DOE seeking feedback on findings of hydrogen production and delivery workshops

29 October 2014

The US Department of Energy’s Fuel Cell Technologies Office has issued two requests for information (RFIs) seeking feedback from the research community and relevant stakeholders about electrolytic hydrogen production (DE-FOA-0001188) and hydrogen delivery research, development, and demonstration (RDD) activities (DE-FOA-0001187) aimed at developing technologies that can ultimately produce and deliver low-cost hydrogen.

The purpose of these RFIs is to solicit feedback from industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders on issues related to electrolytic hydrogen production pathways and hydrogen transmission and distribution, specifically with respect to reports developed at workshops on the topics convened by the DOE in February.

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• The first workshop focused on hydrogen transmission and distribution and was held at DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 25-26 February 2014. The purpose of the workshop was to share information and identify the RDD needs to enable low-cost, effective delivery of hydrogen from centralized production facilities to the point of use (e.g., retail, light-duty vehicle stations and other applications).

• The second workshop also was held at NREL 27-28 February 2014, and focused on electrolytic hydrogen production. The purpose was to discuss and share information on the RDD needs for enabling low-cost, effective hydrogen production from all types of water electrolysis systems, both centralized and forecourt.

Based on the results of these workshops and discussion between DOE and the workshop participants, the reports were published in July 2014.

DOE is also interested in the community’s opinion of the technologies that have the most potential to meet DOE goals of producing low-cost hydrogen at $2.30/kg for forecourt (1,500 kg/day) and $2.00/kg for centralized (50,000 kg/day) by 2020, and reducing hydrogen delivery from the point of production to the point of use in consumer vehicles to

Electrolytic Hydrogen Production

Electrolysis systems could provide a relatively simple, scalable and easily-deployed source of hydrogen for smaller retail and commercial uses near the point of consumption. Water electrolysis uses many technologies with different levels of commercial readiness and attributes that make them suited for particular applications. The dominant technologies in commercial installations are alkaline and PEM, with the others in pre-commercial development in laboratories.

The February workshop was attended by experts from industry and national laboratories representing polymer electrolyte membrane, traditional liquid alkaline, solid oxide electrolysis, alkaline exchange membrane, and reversible systems.

Highlights of the workshop by topic area included:

• Commercial. The top RDD needs—all considered to be near term—were improved stack performance; scale up to megawatt size; grid integration; high pressure operation; and a variety of market issues. All of these needs relate directly to increased participation of electrolysis systems in hydrogen markets.

  Stack performance needs include improved membranes and catalysts. Megawatt scale-up (required for 1,500 kg/day forecourt stations) needs include reducing capital costs by 50% on a per kilowatt basis, manufacturing issues (discussed later), demonstration and low cost testing.

• Pre-commercial. Pre-Commercial RDD needs had an emphasis on materials development at the cell component level. Some pre-commercial technologies such as alkaline exchange membrane (AEM) systems have the potential to put electrolysis on a completely new cost reduction curve; reductions of 50% in membrane thickness (increases efficiency) and 90% in catalyst loading (reduces cost) are feasible.

  High temperature technologies have the potential to use 20-25% less electrical power per kilogram of hydrogen produced. This is significant as electricity costs are often the largest cost contribution component to hydrogen cost. Additionally, heat is usually a lower cost form of energy on a kWh basis than electricity.
  

  Participants saw improving the durability of cell materials, including obtaining a better understanding of degradation mechanisms, as important. (Current high-temperature and reversible systems have degradation rates on the order of 2-4%/1000 hours.) AEM systems have been tested up to 2000 hours, and have identified improved voltage stability as a need.

  Participants identified improving the performance of catalysts, especially with respect to more efficient electrolysis cell operation, as a significant need. One presenter noted that efficiencies of high temperature systems can reach 75%. Scale up to larger cell and stack sizes was a common theme for the Pre-Commercial Technologies breakout session. Longer-term RDD needs identified include integrated system durability testing, identification of lower temperature SOEC materials, and demonstration of pressurized electrolysis stack operation.

