SDTC Provides C$48 Million in Funding for Clean Tech Projects; Li-Ion Battery for Hybrids Among Them
Summary
Among the newly funded projects are the development of lithium-ion battery packs for hybrid vehicles, a continuously variable transmission (CVT) for heavy-duty applications; the retrofitting of hydrogen-based diesel engine emissions reduction systems; demonstrating a process for the reforming of bio-feedstocks such as glycerol to hydrogen; and demonstrating a process for producing cellulosic ethanol from wood waste. Advanced Lithium Power Inc. (ALP), has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a leading Chinese automaker to jointly develop battery-dominant propulsion systems for passenger vehicles, with the goal of establishing a cooperative venture to commercialize products globally. The project involves retrofitting the emission reduction system onto medium and heavy-duty commercial trucks to validate performance and durability in daily over-the-road operation. The process is designed to be scaleable from very small to very large plants—with an aim to solve the long standing transportation and storage cost barriers to hydrogen market growth. Woodland Biofuels Inc. and its partners—Minas Basin Pulp and Power Company Ltd. and Thermo Design Engineering—will build a demonstration facility to efficiently produce cellulosic ethanol from wood waste using Woodland’s patented Catalyzed Pressure Reduction technology, which also can be used to convert a broad range of renewable biomass materials into sustainable fuels.