http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Panasonic Corporation has developed a 12V Energy Recovery System for idle-stop vehicles that uses nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH) batteries for automobiles. This system allows the energy generated during braking to be stored in the batteries and use the stored energy to power the vehicle's electrical components, thus ensuring power availability even when the engine is not being used. In addition, as the system is designed to supply power to the drive assist motor as well, it helps improve the vehicle's fuel economy. http://phys.org/news279552404.html Technology Fri, 08 Feb 2013 13:28:59 EST news279552404 As plug-in electric vehicles become an ever more central part of America's daily life, University of Notre Dame researchers are anticipating what that development will mean for the nation's power grid. http://phys.org/news274547700.html Technology Wed, 12 Dec 2012 15:15:06 EST news274547700 Ford Motor Company today demonstrated a prototype carbon fiber bonnet that could help lower fuel consumption for Ford customers. http://phys.org/news268990712.html Technology Tue, 09 Oct 2012 08:38:44 EST news268990712 (Phys.org)—As demand increases for lithium, the essential element in batteries for everything from cameras to automobiles, a researcher at Missouri University of Science and Technology is studying potential disruptions to the long-term supply chain the world's lightest metal. http://phys.org/news267687569.html Technology Mon, 24 Sep 2012 06:39:39 EST news267687569 TDK Corporation has expanded the NTCGP series of TDK NTC temperature sensors with types featuring lug terminals for the precise measurement of surface temperatures from -40 °C to +150 °C. With their metal lug terminals the compact and highly-reliable epoxy-dipped NTC thermistors can be screwed directly to circuit boards and mounted components. Mass production will begin in September 2012. http://phys.org/news267430512.html Electronics Fri, 21 Sep 2012 07:15:19 EST news267430512 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists know that using supercapacitors in conjunction with batteries could greatly increase the fuel economy of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) due to the fact that supercapacitors can recover and supply energy much more quickly than batteries. This ability, for example, allows a supercapacitor to recover all of the energy during hard braking, while a battery would allow the energy to be wasted in frictional braking due to its inability to quickly harvest energy. http://phys.org/news251472534.html Nanotechnology Tue, 20 Mar 2012 14:40:02 EST news251472534 Thinking about buying a new plug-in vehicle? You may want to check the size of its battery first. http://phys.org/news236274671.html Technology Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:51:22 EST news236274671 The Chevrolet Volt is many things: an attention grabber, a potential cure for an oil dependent nation - the list goes on. http://phys.org/news236271701.html Technology Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:40:02 EST news236271701 (PhysOrg.com) -- While car companies race to develop electric and hybrid electric vehicles, one of the biggest challenges they face is finding a suitable energy storage system. Lithium-ion batteries, which currently power a variety of smaller consumer electronics devices, could ideally fill this role. But at the moment, they require further improvements in terms of energy density and power density in order to be used effectively in electric vehicles. Now in a new study, researchers have developed a novel type of lithium-ion battery with an anode and cathode that involve new, advanced battery chemistries, greatly improving the battery’s performance and likely making it suitable for electric vehicles. http://phys.org/news217488993.html Chemistry Mon, 21 Feb 2011 08:40:01 EST news217488993 Green vehicles stole the show at the Detroit Auto Show this year but their success depends on consumers, who are still shying away from their higher price tags. http://phys.org/news213969388.html Technology Tue, 11 Jan 2011 12:30:08 EST news213969388 (PhysOrg.com) -- NEI Corporation and the University of California, San Diego won a Phase II Small Business Technology Transfer contract from NASA to develop and implement high energy density cathode materials for lithium batteries. These lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries could be used in a variety of NASA projects - and in a wide range of transportation and consumer applications. http://phys.org/news201979804.html Technology Wed, 25 Aug 2010 18:30:35 EST news201979804 Few drivers know exactly which well in which country their gasoline comes from, and from an environmental standpoint, it may not matter. Burning petroleum from the United States, Canada, Russia or Iran would each release large amounts of harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. http://phys.org/news201369529.html Technology Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:59:36 EST news201369529 President Barack Obama has called for one million plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) to hit the road by 2015. If the demand for PHEVs skyrockets, a flood of new electric cars could strain America’s power networks to the limit. http://phys.org/news188752412.html Technology Thu, 25 Mar 2010 16:30:25 EST news188752412 Four Japanese auto giants and the country's largest power company joined forces Monday