• Additional Market Opportunities. Participants identified the following high priority markets to investigate: power-to-gas; ancillary grid services; renewable hydrogen for petroleum refining; and fuel for material handling equipment.

• Manufacturing Scale-Up. To build markets for electrolysis technologies, the consensus among participants was that the systems must grow to the megawatt scale while reducing manufacturing costs. The investment in this scale of product and manufacturing development could consume a significant percentage of company annual revenues. The challenge is to balance these needs (high capital intensity) with the realities of the markets that exist today (low volume, localized).

  Participants identified RDD needs including: support for megawatt stack development; increased material purity and reduced cost; system validation; limited availability of BOP components; and development of advanced manufacturing processes and analysis techniques which can yield high quality, low cost parts at modest volumes. Additive manufacturing was suggested as a possible direction for this last need.

  In order to meet DOE cost targets for electrolytically-produced hydrogen, participants suggested is important to pursue four simultaneous approaches: (1) improve efficiency at the stack and system level (by 15-20%); (2) make use of low-cost stranded electricity in available markets; (3) develop scaled up (multi-megawatt) systems which can enable alternate revenue streams and markets such as ancillary support and power-to-gas; and (4) reduce capital costs by 50%.

Hydrogen Transmission and Distribution.

This workshop drew on experts from the industrial gas and energy industries, national laboratories, academia, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology to explore two main topics: pipelines and over-road distribution. These two topics were further divided into breakout sessions on compression and materials for the pipeline topic, and on gaseous distribution and liquid and hybrid distribution for the over-road topic.

Pipeline. More than 1,200 miles (1,931 km) of steel hydrogen pipeline are in use in the United States today, operating at constant line pressures between 30 and 80 bar. In a high-volume market scenario, such as today’s natural gas market, pipelines become a cost-effective way to move large quantities of gas. Costly centrifugal compressors, chosen for their high throughput at relatively low output pressures, are used to maintain the line pressure in this scenario. Currently, redundant compressors are often installed due to the poor reliability of these machines and the high availability requirements for the application. These redundant machines add significantly to the cost.

The challenges in this distribution pathway can be broken into the two main areas addressed by the breakout groups: those relating to compression and those relating to the pipeline material and construction.

• Compression. The primary needs identified by the Pipeline Compression group include the development of a system-level pipeline network modeling and optimization tool for pipeline design and operations. This tool would be used to perform the technoeconomic analysis needed to determine the optimal operating pressure for transmission and distribution lines as well as the size and distribution of lines required to meet the modeled market demand.

  Also identified was the need for the development of integrated systems for purification, cooling, and compression of hydrogen gas and investigation of novel compressor drive systems in order to reduce the cost and improve the reliability of pipeline compression. The development of a compressor capable of line packing was also identified as a long-term research and development (RD) need to support a mature market where demand can be predicted.

• Materials. The primary needs identified in this area include research into the microstructures of pipeline steels, weld qualification, and the demonstration of Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) pipelines.

  Research is needed to define the relationship between the microstructure of different steels and the resistance to hydrogen-induced fatigue crack growth. This work is particularly relevant at and around pipeline welds where there are changes in the microstructure of the weld fusion and heat-affected zones. Such a model, validated with targeted testing, could accelerate progress in identifying and creating optimal steels for hydrogen pipelines.

  Another key area identified is the development of methods and procedures for qualifying welds and heat-treating processes for pipelines used in hydrogen service.

  A third need is for the demonstration of FRP pipelines as an alternative to traditional welded steel pipelines. FRP pipelines are an attractive alternative to steel pipelines because their materials of construction are not subject to hydrogen embrittlement, and because labor costs on installation are lower due to the fact that FRP can be spooled in lengths of up to a half-mile.

Over-Road Transport and Distribution. Over-road transport and distribution of hydrogen via gaseous tube trailer or liquid tanker is the most commonly used method. Hydrogen tube trailers are currently limited by the US Department of Transportation to pressures of 250 bar except by special permit. The pressure limitation results in payloads between 250 and 550 kilograms (kg).

