Transportation News

House of Childhood is a daycare that emphasizes energy efficiency

Jan 20, 2021: Translated House of Childhood, the building was designed by Tectoniques Agency and is functional, inviting, striking and environmentally friendly.

Federal court dismisses Trump's rollback on regulating carbon emissions

Jan 20, 2021: A federal court has turned down the Environmental Protection Agency's efforts to lessen carbon emission regulations for coal plants.

Gothenburg, Sweden develops world's first zero-emissions zone

Jan 20, 2021: The Swedish city of Gothenburg is developing the world's first large-scale zero-emissions city zone. In collaboration with Volvo Cars, Gothenburg's Green City Zone initiative will be open to economic activities, allowing people to participate in businesses while supporting a sustainable environment.

Former prison site to transform into green mixed-use district

Jan 20, 2021: In the Copenhagen suburb of Albertslund, the former Vridsløselille prison site will take on new life as an attractive mixed-use district with a strong emphasis on nature. The development plan for the 160,000-square-meter district will combine the design proposal by Danish architectural firm Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects and landscape architects BOGL with the scheme put forth by COBE Architects.

Need a bike helmet? 'Grow It Yourself' with mycelium

Jan 20, 2021: Tired of replacing all those plastic bike helmets? Now, there's a more sustainable option. The 100% compostable Grow It Yourself Helmet is made from mycelium.

FLITE consortium building Europe’s first Alcohol-to-Jet plant; Lanzatech technology

Jan 20, 2021: The FLITE (Fuel via Low Carbon Integrated Technology from Ethanol) consortium, led by SkyNRG and with LanzaTech as the technology provider, will build the first-of-its-kind LanzaJet Alcohol to Jet (AtJ) facility. The facility will convert waste-based ethanol to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a scale of more than 30,000 tons/yr....

Cruise and GM partner with Microsoft to commercialize autonomous vehicles; $2B in new funding, Cruise sending test vehicles to Japan

Jan 20, 2021: Cruise and General Motors have entered a long-term strategic relationship with Microsoft to accelerate the commercialization of self-driving vehicles. Microsoft is joining GM, Honda and institutional investors in a combined new equity investment of more than $2 billion in Cruise, bringing the post-money valuation of Cruise to $30 billion. To...

PACCAR and Aurora partner to develop and commercialize autonomous Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks

Jan 20, 2021: PACCAR and Aurora have signed a global, strategic agreement to develop, test and commercialize autonomous Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks. This collaboration will integrate PACCAR’s autonomous vehicle platform with the Aurora Driver to enhance the safety and operational efficiency of PACCAR’s customers. Autonomous Peterbilt 579 Test Vehicle with Aurora Driver. In...

TRI and Stanford working to combine vehicle automation with AI algorithms inspired by professional drift drivers

Jan 20, 2021: Researchers at Toyota Research Institute (TRI) are conducting research with Stanford’s Dynamic Design Lab into how to bring together the instincts of professional drift drivers and automated driving technology. Thee goal is to design a new level of active safety technology and share it broadly so that Toyota and other...

Porsche extends all-electric Taycan model range with new entry-level model with rear-wheel drive

Jan 20, 2021: Porsche has introduced the fourth variant of its first all-electric sports sedan. The new Taycan model lines up alongside the Taycan Turbo S, Taycan Turbo and Taycan 4S. It features rear-wheel drive and is available with two sizes of battery: with the standard Performance Battery, the new entry-level model delivers...

EV charging network builder Volta announces $125M in Series D funding

Jan 20, 2021: Volta, a builder of commerce-centric electric vehicle (EV) charging networks, announced an oversubscribed Series D financing of $125 million. Goldman Sachs acted as exclusive placement agent to the company in connection with the financing. Volta builds and operates an EV charging network with the highest utilization in the United States....

BNEF: global investment in energy transition hit $500B in 2020; $139B on EVs and infrastructure

Jan 20, 2021: A new, broad measure of “energy transition investment”, compiled by BloombergNEF (BNEF), shows that the world committed a record $501.3 billion to decarbonization in 2020, beating the previous year by 9% despite the economic disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. BNEF’s analysis shows that companies, governments and households invested $303.5...

Autobus Séguin orders 60 LionC electric school buses

Jan 20, 2021: Autobus Groupe Séguin, a transportation operator headquartered in Laval, Québec, has ordered 60 LionC electric school buses over a five-year period. Autobus Séguin will integrate the all-electric buses into the company’s current fleet of vehicles, one of the largest in Québec. This order is the single largest to date in...

New generation of Freudenberg DIAvent valves supports 4x faster emergency degassing of batteries

Jan 20, 2021: Freudenberg Sealing Technologies is introducing a new generation of DIAvent valves (earlier post), which ensure that reaction gases can escape from damaged lithium-ion batteries four times faster than before. At the same time, the valve maintains the continuous pressure compensation required for normal battery operation. The company is preparing for...

DOE to award $28.35M for R&D on advanced processing of rare earth elements and critical minerals from coal-based resources

Jan 20, 2021: The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) has announced $28.35 million in federal funding for cost-shared research and development projects under the Funding Opportunity Announcement DE-FOA-0002404, Advanced Processing of Rare Earth Elements and Critical Minerals for Industrial and Manufacturing Applications. The US imports more than half...

