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- Suniva, Heliene to Make First U.S. Domestic Content Solar Cells
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- Hyundai 2025 Santa Cruz Debuts in New York
- PEVE to Become Toyota Battery Company
- Home EV Charging More Satisfying Than Public Charging
- Workers File Union Busting Charges Against Mercedes-Benz
- EPA Issues PFAS Test Order with Immediate Effect
- VW Chattanooga UAW Vote Set for April 17-19
- New Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300, Ram ProMaster Recalls
- Bentley CEO Adrian Hallmark Abruptly Leaves
- Toyota to Build New Tokyo Corporate Headquarters
- Chattanooga VW Workers Want UAW Election
- March US Vehicle Sales Up. Record Q1 Consumer Spending!
Recent Comments
- Janet L. Yellen on EPA Celebrates Inflation Reduction Act Anniversary
- Lael Brainard on Auto Industry Continues to Rebound from Pandemic Lows
- United Auto Workers Union on EPA Finalizes Vehicle Pollution Standards for 2027-32
- Sam Fiorani on Bidenomics and the State of the Union
- Gary Wilson on GM Expands Airbag Recalls Over Supplier ARC’s Objections
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Category Archives: energy
VW Patents High-Speed Wireless EV Charging System
“We are accelerating innovation within electric vehicles and contributing to more sustainable transportation in America by focusing our efforts on some of the most transformative automotive research being done in the country,” said Pablo Di Si, President and CEO at Volkswagen Group of America Inc. “Our technology teams in Tennessee are a great example. There, we are tapping American ingenuity fostered by the unique blend of world-class academic research and Volkswagen’s leading industry capabilities.” Continue reading
Toyota Konpon Research Institute Debuts
The Genesis Research Institute since its beginning in 1996 has used disciplines such as natural science and the humanities to “further the development of energy and environmental technologies.” It was established on 11 June 1996 the birthday of the late Kiichiro Toyoda with joint funding from 12 Toyota Group companies, including Toyota Motor Corporation.
Today Toyota said that the Genesis Research Institute is renamed Toyota Konpon Research Institute. “Twenty-seven years on, society finds itself in an era of great transformation, with the rise of AI and advances in various other fields of science and technology. Continue reading
GM Expanding Ultium CAM EV Battery Joint Venture
General Motors (NYSE: GM) and POSCO Future M announced today the second phase of their Ultium CAM joint venture, an investment forecast to exceed $1 billion to increase production capacity of Cathode Active Material (CAM) for EV batteries. While CEO Mary Barra admits that GM was slow to embrace EVs, GM is now clearly among the leaders in what is the future of automobility. Today’s announcement is the latest in a series of actions GM has taken to build a more secure EV supply chain. Continue reading
Posted in connected vehicles, electric vehicles, energy, environment, global warming, manufacturing
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, Doug Parks, Ken Zino, POSCO Future M, Ultium batteries, Ultium-based battery electric vehicles, Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center
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Stellantis, Vulcan Sign Deal for Renewable Energy at Mulhouse
Mulhouse is where the DS7, Peugeot 308 and e-308, 508, and the new 408 are made. Based on current assumptions, the project could provide a significant portion of the industrial site’s annual energy needs starting in 2026, Stellantis said. It’s the latest move in the Stellantis fight against climate change with its ambitious goal of reaching carbon net zero emissions by 2038, with a 50% reduction by end of this decade. Continue reading
Posted in alternative fuels, electric vehicles, energy, environment, manufacturing, milestones, public health
Tagged Arnaud Deboeuf, auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, carlos tavares, citroën, FCA and PSA, Francis Wedin, Ken Zino, Mulhouse plant, Peugeot, Upper Rhine Graben, Vulcan Energy
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McKinsey – EU Decarbonization Targets Require Lots of Land
To say that this has political implications is, perhaps, an understatement. AutoInformed has observed for decades that abstract policy discussions and agreements can become quite contentious when they move toward implementation in one’s backyard – onshore or off the shoreline. Continue reading
EPA – New Carbon Pollution Standards for Power Plants
EPA claimed the plants would avoid up to 617 million metric tons of total carbon dioxide (CO2) through 2042, which is equivalent to reducing the annual emissions of 137 million passenger vehicles, ~half the cars in the US. Through 2042, EPA estimates the net climate and health benefits of the standards are up to as much as $85 billion. Continue reading
Posted in energy, environment, global warming, public health
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, best system of emission reduction, Biden Administration, carbon pollution standards, carbon pollution standards for coal and natural gas-fired power plants, co2, epa, Ken Zino, Michael S. Regan
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Department of Transportation Wants Tougher Pipeline Regs
