Category: Hybrid Technology

Honda announces new strategy for electric vehicles in Europe

Tami Hood
Electric Vehicles - EV Charging

Automaker unveils its promising new Electric Vision for Europe Honda plans to focus more heavily on clean transportation in the European market. According to Katsushi Inoue, Honda Motor Europe’s president and COO, the automaker has unveiled its “Electric Vision” for Europe. This initiative involves two-thirds of all vehicles sold by Honda in the market to feature electric powertrains. Honda intends to accomplish this endeavor by 2025. The automaker’s plan will leverage its considerable global research and development resources in order to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles. Electric vehicles have…

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Report predicts more than 20 million fuel cell vehicles to be available by 2032

Alicia Moore

Report highlights the growing promise of the fuel cell market A new report from Information Trends predicts that fuel cell vehicles will be much more plentiful in the relatively near future. Hydrogen fuel cells are quickly becoming more important for the auto industry, with several major companies investing in this technology to power a new generation of vehicles. One of the reasons automakers are doing this is to comply with new emissions regulations being embraced by large countries. Because these countries are prominent markets for vehicles, automakers are keen to…

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HyperSolar reaches new milestone in commercial hydrogen fuel production

Alicia Moore

HyperSolar has achieved a major milestone with its hybrid technology HyperSolar, a company that specializes in combining hydrogen fuel cells with solar energy, has reached a significant milestone in terms of hydrogen production. The company harnesses the power of the sun in order to generate the electrical power needed to produce hydrogen fuel. This is considered a more environmentally friendly way to generate hydrogen, as it is not reliant on fossil-fuels in any way. Using renewable energy to produce hydrogen is becoming a popular concept, especially as fuel cells become…

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Toyota recalls over 600,000 of its hybrid cars worldwide

Amanda Giasson

On Wednesday, Toyota said it would be recalling 625,000 of its hybrid vehicles, mostly its Prius v model. The Japanese motor company announced the global recall of its hybrid cars due to a software glitch that has the potential to, in rare cases, shut down the hybrid system while the car is in operation. In other words, the defect could bring the vehicle to a sudden stop while it is being driven. Although the cars have been recalled, no accidents or injuries have been reported. Toyota says that the problem…

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Wind energy upgrade offered to owners of electric vehicles

Tami Hood

A new program allows cooperative members to power up electric or hybrid vehicles with electricity generated by wind. Great River Energy, the Minnesota based utility and non-profit electric cooperative, unveiled a program called Revolt, an innovative program – and the first of its kind – that permits qualifying participants to upgrade the current electricity they use to power their hybrid or electric vehicles (EVs) with wind energy, at no extra cost. The Revolt program will enable consumers to throw more support behind renewables. While Great River Energy (GRE) already includes…

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Sunfire uses renewable energy to produce carbon neutral diesel

Bret Williams

German startup has found a way to produce diesel that serves as a clean fuel A startup in Germany called Sunfire has developed a way to produce carbon neutral diesel using renewable energy, carbon dioxide, and water. The company has built a facility in Germany through a partnership with automaker Audi. The facility is home to the technology that makes this process possible, which leverages the power of electrolysis. Carbon neutral diesel could be a useful resource for those interested in clean transportation, especially as automakers seek to distance themselves…

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Batteries could be improved to make electric vehicles cheaper

Tami Hood

An old type of battery may store far more energy and be less expensive than current lithium-ion EV batteries. Manufacturers of electric vehicles (EVs), and those interested in producing these green cars, are always hoping for improvements to be made to lithium-ion batteries, which power these vehicles, in order to extend the battery’s driving range and make it cheaper. However, Scientists from chemical company BASF are currently investigating an older type of battery that is showing promise where present lithium-ion batteries are not. The basic type of battery currently used…

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The first hybrid superyacht in the world has launched

John Max

The Savannah is one of the most innovative ships on water. The world’s first real hybrid superyacht, called Savannah, was recently launched by Netherlands-based Feadship (the prestigious yacht builder), and is a green alternative compared to the average superyacht, which burns roughly over 130 gallons of fuel every hour and even more than that when it’s not idling. Savannah is 30% more fuel efficient than other vessels the same size. Feadship’s five-story, 273-foot hybrid ship looks very similar to the average superyacht on the outside, complete with massive decks, a…

