December 28, 2023

Plug switches on Amazon's first on-site electrolyser in Colorado

Plug switches on Amazon's first on-site electrolyser in Colorado

RenewablesNow.com | Martina Markosyan | Dec 28, 2023

US hydrogen technology company Plug Power Inc (NASDAQ: PLUG) has switched on the first on-site electrolyser system owned by Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN), a 1-MW machine located at the US e-commerce giant's fulfilment centre in Aurora, Colorado.

The proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser is producing low-carbon hydrogen which will be compressed on-site and stored in a gaseous storage tank. Its output will be used to fuel more than 225 hydrogen fuel cell-powered forklift trucks at the site, having an overall capacity to support up to 400 such vehicles.

Plug was in charge of the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance services for the electrolyser and the storage.

Plug and Amazon have partnered on the deployment of more than 17,000 fuel cells to replace batteries in forklifts in more than 80 fulfilment centres in North America. For most of the sites, the hydrogen is produced elsewhere and transported by trucks to an on-site storage and dispensing system....more
https://renewablesnow.com/news/plug-switches-on-amazons-first-on-site-electrolyser-in-colorado-844334/

Anyone think Amazon doesn't know what Green Hydrogen is?

December 28, 2023

Hydrogen-powered Generators Support Safe Rail Operations While Safeguarding the Environment - Union Pacific Rail

Hydrogen-powered Generators Support Safe Rail Operations While Safeguarding the Environment

UP.com | John Boone | 12.27.2023

Deployment of new hydrogen fuel-cell power generators is helping Union Pacific Railroad ensure continued safe operations while having a positive impact on the environment.

Back-up power generators are used on our system whenever there’s a power outage. A common example is when major weather events occur, such as hurricanes or tornadoes. In these instances, generators power railroad crossing signals and gates to ensure continued safe rail operations. Union Pacific is able to mobilize back-up generators at a moment’s notice to any location on our system where they’re needed.

Historically, these generators have been gas-powered, but last year we began testing units with hydrogen-powered fuel cells as an alternative. Hydrogen is derived by separating H2O into its individual elements – hydrogen and oxygen – via electrolyser technology. This entirely renewable energy supply is one of the only zero-emission fuel sources on the market.

The typical gasoline-powered generators we use output approximately 325 lbs. of CO2 every 24 hours. Hydrogen fuel-cell generators, on the other hand, output 0 lbs. of CO2. Their only emission is water vapor created when the hydrogen recombines with oxygen in the atmosphere. Using hydrogen generators on our system instead of traditional gasoline-powered generators will help Union Pacific reach its science-based target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 26% by 2030...more
https://www.up.com/aboutup/community/inside_track/hydrogen-powered-generators-it-231227.htm

December 24, 2023

Fuel-Cell Revolution: Daimler Truck Pioneers Decarbonisation with Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Trial Fleet

Fuel-Cell Revolution: Daimler Truck Pioneers Decarbonisation with Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Trial Fleet

The five semi-trailer tractors are slated for deployment in diverse long-haul applications across specific routes in Germany, encompassing the transportation of building materials, sea containers, and cylinder gases.

Mobility Outlook Bureau | 24 Dec 2023

In a ground breaking move towards decarbonising the transportation sector, Daimler Truck is set to roll out the first customer-trial fleet of Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Trucks by mid-2024. Amazon, Air Products, INEOS, Holcim, and Wiedmann & Winz are among the key industry players participating in the inaugural phase of customer trials, marking a significant leap in the adoption of fuel-cell technology for long-distance transport.

The five semi-trailer tractors are slated for deployment in diverse long-haul applications across specific routes in Germany, encompassing the transportation of building materials, sea containers, and cylinder gases. This initiative underscores Daimler Truck's commitment to real-world testing, allowing customers to experience the potential of fuel-cell technology in daily operations while providing invaluable insights for ongoing series development.

