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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Cost parity by 'early 2020s' will be electric vehicle tipping point

A new report by McKinsey forecasts a rapid switch from gas guzzlers to electric vehicles on the world's roads will be boosted by the plummeting costs of owning a battery powered vehicle.

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AUTO SALES: Stable EU auto market in view for 2019, with CO2 and trade challenges ahead

  • Date: 13-02-19
  • Category: AUTO SALES
  • Source: ACEA

Paris, 13 February 2019 – In 2019, EU car sales will stagnate at 2018 levels in terms of units sold, staying close to the 15 million new registrations mark recorded last year, according to new forecasts by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA).

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BATTERIES: Independent review confirms Sconi's importance to nickel and cobalt

  • Date: 12-02-19
  • Category: BATTERIES
  • Source: Mining Weekly

An independent nickel and cobalt sulphate market study has flagged the planned Sconi project, in North Queensland, to be one of the most competitive producers in the world, once operational.

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LITHIUM: Neometals recycling pilot gets under way

  • Date: 12-02-19
  • Category: LITHIUM
  • Source: Mining Weekly

Neometals has commissioned Stage 1 of its lithium-ion battery recycling pilot plant in Canada. The pilot project is intended to demonstrate Neometals’ mixed feed flowsheet, which will accommodate a variety of lithium-ion battery types from multiple sources. The plant is expected to verify assumptions made at bench-scale, and to generate marketing samples of products, while providing essential data required for a front-end engineering design study.

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ELECTRIC VEHICLES: Electric cars are already cheaper to own and run, says study

Petrol and diesel vehicles cost more over four years in UK and four other European nations

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HYBRIDS: Honda sees hybrid CR-V filling diesel's void

The CR-V hybrid marks Honda’s return to the technology in the mainstream market after ending production of the Jazz Hybrid subcompact in 2015. The automaker says there is such strong demand from car buyers for fuel-efficient alternatives to diesel that it thinks the hybrid will account for half of the 60,000 annual sales predicted for the new CR-V in Europe. The hybrid will go on sale in March, joining the 1.5-liter turbocharged gasoline model. Honda expects the CR-V hybrid to outsell the gasoline model.

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AUTO SALES: CAR: US light-duty vehicle sales to dip in 2019

  • Date: 12-02-19
  • Category: AUTO SALES
  • Source: Green Car Congress

The Center for Automotive Research’s (CAR’s) updated automotive sales outlook forecasts US light-duty vehicle sales at 16.8 million units for 2019. CAR’s forecast includes a continuation of sales declines in 2020 and 2021 down to 16.5 million units in 2021.

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RUTHENIUM: Ruthenium catalyst sets new efficiency record for water splitting

  • Date: 12-02-19
  • Category: RUTHENIUM
  • Source: Physics World

An international team of scientists has synthesized a carbon nanowire doped with ruthenium and nitrogen that significantly outperforms conventional platinum-based catalysts for producing hydrogen from water. The team attributes the improved catalytic activity to individual ruthenium atoms embedded in the carbon matrix, rather than the presence of ruthenium nanoparticles.

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