2014 Dodge Durango Citadel on 2040-cars

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Stellantis invests more than $100 million in California lithium project

Stellantis said it would invest more than $100 million in California's Controlled Thermal Resources, its latest bet on the direct lithium extraction (DLE) sector amid the global hunt for new sources of the electric vehicle battery metal. The investment by the Chrysler and Jeep parent announced on Thursday comes as the green energy transition and U.S. Inflation Reduction Act have fueled concerns that supplies of lithium and other materials may fall short of strong demand forecasts. DLE technologies vary, but each aims to mechanically filter lithium from salty brine deposits and thus avoid the need for open pit mines or large evaporation ponds, the two most common but environmentally challenging ways to extract the battery metal. Stellantis, which has said half of its fleet will be electric by 2030, also agreed to nearly triple the amount of lithium it will buy from Controlled Thermal, boosting a previous order to 65,000 metric tons annually for at least 10 years, starting in 2027. "This is a significant investment and goes a long way toward developing this key project," Controlled Thermal CEO Rod Colwell said in an interview. The company plans to spend more than $1 billion to separate lithium from superhot geothermal brines extracted from beneath California's Salton Sea after flashing steam off those brines to spin turbines that will produce electricity starting next year. That renewable power is expected to cut the amount of carbon emitted during lithium production. Rival Berkshire Hathaway has struggled to produce lithium from the same area given large concentrations of silica in the brine that can form glass when cooled, clogging pipes. Colwell said a $65 million facility recently installed by Controlled Thermal can remove that silica and other unwanted metals. DLE equipment licensed from Koch Industries would then remove the lithium. "We're very happy with the equipment," he said. "We're going to deliver. There's just no doubt about it." Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares called the Controlled Thermal partnership "an important step in our care for our customers and our planet as we work to provide clean, safe and affordable mobility." Both companies declined to provide the specific investment amount. Controlled Thermal aims to obtain final permits by October and start construction of a commercial lithium plant soon thereafter, Colwell said. Goldman Sachs is leading the search for additional debt and equity financing, he added.

Ford leads top searched-for car brands on Google in 2014

With less than two weeks until 2014 takes its final bow, anyone and everyone is looking back on the past 50 or so weeks to see how they stacked up. For search giant Google, that means its time to check out its annual Trends report. Besides the most popular search term (the late, great Robin Williams), the most searched for gadget (the iPhone 6) and most searched for disease symptoms (quite worryingly, Ebola took the crown here), we have the most searched for automaker. With the long-awaited sixth-generation of one of America's most iconic vehicles, the Mustang, and a ground-breaking update for the US market's perennial best seller, the F-Series, it should come as no surprise at all that Ford was Google's most searched for automaker in 2014. Jeep captured second place, while Dodge, took third. We suspect introducing a pair of cars with 707 horsepower had something to do with that bronze medal... Scroll down to see the rest of this year's most searched for automakers, and then head into Comments and let us know if you're surprised by any of these. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Featured Gallery 2015 Ford Mustang: First Drive View 55 Photos News Source: Google via AutoGuideImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Drew Phillips / AOL Dodge Ford Jeep Technology

2018 Dodge Demon comes with a factory tune for race gas

We knew the Dodge Demon was going to make a lot of power, but the ongoing question has been how much. We've seen estimates of between 757 and 1,121, but those have simply been guesses based on the numbers found in promo photos. However, if we had to put our bets on a horsepower rating, we'll probably go with the higher estimates because the Demon can run on race gas. Yes, the latest teaser for the Demon reveals that it will come with a factory tune optimized for race gas, which is rated at 100 octane or higher. Running such high octane, in combination with its heavy-duty intake cooling, means the Demon can handle absurd amounts of boost and advanced timing without running the risk of dangerous pre-ignition or detonation. Of course this also means the Demon should be capable of astonishing power with the high-octane calibration. The tune will be included in the Demon crate on a separate engine computer that the owner can swap out when he or she is ready to race. In addition to the computer, the center stack also has a button to activate the high-octane mode. A pair of fuel pumps and larger injectors also ensure the engine gets plenty of that sweet racing fuel. When not running the high-octane tune, the Demon runs on your average premium gasoline. Also, in case you accidentally run premium gas with the high-octane mode activated, the car will automatically switch to the default tune if engine knock is detected. You can get a peek at the system in the video above, and be on the lookout for a bonus video tomorrow. The full reveal will be next week on April 11 at the New York auto show. Related Video: