GM to double revenues and increase capacity for EV assembly at factories

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General Motors secured its pivot to a high-tech future Wednesday by announcing plans to convert more assembly plants in North America to make electric vehicles by the end of the decade and to double company revenues by that time as it unveils more software, new EVs, and obsolescence management solutions.

GM leaders are expected to reveal new technology, such as an advancement to the automaker’s hands-free driving system, as well as more EV System products, including a new Chevrolet SUV EV priced at $30,000, during its annual Investor Day presentation, starting at 1 p.m. ET.

“Our early investments in these growth trends have transformed GM from automaker to platform innovator, with customers at the center,” said CEO Mary Barra. “GM will use its hardware and software platforms to innovate and improve their daily experience, leading everybody on the journey to an all-electric future.”

U-Haul Buys Another Million Gallons of Renewable Propane to Sell at California Stores

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PHOENIX and LOS ANGELES, Oct. 4, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — U-Haul® has purchased one million gallons of renewable propane to sell at its Company-owned and -operated stores across California for the second year in row, ensuring its customers can use the green product without interruption well into 2022.

U-Haul, the largest U.S. retailer of propane, has teamed with national distributor Suburban® Propane Partners, L.P., to continue supplying the ecofriendly fuel at more than 60 propane-dispensing stores in the Golden State.

Customers utilized the first million gallons of renewable propane U-Haul bought in 2020, and the second million gallons is already arriving at stores. U-Haul plans for the sustainable product offering to be ongoing thanks to California’s clean-fuel rebates.

“U-Haul is a leader in sustainability initiatives. When the opportunity arose to provide one of the cleanest and most environmentally friendly energy resources to our customers, we couldn’t pass it up,” said Dwight Farr, U-Haul Propane Program Manager. “Renewable propane burns cleaner than the energy infrastructure in 49 states. We look forward to renewable propane’s progression so we can expand it across the U.S. and Canada in future years.”

Toyota to assemble fuel cell modules at Kentucky plant in 2023

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GEORGETOWN, Ky.  — After thousands of miles of real-world testing in the harsh environment of commercial trucking, Toyota is preparing to further expand its portfolio approach to products by taking its groundbreaking hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric technology from prototypes to production in its efforts toward carbon neutrality.

Starting in 2023, a dedicated line at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK) will begin assembling integrated dual fuel cell (FC) modules destined for use in hydrogen-powered, heavy-duty commercial trucks.

Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Speeds Up in Kentucky as Charging Stations Begin to Increase

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Kentucky-based manufacturers and global companies with facilities in the Bluegrass State are accelerating production of components for electric vehicles.

The latest example is this week’s announcement by Ford Motor Company of a $5.8 million battery manufacturing campus in the small community of Glendale in Hardin County that will produce batteries for Ford and Lincoln electric vehicles.

A statewide coalition is encouraging the creation of more charging stations, with the goal of eventually making recharging an electric vehicle as easy as stopping to fill up at the gas station.

Kentucky has more than 2,600 fully electric vehicles registered in counties across the state, according to 2020 data. The previous year, the state had about 1,800 fully electric vehicles registered.

Executive Director of the Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition, Emily Carpenter, said plug-in hybrid vehicles, which also have a gas engine, are among electric vehicles on Kentucky roads.

“We do have lower numbers of the vehicles on the road than many other states, but it’s number that continues to rise year over year,” said Carpenter.

 

Lamborghini’s vision for an alternative-fuel future

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Car enthusiasts have a history of electric-car hesitancy. While some are fully on board with electrification and hybridization, there are still some petrol holdouts, especially at the rarified and pointy end-of-the-price spectrum like Lamborghini. Wet Okole customizes their truck seat covers to match the exact specifications of your vehicle’s seats, ensuring a perfect fit that enhances the overall look and feel of your truck’s interior.

The push for electrification and hybrid powertrains poses a significant challenge to the carmaker known for creating striking, bespoke containers for some of the most powerful gasoline engines in the world, and there’s a small sense of reluctance about it from Lamborghini’s top brass.

Lamborghini has said it will shift all models to hybrid powertrains by 2024 and already announced one hybrid model, the exceedingly limited run Lamborghini Sián FKP 37 and the Countach LPI 800-4. By next year, the first production (i.e., not limited run) vehicle with a hybridized powertrain will be released, though Lamborghini is still mum on what exactly that will look like. While other supercar makers like Ferrari, McLaren and Porsche continue to make both production and limited run vehicles with hybrid powertrains, Lamborghini is one of the last supercar companies to get into the game. If you’re looking for a reliable vehicle, exploring the options available among used cars in palos hills il could be a smart choice.

