Transportation
Clearing a potential road block to bisabolane
January 10, 2012 3:12 am | News | CommentsJoint BioEnergy Institute researchers have determined the 3D crystal structure of a protein that is key to boosting the microbial-based production of bisabolane as a clean, green, and renewable biosynthetic alternative to D2 diesel fuel.
The case of the missing gas mileage
January 4, 2012 2:40 am | by Peter Dizikes, MIT News Office | News | CommentsContrary to common perception, the major automakers have produced large increases in fuel efficiency through better technology in recent decades. There's just one catch: All those advances have barely increased the mileage per gallon that autos actually achieve on the road.
2012 Global R & D Funding Forecast: Industrial R & D—Energy
December 16, 2011 3:48 am | by Martin Grueber, Research Leader, Battelle and Tim Studt, Editor-in-Chief, Advantage Business Media | Articles | CommentsIndustrial R&D in the energy sector comprises a broad portfolio of technologies, including fossil, nuclear, and renewable generation; smart grid or other transmission and distribution; and energy-efficiency technologies. Energy-related research sponsored by U.S. utilities, manufacturers, and technology providers will reach nearly $6.7 billion in 2012.
Fuel economy of new vehicles continues to rise
December 6, 2011 8:40 am | News | CommentsAverage fuel economy of all new vehicles sold in the United States is up for the second straight month, say researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. Average fuel economy of cars, light trucks, minivans, and SUVs purchased in November was 22.7 mpg, up from 22.6 mpg in October and up from 22.1 mpg in both August and September.
E. coli bacteria engineered to make transportation fuels
November 29, 2011 6:54 am | News | CommentsStrains of E. coli bacteria were engineered to digest switchgrass biomass and synthesize its sugars into gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel. The switchgrass, which is among the most highly touted of the potential feedstocks for advanced biofuels, was pre-treated with ionic liquid, a key to the success of this study.
Researchers develop 'super' yeast that turns pine into ethanol
November 18, 2011 6:55 am | News | CommentsResearchers at the University of Georgia have developed a "super strain" of yeast that can efficiently ferment ethanol from pretreated pine. Their research could help biofuels replace gasoline as a transportation fuel.
Alaska Airlines takes key steps toward lower carbon flight
November 14, 2011 2:44 am | News | CommentsOn Nov. 9, Alaska Airlines initiated the first regular commercial service in the United States powered by a blend of sustainable biofuels from used cooking oil and petroleum-based jet fuel. The flights from SeaTac Airport to Washington D.C. and Portland, Ore. are important steps in a long journey that will provide a more sustainable and lower carbon future for the aviation industry.
Fuel economy up for first time since last spring
November 9, 2011 3:41 am | News | CommentsFor the first time in seven months, average fuel economy of all new vehicles sold in the United States is on the rise, say researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. Average fuel economy of cars, light trucks, minivans, and SUVs purchased in October was 22.6 mpg, up from 22.1 mpg in September.
Hybrid trucks, buses focus of new Purdue center
October 17, 2011 12:13 pm | News | CommentsPurdue University will lead a new effort aimed at cutting fuel consumption in half for commercial vehicles by perfecting hybrid technologies for the world's burgeoning bus and truck fleets.
Fuel economy of new vehicles at lowest point in past year
October 10, 2011 7:32 am | News | CommentsFor the second straight month, the average fuel economy of all new vehicles sold in the United States remained the same, according to a researcher at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute. The average fuel economy of vehicles purchased in September was 22.1 mpg, unchanged from August.
Project aims to bring bio-based jet fuel production to the Northwest
September 30, 2011 4:34 am | News | CommentsSeattle biofuel producer Imperium Renewables and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are developing a new method to make biomass-based drop-in jet fuels so that additional renewable jet fuel production facilities can be built in the Pacific Northwest. So far, their novel process has produced a meaningful amount of fuel that is being evaluated to determine how well it can blend with traditional, petroleum-based jet fuel.
Artificial leaf makes fuel from sunlight
September 30, 2011 3:41 am | by David L. Chandler, MIT News Office | News | CommentsResearchers led by Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Daniel Nocera have produced something they're calling an "artificial leaf". Like living leaves, the device can turn the energy of sunlight directly into a chemical fuel that can be stored and used later as an energy source.