Deadline for applying for Keeling Curve Prize is 10 Feb; $250K for 10 projects

Jan 20, 2021: The deadline is fast approaching to apply for the 2021 Keeling Curve Prize, which will award $25,000 to each of 10 projects designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or increase carbon uptake. The competition is open until 10 Feb to applicants from around the world. Previous winners have fixed carbon...

The Mountain tiny home comes with a skylit cedar shower

Jan 19, 2021: Designed and built by CoMak Tiny Homes in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, this tiny home on wheels packs a ton of cool features into a pretty small package.

Biden expected to cancel Keystone XL project on first day in office

Jan 19, 2021: Sources close to the US. President-elect Joe Biden indicate that the President plans to cancel the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline project.

US solar panels may be partially produced via slave labor

Jan 19, 2021: The production of polysilicon and other solar panel parts in Xinjiang is suspected to be through slave labor. Will the US stop importing these problematic parts?

A new LEED Gold civic center will reinvigorate downtown Long Beach

Jan 19, 2021: Long Beach Civic Center Master Plan redesigns the downtown area into a vibrant, mixed-use district with multiple LEED-certified structures.

Could contraception for pigeons be a humane option for population control?

Jan 19, 2021: To get rid of pigeons, people typically trap, shoot or poison them. OvoControl is trying long-term birth control instead.

Maritime industry players join forces to realize the decarbonization potential of solid oxide fuel cells

Jan 19, 2021: Alfa Laval, DTU Energy, Haldor Topsoe, Svitzer and the Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping are entering into a joint project to accelerate the development of solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology. Funded by a grant from Danish EUDP (Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program), the partners will...

Rolls-Royce supplying two mtu gas engines for first LNG-hybrid tugboat

Jan 19, 2021: Rolls-Royce is supplying two mtu 16V 4000 M55RN gas engines to Sembcorp Marine Integrated Yard for the construction of the first liquefied natural gas (LNG)-hybrid powered tug. This is the first LNG-hybrid tug to be powered by mtu gas engines. Designed by LMG Marin (Norway), part of the Sembcorp Marine...

Penn State team develops thermally modulated LFP battery; fast-charging, inexpensive, long-life for mass-market EVs

Jan 19, 2021: A team of Penn State engineers has demonstrated a thermally modulated lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery to offer an adequate cruise range per charge that is extendable by a 10-minute recharge in all climates, essentially guaranteeing EVs that are free of range anxiety. Such a thermally modulated LFP battery—designed to...

Greenergy opts for Haldor Topsoe’s HydroFlex technology to produce low-carbon fuels from waste tires

Jan 19, 2021: Greenergy will invest in Front End Engineering Design (FEED) of a project to produce low-carbon transportation fuels from waste tires. In the first phase, the planned facility will process up to 300 tons of shredded tires each day to produce low-carbon, low-sulfur drop-in fuels that can be blended into diesel...

New Nissan Qashqai in Europe to offer 12V MHEV and upgraded e-POWER powertrains

Jan 19, 2021: Supporting Nissan’s goal of achieving 50% electrified sales in Europe by 2024, the new Nissan Qashqai will not only be available with a 1.3 DiG-T gasoline engine equipped with mild hybrid technology, but also e-POWER, Nissan’s non-plug-in series-hybrid electric powertrain in its European debut. The e-POWER system for New Qashqai...

Audi and FAW establishing new JV company for production of PPE-based EVs in China

Jan 19, 2021: Audi and FAW are forming a new new cooperation company for the future production of PPE-based electric vehicles in Changchun in the northeast of China. AUDI AG and Volkswagen Group China will receive a 60% share, making this company—founded for the local production of fully electric Audi models on the...

Ekoenergetyka-Polska wins RATP tender for up to 274 electric bus chargers

Jan 19, 2021: Ekoenergetyka-Polska has won a tender issued by RATP—a state-owned public transport operator and maintainer headquartered in Paris—and is implementing one of the largest contracts for charging infrastructure for electric buses in Europe. Ekoenergetyka-Polska will deliver 274 devices of 90 kW each. The charging stations for two Paris depots—Center Bus de...

DOE: Vermont had the highest number of public EV chargers per capita in US in November 2020

Jan 19, 2021: The number of public electric vehicle (EV) chargers across the country has been growing. As of November 2020, Vermont had the highest number of public chargers per capita with 114 EV chargers per 100,000 people, followed by the District of Columbia (81) and California (72), according to the US Department...

Audi models in Europe now Euro 6d compliant; twin-dosing for diesel, GPFs for gasoline

Jan 19, 2021: As of the beginning of 2021, Audi has converted its European vehicle range to the level of the Euro 6d emission standard. All models included in the currently valid sales program comply with the strict limits of the Euro 6d-ISC-FCM standard. Currently, 193 models are certified according to the new...

The Wzai 2.0 smart plant can give anyone a green thumb

Jan 18, 2021: Have you ever found yourself with a struggling houseplant, demanding to know why it won't thrive? Let the Wázai 2.0, the world's smartest bonsai, turn you into a master home gardener.

Seagrass purges 900M plastic bits from the Mediterranean yearly

Jan 18, 2021: A new study has found "Neptune Balls" full of plastic that wash ashore are the product of seagrass, which collects and purges plastic pollution from the water.

Cobalt-free batteries will make EVs more affordable

Jan 18, 2021: If the high price tag is all that stands between you and your dream Tesla, you might be able to afford one in a few years thanks to cobalt-free batteries.

This green-roofed cabin is made from local cedar and glass

Jan 18, 2021: Made from sustainable building materials, the Bowen Island House maintains deep connections to nature while minimizing environmental impact.

Dolmen Shelter renderings imagine stone-shaped guest rooms

Jan 18, 2021: Sibling team Davit and Mary Jilavyan have imagined a boutique hotel with stone-shaped guest rooms partially inspired by their housing complex in Moscow. The project, known as Dolmen Shelter, is a fictional rendering that the duo hopes to someday see brought to fruition by their friends in the building industry.

GM to invest nearly $800M to convert CAMI into Canada’s 1st large-scale commercial EV plant; EV600 first

Jan 18, 2021: Subject to ratification of a tentative 2021 agreement reached with Unifor and confirmation of government support, General Motors plans to bring production of its recently announced BrightDrop electric light commercial vehicle, the EV600 (earlier post), to its CAMI manufacturing plant in Ingersoll, Ontario. Powered by the Ultium battery system, the...

EC approves formation of Genvia to accelerate development of CEA high-temp reversible solid oxide electrolyzer technology

Jan 18, 2021: Schlumberger New Energy, the CEA and partners announced the European Commission’s approval for the formation of Genvia, a clean hydrogen production technology venture. In a private-public partnership model, Genvia combines the expertise and experience of Schlumberger and the CEA with VINCI Construction, Vicat, and the investment vehicle of the French...

Siemens Gamesa and Siemens Energy investing €120M over 5 years to develop fully integrated offshore wind-to-hydrogen system

Jan 18, 2021: Siemens Gamesa and Siemens Energy are joining forces to develop an innovative solution that fully integrates an electrolyzer into an offshore wind turbine as a single synchronized system to produce green hydrogen directly. The companies intend to provide a full-scale offshore demonstration of the solution by 2025/2026. Together with Siemens...

Shearwater Energy developing SMR wind-hybrid energy project; selects NuScale Power

Jan 18, 2021: Shearwater Energy Ltd., a United Kingdom-based hybrid clean energy company, is developing a wind-SMR (Small Modular Reactor) and hydrogen production hybrid energy project in North Wales. The project would provide 3 GWe of zero-carbon energy and is also expected to produce more than 3 million kilograms of green hydrogen per...

Mubadala, Siemens Energy sign MoU to accelerate green hydrogen capabilities in Abu Dhabi

Jan 18, 2021: Mubadala Investment Company and Siemens Energy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the intention of creating a strategic partnership to drive investment and development of advanced technology, manufacture of equipment, and green hydrogen and synthetic fuel production. The initial focus of activity will be in Abu Dhabi; it is...

New 6-axis ASIL-rated IMU from TDK enables design flexibility for accurate ADAS and autonomous car systems

Jan 18, 2021: TDK Corporation announced the availability of the InvenSense IAM-20685, the latest release in the SmartAutomotive product family. The IAM-20685 is a new ASIL-B monolithic 6-axis MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) developed in compliance with ISO 26262. Taking advantage of TDK’s proprietary MEMS fabrication platform and technology, the IAM-20685...

Toyota to pay $180M penalty for Clean Air Act reporting violations

Jan 18, 2021: The United States has filed and simultaneously settled a civil lawsuit against Toyota Motor Corporation, Toyota Motor North America Inc., Toyota Motor Sales USA and Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America for systematic, longstanding violations of Clean Air Act emission-related defect reporting requirements, which require manufacturers to report potential...

TDK company TPI and Uhnder to deliver world-class localization with digital imaging radar for autonomous platforms

Jan 17, 2021: Trusted Positioning Inc. (TPI), a TDK Group Company and leader in inertial navigation software, and Uhnder, a leader in digital radar technology have partnered to develop a localization reference design with world-class accuracy and performance with Uhnder’s software-defined digital radar sensor and TPI’s AUTO positioning software. The partnership between Uhnder...

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing introduces GR010 hybrid hypercar for WEC

Jan 17, 2021: TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has launched the all-new GR010 HYBRID Le Mans Hypercar, which will compete in the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). The reigning World Champions and three-time Le Mans winners will defend those titles against new manufacturer competitors using a racing version of the upcoming hypercar road car,...

T&E: Denmark, Luxembourg, Netherlands lead deployments of zero-emission buses in Europe

Jan 17, 2021: Denmark leads the way when it comes to putting zero-emission urban buses on the streets in Europe, with 78% of new vehicles being electric, according to the latest data from green NGO Transport & Environment. In Luxembourg and the Netherlands about two-thirds of new buses were zero-emissions. T&E said other...