Cryogenic liquid tankers can carry payloads of up to 4,000 kg at nearly atmospheric pressure; however, boil-off can occur during transport. The challenges and needs relevant to over-road transport were captured within the two main areas of the breakout sessions: high-pressure gaseous transport and other over-road transport, which includes liquid and alternative delivery methods.

• Gaseous Tube Trailer. The Gaseous Tube Trailer group identified that lower costs can be achieved through higher payloads and pressures. To achieve the higher payload and delivery pressure, the following needs were identified: permitting for high-pressure trailers; polymer degradation; trailer light-weighting; and the development of a high-pressure test facility.

• Other Over-Road Delivery. Stringent setback distances for liquid hydrogen storage were noted as a barrier to the use of liquid delivery. In order to reduce the setback distances, both at the terminal and at the station, data are needed on the risk associated with liquid hydrogen releases in order to inform codes and standards. Further, the energy required for the liquefaction of hydrogen adds significant cost and greenhouse gas emissions to the liquid delivery pathway.

  The group identified the need for lower-cost, high-efficiency liquefaction technologies that could be applied to existing plants as well as new ones. Additionally, the group noted the need for small-scale, modular liquefaction machines that could have low capital cost and, unlike fixed liquefaction assets today, be re-deployed as the market for hydrogen vehicles matures and expands.

Resources

• Electrolytic Hydrogen Production Workshop, 27-28 February 2014

• Hydrogen Transmission and Distribution Workshop, 25-26 February 2014

Johnson Matthey buys Clariant’s LFP business for $75M; to combine with A123 Systems’ China facility in new Battery Materials entity

29 October 2014

Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, has agreed to sell its Energy Storage line of business to Johnson Matthey Plc for US$75 million at closing, which is expected early 2015. The Energy Storage business of Clariant is the largest hydrothermal Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) producer in the world. The lithium iron cathode material is used in electric vehicles and stationary battery applications. In September, JM acquired A123 System’s cathode manufacturing facility in China. (Earlier post.)

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The transaction covers all of the assets of Clariant’s Energy Storage business including its manufacturing facility in Candiac, Québec, an RD center and pilot plant in Moosburg, Germany together with the customer order book and an IP portfolio.

Johnson Matthey will gain rights to basic patents on LFP and its use as a cathode material, as well as a number of other important patents relating to LFP. In addition, Johnson Matthey is acquiring a portfolio of IP covering current and future battery materials from Clariant and a well-established RD group.

In 2013 the Energy Storage business generated around CHF 16 million (US$17 million) in sales but with an operating loss. The business employs around 100 employees predominantly in Canada and Germany.

Following completion, Johnson Matthey will integrate the two battery materials acquisitions into a single entity, Johnson Matthey Battery Materials, to deliver benefits from RD, manufacturing and commercial synergies. This entity, together with its Battery Systems business, will constitute Johnson Matthey’s Battery Technologies business which sits within its New Businesses Division.

This acquisition provides us with a strong position in LFP from which to develop a broad portfolio of battery materials. It further strengthens our battery technologies capability which marks an important step in Johnson Matthey’s long term strategy to establish new business areas.

BASF Venture Capital leads $3M investment in SLIPS for super-omniphobic technology; joint development agreement

29 October 2014

BASF Venture Capital has led a $3-million Series A financing with a $1.5 million investment in SLIPS Technologies Inc. based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Swiss entrepreneur and private investor Hansjörg Wyss has also participated in the financing. SLIPS Technologies develops customized, highly-repellent slippery surfaces for customers in all industries including energy, packaging, consumer, automotive and environmental.

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SLIPS (Slippery Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces) is a set of technologies that transform the surface of a solid material into a microscopically thin and ultra-smooth (friction-free) immobilized “sea” of lubricant. The result is a robust and self-healing super-slippery surface that is highly repellent to virtually any environmental challenge such as crude oil, cement, water, ice, biofouling, chemicals, paints, oils, and insects.

The company’s technology platform was created by Prof. Joanna Aizenberg and her team at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Alongside the investment, BASF has signed a joint development agreement with SLIPS Technologies to develop SLIPS-coated thermoplastics with primary focus on thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs). TPUs are used in a variety of applications such as sports and leisure footwear, industrial cables as well as specialty films.

