Continental, Braunschweig, Newtron, fuel cell programme.

Intelligent car windows: At the CES in Las Vegas, Continental will present its “Intelligent Glass Control” that can darken windows at the touch of a button. The technology increases road safety by automatic reducing sun glare. It can also increase EV range by about 5.5 percent or cut CO2 emission by four grams/km by reducing the interior temperature, thus curbing the amount of energy needed for air conditioning.
greencarcongress.com, dailymail.co.uk

Battery recycling plant: The Technical University Braunschweig unveiled a demonstration plant, where used EV batteries are discharged and disassembled. The new, patented process achieves recycling rates of over 75 percent versus less than 60% for existing processes. Recovered materials such as lithium or cobalt can be used in the production of new batteries.
automobil-produktion.de, idw-online.de (articles in German)

Italian miracle kit: Sicily-based start-up Newtron developed a hybrid kit that can be installed in any vehicle within 30 minutes, regardless of the kind of combustion engine. The company claims the kit reduces fuel consumption by 90 percent and increases top speed. For a conventional Fiat Cinquecento, the kit is said to cost 10,000 euros plus 6,800 euros for certification.
deutsche-mittelstands-nachrichten.de (in German)

U.S. fuel cell initiative: Announced in November, the 35bn dollar funding includes hydrogen production, delivery and storage R&D, as well as the demonstration of infrastructure component manufacturing. Other fields for investment are fuel cell performance and durability research, advanced hydrogen storage materials research and cost and performance analysis.
greencarcongress.com