By mmillikin Imec, a research and innovation hub in nanoelectronics, digital and energy technologies and partner in EnergyVille—a collaboration between the Flemish research partners KU Leuven, VITO, imec and UHasselt—has developed a solid-state Li-metal battery cell with an energy density of 400 Wh/liter at a charging speed of 0.5C (2 hours). Imec also announced that…
By mmillikin Groupe Renault, Nissan Motor Co., and Waymo have entered into an exclusive agreement for an initial period to explore all aspects of driverless mobility services for passengers and deliveries in France and Japan. The agreement is designed to bring together the strengths of each party and expand expertise by assessing market opportunities, working…
By mmillikin Volkswagen AG intends to group more than 5,000 digital experts together in its new “Car.Software” unit with Group responsibility for software in the vehicle by 2025. The company plans to develop significantly more software in the car and for vehicle-related services itself and to boost the in-house share of software development from the…
By mmillikin LG Chem Ltd. will establish an electric vehicle (EV) battery joint venture (JV) in China with Geely Automobile. Under the terms of a new joint venture agreement, LG Chem and Geely Automobile will establish a 50:50 venture. LG Chem and Geely will each invest US$87 million. The factory site and the name of…
By mmillikin Researchers in China have developed a one-pot process for the direct conversion of cellulose to ethanol with a yield of 43.2 C% over a multifunctional catalyst Mo/Pt/WOx, which effectively catalyzes the tandem reactions of cellulose to ethylene glycol (EG) and then to ethanol. A paper on their work is published in the journal…
By mmillikin Volkswagen AG is investing some €900 million (US$1.019 billion) in joint battery activities with Northvolt AB. Part of the sum is intended for a joint venture with the Swedish battery cell producer, a further share will go directly to Northvolt AB. Part of the sum is an element of Northvolt’s just-completed $1-billion equity…
By mmillikin Ballard Power Systems unveiled its 8th generation high-performance fuel cell module, the FCmove-HD, at the UITP Global Public Transport Summit being held in Stockholm, Sweden. FCmove-HD The culmination of product development and field experience based on almost 14 million kilometers (9 million miles) of vehicle operation, Ballard’s FCmove-HD fuel cell module is compact,…
By mmillikin The BMW Group and Jaguar Land Rover are joining forces to develop next-generation electric drive units in a move that supports the advancement of electrification technologies necessary to transition to an ACES—autonomous driving, connectivity, electrification and services—future. The BMW Group brings its experience of developing and producing several generations of electric drive units…
By mmillikin LevelTen Energy, a renewable energy procurement platform, closed a $20.5-million Series B funding round led by Prelude Ventures, with participation from Constellation Technology Ventures, the venture investing arm of Exelon Corporation, Equinor Energy Ventures, Total Ventures and participants from LevelTen’s Series A funding, including Avista Development, Element 8 Fund, Founders’ Co-op, Techstars Ventures…
By mmillikin Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. delivered a non-binding letter to the Board of Groupe Renault proposing a combination of their respective businesses as a 50/50 merger. The combined business would sell approximately 8.7 million vehicles annually. The combination would create a brand portfolio that would provide full market coverage with a presence in all…
By mmillikin Volkswagen started pre-booking in Europe for the first model in its new full-electric ID. family, now officially named the ID.3. With immediate effect, potential customers can register for an early production slot for the ID.3 at www.volkswagen.com/id-prebooking by paying a registration deposit of €1,000. The ID.3 1ST special edition, which has been especially…
By mmillikin Electrify America launched a mobile app, available for both Android and iPhone. The company’s first app allows users to manage the entire charging session on their phone, increasing convenience for electric vehicle (EV) owners. The company also is introducing two charging membership plans called Electrify America Pass and Electrify America Pass+. In addition,…
By mmillikin Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Toyota AI Ventures (TAIV) has launched Fund II, a new $100-million fund dedicated to investing in early-stage startups developing technologies and business models in the autonomous mobility and robotics markets. Led by founding Managing Director Jim Adler, who also serves as executive advisor at the Toyota Research Institute…
By mmillikin The BMW Group’s worldwide spare parts logistics center in Dingolfing has recently started piloting autonomous transport platforms. The electrically powered AutoBox helps to move incoming spare parts efficiently from the freight dock to the warehouse. With a deck space of almost 20 square meters, the AutoBox can transport 20 lattice boxes with a…
By mmillikin Researchers at Henan Polytechnic University in China have hydrotreated the oil derived from hydrothermal liquefaction of scrap tires (STO) with waste engine oil (WEO) using five different activated carbon-supported noble metal catalysts—Pd/C, Pt/C, Ru/C, Ir/C, and Rh/C—for the production of liquid fuels. In a paper in the journal Fuel, they report that among…