SLIPS Technologies will use the proceeds from the financing to advance various commercial applications of its slippery surfaces through internal development as well as in partnerships with its customers in industry and government.

Resources

• Tak-Sing Wong, Sung Hoon Kang, Sindy K. Y. Tang, Elizabeth J. Smythe, Benjamin D. Hatton, Alison Grinthal Joanna Aizenberg (2011) “Bioinspired self-repairing slippery surfaces with pressure-stable omniphobicity,” Nature 477, 443–447 doi: 10.1038/nature10447

Toho Tenax develops high-efficiency thermoset CFRP production technology

29 October 2014

Toho Tenax Co., Ltd., the core company of the Teijin Group’s carbon fibers and composites business, has developed a new technology—Tenax Part via Preform (PvP)—for highly efficient production of thermoset carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP). Toho Tenax is now working with automakers worldwide to develop commercial applications for Tenax PvP.

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The technology is based on a one-step “carbon fiber bobbin to preform” concept, utilizing Tenax Binder Yarn, which combines carbon fibers with a binder resin. The yarn can be processed by random fiber placement for isotropic behavior, and by aligned fiber placement in those areas, where higher mechanical performance is required. Both technologies—random and aligned fiber placement—can be combined to meet specific mechanical and/or cost needs.

Tenax PvP enables automated manufacturing to any desired geometry or form for load-conforming and weight-optimized preforms. Expensive intermediate steps are not necessary. Also, the technology helps to considerably reduce both carbon-fiber waste and manual labor compared to conventional preform production. The result is an automated, cost-effective solution for optimized manufacturing of CFRP components, with particularly attractive applications in the automotive industry.

Resin transfer molding (RTM) is one of the favored processes used in manufacturing CFRP for automotive applications. Toho Tenax has demonstrated the use of Tenax PvP technology in advanced high- and low-pressure RTM processes for typical both structural and visual automotive parts.

Teijin also offers Sereebo, the world’s first mass-production technology for thermoplastic CFRP, which raises production efficiency by significantly reducing molding time.

EC says Honeywell and DuPont may have breached antitrust rules with R-1234yf low-GWP MAC refrigerant

29 October 2014

The European Commission recently sent a formal Statement of Objections to Honeywell International Inc. and E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company of its preliminary view that the cooperation they entered into in 2010, based on several agreements on the production of a new low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerant (R-1234yf) for use in car air-conditioning systems (MAC), may have limited its availability and technical development, in breach of EU antitrust rules.

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A statement of objections is a formal step in Commission investigations into suspected violations of EU antitrust rules. The Commission informs the parties concerned in writing of the objections raised against them. The addressees can examine the documents in the Commission’s investigation file, reply in writing and request an oral hearing to present their comments on the case before representatives of the Commission and national competition authorities.

If, after the parties have exercised their rights of defense, the Commission concludes that there is sufficient evidence of an infringement, it can issue a decision prohibiting the conduct and impose a fine of up to 10% of a company’s annual worldwide turnover.

The sending of a statement of objections does not prejudge the final outcome of the investigation.

In 2006, the EU adopted new standards on air conditioning systems in motor vehicles with the aim of reducing harmful emissions and combating global warming (Directive 2006/40/EC or MAC Directive). R-1234yf is currently the only commercially available refrigerant with a sufficiently low global warming potential (GWP) to comply with the requirements of the MAC Directive.

(Mercedes-Benz, which objects to the use of R-1234yf, is working on a CO₂alternative.)

The Commission said it had concerns that a series of agreements concluded between Honeywell and DuPont in 2010 may have hindered competition on the market for R-1234yf. These agreements relate notably to production arrangements and the development of production processes.

Honeywell and DuPont are the only two suppliers of R-1234yf to carmakers. The Commission’s provisional finding is that the cooperation between Honeywell and DuPont on production of R-1234yf has reduced their decision-making independence and resulted in restrictive effects on competition. These effects include a limitation of the available quantities of the new refrigerant that would have otherwise been brought to the market, as well as a limitation of related technical development. In the specific circumstances of the case, this behavior may infringe Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and Article 53 of the EEA (European Economic Area) Agreement that prohibit anticompetitive agreements.