Andreas Gorbach, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler Truck AG, overseeing Truck Technology, highlighted the mutual benefits of this venture, stating, “With this first customer fleet, our fuel-cell trucks are now being tested in real customer operation. A win-win situation for both sides: our customers get to know fuel-cell technology in daily real-life operation, and our engineering team gets to better understand customer needs and relevant use cases, taking them into account for series development.”

Leading the Charge: Key Participants in the Customer Trials

Among the companies at the forefront of this transformative journey is Wiedmann & Winz, based in Geislingen an der Steige (Baden-Württemberg). The logistics service provider will trial the Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck, transporting sea containers for DP World, showcasing the vehicle's potential on pan-European logistic routes. Managing Director Dr Micha Lege emphasized the company's commitment to innovation, stating, “Now we are looking forward to taking the next step with the GenH2 Truck, testing a long-haul truck with hydrogen fuel-cell drive.”

Driving Innovation: Liquid Hydrogen Technology Takes Centre Stage...more
https://www.mobilityoutlook.com/features/fuel-cell-revolution-daimler-truck-pioneers-decarbonisation-with-mercedes-benz-genh2-trial-fleet/

December 22, 2023

Biden administration unveils hydrogen tax credit plan to jump-start industry

Biden administration unveils hydrogen tax credit plan to jump-start industry -NPR

The Associated Press | DECEMBER 22, 2023

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration released its highly anticipated proposal for doling out billions of dollars in tax credits to hydrogen producers Friday, in a massive effort to build out an industry that some hope can be a cleaner alternative to fossil fueled power.

The U.S. credit is the most generous in the world for hydrogen production, Jesse Jenkins, a professor at Princeton University who has analyzed the U.S. climate law, said last week.

The proposal — which is part of Democrats' Inflation Reduction Act passed last year — outlines a tiered system to determine which hydrogen producers get the most credits, with cleaner energy projects receiving more, and smaller, but still meaningful credits going to those that use fossil fuel to produce hydrogen.

Administration officials estimate the hydrogen production credits will deliver $140 billion in revenue and 700,000 jobs by 2030 — and will help the U.S. produce 50 million metric tons of hydrogen by 2050...more
https://www.npr.org/2023/12/22/1221280931/biden-hydrogen-tax-credit-plan

December 21, 2023

Tesla blamed drivers for failures of parts it long knew were defective -A REUTERS Investigation

Tesla blamed drivers for failures of parts it long knew were defective
Wheels falling off cars at speed. Suspensions collapsing on brand-new vehicles. Axles breaking under acceleration. Tens of thousands of customers told Tesla about a host of part failures on low-mileage cars. The automaker sought to blame drivers for vehicle ‘abuse,’ but Tesla documents show it had tracked the chronic ‘flaws’ and ‘failures’ for years.

By HYUNJOO JIN, KEVIN KROLICKI, MARIE MANNES and STEVE STECKLOW Filed Dec. 20, 2023, 11 a.m. GMT

Shreyansh Jain was ecstatic in March when he picked up his first electric vehicle, a brand-new 2023 Tesla Model Y. He used a sizable chunk of family savings to buy it with cash.

“We were over the moon!” said Jain, an electronics engineer in Cambridge, England.

His exuberance came to a “grinding halt” one day later, with 115 miles on the odometer, Jain told Reuters. As he drove with his wife and three-year-old daughter, he suddenly lost steering control as he made a slow turn into their neighborhood. The vehicle’s front-right suspension had collapsed, and parts of the car loudly scraped the road as it came to a stop.

“They were absolutely petrified,” Jain said of his wife and daughter. “If we were on a 70-mile-per-hour highway, and this would have happened, that would have been catastrophic.”

The complex repair required nearly 40 hours of labor to rebuild the suspension and replace the steering column, among other fixes, according to a detailed repair estimate. The cost: more than $14,000. Tesla refused to cover the repairs, blaming the accident on “prior” suspension damage.

Jain is one of tens of thousands of Tesla owners who have experienced premature failures of suspension or steering parts, according to a Reuters review of thousands of Tesla documents. The chronic failures, many in relatively new vehicles, date back at least seven years and stretch across Tesla’s model lineup and across the globe, from China to the United States to Europe, according to the records and interviews with more than 20 customers and nine former Tesla managers or service technicians...more
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/tesla-musk-steering-suspension/

Where's NHTSA? Where's the NTSB?

