Using a specially-coated form of clothing material Goretex, scientists at Monash University have developed an electrically-generated fuel cell which could make the next generation of hybrid cars more reliable and cheaper to build.

The team of Monash scientists have designed and tested an air-electrode, where a fine layer – just 0.4 of a micron thick, or about 100 times thinner than a human hair – of highly conductive plastic is depositied on the breathable fabric. The conductive plastic acts as both the fuel cell electrode and catalyst.

Dr Bjorn Winther-Jensen, Monash University, explained: “The same way as waste vapour is drawn out of this material to make hikers more comfortable and less prone to hypothermia, so it is able the ‘breathe’ oxygen into our fuel cell and into contact with the conductive plastic.”

Professor Doug MacFarlane, Monash University, continued: “The benefits for the motoring industry and for motorists are that the new design removes the need for platinum, which acts as the catalyst and is currently central to the manufacturing process.

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Engineering solutions firm Ricardo, has unveiled a research prototype vehicle that demonstrates the company’s patent pending electromagnetic linear actuator technology, which it says offers a low cost route to robust and highly efficient Automated Manual Transmission (AMT) and Dry Clutch Transmission (DCT) vehicles, capable of providing increased fuel economy and lower emissions.

The development vehicle is based on an Opel Corsa 1.2l petrol automated manual transmission, in which the control and actuation system of the original Easytronic system has been replaced with Ricardo’s patent-pending electromagnetic linear actuator technology which can be multiplexed in order to operate both the clutch control and gear selection functions.

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Drivers that try and push their cars to the limit, could find they start to push back.

Nissan Motor Co’s ‘ECO Pedal’ system, promoted as both green and safe – makes the accelerator pedal press upwards when it senses motorists are speeding up too quickly.

The system, which Nissan says will be available next year, calculates the most efficient rate of acceleration in a vehicle based on how fast fuel is being burned among other factors, when it deems the motorist is exceeding the most efficient rate, the accelerator pedal pushes back. A meter on the dashboard flashes and changes colours to alert the driver.

According to Nissan, the system is designed to help drivers become more fuel efficient; implementing it could help drivers improve fuel efficiency by five to 10 per cent.

There is an option for switching the system off.

An emission-free and environmentally sustainable automotive coating system has been developed by Australia’s CSIRO and Dulux Powder Coatings.

The Australian automotive industry uses about 10 million litres of liquid paint a year to coat the surfaces of new vehicles, including putting decorative finishes on plastic components, however, traditional wet paints have disadvantages. They do not have a high rate of spray transfer onto plastic parts – around 70 per cent is lost as waste, and contain solvents that release volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) to the atmosphere.

The goal of the project was to overcome a long-term sustainability issue for the automotive, plastics and furniture industries by replacing wet paint finishes on heat-sensitive substances, such as plastic components, with zero-waste powder coating technology.

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Researchers at Ohio State University have invented a new material designed to make cars more efficient by converting heat wasted through engine exhausts into electricity.

Scientists rate the efficiency of thermoelectric (TE) materials based on how much heat they can convert into electricity at a given temperature. To maximise the amount of electricity produced by a TE material, engineers would normally try to limit the amount of heat that can pass through it without being captures and converted to electricity. So the typical strategy for making a good TE material is to lower its thermal conductivity.

Project leader, Joesph Heremans took a different approach, focussing on how to convert the maximum amount of heat that was naturally trapped in the TE material. To do this he took embraced some new ideas in quantum mechanics.

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The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has entered into a collaboration with General Motors and 34 other utilities to facilitate the integration of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) into the grid, a key step in providing the drivers with an alternative to petroleum fuels.

PHEVs use domestically produced electricity through the grid, with a lower cost to fuel the vehicles than that of petroleum fuels. Additional, research released last year by EPRI and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) pointed to the potential of PHEVs to lower greenhouse emissions.

The EPRI-GM-utility collaboration will work to accelerate large-scale deployment of PHEVs and create a blueprint for an electric fuel infrastructure.

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General Motors is adding the world’s largest rooftop solar photovoltaic power installation to its car assembly plant located in Figueruelas, Zaragoza, Spain. When the project is completed in the fall of 2008, the Zaragoza solar installation will cover about 2,000,000 sq. ft. of roof at the plant and comprises about 85,000 solar panels.

When fully operational, the Zaragoza solar installation will generate about 12 megawatts of power at its highest output. The installation will generate about 15.1 million kWh of power annually, which is equivalent to the demand of 4,575 households with an average annual consumption of 3,300 kWh in Spain.

