Fuel

Hyundai, Mercedes, Nissan, Toyota join DOE in fuel cells push

4:07 pm U.S. ET | May 13, 2013
Hyundai Motor, Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz unit, Nissan Motor and Toyota Motor have linked with the Department of Energy to prepare for the first major wave of hydrogen-powered cars, the department said today... Read More »

 

LG Chem to start production at Mich. car battery plant in July

1:52 pm U.S. ET | May 6, 2013
South Korean battery maker LG Chem plans to begin commercial production at its Michigan factory in July and will initially supply its products to General Motors' Volt electric vehicles.... Read More »

 

Toyota: Cost to develop fuel cell cars falls

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 6, 2013
The hydrogen refueling infrastructure may not be ready, but the cost of developing the fuel cell cars Toyota plans to launch in 2015 has plunged.... Read More »

 

2nd lives for EV batteries could cut prices

12:01 am U.S. ET | May 6, 2013
Lithium ion battery packs that power some electrified vehicles could end up feeding juice into the electrical grid -- a development that could cut EV ownership costs.... Read More »

 

Toyota 2015 fuel cell vehicle to cost between $50,000 and $100,000

5:51 pm U.S. ET | April 30, 2013
The cost of a completed hydrogen fuel cell vehicle today is 1/20th of what it was when current prototypes were being developed, Toyota says, paving the way for a workable business model and improved sales prospects.... Read More »

 

Mitsubishi pinpoints lithium ion battery glitch

April 24, 2013 20:43 CET
Mitsubishi has pinpointed the cause of the lithium ion battery glitch that forced it to halt production of the Outlander plug-in hybrid crossover and most i electric cars. Mitsubishi said a small number of the affected i EVs were on the road in Europe and the United States.... Read More »

 

Mitsubishi pinpoints lithium ion battery glitch

2:43 pm U.S. ET | April 24, 2013
Mitsubishi has pinpointed the cause of the lithium ion battery glitch that forced it to halt production of the Outlander plug-in hybrid crossover and most i electric cars. Mitsubishi said a small number of the affected i EVs were on the road in the United States and Europe and that drivers there had been notified not to drive them. The plug-in hybrid Outlander is sold only in Japan.... Read More »

 

GM: Chevy Cruze diesel to deliver 46 mpg on highway

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 18, 2013
GM said the 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Turbo Diesel will deliver an estimated 46 miles per gallon on the highway, besting the company's initial target by four mpg.... Read More »

 

PRODUCTION LINE

Feds' goal: Daily drivers fueled by natural gas

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 15, 2013
Natural gas -- clean, cheap and plentiful -- fuels a small but growing fleet of 150,000 commercial vehicles in the United States. Now, the U.S. Department of Energy wants to see whether natural gas can be a practical fuel for light vehicles.... Read More »

 

PRODUCTION LINE

Hyundai seeks tech cred from fuel cells

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 15, 2013
Hyundai Motor Co. wants to transform itself from a fast follower to a global pacesetter in automotive technology as the erstwhile bargain brand moves upscale. As part of its image overhaul, Hyundai wants to claim industry leadership in hydrogen fuel cells.... Read More »

 

Lithium batteries fail to deliver, must be safer, regulators told

2:19 pm U.S. ET | April 11, 2013
Lithium ion battery sales and performance have fallen far short of forecasts, and better technology is needed to improve their safety, battery experts told federal regulators today.... Read More »

 

Mitsubishi extends halt of Outlander hybrid shipments

7:35 am U.S. ET | April 10, 2013
Mitsubishi will extend its production and shipment stoppage of its Outlander plug-in hybrids until it finds the cause of an overheating lithium-ion battery in one of the vehicles, the automaker said today.... Read More »

 

GM says fuel economy of new big pickups will top Ford F-150's

11:19 am U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
General Motors today said its upcoming redesigned full-sized pickups will have the most fuel-efficient V-8 engines in the segment, even promising better highway fuel economy than the turbocharged V-6 engine that has become popular in the Ford F-150 pickup.... Read More »

 

Sulfur plan is big win for automakers

12:01 am U.S. ET | April 1, 2013
The Obama administration's proposal for low-sulfur gasoline is a boost for automakers trying to comply with stricter emissions standards. The fuel would enable them to develop lean-burn direct-injection gasoline engines with higher fuel economy than current engines.... Read More »

 

JESSE SNYDER

Straight talk on energy independence from a former CIA chief

6:55 pm U.S. ET | March 28, 2013
Outside perspective is always useful, especially in Detroit. It's a one-industry town, and we talk to each other a lot. Ourselves, and Washington regulators and policians.... Read More »

 

Mitsubishi drawn into battery crisis linked to Boeing jets

9:37 am U.S. ET | March 28, 2013
Mitsubishi has been drawn into the crisis that GS Yuasa has been battling since the overheating of the supplier's batteries grounded Boeing 787 jets.... Read More »

 

GM to produce next-generation electric car in South Korea

8:40 am U.S. ET | March 28, 2013
GM plans to produce its next-generation electric cars in South Korea, the head of its South Korean unit told Reuters on Thursday, as the U.S. carmaker tries to revive momentum for the stalling vehicle technology.... Read More »

 

GABE NELSON

Why automakers took up ethanol with the Supreme Court

2:07 pm U.S. ET | March 26, 2013
In a slow trickle over the past year, the first gas stations have started carrying E15, a blend of gasoline that includes up to 15 percent ethanol. Automakers say the fuel could harm older engines, which were not built to handle so much ethanol. But they have had no luck convincing the EPA, which has approved the fuel for use in cars and trucks built after the 2001 model year.... Read More »

 

Audi to extend U.S. diesel offerings with A4 sedan

12:17 pm U.S. ET | March 12, 2013
American consumers will have the option of a TDI engine in Audi AG's next-generation A4 sedan, the automaker said today, expanding a campaign to sell more diesel engines in the United States. A new version of the A4, Audi's longtime U.S. best-seller, is set to arrive in 2014.... Read More »

 

Toyota targets solid-state batteries in '20

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 11, 2013
Toyota Motor Corp. aims to commercialize solid-state batteries around 2020 and lithium air batteries several years later, as successors to today's lithium ion batteries.... Read More »

 

Honda sees fuel cell vehicles profitable by '25

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 11, 2013
Honda Motor Co., Toyota Motor Corp. and Hyundai Motor Co. are among automakers aiming to sell new fuel cell vehicles as soon as 2015. But the vehicles may be unprofitable for a decade after that.... Read More »

 

DOE plans modest push for fuel cells

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 4, 2013
The U.S. Department of Energy soon will launch a campaign to promote hydrogen cars, embracing a technology that was favored by the administration of President George W. Bush but initially shunned under Barack Obama.... Read More »

 

FINAL ASSEMBLY

Diesel fuel tax on home turf is blow to VW

12:01 am U.S. ET | March 4, 2013
Volkswagen Group of America, which moved to Herndon, Va., in 2008, isn't feeling the love from its adopted home state. The Virginia legislature passed a bill that will replace the state's current fuel tax with a 3.5 percent tax on gasoline and a 6 percent tax on diesel fuel.... Read More »

 

Grand Cherokee's diesel delivers

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 25, 2013
Jeep will begin selling the re-engineered 2014 Grand Cherokee in the United States this spring with an optional 3.0-liter V-6 diesel engine that delivers 240 hp and 420 pounds-feet of torque.... Read More »

 

Alt-fuel trust is new approach to energy r&d

12:01 am U.S. ET | Feb. 18, 2013
The White House has a new idea to encourage electric vehicles: a government trust fund that would support r&d for alternatives to oil.... Read More »