December 21, 2023

Long lines and broken chargers: Demand for powering EVs outpaces infrastructure

Long lines and broken chargers: Demand for powering EVs outpaces infrastructure

Americans bought more than 1 million electric vehicles this year. Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino says the expanding fleet has collided with our inadequate public charging network.

Lily Jamali and Rosie Hughes | Dec 21, 2023

More than a million electric vehicles were sold in the U.S. this year, but despite that, GM, Ford and Tesla announced they were reducing production of EVs in the fall.

As more drivers make the switch to electric, the availability of public places to juice up those cars hasn’t kept pace. In 2021, the federal government set aside $7.5 billion to build tens of thousands of chargers across the country. But the project has barely broken ground in the two years since.

Marketplace’s Lily Jamali spoke with Marketplace reporter Meghan McCarty Carino about the issue, which she’s been following as both a reporter and an EV driver. The owner of a 2019 electric Volkswagen Golf said relying on public charging has become more difficult as EVs have multiplied on the road and at the stations where they power up.

The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.

Meghan McCarty Carino: I have owned my EV since 2019. It’s kind of an older model, it’s a lower-range EV. This was the first year, I would say, I really started to question my decision to get an EV. There are a number of reasons, I think, but basically the charging situation became untenable.

Lily Jamali: I’m surprised by that because you’d think if you’d had it since 2019, the charging situation would have only gotten better. So, what’s going on? more
https://www.marketplace.org/shows/marketplace-tech/long-lines-and-broken-chargers-demand-for-powering-evs-outpaces-infrastructure/

Most battery EV fans haven't ever actually driven one yet, or waited in a line to get to a charger to wait for their battery to charge.

RELATED:

Tesla blamed drivers for failures of parts it long knew were defective -A REUTERS Investigation

Wheels falling off cars at speed. Suspensions collapsing on brand-new vehicles. Axles breaking under acceleration. Tens of thousands of customers told Tesla about a host of part failures on low-mileage cars. The automaker sought to blame drivers for vehicle ‘abuse,’ but Tesla documents show it had tracked the chronic ‘flaws’ and ‘failures’ for years.
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/tesla-musk-steering-suspension/

Betting the entire vehicle energy transformation on lithium-ion batteries and only li-ion batteries is a good idea?

December 20, 2023

Tesla blamed drivers for failures of parts it long knew were defective -A REUTERS Investigation

Tesla blamed drivers for failures of parts it long knew were defective
Wheels falling off cars at speed. Suspensions collapsing on brand-new vehicles. Axles breaking under acceleration. Tens of thousands of customers told Tesla about a host of part failures on low-mileage cars. The automaker sought to blame drivers for vehicle ‘abuse,’ but Tesla documents show it had tracked the chronic ‘flaws’ and ‘failures’ for years.

By HYUNJOO JIN, KEVIN KROLICKI, MARIE MANNES and STEVE STECKLOW Filed Dec. 20, 2023, 11 a.m. GMT

Shreyansh Jain was ecstatic in March when he picked up his first electric vehicle, a brand-new 2023 Tesla Model Y. He used a sizable chunk of family savings to buy it with cash.

“We were over the moon!” said Jain, an electronics engineer in Cambridge, England.

His exuberance came to a “grinding halt” one day later, with 115 miles on the odometer, Jain told Reuters. As he drove with his wife and three-year-old daughter, he suddenly lost steering control as he made a slow turn into their neighborhood. The vehicle’s front-right suspension had collapsed, and parts of the car loudly scraped the road as it came to a stop.

“They were absolutely petrified,” Jain said of his wife and daughter. “If we were on a 70-mile-per-hour highway, and this would have happened, that would have been catastrophic.”

The complex repair required nearly 40 hours of labor to rebuild the suspension and replace the steering column, among other fixes, according to a detailed repair estimate. The cost: more than $14,000. Tesla refused to cover the repairs, blaming the accident on “prior” suspension damage.

