News Archives - 2011

December 13, 2011

NREL Adds Electric Vehicle to its Advanced Vehicle Fleet

NREL will use the new electric vehicle for studies related to charge management and performance, bi-directional charging, and electric vehicle grid integration.

December 12, 2011

Energy Department Awards More Than $7 Million for Innovative Hydrogen Storage Technologies in Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles

These projects will help lower the costs and increase the performance of hydrogen storage systems by developing innovative materials and advanced tanks for efficient and safe transportation.

December 7, 2011

NREL Releases Report on Testing Electric Vehicles to Optimize their Performance with Power Grids

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have released a technical report that could help improve the performance of electric vehicles (EVs) and the efficiency of the electric utility grids that power them.

December 2, 2011

Fuel Cell Lift Trucks: A Grocer's Best Friend

Working in conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, DOE has been analyzing the performance of fuel cell lift trucks at grocery distributors around the country.

November 8, 2011

Farm Fields Could Yield Jet Fuel of the Future

NREL is helping develop a process to cost effectively convert cellulosic biomass into a replacement for petroleum-based aviation fuel.

October 25, 2011

NREL Opens New Doors to Renewable Energy Data

The U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory is home to a cornucopia of data on renewable energy, energy efficiency and alternative transportation. This week, NREL launched a new website that will make the data more accessible than ever.

October 18, 2011

Alternative Fuels Data Center Keeps Pace

DOE and NREL are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the AFDC, an ever evolving online resource for alternative transportation information.

September 26, 2011

Analysis Tool Generates Custom Vehicle Drive Cycles Based on Real-World Data

The new Drive-Cycle Rapid Investigation, Visualization, and Evaluation (DRIVE) tool uses global positioning system and controller area network data to produce custom vehicle test drive cycles based on real-world activity, analyzing thousands of hours of data in a matter of minutes.

August 17, 2011

Low Emission Cars Under NREL's Microscope

National laboratory researchers put advanced vehicles through their paces and give consumers a taste of promising technologies.

July 7, 2011

NREL Supports Industry to Develop Computer-Aided Engineering Tools for Car Batteries

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently awarded three industry teams, after a competitive procurement process, a total of $7 million for the development of computer-aided software design tools to help produce the next generation of electric drive vehicle (EDV) batteries.

June 16, 2011

NREL Showcasing Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle at Summer Outreach Events

NREL will display its new Borrego fuel cell electric vehicle, on loan from Kia, at a variety of summer events.

June 6, 2011

NREL-Analyzed Battery Journeys into Outer Space with Space Shuttle Endeavor

NREL-analyzed batteries used to power the astronauts' spacesuits during spacewalks were onboard for NASA's space shuttle Endeavor's May 17, 2011 mission.

June 6, 2011

Renewable Hydrogen Bus Teaches Thousands about Clean Energy Technologies

Thousands of people across the nation enjoyed a glimpse into a clean energy future thanks to the renewable-hydrogen-powered bus at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

May 31, 2011

Solar and Hydrogen Car Races Spark Imaginations

Fun and enthusiasm fuel competitions that are among the educational tools NREL and DOE provide to encourage students to pursue science.

May 21, 2011

Student Winners Announced in Solar and Hydrogen Fuel Cell Car Races

Sixty-five teams from 24 Colorado schools participated in today's Junior Solar Sprint and Hydrogen Fuel Cell car competitions hosted by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The student teams raced solar or hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles they designed and built themselves.

May 20, 2011

Transportation Secure Data Center Provides Real-World Data for Planning, Modeling, and Analysis

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the Department of Transportation recently launched the Transportation Secure Data Center.

May 13, 2011

Best for Batteries: Not Too Hot, Not Too Cold

Thermal management is crucial in the development of new car batteries; NREL's Large-Volume Calorimeter helps prepare for a surge in electric vehicles.

May 13, 2011

World's Largest Battery Calorimeter Operating at NREL

The next generation of electric-drive cars and light trucks will be required to travel farther on electric power alone, placing greater energy demands on the vehicles' battery packs. As the packs get larger, regulating battery temperatures become even more important in helping improve performance, lifespan, safety, and affordability. The best tool automakers have for assessing thermal control and optimizing battery performance is NREL's Large-Volume Battery Calorimeter.

April 26, 2011

Antarctica's Ice Puts Electric Vehicles to Test

If these electric vehicles can survive in Antarctica, they could help establish a fleet to offset fossil fuel use in an environmentally sensitive research area.

April 25, 2011

DOE Rolls Out Program to Promote Electric Vehicles

DOE is taking new steps to speed up the deployment of electric vehicles (EV), it announced on April 19. These efforts include making available $5 million in new funding for community-based efforts to deploy EV infrastructure and charging stations. DOE is also forming a partnership with Google Inc. and more than 80 EV stakeholders to help consumers find charging stations nationwide.

April 6, 2011

LCA of Gasoline and Diesel

SEAC analyst David Hsu recently published the report "Life Cycle Assessment of Gasoline and Diesel Produced via Fast Pyrolysis and Hydroprocessing."

April 5, 2011

NREL Team Investigates Secondary Uses for Electric Drive Vehicle Batteries

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), industry and academia are teaming to give batteries from electric drive vehicles (EV) a “second life.” NREL's partner is an industry-academia team led by the California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE).

March 1, 2011

NREL Engineer Honored with Distinguished Speaker Award

NREL's John Rugh is one of five recipients of the 2011 Lloyd L. Withrow Distinguished Speaker Award from the Society of Automotive Engineers.

February 28, 2011

NREL Expands Biofuels Partnerships

Companies on the path to commercialization can leverage the lab's new Integrated Biorefinery Research Facility.

February 23, 2011

Gasoline Hybrid Electric Delivery Vehicles Reduce Tailpipe Emissions While Maintaining Fuel Economy

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently completed a yearlong technology evaluation of gasoline hybrid electric (gHEV) trucks compared with conventional diesel vehicles. A report released this week details NREL's efforts to determine the impact of hybridization on performance, emissions, and fuel economy.

February 22, 2011

Website Reveals Early Lessons in Electric Vehicle Deployment

Cities and states have new blueprints to follow as they prepare for the arrival of plug-in electric vehicles. The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) just released a convenient online collection of case studies in electric vehicle deployment. The case studies detail the early experiences of four U.S. locations on the leading edge of home-charging implementation.

January 19, 2011

NREL Analyzes Impact of Climate Control in Electric Drive Vehicles

A technical paper recently released by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory reveals the impact of climate control loads in electric drive vehicles.

January 11, 2011

NREL Supports Development of New National Code for Hydrogen Technologies

NREL helped develop a new national code for hydrogen technologies that was issued last month by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). The NFPA 2 Hydrogen Technologies Code covers critical applications and operations such as hydrogen dispensing, production, and storage.