Energy/Environment

Rough road ahead for EV battery costs Increasing manufacturing scale is critical in getting lithium-ion battery costs down; it will not be nearly enough to reach the U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium target of $150/kW·h by 2020. Read full story

Patent revocation, counterfeiting fears cloud A/C changeover to R-1234yf Honeywell patent for R-1234yf revoked by European Patent Office, but company appeals and files additional patents. R-1234yf supply situation unlikely to improve until October. Cost issue creates possible opportunity for blend refrigerants. Refrigerant counterfeiting problems hit military. Read full story

Thermal storage evaporators offer idle-stop cost saving for A/C operation Idle-stop may add to city fuel economy and is eligible for 2.9 g/mi carbon credits, so it is starting to appear as a U.S. option. Need for A/C operation leads to evaluation of evaporators with thermal storage in waxes. Delphi promises U.S. OE installation for 2015, following low-volume Behr system in European BMW 7 Series. Read full story

J1772 'combo connector' shown at the 2012 Electric Vehicle Symposium SAE International's J1772 “combo connector,” which will allow for both slower ac charging and faster dc charging of plug-in vehicles using a single vehicle electrical inlet, gets its first North American public demo next week after months of internal testing by automakers. Read full story

Hella lights path to growth Hella is expanding operations in the U.S., Brazil, and Mexico, the head of the company’s electronics division in the America’s said at a wide-ranging press briefing April 25 in conjunction with the SAE 2012 World Congress. It expects stop/start technology to provide a boost to sales. Read full story

Engineers fueled by fuel prices The government and automakers don't always see eye-to-eye, but during a panel discussion at the SAE 2012 World Congress the only thing causing eyes to cross was the inability to predict future fuel prices. Read full story

Video Interview: ECOtality leading the charge in EV charging Paul Heitmann, Manager of Utility Solutions at ECOtality, spoke to Automotive Engineering International about the EV Project and about the company's Blink chargers. Read full story

Connecting with smart travel The world's roads will be dramatically more congested in 2050 than today when 2 billion vehicles hit the streets. Read full story

GE’s Immelt sees future for EVs: ‘We don’t invest in novelties’ Key among the 10 ideas for business and country competitiveness that General Electric’s Chairman and CEO shared to open the SAE 2012 World Congress was that the U.S. must take a leadership role in the energy sector. And Jeffrey Immelt believes that is not just a pipe dream. Read full story