At its heart, the proposed rule will update decades-old federal leak detection and repair standards that rely solely on human senses in favor of new requirements that add an additional layer of safety by deploying commercially available, advanced technologies to find and fix leaks of methane and other flammable, toxic, and corrosive gases. These health and safety improvements will advance environmental justice in communities where gas pipeline infrastructure is disproportionately sited. Continue reading
Posted in energy, environment, public health, safety, transportation
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, Biden-Harris Administration, Environmental Justice, Ken Zino, PHMSA, PHMSA Deputy Administrator Tristan Brown, PIPES Act of 2020, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
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EPA Emergency Order Allows Summer Sale of E15 Gasoline
“This action will provide Americans with relief at the pump from ongoing market supply issues created by Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine by increasing fuel supply and offering consumers more choices at the pump. The waiver will help protect Americans from fuel supply crises by reducing our reliance on imported fossil fuels, building U.S. energy independence, and supporting American agriculture and manufacturing. Current estimates indicate that on average, E15 is about 25 cents a gallon cheaper than E10,” EPA said in a press release. Omitted was the fact that ethanol contains less energy by volume than gasoline so mileage decreases. Continue reading
Posted in customer satisfaction, energy, environment, prices, transportation
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, doe, ethanol, Ken Zino, Michael S. Regan, putin, Ukraine
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California Climate Investments – ~$1B in 2022 to Communities With Worst Impacts of Pollution, Climate Change
“California continues to put our cap-and-trade dollars to work through unprecedented investments in zero-emission infrastructure, housing, conservation, and more,” said Yana Garcia, California’s Secretary for Environmental Protection. “The majority of these funds benefit communities disproportionately burdened by pollution and experiencing the impacts of persistent economic inequity. In 2022 alone, we invested nearly $1 billion in under resourced communities to help ensure an equitable transition to carbon neutrality, and to leveraging improved health outcomes in communities suffering from air pollution and other climate impacts.” Continue reading
Mazda Adding Renewable Solar Power to Japanese Plants
Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (MITI) provides subsidies to cover a portion of the expense of installing solar power generation facilities in cases where consumers of electric power coordinated with an electric power producer to establish such facilities. “These subsidies are intended to promote such collaborations and encourage wider adoption of independent initiatives to establish renewable energy sources, contributing to a reliable, long-term, supply-demand balance in energy use during the period up until 2030, thereby supporting the achievement of ambitious targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.” Continue reading
Posted in energy, environment, fuel economy or emissions, global warming, manufacturing, milestones, mobility company, transportation
Tagged auto industry commentary, autoinformed.com, Choshu Industry, Hironaka Taketo, Ken Zino, Mazda Motor Corporation, Power Purchase Agreement, The Chugoku Electric Power, Toyo Seat
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Virtual Power Plant Partnership – Ford, GM, SunPower, Others
VP3 follows the institutional spinoffs in the electric sector previously developed by RMI, including the Clean Energy Buyers Association and the Energy Web Foundation. Initial funding was made possible by General Motors and Google Nest. Today, VP3 includes Ford, General Motors, Google Nest, OhmConnect, Olivine, SPAN, SunPower, Sunrun, SwitchDin, and Virtual Peaker. Continue reading
US Recovering from Covid. Greenhouse Gasses a Problem
This is an important report for policy makers and the rest of us because Transportation accounted for 8.4% of the US gross domestic product in 2021, up from 7.7% in 2020, but down from 9.1% percent in 2019. During 2021, the wholesale and retail trade sector continued to require more transportation services than any other sector to produce one dollar of gross output. Continue reading
GM, OneD form Battery R&D Deal as EV Gold Rush Continues
General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) and OneD Battery Sciences * said today they have started a joint research development agreement focused on the potential use of OneD’s silicon nanotechnology in GM’s Ultium battery cells. The goal is to increase energy … Continue reading
Mercedes-Benz to Build Wind Farm at Papenburg Test Track
The wind will keep blowing as M-B with a partner plans to build a “ double-digit number of wind turbines by the middle of the decade. Mercedes-Benz is also planning a long-term power purchase agreement with a partner, equivalent to a “triple-digit million euros amount.” Continue reading
Stellantis and Samsung SDI to Build Second US Battery Plant
“This new facility will contribute to reaching our aggressive target to offer at least 25 new battery electric vehicles for the North American market by the end of the decade,” said Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares. “We are continuing to add more capacity in the United States together with our great partner Samsung SDI and laying the next steps to reaching our carbon neutrality commitment by 2038.” Continue reading →