Tag: Hybrid vehicles

  • UK plans $95 million hydrogen gigafactory to provide elements for automobiles

    An indication for a hydrogen gas pump at a teach refueling station in Germany. Hydrogen has a various vary of packages and can be utilized in plenty of industries.

    Krisztian Bocsi | Bloomberg | Getty Photographs

    A U.Okay.-headquartered company mentioned Monday it used to be construction an £80 million ($95.9 million) “gigafactory” that specialize in the manufacture of hydrogen gas cellular elements, with operations deliberate to start out within the first part of 2024.

    In a remark, London-listed Johnson Matthey mentioned the ability in Royston, England, would be capable to produce 3 gigawatts of proton trade membrane gas cellular elements consistent with yr. Often referred to as polymer electrolyte membrane gas cells, the U.S. govt says PEM gas cells in vehicles “use hydrogen gas and oxygen from the air to provide electrical energy.” PEM gas cells are produced from plenty of other fabrics.

    The speculation is that the elements might be utilized by hydrogen automobiles, with the announcement referencing street freight. Previous studies about JM’s plans for a hydrogen gigafactory had been printed by means of The Sunday Instances in Nov. 2021.

    Johnson Matthey’s plans have won backing from the U.Okay. govt by the use of the Complex Propulsion Centre’s Car Transformation Fund, a investment program all in favour of large-scale industrialization.

    The speculation at the back of gas cellular automobiles is that hydrogen from a tank mixes with oxygen, generating electrical energy. Consistent with the U.S. Division of Power’s Choice Fuels Information Middle, gas cellular automobiles emit “simplest water vapor and heat air.”

    In its personal announcement on Monday, the Complex Propulsion Centre mentioned it used to be forecasting that U.Okay. call for for gas cells can be kind of 10 GW by means of 2030, emerging to fourteen GW by means of the yr 2035. This, it added, can be “identical to 140,000 automobiles.”

    The APC mentioned gas cellular automobiles had been “as fast to refuel as a regular combustion engine and feature a spread and gear density to rival diesel engines.” This made them “best for heavy responsibility packages” corresponding to heavy items automobiles, or HGVs.

    “Decarbonising freight transportation is significant to lend a hand societies and industries meet their bold internet 0 emission goals – gas cells might be a a very powerful a part of the power transition,” Liam Condon, leader govt of Johnson Matthey, mentioned.

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    JM is considered one of a number of companies running on era associated with hydrogen gas cellular automobiles. On the finish of June, Tevva, some other corporate primarily based within the U.Okay., introduced a hydrogen-electric heavy items car.

    The similar month noticed Volvo Vans announce it had begun to check automobiles that use “gas cells powered by means of hydrogen,” with the Swedish company pronouncing their vary may just lengthen to up to 1,000 kilometers, or a bit over 621 miles.

    Whilst some are thinking about the opportunity of gas cellular automobiles within the years forward, their present marketplace proportion stays small in comparison to battery electrical automobiles.

    Consistent with the World Power Company’s World Electrical Car Outlook 2022 record, the sector’s gas cellular electrical car inventory stood at round 51,600 in 2021.

    The IEA says electrical car gross sales — this is, gross sales of battery electrical and plug-in hybrid automobiles — hit 6.6 million in 2021. Within the first quarter of 2022, EV gross sales got here to two million, a 75% build up in comparison to the primary 3 months of 2021.

  • UK-based startup Tevva launches hydrogen-electric truck with 310-mile vary

    U.Okay.-based startup Tevva on Thursday introduced a hydrogen-electric heavy items automobile, turning into the newest corporate to make a play in a sector attracting hobby from multinationals like Daimler Truck and Volvo.

    In step with Tevva, which says it has raised $140 million in investment, its automobile can have a variety of up to 310 miles, or somewhat below 500 kilometers.

    Refilling the hydrogen tanks will take 10 mins whilst charging the battery “from absolutely depleted to 100%” will take 5 to 6 hours.

    The corporate’s first hydrogen-electric truck will weigh 7.5 metric lots, with later variations deliberate to weigh 12 and 19 metric lots.

    In a commentary, Tevva sought to provide an explanation for the explanation in the back of combining a gasoline mobile and battery. “The gasoline mobile machine tops up the battery, extending the automobile’s vary and permitting the truck to hold heavier rather a lot over longer distances.”

