The Superbike Commission of the FIM World Superbike Championship (WorldSBK) has decided that the fuels used, as in MotoGP, must consist of at least 40% non-fossil components from the coming 2024 season. BMW Motorrad Motorsport is preparing intensively for this and is closely involved in the development of such alternative fuels, as a partner of the company NORDOEL as part of the federally funded joint project DeCarTrans. DeCarTrans, coordinated by FEV, started in January and stands for “Demonstrating a Circular Carbon Economy in Transport Along the Value Chain.” The project will investigate t ..read more

Lamborghini presented Revuelto, its super sports V12 hybrid plug-in HPEV (High Performance Electrified Vehicle). (Earlier post.) An output of 1015 CV is delivered from the combined power of an entirely new combustion engine together with three electric motors, alongside a double-clutch gearbox that makes its debut on a 12-cylinder Lamborghini for the first time. The new 127 CV/liter combustion engine works synergically with two front axial flux motors that deliver an outstanding weight-to-power ratio, with a radial flux electric motor positioned above the first eight-speed double-clutch gear ..read more

Kia revealed more details of the Kia EV9, its first three-row seat electric flagship SUV (earlier post). Based on the Electric Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), the EV9 delivers a targeted all-electric range over 541 km (WLTP). Ultra-fast 800-volt charging capability enables the EV9 battery pack to be replenished with sufficient charge to power the vehicle for 239 km in approximately 15 minutes. Numerous technological breakthroughs include the Highway Driving Pilot (HDP) system, available in the Kia EV9 GT-line in the future, enabling conditional Level 3 autonomous driving in selected markets ..read more

MAN Energy Solutions’ MAN 49/60DF dual-fuel engine has received its Type Approval after a five-day program on the testbed at company HQ in Augsburg, Germany. The Type Approval Test (TAT) was witnessed by inspectors representing the ABS, BV, CCS, DNV, LR and RINA classification societies, who signed the test protocol upon the successful completion of the schedule. Today marks the latest milestone in the 49/60DF’s journey since its concept release in 2018. As we enter a new era of decarbonisation, the 49/60DF is an obvious choice for vessel owners with ambitious, emission-reduction targets th ..read more

The South Carolina Department of Education will deploy 160 Thomas Built Buses (TBB) electric school buses in school districts across the state over the next year, under a new procurement finalized this month between the Department of Education and Thomas Built Buses dealer Interstate Transportation. The Department of Education’s purchase of 160 new Proterra Powered Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley electric school buses represents the single largest order of electric school buses funded entirely by the EPA’s new Clean School Bus Program to date. Thomas Built Buses and Proterra offer school bus operators a ..read more

Nikola announced that Nikola and its dealer network have received orders for 100 Class 8 Nikola Tre hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). Deliveries of the purpose-built heavy-duty trucks will begin in Q4 2023. With a range of up to 500 miles and an estimated fueling time of approximately 20 minutes based upon expected technology improvements, the Nikola Tre FCEV is anticipated to have among the longest ranges of all commercially available zero tailpipe emission Class 8 trucks. The Tre FCEV is well-suited for a variety of applications ranging from drayage and intermodal to metro-region ..read more

A study by researchers at the University of Birmingham in the UK has found that while Diesel Oxidation Catalysts (DOCs) and Diesel Particle Filters (DPFs) has been very effective in controlling the tailpipe emissions of solid particles, there has been little change in the liquid mode (104 cm−3/24-hour mean) defined by WHO. An open-access paper on their work is published in the journal Environment International While the World Health Organization has not yet set a guideline for safe levels of ultrafine particles, it recognizes that particulate pollution overall is associated with negative impa ..read more

A new hydrogen compressor developed at Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) can improve the efficiency and reliability of hydrogen compression used in the refueling of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). The SwRI-developed linear motor-driven reciprocating compressor (LMRC) is designed to compress hydrogen as a fuel source for FCEVs and other hydrogen-powered vehicles. The advanced compression system utilizes a novel concept of driving a permanent magnet piston inside a hermetically-sealed compressor cylinder through electromagnetic windings. Schematic of LMRC. Broerman et al. The LMRC is an ..read more

Two Nissan LEAF electric vehicles (EVs) at the Plymouth State University (PSU) provided 1 MWh of energy to the PSU’s ALLWell Center, offsetting some of the building’s electricity needs, over a six-month period. The university is taking part in an utility rate program developed by its local utility New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC), electrification software provider Bellawatt, and Fermata Energy. The program at PSU brings together EVs, a bidirectional EV charging system, and advance notice on hourly electricity pricing—called a Transactive Energy Rate (TER)—enabling the university to ..read more

FREYR Battery has entered into discussions on a potential strategic coalition with Glencore, Caterpillar, Siemens and Nidec to pursue the scale-up of sustainable battery solutions across Europe, North America, and beyond. The non-binding alliance may establish guiding principles including: A shared vision of battery technology as critical to the energy transition; A commitment to scale-up collectively the deployment of batteries in Europe, North America and beyond to support the respective sustainability goals and the decarbonization of customers’ operations; Collaboration on the develop ..read more