Alternative fuelsNORTH AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW JCI gets deal to produce 48-volt batteries 12:01 am U.S. ET | Jan. 21, 2013 Supplier Johnson Controls Inc. is developing a 48-volt lithium ion battery for European automakers. The higher voltage is needed to handle a growing number of electrical systems that save fuel but need more volts, such as stop-start, electric power steering, regenerative brakes and other energy-efficient electrical systems.... Read More »
2013 DETROIT AUTO SHOW JCI develops 48-volt lithium ion battery for European automakers 12:20 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 14, 2013  Supplier Johnson Controls is developing a 48-volt lithium ion battery for European automakers. The higher voltage is needed to handle a growing number of electrical systems that save fuel but need more volts, such as stop-start, electric power steering, regenerative brakes and other energy-efficient electrical systems.... Read More »
2013 DETROIT AUTO SHOW Suppliers look to fuel future 8:46 am U.S. ET | Jan. 14, 2013  Cars will do what cars do at the North American International Auto Show -- draw crowds and cameras. But at several exhibits, rapid advancements in new fuel-saving products will have supplier executives and politicians using the Detroit event as a showcase for new technology and a platform to talk about the future.... Read More »
GE backs off plan to buy 25,000 EVs, plug-in hybrids 12:06 pm U.S. ET | Jan. 7, 2013  General Electric's commitment to buy 25,000 electric autos, promoted as the largest ever when it was announced more than two years ago, is taking a detour. The obstacle: Customers of GE's corporate fleet-services unit wanted more options. So GE has included natural gas-powered pickups and propane-fueled vehicles among about 11,000 autos -- mostly plug-in hybrids and electric cars -- already acquired from makers including Ford and GM.... Read More »
Nissan sweetens Leaf warranty in answer to critics 5:57 pm U.S. ET | Dec. 27, 2012  Nissan plans to bolster the warranty of the battery modules in its electric Leafs to reassure consumers of their durability. The company intends to notify current owners and dealers early next year that it will make the warranty retroactive to cover all existing Leafs, offering to repair or replace the car’s lithium-ion battery if it loses more than 30 percent of its ability to hold a charge after five years or 60,000 miles.... Read More »
Nissan's U.S. battery plant begins lithium-ion pack output for Leaf EV 6:34 pm U.S. ET | Dec. 12, 2012 Nissan, aiming to be the world's largest seller of electric vehicles, said its Tennessee battery plant has begun producing lithium ion packs for the company's rechargeable Leaf, two years after the hatchback went on sale.... Read More »
A123 will not get remaining portion of government grant, U.S. says 3:09 pm U.S. ET | Dec. 10, 2012 The federal Energy Department will not give battery maker A123 the remaining half of its $249 million grant, following the company's high profile bankruptcy and acquisition by a Chinese auto parts supplier, a department official said today.... Read More »
EDITORIAL Feds should set goals, then get out of the way 12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 10, 2012 It is proper for the federal government to set strategic goals and standards. In this case, the Obama administration sought to create jobs quickly in low-polluting industries. That's laudable. But the market should find the best way to accomplish those goals, a method known as technology neutral.... Read More »
China's Wanxiang wins auction for U.S.-backed A123 8:32 pm U.S. ET | Dec. 8, 2012  China's largest maker of auto parts won a politically sensitive auction for A123 Systems, a bankrupt maker of batteries for electric cars that was funded partly with federal government money, the investment banker for A123 said on Saturday.... Read More »
A NEGATIVE CHARGE How government, industry created lithium ion battery overcapacity 12:01 am U.S. ET | Dec. 3, 2012  The drive to tool up lithium ion battery plants mixed environmentalism, national energy independence and a global race to dominate what seemed to be a coming boom. But in the excitement, boosters missed a key point: With gasoline prices below $4 a gallon, electric-drive vehicles were too expensive to attract mainstream car buyers. The gap between optimistic projections and marketplace results created what is, at least for now, a mess.... Read More »
AAA calls for suspension of E15 gasoline sales 6:16 am U.S. ET | Nov. 30, 2012  Leading road travel group AAA on Friday called on the U.S. government to suspend the sale of gasoline with a higher blend of ethanol fuel, the latest opposition against increasing the use of biofuels in transport.... Read More »
