2009 Transportation News & Highlights

Pulling the plug on hybrid myths

November 20, 2009 -- Whether you call them myths, urban legends, fables or old wives' tales, there's a lot of misinformation out there about plug-in electric hybrid vehicles. Argonne engineer Forrest Jehlik discusses six of these myths. (More...)

DOE's ARPA-E awards $6 million to two Argonne energy projects

October 26, 2009 -- As part of the Department of Energy's (DOE’s) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) funding, Argonne National Laboratory will be receiving $4 million for a collaborative project that seeks to lower the cost and speed the adoption of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles. (More...)

Charging Ahead: Taking the plug-in hybrid electric car farther on a single battery charge

October 2009 -- Researchers at Argonne may have found a way to exponentially increase the calendar and cycle lifetimes of lithium-ion batteries. (More...)

Lithium-air: Argonne's next chapter in battery research

September 15, 2009 -- Li-air batteries hold the promise of increasing the energy density by as much as five to 10 times compared to lithium ion batteries. But that potential will not be realized until critical scientific challenges have been addressed. (More...)

Transportation Technologies Shine at Argonne's Open House

August 29, 2009 -- At Argonne's 2009 open house, the transportation research tent featured more than 15 interactive exhibits, hands-on demonstrations, and engaging presentations. (More...)

Argonne's TTRDC partners with India

August 27, 2009 -- To help India get a jump on energy-efficient transportation technologies, Argonne is partnering with the fast developing nation through a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). (More...)

Roadsides, contaminated fields could be unlikely solutions to fuel shortages, water pollution

August 11, 2009 -- The lonely, weed-choked roadsides along America's highways may turn out to be an unexpected solution to two of the biggest issues facing the U.S. today—potential fuel shortages and water pollution. (More...)

Grid Research: Making the Grid Smarter

August 2009 -- As the smart grid moves from concept to reality, Argonne National Laboratory is helping to ensure this technology will interact seamlessly with the emergence of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). (More...)

Video: Argonne's Recycling Pilot Plant

July 22, 2009 -- Argonne National Laboratory's Recycling Pilot Plant demonstrates how shredder residue can be recycled. Currently, these automotive leftovers are sent to landfills. (More...)

Argonne researchers win five 2009 R&D 100 awards

July 20, 2009 -- Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory received five R&D 100 awards as judged by R&D Magazine. (More...)

Argonne's TTRDC now equipped with "X-ray vision"

July 6, 2009 -- Engineers at Argonne’s Transportation Technology Research & Development Center (TTRDC) now have another invaluable research tool at their disposal – regular access to the brightest X-ray beams in the Western Hemisphere. (More...)

Argonne, Korea's KATECH Partner on Green Technologies

June 16, 2009 -- Argonne’s Transportation Technology R&D Center (TTRDC) now has another international partner in its efforts to take automotive technologies to new heights. On June 16, 2009, Argonne entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Korea Automotive Technology Institute (KATECH), with the U.S. Department of Energy Secretary and the Korea Ministry of Knowledge Economy Minister in attendance. (More...)

Argonne involved in Naperville's proposed Green Fuels Depot

June 2009 -- Using grass clippings to power next-generation vehicles – now that’s green transportation. This is one of the ideas being considered at Naperville’s newly proposed Green Fuels Depot. The project, which will require $4 million in funding to get started, would bring together Argonne National Laboratory, the city of Naperville, Packer Engineering and the College of DuPage for an innovative plan to produce renewable energy. (More...)

Argonne's lithium-ion battery technology to be commercialized by BASF

June 3, 2009 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and BASF, the world's largest chemical company, have signed a world-wide licensing agreement to mass produce and market Argonne's patented composite cathode materials to manufacturers of advanced lithium-ion batteries. (More...)

Midwest Energy Summit Attendees Visit TTRDC

May 14, 2009 -- Regional leaders toured Argonne's Transportation Technology R&D Center during a May 13-14 visit to the laboratory for the Council on Competitiveness Midwest Energy Summit. Glenn Keller, section leader for vehicle systems, gave the group an overview of Argonne's transporation research. (More...)

Argonne scientists receive tech transfer award for battery R&D

May 8. 2009 -- Three scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have won an Excellence in Technology Transfer Award for a battery system expected to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as America's dependence on imported oil. (More...)

Kentucky, Argonne partner to help build domestic battery industry

April 8, 2009 -- The Commonwealth of Kentucky, and the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville are partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory to establish a national Battery Manufacturing R&D Center to help develop and deploy a domestic supply of advanced battery technologies for vehicle applications that will aid in securing U.S. energy independence, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help in strengthening the economy. (More...)

DOE to establish two Energy Frontier Research Centers at Argonne

April 28, 2009 -- The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory will be home to two of 46 new multi-million-dollar Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs). Argonne's EFRCs will focus on catalysts for efficient energy conversion and on electrical-storage technologies for a variety of applications. (More...)

Transportation Secretary LaHood, U.S. Rep Biggert Visit TTRDC

April 24, 2009 -- On April 24, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and U.S. Representative Judy Biggert (R-IL-13th) visited Argonne to tour the lab’s Transportation Technology Research and Development Center (TTRDC). (More...)

New high-energy cathode material can significantly increase safety, life of lithium batteries

April 7, 2009 -- A new high-energy cathode material that can greatly increase the safety and extend the life-span of future lithium batteries has been developed through the close international collaboration of researchers led by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and Hanyang University in South Korea. (More...)

Air Force Fellows helping work toward smarter diesel engines

New combustion strategy accelerates hydrogen-engine development

March 13, 2009 -- Car manufacturers aspire to create hydrogen-powered vehicles that could one day allow energy-efficient, cost-effective travel that emits no greenhouse gases or other pollutants. To further that effort, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory have devised new combustion strategies for hydrogen engines. (More...)

Argonne scientists reveal interaction between supersonic fuel spray and its shock wave

March 12, 2009 -- Shock waves are a well tested phenomenon on a large scale, but scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory and their collaborators from Wayne State University and Cornell University have made a breakthrough that reveals the interaction between shock waves created by high-pressure supersonic fuel jets. This discovery may advance diesel engine efficiency and emissions. (More...)

Argonne’s Through-the-Road Hybrid goes to Washington, D.C., Auto Show

February 2009 -- Argonne's Through-the-Road hybrid vehicle (TTR) was on display at the Washington Auto Show at Walter E. Washington Convention Center, February 4-8, 2009, in Washington, D.C. The TTR was in the combined U.S. Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Transportation exhibit booth that features advanced vehicle technologies that are safe, clean, and efficient. (More...)

Argonne, Battery Tech Group among most-cited in past decade

January 2009 -- Argonne ranks among the most influential energy and fuel R&D institutions in the world, when ranked by most-cited and influential scientific papers. (More...)

TRACC at the 88th Annual Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting

January 11, 2009 -- Argonne National Laboratory’s Transportation Research and Analysis Computing Center (TRACC) will  demonstrate the TRACC Cluster at the 88th Annual Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, DC, January 11-15, 2009. (More...)