SmartEnergyViews

The all-electric WIV chassis. Click to enlarge. Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) presented the preproduction plug-in all-electric walk-in van (WIV) chassis at the 2010 National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA) Work Truck Show. The new chassis model is the only one... Mike Millikin

Work has begun on a new EU-funded project to improve the performance of Europe’s biorefineries. Dubbed EUROBIOREF (European multilevel integrated biorefinery design for sustainable biomass processing), the project aims to improve cost efficiency by 30%, cut energy use by 30%... Mike Millikin

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with MM Automobile Schweiz AG and Switzerland’s largest electricity provider Alpiq Holding AG (Alpiq) through which the three parties will work together to promote the popularization of the new-generation... Mike Millikin

Nanoscience is quite fascinated with the process of photosynthesis. They want to duplicate this process exhibited by green plants and utilize the solar power for energy use. Till now power generating solar panels are not in a position to replace the fossil fuels. They produce little amount of energy and quite expensive also. Generation [...]
Posted in: Biofuels, Inventions, Solar Power

The United Nations Secretary General and the Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) announced have asked the InterAcademy Council (IAC) to conduct an independent review of the IPCC’s processes and procedures to further strengthen the quality of... Mike Millikin

Researchers from TU Delft have demonstrated the ability of a newly-engineered bacterium to support the in situ breakdown of toxic fermentation inhibitors in lignocellulosic hydrolysates produced when sugars are released from biomass for subsequent fermentation. Fermentable sugars can be released... Mike Millikin

Cutaway of the 7H-AMT. Click to enlarge. FEV, Inc. will show its internally developed 7-speed hybrid automated manual transmission (7H-AMT) at the upcoming 2010 SAE World Congress, 13-15 April 2010 in Detroit. The 7H-AMT is designed specifically for transverse installation,... Mike Millikin

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) will award $8 million to help develop or commercialize 19 advanced energy storage projects. The awards are being made to companies and universities across New York that are involved in... Mike Millikin

Google has added biking directions in the US to Google Maps. This has been the most requested addition to Google Maps, according to the company, which unveiled the new feature at the National Bike Summit in Washington, DC. This new... Mike Millikin

During an investor day organized in Paris, Valeo presented its new strategic plan focused on CO2 emissions reduction as well as medium-term financial objectives that include higher organic growth; being a major player in the consolidation of the sector; re-organization... Mike Millikin

Generic format of the approval mark pursuant to Regulation No. 100. “1” is replaced by the distinguishing number of the country which has granted/extended/refused/withdrawn approval. The first two digits of the approval number (01) indicate that the approval was granted... Mike Millikin

World crude oil production model. Credit: ACS, Nashawi et al. Click to enlarge. Scientists from Kuwait University and Kuwait Oil Company are forecasting that world conventional crude oil production will peak in 2014—almost a decade earlier than some other predictions.... Mike Millikin

Scientists from IBM and Stanford University are developing organic molecules for use as catalysts (organocatalysis) that could lead to the development of new types of biodegradable, biocompatible plastics. In a Perspective published in the ACS journal Macromolecules, they highlight the... Mike Millikin

Smith Electric Vehicles US Inc (SEVUS), the UK-based Tanfield Group’s 49% owned associate (earlier post), has made a £70-million (US$105 million) a non-binding, conditional cash and stock offer for Tanfield’s Smith Electric Vehicle (SEV) division in the UK, the 49%... Mike Millikin

The EM100 base module showcased at the ARPA-E summit. Click to enlarge. EcoMotors International, a Khosla-funded startup working to commercialize an opoc (opposed-piston, opposed-cylinder) engine family (earlier post), showcased its EM100 (100mm cylinder bore) base module implementation at the ARPA-E... Mike Millikin

NanoeXa, a designer and manufacturer of advanced Lithium-ion battery materials for a range of applications, is using its Quantum Simulation Software (QSS)—based on a quantum-simulated database of materials including structures and properties, and a simulation engine—rapidly to identify and then... Mike Millikin

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected a project with NRG Energy to receive up to $154 million, including funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Located in Thompsons, TX, the post-combustion capture and sequestration project will demonstrate... Mike Millikin

KAIST’s operational OLEV. Click to enlarge. The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has developed and deployed a prototype implementation of its online electric vehicle (OLEV) technology that picks up electricity from power cables buried underground through a... Mike Millikin

A123 Systems has entered an agreement with Navistar, Inc. to develop lithium-ion battery systems for electric vehicles (EVs) for the Navistar Modec Electric Vehicle Alliance, a joint venture between Navistar and Modec. (Earlier post.) According to the agreement, A123 will... Mike Millikin

Sunpods Inc. is California-based manufacturing company. They produce modular, fully integrated and tested solar power generation systems. Recently they have come out with an idea of the first solar power-assist system for buses. They should be applauded for developing it in a mere six weeks. Their partner is Bauer Intelligent Transportation. The system developed [...]
Posted in: Public Transit, Solar Power, Transportation