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Boeing, with leading air carriers and Honeywell’s UOP, a refining technology developer, has established a group to accelerate the development and commercialization of sustainable new aviation fuels.

The new Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group’s charter is to enable the commercial use of renewable fuel sources that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while lessening commercial aviation’s exposure to oil price volatility and dependence on fossil fuels.

Airlines supporting the sustainable fuels initiative include Air France, Air New Zealand, ANA (All Nippon Airways), Cargolux, Gulf Air, Japan Airlines, KLM, SAS and Virgin Atlantic Airways. Collectively, they account for approximately 15% of commercial jet fuel use.

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Forumula1.net. Formula One teams must embrace KERS technology if Formula One is to survive, according to Honda Racing CEO Nick Fry. KERS (Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems) are to be introduced in the 2009 season.

But several teams, led by Renault??™s Flavio Briatore, have tried to delay the introduction of the systems on the grounds of safety and cost. The concerns came after a BMW Sauber mechanic received an electric shock and a battery fire at Red Bull Racing??™s Milton Keynes Factory.

However, McLaren, Williams and Honda all ran fully functioning KERS systems at the four day test in Jerez last week and experienced no major problems. Honda??™s Nick Fry is adamant that KERS is necessary to secure the future of Formula One and has criticised those teams who want to post-pone its introduction.

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SCiB module and Schwinn Tailwind. Click to enlarge.

Cannondale Sports Group, a global provider of branded bicycles and a division of Dorel Industries, Inc., has selected the new Toshiba fast-charging SCiB (Super Charge ion Battery) lithium-ion battery (earlier post) to provide the power battery module for a new electric bicycle for the North American and European markets.

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The battery which Continental has developed for the Mercedes-Benz hybrid weighs around 25 kilograms and requires an installation volume of some 13 liters. Click to enlarge.

Continental has begun series production of lithium-ion battery packs to be used in hybrid-electric cars. The initial packs produced at Continental’s plant in Nuremberg, Germany, will be installed as standard in the new Mercedes S400 BlueHYBRID, available from the middle of 2009. (Earlier post.) The 120V battery-powered electric motor in the Mercedes hybrid can boost the combustion engine by up to 19 kW.

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Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), USA, Inc., will display a compressed natural gas (CNG) Camry Hybrid concept vehicle at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. Honda is currently the only automaker with an OEM natural gas passenger vehicle—the Civic GX—on the US retail market.

In 1999 Toyota marketed a CNG-powered four-cylinder Camry to fleet customers in California. However, in an era of cheap gasoline, customers were not attracted to a vehicle that required special refueling techniques and a limited refueling infrastructure, according to Toyota, which discontinued the program a year later.

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Fuel flows through two metallic meshes before it reaches the fuel injector. A voltage is applied on the two meshes to produce an electric field of about 1 kV/mm between them. Click to enlarge. Credit: ACS.

Researchers at Temple University in Pennsylvania have developed a small electrorheological device that, when inserted into the fuel line near the fuel injector, can improve fuel economy. In tests results reported in a study scheduled for the 19 November issue of the journal Energy & Fuels, they show an 18.8% increase in fuel mileage in a Mercedes-Benz diesel sedan in highway driving.

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The T370 hybrid.

Kenworth Truck Company has introduced a new Kenworth T370 Class 7 diesel-electric hybrid tractor for local haul applications, including beverage, general freight, and grocery distribution. Kenworth, a division of PACCAR, already offers a T270 Class 6 hybrid-electric truck. Peterbilt, also part of PACCAR, also offers its version of the T270, the Model 335.(Earlier post.)

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A year-long study by San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) studying two converted plug-in hybrid electric vehicles with 5 kWh Li-ion battery packs found that the converted PHEVs achieved a 60% increase in gas mileage, a 37% decrease in carbon dioxide (CO2) tailpipe emissions, and an 18% reduction in fuel costs compared to the same cars prior to conversion.

In response to increased interest in alternative-fueled vehicles, SDG&E evaluated the two standard hybrid vehicles for six months and, using the same pool of drivers, evaluated the converted plug-in hybrid vehicles for an additional six months.

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The US Environmental Protection Agency awarded the first $3.4 million in funding for clean diesel projects under the $50 million Diesel Emission Reduction Program. This campaign is designed to save fuel and lower greenhouse gas and diesel exhaust emissions from the country’s existing fleet of 11 million diesel engines.

Three organizations received $3.4 million for small trucking firms to lower fuel costs and shrink their carbon footprints through innovative loans and rebates. The organizations receiving funds under the national diesel program are: the Community Development Transportation Lending Services, Washington, DC; Cascade Sierra Solutions, Oregon; and Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, Missouri.

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Linear Technology has introduced the LTC6802, a highly integrated multicell battery monitoring IC capable of measuring up to 12 individual battery cells. The device??™s proprietary design allows multiple LTC6802s to be stacked in series without optocouplers or isolators, for precision voltage monitoring of every cell in long strings of series-connected batteries.

Long battery strings enable high power, rechargeable applications, such as electric and hybrid electric vehicles, scooters, motorcycles, golf carts, wheelchairs, boats, forklifts, robotics, portable medical equipment, and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems.

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