The Zaragoza project demonstrates proof that GM is actively accelerating our efforts to be part of the solution to the environmental issues and challenges facing our world,” said Gary Cowger, GM group vice president of Global Manufacturing and Labor Relations. “We are proud to be a global leader in the usage of renewable energy.”

GM currently has two of the largest solar power installations in the United States on the roofs of its Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana, California parts warehouses. The Rancho Cucamonga project was the first public solar project in the U.S. over 1 mega watt, when it began operating in the fall of 2006. The solar panels provide about 50 percent of the electricity to the facility.

The Fontana project, also 1 megawatt, became operational in December 2007. It generates about 1.3 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year, which is about the amount needed to power 200 homes yearly.

“As we develop new solutions in vehicle propulsion to reduce carbon emissions, we are also making significant progress in reducing the impact our facilities have on the environment,” said Elizabeth A. Lowery, GM vice president, Environment, Energy and Safety Policy. “Our commitment to expanding the usage of renewable energy sources is part of our coordinated global effort to reduce energy, water consumption, waste and CO2 emissions.”

A windshield from General Motors uses a camera, lasers and infrared sensors to enhance what’s happening on the road so aging drivers with vision problems can see more clearly.

GM says the new windshield will make objects stand out that could otherwise go unnoticed.

The technology enhances just a few objects in the dirvers view.

“You can see the difficulty of implementing technology like this,” GM researcher Thomas Seder said.

“They say, `That would be very frustrating or confusing, to have things on my windshield. I need to see the world,’ ” Seder said. “I’m enhancing the world. I’ll take a feature that should be important to you, like the edge of the road, and paint a line over the real edge.”

British firm Axon Automotive has combined a 500cc engine with a low-weight body to create an affordable 100mpg carbon composite passenger car.

The company has replaced the steel or aluminium traditionally used for vehicle frames, with recycled carbon fibre composites, which are as strong as steel, but 60 per cent lighter. Using carbon materials throughout the car body has a huge impact on the power-to-weight ratio, it means acceptable overall performance can be achieved with a much smaller, lighter and more frugal engine.

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Toyota has employed the ‘Active Noise Control’ system on its Crown Hybrid vehicle, using three microphones located on the roof of the interior of the car to detect the muffled noise of the engine.

The system then generates antiphase signals from three speakers, two located on the right and left front doors and one rear woofer on the rear shelf, to counter the noise. The system which was implemented after the car’s engine was found to be noisier than expected, reduces the interior engine noise by about 5 to 8dB, the company said.

“We collected the data such as the distance between the microphone and the head of a passenger, the distance between each speaker and the head of a passenger, and the shape of a car interior,” Toyota said.

Nissan and Renault will sell electric vehicles in Portugal in 2011, and have partnered with the government to create a national network of charging stations.

Nissan said it will sell electric cars globally in 2012, but the technology still is being developed.

Nissan has pursued deals with governments on electric vehicles, as soaring gas prices make green technology more appealing.

ITM Power has unveiled a hydrogen refuelling station and a hydrogen-powered car which could revolutionise commuting while cutting fuel costs and CO2 emissions.

The conventional petrol-engined Ford-Focus, which has completed successful urban commuting trials, has been converted to run on hydrogen, which burns without emitting CO2, and could ultimately reduce drivers’ dependence on fossil fuels.

In addition, ITM Power has also revealed a hydrogen home refuelling station capable of producing the gas from water and electricity. The station overcomes one of the fundamental stumbling blocks to hydrogen economy – the lack of hydrogen refuelling infrastructure and utility supply network.

It has taken scientists and chemists at the company’s Sheffield research base eight years to create a low-cost means of manufacturing hydrogen. It’s patented electrolyser-based refuelling station uses a low-cost polymer which dispenses with the need for expensive platinum and can be manufactured at one per cent of the cost of traditional membrane materials.

The result is a hydrogen production system small enough to be used in a home or business, which can generate the gas from a supply of water and off-peak or renewable electricity – power created by wind, wave, solar or nuclear energy. The stored hydrogen could then be used to fuel converted cars or provide power for domestic or commercial purposes.

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Topia Corp has prototyped a single-seater electric vehicle “HUVO,” which only weighs about 150kg (330 lb).

The vehicle was exhibited at the 19th Design Engineering & Manufacturing Solutions Expo (DMS) located in Tokyo.

The HUVO was developed by using Topia’s proprietary design and production technologies, the company said.

The Huvo is made of steel, aluminum, carbon fiber reinforced plastic and ABS resin.

The body frame is made of high-tensile steel plate, the doors on both sides and the back panel are made of aluminum alloy and the interior parts and the wheel covers are made of ABS resin.