US Foodservice acquires WVO company to reduce environmental impact of its fleet
US Foodservice, one of the US’ leading foodservice distributors, has purchased the assets of WVO Industries of Bluffton, SC. WVO collects and removes water, food particles and other impurities from waste vegetable oil then ships the bio feedstock to …
Microsoft and Toyota form strategic partnership on next-generation telematics; first roll-out on electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2012
Schema of the Windows Azure cloud computing platform. Source: Microsoft, David Chappell. Click to enlarge.
Microsoft Corp. and Toyota Motor Corp. have formed a strategic partnership and plan to build a global platform for TMC’s next-generation t…
Will the Tea Party unplug the car?
The Tea Party should embrace US foreign oil independence
Do plug-in cars offer enough bang for the buck?
What is the Tea Party? As an Independent, anti-incumbent voter for almost 2 decades, my politics are pretty simple. Consequently, something like th…
Fed Considers Slowing Bond Buying
Federal Reserve policy makers last month differed over whether to begin removing record stimulus this year as they debated the path of monetary policy after the completion of their $600 billion bond-purchase program.
Pt-BMG nanowires boost fuel cell efficiency and durability; easy and economical fabrication
Pt-BMG nanowires for fuel cells. Credit: ACS, Carmo et al. Click to enlarge.
A team of engineers at the Yale School of Engineering & Applied Science has created a new fuel cell catalyst system using nanowires made of a novel material that boosts lo…
Brits Microwave Used Motor Oil to Make Usable Fuel
It’s not a Monty Python skit, it’s real. Scientists at the University of Cambridge have come up with a way to repurpose used motor oil into a usable fuel using microwaves, potentially converting the 8 billion gallons of oil discarded last year alone…
Mazda SKYACTIV fuel-saving technologies to make US debut at NY International Auto Show
Mazda North American Operations (MNAO) will unveil its SKYACTIV technologies (earlier post) at the upcoming New York International Auto Show, alongside the North American debut of its MINAGI Concept and the United States debut of its refreshed 2012 Maz…
Volvo Rolls Out New Powertrain Options, Interior Upgrades
Volvo Trucks North America rolled out powertrain and aerodynamic enhancements, along with interior upgrades designed to help fleets attract and retain drivers.
Ford’s chocolate-inspired MuCell plastic uses bubbles to reduce weight
Filed under: Emerging Technologies, MPG, Ford
Engineers at Ford have taken inspiration from Nestle’s Aero chocolate bar to produce lightweight MuCell (aka microcellular plastic foam) plastic parts by injecting them with gas bubbles during the manufact…
New York City Getting Legislative Support For Its Hybrid-Taxi Fleet Plans
New York City may get its wish for a hybrid taxi fleet after all. After a setback in which the city saw a federal appeals court strike down its plan to require all new taxis to be hybrids, New York state congress is considering a bill, called the Gree…