Background. The MAC Directive requires the use of refrigerants with a GWP below 150 in all new car models sold in the EU as of 1 January 2011, and in all new cars as of 1 January 2017. In December 2011, the Commission opened formal proceedings into the development of the new refrigerant R-1234yf. In the statement of objections, the Commission pursues this investigation regarding the production cooperation between Honeywell and DuPont but not on Honeywell’s conduct during the evaluation of R-1234yf between 2007 and 2009.

Article 101 TFEU prohibits anti-competitive agreements and restrictive business practices which may affect trade between EU Member States. The implementation of this provision is defined in the Antitrust Regulation (Council Regulation No 1/2003) which can be applied by the Commission and by the national competition authorities.

Resources

• Public case register Nº 39822

DOE launches $1M H2 Refuel H-Prize for small-scale hydrogen refueling

29 October 2014

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Fuel Cell Technologies Office (FCTO) and the Hydrogen Education Foundation (HEF) launched the $1-million H2 Refuel H-Prize. The two-year competition challenges America’s engineers and entrepreneurs to develop affordable systems for small-scale hydrogen fueling. This H-Prize competition is intended to assist in expanding the hydrogen infrastructure across the country to support more transportation energy options for US consumers, including fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs).

The H2 Refuel H-Prize will award a $1-million prize to the top refueler system entry that can produce hydrogen using electricity and/or natural gas (energy sources commonly available to residential locations) and dispense the hydrogen to a vehicle. Systems considered would be at the home-scale and able to generate and dispense 1-5 kg H₂/day for use at residences, or the medium-scale, generating and dispensing 5-50 kg H₂/day. Medium-scale systems would serve a larger community with multiple users daily, such as a large apartment complex or retail centers to fuel small fleets of vehicles (e.g., light duty automobiles, forklifts or tractors).

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The H-Prize, enacted by Congress, authorized the Department of Energy to create a program to award competitive cash prizes that will advance the commercial application of hydrogen energy technologies by dramatizing and incentivizing accelerated research. The H-Prize was originally established by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, in Sec. 654. There are several H-Prize categories, including production, storage, distribution, utilization, and prototypes and transformational technologies.

Hydrogen infrastructure remains the most critical barrier to the widespread adoption of FCEVs, the DOE said. The H2 Refuel competition aims to address this barrier through easily deployed small scale fueling systems for home and community use until widespread infrastructure development takes place.

The competition is planned to last two years. In the first year, teams will register for the competition, find partners, design a system, find a site to install the system, and submit data and designs to a panel of independent judges. These judges will select the top teams as finalists to advance to the testing phase.

Finalist teams would then have seven months to build, install, and prepare their systems for testing. The winner would demonstrate that they can meet both the technical and cost criteria as outlined in the final guidelines.

With support from the FCTO, private industry, and the Energy Department’s national laboratories, significant advances in fuel cell and hydrogen technologies have already been achieved. In the last several years, automotive fuel cell costs have been reduced by more than 50%, fuel cell durability has doubled, and the amount of expensive platinum needed in fuel cells has fallen by 80% since 2005.

The H-Prize is managed by the FCTO in the US Department of Energy, which is the lead Federal agency for directing activities in hydrogen and fuel cell RD. The Hydrogen Education Foundation, the H-Prize administrator, is a 501(c)(3) organization that promotes clean hydrogen energy technologies through national competitions and educational programs.

Study shows biodiesel blends in buses reduce PM, other harmful exhaust elements, EC and CO

29 October 2014

A new study on the combustion properties of biodiesel for use in urban transit buses found that using biodiesel can effectively reduce the mass of particulate matter released in both hot and cold idle modes. The study, published by the Mineta National Transit Research Consortium (MNTRC), observed a reduction in amount of particulate matter, number of elements, and elemental carbon; the reduction is considered beneficial to promoting the clean air and human health.

The researchers found that biodiesel has many advantages over regular diesel even in a very low blend percentage, including low emissions of particulate matter, combustion elements (mainly sulfur), elemental carbon, and carbon monoxide. In sum, they recommended that governments consider using blends of biodiesel in urban and commercial vehicles to enhance air quality.