    Along its hydrogen-electric truck, the trade has additionally evolved an electrical truck that it says has a variety of as much as 160 miles. Main points of each the electrical and hydrogen-electric vans were prior to now introduced through Tevva.

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    In an interview with CNBC’s “Boulevard Indicators Europe” on Thursday, Tevva CEO Asher Bennett used to be requested whether or not his corporate used to be having a look to diversify into smaller automobiles.

    “We aren’t concerned about growing the smaller trucks or the pickup vans,” Bennett mentioned. “The ones are, in lots of cases, very equivalent era to the bigger EV sedans, which paintings really well,” he added.

    “We are very centered at the heavy items vans and we are slowly going heavier and heavier as a result of the ones are the segments which are a lot tougher to affect.”

    With governments world wide having a look to cut back the environmental footprint of transportation, various corporations within the trucking sector are exploring tactics to broaden low and zero-emission automobiles, together with ones that use hydrogen.

    Remaining month, Volvo Vans mentioned it all started to check automobiles that use “gasoline cells powered through hydrogen,” with the Swedish company claiming their vary may lengthen to up to 1,000 kilometers, or somewhat over 621 miles.

    Gothenburg-headquartered Volvo Vans mentioned refueling of the automobiles would take below quarter-hour. Buyer pilots are set to start in the following few years, with commercialization “deliberate for the latter a part of this decade.”

    Along hydrogen gasoline mobile automobiles, Volvo Vans — which is a part of the Volvo Workforce — has additionally evolved battery-electric vans.

    Like Volvo Vans and Tevva, Daimler Truck is specializing in each battery-electric automobiles and ones that use hydrogen.

    In an interview with CNBC ultimate 12 months, Martin Daum, chairman of the board of control at Daimler Truck, used to be requested concerning the debate between battery-electric and hydrogen gasoline cells.

    “We opt for each as a result of each … make sense,” he spoke back, ahead of explaining how other applied sciences can be suitable in numerous eventualities.

    Whilst there may be pleasure in some quarters about the possibility of hydrogen-powered automobiles, there are hurdles in terms of increasing the field, no longer least in terms of the advance of ok refueling infrastructure. The best way hydrogen is produced could also be a subject.

    Either one of those issues have been stated through Volvo Vans in June when it pointed to demanding situations together with the “large-scale provide of inexperienced hydrogen” in addition to “the truth that refueling infrastructure for heavy automobiles is but to be evolved.”

    Hydrogen may also be produced in various tactics. One means contains the use of electrolysis, with an electrical present splitting water into oxygen and hydrogen.

    If the electrical energy used on this procedure comes from a renewable supply reminiscent of wind or sun then some name it “inexperienced” or “renewable” hydrogen. These days, the majority of hydrogen technology is in line with fossil fuels.

    For its section, Tevva mentioned it will assist its consumers “get admission to sustainable and reasonably priced hydrogen provides safely and very easily, along their acquire or hire of Tevva Hydrogen Vans.”

  • Volkswagen recollects 246,000 Atlas SUVs because of factor with airbags, brakes

    Volkswagen recalled 246,000 Atlas and Atlas Pass Recreation SUVs within the U.S. and Canada as a result of a wiring factor that might reason issues of the airbags, home windows and brakes of the vehicles.

    Injury to the wiring of the vehicles may just lead to airbags deploying “later than designed,” which might result in harm of other people within the car, in keeping with a file from the Nationwide Freeway Visitors Protection Management.

    The wiring factor may just additionally reason different issues within the vehicles, together with the car’s home windows rolling down on their very own and its digital parking brake inadvertently attractive at low speeds.

    These days, the corporate does now not have a repair for the problem, in keeping with the file, alternatively Volkswagen will be offering money back program for recalled automobiles.

    The recall contains the 2019 via 2023 Volkswagen Atlas, in addition to the 2020 via 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Pass Recreation.

    Volkswagen will notify homeowners and sellers by means of mail on Would possibly 10, 2022, if their automobiles are incorporated within the recall. The corporate can even achieve out once more when a repair is evolved so homeowners can convey of their SUVs for restore.

    Within the interim, homeowners can take a look at the Nationwide Freeway Visitors Protection Management’s web site to peer if their vehicles are incorporated within the recall by means of looking their car id quantity, or VIN.