Inc., an Ontario-based upfitting solutions service provider specializing in commercial and work vehicles, expects to double its sales volume from approximately 1,000 XL unit installations in 2020 to more than 2,000 in 2021 to meet the increasing demand for fleet electrification in Canada. As part...

EPA collects penalties for alleged automobile ‘defeat device’ violations by two Iowa companies

Nov 24, 2020: The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reached settlements with two Iowa companies for allegedly tampering with car engines to render emissions controls inoperative, in violation of the federal Clean Air Act. According to EPA, Menzel Enterprises Iowa Inc. of West Des Moines installed “defeat devices” in at least five...

Submit your vegan recipes to win this sustainable chef's kit!

Nov 23, 2020: Share your original vegan holiday recipes with Inhabitat for a chance to win an air fryer, bamboo cutting boards, a knife set and Stasher bags!

The top 10 houseplants of 2020 and what's trending for 2021

Nov 23, 2020: With so many people staying at home because of coronavirus, plants are becoming a popular and easy way to spruce up interior spaces, balconies, porches and outdoor living areas. But which plants are most popular? Research from Flowercard reveals 2020's trendiest houseplants and what to expect in 2021.

Engineering student turns food waste into renewable energy

Nov 23, 2020: What if those old carrots you never got around to eating could be a renewable energy source?

A geometric double roof promotes natural cooling at this Tropical Chalet

Nov 23, 2020: This four-bedroom villa relies on perforated brick for natural ventilation while remaining protected from the elements.

Nwa, the design for a self-sustaining city on Mars

Nov 23, 2020: As part of scientific work for a competition organized by the Mars Society, an American non-profit dedicated to exploring the Red Planet, architecture firm Abiboo has unveiled design concepts for a sustainable city on Mars. The project, called Nüwa, ranked as a finalist among 175 projects submitted from around the world for the 2020 competition.

EEA: 3/4 of EU urban population exposed to toxic air as governments fail to cut emissions

Nov 23, 2020: Most Europeans living in cities are still breathing air that is dangerous to their health, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA) in a new report; governments are not doing enough to cut toxic emissions at source, campaigners warn. Data show that harmful emissions, especially from farming and domestic heating,...

UNSW Sydney to lead hydrogen supply chain study with Germany

Nov 23, 2020: Australia and Germany have released national hydrogen strategies to help grow the development of renewable hydrogen as a clean source of energy. UNSW Sydney will lead a consortium of Australian research and industry partners, who will work together with partners in Germany to test the feasibility of a renewable energy-based...

Hyundai Motor and INEOS partnering on driving hydrogen economy forward

Nov 23, 2020: Hyundai Motor Company and INEOS signed a memorandum of understanding to explore new opportunities to accelerate the global hydrogen economy. Hyundai and INEOS will jointly investigate opportunities for the production and supply of hydrogen as well as the worldwide deployment of hydrogen applications and technologies. Both companies will initially seek...

Great Wall Motors spin-off SVOLT investing €2B in two battery production sites in Germany; 100 GWh capacity worldwide by 2025

Nov 23, 2020: China-based SVOLT Energy Technology Co., Ltd. will invest up to €2 billion to establish its European production site in Germany. A module and pack factory as well as a state-of-the-art cell factory with 24 GWh production capacity in the final expansion stage will be built at two Saarland locations. Battery...

ICL researchers develop new membrane-based system for cheap, efficiently made biofuels

Nov 23, 2020: Researchers at Imperial College London have developed a membrane-based extraction system for the production of biofuels which uses less than 25% of the energy of current processes and produces ten times more biofuel with more than 99.5% purity. The open-access findings are published in the RSC journal Energy & Environmental...

US DOT releases major update of ITS Architecture Reference and Toolsets

Nov 23, 2020: The Architecture Reference for Cooperative and Intelligent Transportation (ARC-IT) version 9.0 is a major release of the US National ITS Architecture Reference that fully defines and upgrades the four architecture views that were initially defined in ARC-IT 8.0. This includes changes to support vehicle automation content inspired by research results...

Proterra sells more than 1,000 electric buses in North America

Nov 23, 2020: Proterra announced that Broward County Transit (BCT) has agreed to purchase 12 40-foot Proterra ZX5 battery-electric transit buses with 660 kWh of onboard energy and the DuoPower drivetrain. With Broward County’s purchase, Proterra has now sold more than 1,000 battery-electric transit buses in North America. Introduced in September, the Proterra...

Indonesian eco village features rammed earth domes and ocean views

Nov 20, 2020: Dome Lombok enjoys stunning ocean views, permaculture gardens, a farm-to-table restaurant, an organic juice bar, an outdoor cinema and a swimming pool.