Jain is one of tens of thousands of Tesla owners who have experienced premature failures of suspension or steering parts, according to a Reuters review of thousands of Tesla documents. The chronic failures, many in relatively new vehicles, date back at least seven years and stretch across Tesla’s model lineup and across the globe, from China to the United States to Europe, according to the records and interviews with more than 20 customers and nine former Tesla managers or service technicians...more
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/tesla-musk-steering-suspension/

Where's NHTSA? Where's the NTSB?

Maybe they own TSLA. stock.

December 20, 2023

CNN: The United States is producing more oil than any country in history

Despite claims that President Biden has waged a war on American energy, the United States is pumping record amounts of oil.

The United States is producing more oil than any country in history

Matt Egan | CNN | December 19, 2023

As the world grapples with the existential crisis of climate change, environmental activists want President Joe Biden to phase out the oil industry, and Republicans argue he’s already doing that. Meanwhile, the surprising reality is the United States is pumping oil at a blistering pace and is on track to produce more oil than any country has in history.

The United States is set to produce a global record of 13.3 million barrels per day of crude and condensate during the fourth quarter of this year, according to a report published Tuesday by S&P Global Commodity Insights.

Last month, weekly US oil production hit 13.2 million barrels per day, according to the US Energy Information Administration. That’s just above the Donald Trump-era record of 13.1 million set in early 2020 just before the Covid-19 crisis sent output and prices crashing.

That’s been helping to keep a lid on crude and gasoline prices.

US output – led by shale oil drillers in Texas and New Mexico’s Permian Basin – is so strong that it’s sending supplies overseas. America is exporting the same amount of crude oil, refined products and natural gas liquids as Saudi Arabia or Russia produces, S&P said. ..more
https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/19/business/us-production-oil-reserves-crude/index.html

Because





Now why would the US want to change -that is until it HAS TO

And people wonder why Germany has a hydrogen infrastructure and the US is a global H2 laughingstock

December 16, 2023

Hydrogen Station Network Status in Germany at 10:30 AM CET, Friday Dec. 15, 2023

https://h2-mobility.de/en/our-h2-stations/

Hydrogen station status in Southern California Dec. 11, 2023 1PM PST



https://h2fcp.org/stationmap

Which nation wants H2 vehicles?

December 16, 2023

A little more than a decade ago, CATL didn't exist. Today, the Chinese company makes 37% of the world's EV batteries.

How CATL Became the Biggest EV Battery Producer in the World

A little more than a decade ago, CATL didn't exist. Today, the Chinese company makes 37% of the world’s EV batteries.

MICHAEL THOMAS | DEC 14, 2023
∙
Most people have never heard of one of the most important clean energy companies: CATL.

Located in a small Chinese city, Ningde, the company’s headquarters are 90 minutes away from the nearest major airport. For a short period in the 1980s, when Ningde was still a small fishing village, China’s current president Xi Jinping worked there as a Communist Party chief. It was a punishment, a relegation after his father refused to support a crackdown against a liberal reformer. Before CATL, Ningde was best known for its tea plantations and carp farms.

Today, Ningde is home to a company poised to play a central role in the energy transition. In the first half of 2023, CATL made 37% of all EV batteries globally. According to most forecasts, this number will only grow between now and 2030.

CATL’s rise, like the growth of China’s entire EV supply chain, was far from preordained. When the company launched in 2011, China’s auto industry lagged far behind those in Germany and the United States. Companies in China like CATL were manufacturing products en-masse, but rarely did they make the most advanced products. Most advanced battery research was happening in national labs in the United States. But today, many of the world’s most advanced batteries are being built by Chinese companies like CATL.

So how did a small battery company headquartered in a carp fishing village become the biggest battery producer in the world? That’s the question, I want to explore in today’s story. I’ll cover:

How CATL used their experience making lithium-ion batteries for iPods to create the world’s cheapest EV batteries..more
https://www.distilled.earth/p/how-catl-became-the-biggest-ev-battery