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AUTO PRODUCTION: Is the beginning of the end of the combustion engine in sight?

Pete Kelly’s recent blog post – Pain from policy, and politics, referencing LMC Automotive’s recent client conference, highlighted the increasing burden of regulation facing the industry. The rollout of Euro VI emissions limits in stages, encompassing the shift from the NEDC testing regime to WLTP and the introduction of RDE, has resulted in significant disruption, dissatisfaction and even legal challenge from a variety of stakeholders. But as the scale of the regulatory ambition of those...

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EMISSIONS: Hybrids are 14 times better than battery electric vehicles at reducing real-world carbon dioxide emissions

  • Date: 13-06-19
  • Category: EMISSIONS
  • Source: Emissions Analytics

Battery production capacity for motor vehicles is currently scarce, expensive and suffering supply lags and challenges. This may change over time, but for some period securing an economic supply of battery production capacity will be pivotal to the successful commercialisation of electrified vehicles, and to the relative fortunes of individual auto makers. At the same time, electrification is a proven route to tailpipe carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction, or elimination.

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FUEL CELLS: Platinum mine truck being converted to run on hydrogen

  • Date: 13-06-19
  • Category: FUEL CELLS
  • Source: Mining Weekly

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Early research and development work has begun to pave the way for the introduction of hydrogen fuel cell electric trucking at a local platinum mine, Mining Weekly Online can today report.

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JEWELLERY: PGI Releases Q1 2019 Platinum Jewellery Business Review

  • Date: 13-06-19
  • Category: JEWELLERY
  • Source: PGI

Hong Kong (13 June, 2019) – Platinum Guild International (PGI) releases Q1 2019 Platinum Jewellery Business Review (PJBR). According to the report, the platinum jewellery industry across key markets are becoming increasingly innovative and focusing on the bottom line. The fastest growing market continues to be India thanks to its business model allowing platinum to deliver higher margin than other jewellery categories.

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HYDROGEN: Magnets that double efficiency of water splitting could help usher in a hydrogen economy

  • Date: 13-06-19
  • Category: HYDROGEN
  • Source: Chemistry World

Simply bringing an ordinary permanent magnet within touching distance of a water splitting reactor can double the process’ efficiency. Slashing the amount of energy required to split water opens the way to industrial production of hydrogen and an economy that runs on the gas, all powered by renewable energy.

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Tesla’s Elon Musk floats idea of “getting into mining” to speed EV manufacturing

TESLA founder and CEO, Elon Musk, floated the idea that the electric vehicle manufacturer might go “into the mining business” in order to quicken the production process.

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ESKOM: Greens map out future for smokeless Eskom power

  • Date: 12-06-19
  • Category: ESKOM
  • Source: IOL

JOHANNESBURG – Environmental lobby group Greenpeace has recommended that Eskom phase out its coal-fired power stations by 2040 as the utility approaches a staggering R500 billion debt.

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BATTERIES: VW, BMW invest in Swedish battery cell producer Northvolt

  • Date: 12-06-19
  • Category: BATTERIES
  • Source: Europe Auto News

STOCKHOLM -- Volkswagen and BMW are among investors in Europe's biggest lithium-ion battery plant, Sweden's Northvolt said on Wednesday after it raised $1 billion in equity capital to complete funding for the facility.

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