Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute

Modular 'micro-mild' hybrid technology - reducing CO2 emissions

Incremental manufacturing cost is €50-60 for every 1 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions compared with the €200-500 per cent typical for full hybrids. Further value enhancements are possible if the automotive industry were to standardise around the proposed 48 volt power networks developing in Europe.

AeroVironment receives $16 million order

AeroVironment, Inc. recently announced that it received a $15,909,962 cost-plus-fixed-fee contract order on September 1, 2011, under an existing contract with the U.S. Army. The order comprises Army contractor logistics support for Raven systems. The logistics support services are scheduled to be delivered within the next several months.

Balqon ships first on-road zero emissions electric Mule M100

Balqon Corporation, a developer of electric drive systems, lithium battery systems and medium to heavy-duty electric vehicles, recently announced the availability of its new Mule M100, a zero-emissions, all-electric on-road truck for use in inner-city deliveries and cargo transportation.

23-year-old designer set to show 1088 bhp Electric Sports Car

The Frankfurt Motor Show opened last week and a number of new brands were seen for the first time, including a Croatian company Rimac Automobili, which showed a pure electric sports car named the Concept One.

PSA Peugeot Citroën and General Electric in EV deal

PSA Peugeot Citroën and General Electric sign a european commercial cooperation agreement for the co-develoment of innovative solutions in the field of electric mobility.

Transportation ministers from Asia-Pacific nations pledge cooperation

Energy and transportation ministers from 21 economies in the Asia-Pacific region today agreed to continue progress on initiatives to make transportation in the region cleaner and more energy-efficient, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced this week.

Future electric vehicles could run unlimited distances

Here, Masahiro Hanazawa at Toyota Central R&D Labs. and Takashi Ohira at Toyohashi University of Technology (Toyohashi Tech) propose a potentially revolutionary solution for powering EVs capable of running unlimited distances. The basic concept stems from electric railways, where each car of the train is power from an overhead wire while the car runs on tracks.

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles get cleverer

Kongsberg is the world's largest manufacturer of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles. These are almost always pure electric vehicles but some can have fuel cell range extenders, making them hybrids. A leading researcher developing and deploying AUVs including ones that can surface to garner wave and solar power to charge the batteries before diving on their way is Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

The BMW Group showcases its visions of future mobility

The BMW Group showcases its visions of future mobility in the shape of the BMW i3 Concept and BMW i8 Concept studies. Unveiled for the first time, these concept vehicles provide a glimpse of the first electrically powered production cars from the new BMW i sub-brand, due to be launched as the BMW i3 in 2013 and the BMW i8 in 2014.

Struggling Chinese e-taxi rollout

In mid 2011, Reuters reported that, even with government support and the popular support of e-taxi customers, challenges remain for electric vehicles such as the e-taxis to gain broader acceptance and widespread use. In China, charging stations are few and far between, repair shops are hard to find and the pure electric cars used as taxis are costly. Even after generous government support, the Shenzhen e-taxi costs 80% more than the Volkswagen Santana that is a typical taxi on the streets of Shenzhen.

Toyota builds across the EV market

Toyota leverages technology across more of the electric vehicle market.

Dynamic wireless charging of racing cars

On July 27 2011, HaloIPT announced a new strategic partnership with Drayson Racing Technologies, the green R&D racing organization. It was founded by Lord Drayson, former UK Minister for Science and Innovation. The partnership intends to use HaloIPT's unique wireless charging technology to power high-performance cars as they race around the track. This partnership, which develops and races green motorsport technology, including electric vehicles (EV), aims to pioneer the deployment of dynamic (in-motion) charging of zero emission electric vehicles. The racing cars, fitted with HaloIPT technology, will pick up power wirelessly from transmitters buried under the surface of the road or race track; transferring power directly to the vehicle's electric battery, ensuring that the vehicle receives constant charging on the move.

Wave powered autonomous marine drone raises $22 million in funding

Liquid Robotics®, developer of the award-winning Wave Glider® self-powered hybrid sea-surface/underwater robotic vehicle, and cloud-based data service provider, has closed a Series D $22 million financing round led by VantagePoint Capital Partners, the company's first institutional investor, together with participation by oilfield services provider Schlumberger.

New long-range undersea robot goes the distance

Over the past decade, the undersea robots known as autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have become increasingly important in oceanographic research.

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles - Part three

Electric vehicles (EVs) are free running vehicles that partly or wholly use electricity for traction, whether by land, sea or air.