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Biofuels, such as biodiesel, offer benefits as a possible alternative to conventional fuels due to their fuel source sustainability and reduced environmental impact. Before they can be used, however, it is essential to understand their physical properties, combustion chemistry, and characterization of the exhaust due to a number of issues associated with fuel properties—for example, a lower heating value and higher cloud point than regular diesel. High viscosity of biodiesel may lead to poor atomization of the fuel spray and inaccurate operation of the fuel injectors, so, it may cause fuel injector problems. Biodiesel may produce high NO_x emissions. Depending on the feedstocks and blending ratios used to produce the fuel, variations in chemical properties may also be an issue.

In the study, the team investigated the combustion of biodiesel from various types of feedstocks—soybean methyl ester (SME); tallow oil (TO); and waste cooking oil (WCO)—in a variety of volume percent blends (B00, B20, B50, and B100) using a bench-top combustion chamber in a laboratory setting. Ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) was used as base fuel. Different combinations of combustion temperature and pressure were applied to investigate their effects on emissions. In addition, physical properties (flash point, cloud point, and kinematic viscosity) of all biodiesel blends were measured following the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard methods.

Particulate matter (PM) samples were collected through field tests of 10 different transit buses to investigate the source of elements in the emission gases. A similar procedure was followed to collect and analyze PM from the laboratory combustion experiments to determine precisely which elements are from biodiesel fuels. A total of eleven inorganic and metal elements were detected in the laboratory experiments, while fifteen elements were observed in field experiments. Calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), and iron (Fe) were the major elements found in the PM emissions in both the field experiments (77 to 85 wt %) and the lab experiments (up to 90 wt%).

Based on gravimetric analysis, PM emissions significantly decreased by less than 17% on average when using B20, and newer transit buses showed a greater PM reduction (more than 98% on average) than old buses when using ULSD. For both hot and cold idle tests, a substantially high reduction in total particulate matter (TPM) was observed, and the maximum PM concentrations for ten different buses under hot and cold idle conditions were 2.77 and 5.59 µg/m³, respectively.

Elemental carbon (EC) and organic carbon (OC) analyses of the collected PM from field tests were carried out by an accredited analytical laboratory. OC/EC analyses showed that more OC was emitted during cold idling (80%) than in hot idling (65%). Furthermore, the OC/EC ratio was found to be greater for new buses with catalytic convertors (9.57 – 13.37) than for old buses without converters (1.85 – 4.55). Positive matrix factorization (PMF) determined that four sources—oil (including fuel and engine oil), lubricant, engine parts, and ambient conditions—contributed heavily to the generation of PM in the exhaust.

Resources

• Ashok Kumar, Dong-Shik Kim, Hamid Omidvarborna and Sudheer Kumar Kuppili (2014) Combustion Chemistry of Biodiesel for Use in Urban Transport Buses: Experiment and Modeling

Daimler moovel using IBM cloud infrastructure for car2go

29 October 2014

Daimler subsidiary moovel GmbH is using cloud infrastructure from SoftLayer, an IBM Company, for its car-sharing mobile application car2go to allow the company to better serve its customers around the world by helping them find the least expensive or fastest way to travel.

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The moovel GmbH portfolio includes the car2go and car2go black car sharing services, the Park2gether platform and the moovel smartphone app. car2go is available in 26 cities in Europe and North America and has more than 800,000 customers. The app analyzes the offerings of transportation services such as the railroad, bike rental, taxis and car sharing to find the best way to travel and offers users different suggested routes depending on their preference of speed, cost or comfort.

moovel GmbH will leverage managed services from IBM, including DevOps services, to bridge the gap between application development and IT operations. IBM’s managed and DevOps services will allow moovel GmbH to accelerate the development of software and updates for its mobility services.

In addition, deploying car2go on SoftLayer’s high-performance cloud platform enables moovel GmbH to deliver its smartphone app to users around the world securely and reliably. With complete visibility into the workloads running on SoftLayer’s cloud infrastructure, moovel GmbH is able to help its customers sort, analyze and make sense of massive amounts of data to deliver insights on the best suggested routes in seconds.