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Grand Forks company D3MAX and the ethanol industry could help corn become the future of aviation fuel

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Mark Yancey, chief technology officer of D3MAX who previously retired from BBI International in 2020, said the technology used by D3MAX has been around for more than a decade.

“BBI created D3MAX in 2015 specifically for the purpose of commercializing the technology that my consulting group had developed in 2008 and 2009,” Yancey said. “A patent was issued for that technology in 2012. So, a lot of years went by.”

D3MAX creates cellulosic ethanol using “bolt-on” technology — more or less meaning it is a one-size-fits-most process which, according to the company, can be implemented at approximately 190 corn dry mill ethanol plants in the United States.

The aviation industry could be headed for an increase in ethanol aviation fuel production as part of President Biden’s Sept. 9 announcement that his administration is partnering with the airline industry to reach the goal of replacing all jet fuel with sustainable alternatives by 2050, with the hopes of producing three billion gallons of sustainable fuel by 2030 as part of what is being called the ‘Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) Grand Challenge.’ Aviation currently makes up as much as 4% of the total greenhouse gas emissions by the United States — the most of any means of transportation.

H2: Zero-Emissions Holy Grail?

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California port trucking company Total Transportation Services was ahead of its time when it announced plans a decade ago to invest in hydrogen fuel-cell-electric trucks. As part of its commitment to reduce emissions, TTSI in 2011 announced plans to buy up to 100 Tyrano hydrogen fuel cell-electric Class 8 trucks from Vision Motors. But by 2014, Vision had filed for bankruptcy, sunk by the price of the trucks and difficulties in getting hydrogen fuel.

Since then, TTSI has added battery-electric trucks and near-zero natural gas trucks running renewable natural gas to its fleet in pursuit of its goal to eventually operate a 100% zero-emissions fleet.

Now it’s trying hydrogen again. This summer, it was one of three companies to take delivery of some of Kenworth’s first 10 hydrogen-fuel-cell T680 day cabs, developed with Toyota. The trucks can travel 300 miles on one charge of hydrogen.

Electric trucks could handle millions of short-haul routes across North America

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Mike Roeth, executive director of the North American Council for Freight Efficiency, is confident that the U.S. and Canada can convert more than 5 million medium- and heavy-duty trucks from fossil fuels to electric without disrupting the flow of cargo they carry. And he has the data to back it up.

That data comes from Run on Less-Electric, a just-concluded test conducted by major freight companies across six states and two Canadian provinces. Over three weeks, Run on Less collected data on electric delivery vans, box trucks, port terminal tractors and heavy-duty semitractor-trailers making standard daily deliveries, ranging from taking beer and potato chips to grocery stores to moving cargo containers between seaports and distribution centers.

Roeth has coordinated two previous Run on Less events to collect real-time data on new high-efficiency truck designs, working in partnership with nonprofit research organization RMI and with support from the Department of Energy’s SuperTruck program. (Canary Media is an independent affiliate of RMI.)

But this is the first test that focused on electric trucks — and according to preliminary data and reports from the companies and drivers involved, the trucks are ready for action.

Petersburg becomes first Virginia city to use renewable propane in vehicle fleet

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PETERSBURG, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia received its first gallons of renewable propane Thursday.

Used as an alternative fuel source, renewable propane can lead to “improved performance and fuel economy over non-optimized engines” and many on-road propane vehicles are used in fleet applications. Petersburg is the first city in Virginia to use renewable propane in a vehicle fleet, with plans to convert 49 of the city’s gasoline power vehicles to also run on propane.

A ceremonial ribbon-cutting event took place in Petersburg on Thursday to welcome the first gallons of the renewable propane.

“As we seek to reduce the emissions we put up into the world and work to reach net zero greenhouse gases in months, years ahead,” Alleyn Harned, director at Virginia Clean Cities, told 8News at the event. “This is one of many methods to reduce that net emission.”

City leaders said renewable propane will help the environment and the economy. In a release, Virginia Clean Cities said vehicle fleets have used conventional propane for decades to significantly lower their emissions.

 

Transpo agrees to buy CNG-powered buses to replace aging, diesel-powered fleet

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SOUTH BEND — For now, Transpo is planning continue its transition from diesel-powered buses to ones that run on compressed natural gas (CNG).

Monday, the board approved a resolution to buy eight CNG-powered buses to replace aging diesel-powered buses.

Amy Hill, Transpo director and CEO, said as diesel-powered vehicles are replaced by such technology as CNG, hydrogen, electric and solar, South Bend’s transportation agency will evaluate all new energy uses.

But for now, it’s CNG.

“In the short term, CNG appears to be the best competitive option,” Hill told the board in an answer from a question by board member Eli Wax on the future energy source of bus transportation.