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New partnership could accelerate advances in hydrogen fuel production

Tami Hood

HyperSolar teams with University of Iowa to further research and development initiatives HyperSolar, a developer of hydrogen production systems, has announced that it has entered into a one-year partnership with the University of Iowa. Through this partnership, HyperSolar hopes to accelerate its research and development initiatives in order to attain its goal of producing commercial volumes of hydrogen fuel. The company uses hybrid technology in order to produce hydrogen, leveraging solar energy to power the electrolysis process and break water down into its component parts. University has a long history…

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Volkswagen to launch more than 20 new electric vehicles in China

Amanda Giasson

The launch of green cars will help with China’s serious smog problem. The well known German car brand, Volkswagen AG, is throwing its support behind the country’s go green campaign, an effort to combat the growing air pollution problem in the nation, and will be producing over 20 electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid car models for China. The various EV models are set to be available to Chinese consumers by the end of 2018. By 2020, China’s goal is to put 5 million EVs on the road and Volkswagen’s…

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New solar energy technology has the ability to store its own electricity

John Max

Team of researchers develop a solar panel that can also store energy A team of researchers from Ohio State University have made a major breakthrough, creating a way for solar panels to store electrical energy without using an external battery. Typically, solar panels, and other photovoltaic systems, produce electrical power, not store it. Solar energy systems must rely on batteries in order to store the power they produce, but finding ways to enable solar panels to store their own energy may lead to less expensive energy systems overall. Solar battery…

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New Flyer teams with CALSTART to build a hydrogen fuel bus

Stephen Vagus

Organizations form partnership to develop one of the largest fuel cell buses in North America New Flyer Industries, a bus manufacturer based in Canada, has announced that it has begun working with CALSTART, a non-profit clean transportation organization. Together, the two organizations will develop a new, 60-foot battery fuel cell hybrid bus that will be part of New Flyer’s Xcelsior X60 platform. This will be one of the largest hybrid buses that has been built and put into operation in North America. The bus will use both a hydrogen fuel…

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Researchers win funding for development of hybrid fuel cells

Alicia Moore

ARPA-E issues funding for ambitious clean technology project seeking to convert methane into liquid fuels Researchers from the Argonne National Laboratory and the Illinois Institute of Technology have been awarded funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E). The agency is part of the Department of Energy and was formed specifically to reward high-risk, high-reward clean energy and technology projects with funding and technical support. The agency has issued funding to support the development of hybrid fuel cells that can turn methane into liquid fuels. Hybrid fuel cell…

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Hydrogen fuel production may need to be cleaner

Bret Williams

HyperSolar begins highlighting the problems with conventional hydrogen production HyperSolar, a developer of hybrid technology that produces hydrogen from sunlight, is beginning to stress the importance of environmentally friendly hydrogen production solutions. Hydrogen is quickly becoming a contender as one of the most widely used energy sources of the modern world. The auto industry is beginning to commercialize vehicles equipped with fuel cells and these energy systems are now seeing more use in the residential sector as well. As fuel cells become more common, the efficient and “green” production of…

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Study highlights the potential of using solar power to generate hydrogen fuel

Stephen Vagus

Solar energy and hydrogen are becoming more closely mingled A new study from the Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis aims to shed some light on the issue of photoelectrochemical hydrogen production. This process involves the use of solar energy to produce hydrogen, which can be used by fuel cells to generate electrical power. Current hydrogen production methods are energy intensive, consuming a significant amount of fossil-fuels that produce harmful emissions. By using solar power, the hydrogen production process can be make more environmentally friendly and efficient. The problem is, however,…

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Researchers in New Jersey make a clean technology breakthrough

Stephen Vagus

Clean technology project taps into the power of photosynthesis Researchers from Princeton University have been working with Liquid Light, a technology startup based in New Jersey, and have made a major breakthrough in fuel cell technology. Through a collaborative effort, the research team has been able to transform a combination of water and carbon dioxide into formic acid using a fuel cell powered by solar energy. The solar power used for this project was provided by Public Service Electric and Gas of New Jersey. Solar powered fuel cell is able…

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