IBM is continuing to invest in high growth area and has built the most expansive cloud portfolio—spanning IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), PaaS (Platform as a Service) and SaaS (Software as a Service)—to aid enterprise clients in their transition to the Cloud. Specifically, in 2014 alone, IBM invested in and launched:

• A global network of 40 cloud centers to deliver SoftLayer IAAS to every major financial market.

• Bluemix, IBM’s PaaS, enabling millions of enterprise developers to build solutions for the hybrid cloud era.

• The IBM Cloud marketplace which provides easy access to the full range of IBM-as-a-service capabilities for line of business, IT and software development professionals with a few clicks and the swipe of a credit card.

SoftLayer’s high-performance cloud infrastructure is built for the enterprise and can be customized to adjust IT infrastructures at any time to the different services or market requirements of its customers. It does so by offering a combination of different deployment models, a built in private network, complete visibility across workloads and a flexible pay-as-you-go price model.

car2go is the first carsharing system in the world without fixed rental locations thus creating a new segment: smart fortwo cars can be rented anywhere and at any time for a reasonable price. car2go vehicles can be located and booked spontaneously via a smartphone app or the website. car2go currently operates in 26 locations worldwide with 11,000 smart fortwo cars. car2go black is Germany’s first entirely smartphone-based premium carsharing service and uses Mercedes-Benz B-Class cars. The service works with fixed parking points where customers can start and finish the rental. The service started in February 2014 with 200 cars in Berlin and Hamburg.

With the moovel brand, moovel GmbH offers an intuitive smartphone app that enables customers to compare various mobility options on the basis of several parameters, and then choose the best options for traveling from Point A to Point B. The company’s other activities include Park2gether, an innovative solution for searching and reserving parking spaces in cities, and the creation of carsharing services for commercial fleets.

Indianapolis plans to add 425 PHEVs and BEVs to municipal fleet by 2016

29 October 2014

The City of Indianapolis will upgrade 425 non-police-pursuit sedans in its muncipal fleet to plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles by early 2016, cut the size of the fleet by 100 vehicles, and save $8.7 million over ten years. The Indy fleet would be the largest municipal fleet of electrified vehicles in the US.

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The new Indy fleet vehicles will include 100% electric models, such as the Nissan LEAF, as well as plug-in hybrid models like the Chevrolet Volt and the Ford Fusion Energi, which offer extended range. The cars will be distributed throughout the fleet based on the needs of city fleet drivers and their departments, and be branded as Indy’s “Freedom Fleet”. The City will replace 100 vehicles by the end of this year and 425 vehicles by the beginning of 2016.

This is a landmark step in revitalizing our aging fleet and replacing expensive internal combustion engine vehicles with cutting-edge EV technology, all while reducing our dependence on oil and saving Indianapolis taxpayers thousands in fuel costs each year. America’s dependence on oil ties our national and economic security to a highly-unpredictable, cartel-influenced global oil market. Diversifying the types of vehicles and fuels available to our drivers offers our city protection from often-volatile oil prices and better prepares us for the future.

In partnership with Indianapolis, Vision Fleet, a full-service accelerator of large-scale alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) adoption in America’s fleets, developed an innovative financing structure that bundles together all the expenses of purchasing, fueling, and maintaining the electric vehicles into a guaranteed rate that is lower cost than Indianapolis’ gasoline sedans.
Additionally, to unlock maximum savings for the City, Vision Fleet will
utilize its comprehensive suite of technology, data analytics, and operational support designed specifically for
reducing the cost of ownership of alternatively fueled vehicles.

Each gasoline powered sedan in Indy’s fleet would have cost taxpayers approximately $9,000 per year over the next decade, including purchase, fuel, maintenance and insurance. Freedom Fleet vehicles will cost approximately $7,400 per year over that period; saving taxpayers approximately $1,600 per year per vehicle.

Additionally, to unlock maximum savings for the City, Vision Fleet will
utilize its comprehensive suite of technology, data analytics, and operational support designed specifically for
reducing the cost of ownership of alternatively fueled vehicles.