to set up a common system to recharge electric cars, with the aim of creating a global standard. http://phys.org/news187855428.html Technology Mon, 15 Mar 2010 07:04:48 EST news187855428 Think of it as the end of cars' slacker days: No more sitting idle for hours in parking lots or garages racking up payments, but instead earning their keep by helping store power for the electricity grid. http://phys.org/news185734076.html Technology Thu, 18 Feb 2010 17:30:01 EST news185734076 An advancement in hybrid electric vehicle technology is providing powerful benefits beyond transportation. http://phys.org/news184522666.html Technology Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:30:01 EST news184522666 The Department of Energy announced today that 24 million hours of supercomputing time out of a total of 1.6 billion available hours at Argonne and Oak Ridge National Laboratories have been awarded to investigate materials for developing lithium air batteries, capable of powering a car for 500 miles on a single charge. http://phys.org/news183814636.html Technology Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:00:04 EST news183814636 When it comes to pumping up the appeal of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), some regions are more ripe for the cars than others, and some consumers' buttons need more pushing than others - an important policy distinction when shaping subsidies, two energy policy experts say. http://phys.org/news182079882.html Technology Thu, 07 Jan 2010 09:45:24 EST news182079882 A road trial of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), which could one day end up in every Australian driveway, is underway. Over the next three months, staff from Victorian energy distributor SP AusNet will use the PHEVs for their daily drive to work and for leisure as part of CSIRO and SP AusNet trial. http://phys.org/news175874789.html Technology Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:30:06 EST news175874789 A University of Michigan survey released today shows widespread consumer interest in buying plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). But the cost of the cars is much more influential than environmental and other non-economic factors as a predictor of purchase probabilities. http://phys.org/news175347895.html Technology Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:46:04 EST news175347895 Clemson University researchers have been awarded a $470,000 National Science Foundation grant to study making plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) more efficient to reduce fossil fuel use. http://phys.org/news173371840.html Technology Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:55:43 EST news173371840 "Experts" have long been saying the popularity of hybrid vehicles is waning, in parallel to lower gas prices. Say it ain't so? It ain't. http://phys.org/news170361448.html Technology Tue, 25 Aug 2009 01:40:04 EST news170361448 Amid corporate restructuring plans, car czars and a waning economy, the struggling automotive industry is tasked with providing more efficient and economical options for car buyers. While foreign markets have been quick to move into hybrid and electric vehicle space, the United States has been slower to adapt. http://phys.org/news167410677.html Technology Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:20:02 EST news167410677 America's power grid today resembles the country's canal system of the 19th Century. A marvel of engineering for its time, the canal system eventually could not keep pace with the growing demands of transcontinental transportation. http://phys.org/news160942405.html Technology Thu, 07 May 2009 19:14:19 EST news160942405 Dear EarthTalk: If you have an electric or plug-in hybrid car, you're paying for electricity rather than gasoline all or most of the time. How does that cost compare to a gas-powered car's cost-per-mile? And since the electricity may be generated from some other polluting source, does it really work out to be better for the environment? (Kevin DeMarco, Milford, Connecticut) http://phys.org/news157618076.html Space & Earth Mon, 30 Mar 2009 07:48:37 EST news157618076 President Barack Obama Thursday unveiled a 2.4 billion dollar boost for electric vehicle development, vowing to compete with foreign nations in the race to be world leader on renewable energy. http://phys.org/news156703825.html Technology Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:50:49 EST news156703825 A Georgia Tech City and Regional Planning study on climate change, published February 10, 2009 online by Environmental Science and Technology, shows that "smart growth" combined with the use of hybrid vehicle technology could reduce cities' carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions - the principal driver of global warming - significantly by 2050. http://phys.org/news153579075.html Space & Earth Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:51:53 EST news153579075 Eaton Corporation is using IBM modeling software to develop series hydraulic hybrid systems. Replacing a vehicle’s conventional drive train and transmission, the series hydraulic hybrid (SHH) system promises dramatic fuel savings and environmental benefits. The system uses hydraulic pumps and storage tanks to capture and store energy, similar to what is done with electric motors and batteries in a hybrid electric vehicle. http://phys.org/news149349584.html Technology Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:59:44 EST news149349584