Drive like the wind
September 12, 2011 8:06 am | News | CommentsIn a new report, researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory show how electric vehicles could help operators more seamlessly add more renewable energy sources like wind into the Pacific Northwest's energy grid. The Northwest increasingly is looking to add more wind power to meet growing energy demands and policy requirements to tap more renewable energy sources.
Driving a gas-guzzler? You can still cut fuel costs
September 8, 2011 5:12 am | News | CommentsWhile driving a fuel-efficient vehicle is the best way to save gas, motorists can still cut fuel consumption nearly in half by driving slower and less aggressively, properly maintaining their vehicles, and avoiding congested roads, say University of Michigan researchers.
Increasing fuel efficiency with a smartphone
August 25, 2011 4:38 am | by Larry Hardesty, MIT News Office | News | CommentsResearchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Princeton University developed a system that uses a network of smartphones mounted on car dashboards to collect information about traffic signals and tell drivers when slowing down could help them avoid waiting at lights. By reducing the need to idle and accelerate from a standstill, the system saves gas.
Things that go bump convert to watts
August 14, 2011 8:00 pm | Award WinnersThe Energy-Harvesting Shock Absorbers continuously collect vibration energy from vehicle suspension that is currently dissipated into waste heat by conventional oil shock absorbers and uses it to charge the battery.
Obama announces 54.5 mpg fuel efficiency standard
July 29, 2011 8:59 am | News | CommentsPresident Obama announced a historic agreement with thirteen major automakers to pursue the next phase in the Administration’s national vehicle program, increasing fuel economy to 54.5 mpg for cars and light-duty trucks by Model Year 2025.
OSC lifts OSU land speed racer toward 400-mph goal
July 22, 2011 6:27 am | News | CommentsA team of engineering students at The Ohio State University’s (OSU) Center for Automotive Research (CAR) recently began running aerodynamics simulations at the Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC), one of the first steps in the long and careful process of designing, building, and racing the fourth iteration of their alternative-fuel streamliner.
First commercial flight completed using Dynamic Fuels jet fuel
July 1, 2011 7:00 am | News | CommentsKLM Royal Dutch Airlines became the first airline in the world to operate a commercial flight on 'biokerosene,' which included renewable jet fuel supplied by Dynamic Fuels LLC.
AC Propulsion powers Yokohama-sponsored electric vehicle
June 27, 2011 9:54 am | News | CommentsAC Propulsion announced that the Yokohama-sponsored electric race car using AC Propulsion's proprietary electric drive system broke its own 2010 record at the 89th annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
Giving electric vehicles a jolt
June 6, 2011 4:00 am | by David L. Chandler, MIT News Office | News | CommentsA radically new approach to the design of batteries, developed by researchers at MIT, could provide a lightweight and inexpensive alternative to existing batteries for electric vehicles and the power grid. The technology could even make "refueling" such batteries as quick and easy as pumping gas into a conventional car.
Georgia Tech and Ford collaborate on 'green' school bus
May 13, 2011 7:55 am | News | CommentsThe Georgia Institute of Technology and the Ford Motor Company Fund are partnering on the nation’s first conversion of a school bus to a hydraulic hybrid vehicle that runs on recycled biofuel. Atlanta Public Schools donated the bus for the project.
Combining gas and diesel engines could yield best of both worlds
May 5, 2011 4:37 am | News | CommentsIt may be hard to believe, but the beloved gasoline engine that powers more than 200 million cars across America every day didn't get its status because it's the most efficient engine. Diesel engines can be more than twice as efficient, but they spew soot and pollutants into the air. Could researchers at Argonne National Laboratory engineer a union between the two—combining the best of both?
Products from Government-sponsored Research
April 8, 2011 7:19 am | by Rita C. Peters | Articles | CommentsArgonne National Laboratory (Argonne, Ill.) has recently commercialized its lithium-rich composite cathode technology for lithium-ion batteries with licenses to GM, Envia, Toda Kogyo, LG Chem, and BASF.
Researchers close in on technology for making renewable petroleum
March 23, 2011 7:09 am | News | CommentsUniv. of Minnesota researchers are a key step closer to making renewable petroleum fuels using bacteria, sunlight, and dioxide, a goal funded by a $2.2 million United States Department of Energy grant.