Dealers snap up natural gas pickups 12:01 am U.S. ET | Nov. 19, 2012 Some auto dealers are eagerly ordering new natural gas-powered pickups for individual and fleet buyers amid low prices for the fuel.... Read More »
Hyundai fuel-economy flap seen as tables turning for Honda 6:34 am U.S. ET | Nov. 16, 2012  For Honda, it was a rude moment when Hyundai unfurled a banner at the 2010 Detroit auto show touting the Korean brand as America's most fuel-efficient. Honda's sales chief vowed that Hyundai's apparent victory would "motivate us even further." Now it's payback time.... Read More »
LINDSAY CHAPPELL Plentiful oil? A V-8, anyone? 11:28 am U.S. ET | Nov. 15, 2012  Four years after the auto industry started trembling at the real prospect of a global fuel shortage, painful pump prices and consumers clamoring for vehicles that can deliver 50 mpg, this news arrives from the International Energy Agency in France: There’s way more oil under America than we realized. Oops.... Read More »
U.S. senators seek thorough review of Chinese bid for A123 3:51 pm U.S. ET | Nov. 2, 2012 Two Republican senators asked Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner for a thorough review of a Chinese company's plan to acquire bankrupt battery maker A123, saying military and taxpayer-funded technology must be protected.... Read More »
Dow Chemical plans $1.1 billion charge to write down plant closings, battery business 6:21 pm U.S. ET | Oct. 30, 2012 Dow Chemical will take a fourth-quarter charge of as much as $1.1 billion related to last week's announcement that it will close 20 plants, write down the value of its lithium ion battery business and lay off thousands of workers.... Read More »
LG Chem confirms delay at battery plant 3:44 pm U.S. ET | Oct. 24, 2012 Sluggish demand for electric vehicles has led South Korean battery maker LG Chem to delay the start of production at its new plant in western Michigan. Production at the lithium ion battery cell plant was scheduled to start this year, but the company put 200 employees on a rolling furlough on April 30, and extended the furloughs on Aug. 30.... Read More »
DuPont opens automotive Innovation Center near Detroit 2:49 pm U.S. ET | Oct. 19, 2012  Supplier DuPont has opened an r&d operation in suburban Detroit aimed at boosting collaboration between its automotive customers and its 9,500 researchers around the world.... Read More »
Energy innovator Stanford Ovshinsky dead at 89 4:19 pm U.S. ET | Oct. 18, 2012  Stanford Ovshinsky, an inventor and founder of Energy Conversion Devices who dedicated his life to finding alternative forms of energy, died Wednesday of cancer at his home in suburban Detroit. He was 89.... Read More »
LARRY P. VELLEQUETTE It’s time to uncouple the electric vehicle’s virtual coal tender 3:59 pm U.S. ET | Oct. 18, 2012  Forget for a moment the freight car full of political baggage attached to the bankruptcy this week of battery maker A123 Systems. Instead let’s consider the real reason electric vehicles and their miraculous mpgs aren’t swamping the nation’s roadways. The issue is not how many more miles of range drivers can squeeze out of a battery. The problem is the battery itself.... Read More »
Researchers say battery breakthrough could cut costs 12:01 am U.S. ET | Oct. 15, 2012 Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, say they have made a breakthrough that could lead to lower lithium ion battery costs and faster charging times for electric vehicles.... Read More »
Chrysler opens dealer orders for natural gas Ram truck sales 6:34 pm U.S. ET | Oct. 14, 2012  Chrysler Group is making its natural gas-powered Ram pickup available for sale to retail buyers, according to the head of the company's dealership network. Chrysler began allowing all dealers to order the Ram 2500 Heavy Duty CNG pickup in September, said Peter Grady, vice president of network development and fleet.... Read More »
Lithium ion battery breakthrough could cut costs, U.S. researchers sayOct. 10, 2012 06:01 CET  University of California, San Diego researchers say they have developed a way to better estimate what goes on inside lithium ion batteries -- a breakthrough that could lead to lower battery costs and faster charging times for electric vehicles.... Read More »
Honda dangles $3,000 gift card to buyers of natural gas Civic 3:52 pm U.S. ET | Oct. 9, 2012  American Honda, taking advantage of high gasoline prices in some parts of the country to pitch alternative fuels, is offering a $3,000 card to buyers of the compressed natural gas-powered Honda Civic.... Read More »
Lithium ion battery breakthrough could cut costs, researchers say 3:24 pm U.S. ET | Oct. 9, 2012  University of California, San Diego researchers say they have developed a way to better estimate what goes on inside lithium ion batteries -- a breakthrough that could lead to lower battery costs and faster charging times for electric vehicles.... Read More »
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