Latest news with #ARENA
News18
2 days ago
- Automotive
- News18
Maruti Suzuki raises bar on safety, unveils new advanced features
New Delhi [India], August 10 (ANI): As part of its commitment to safer mobility, Maruti Suzuki has introduced a series of advanced safety features across its vehicle portfolio under the newly unveiled NEXA Safety Shield and ARENA Safety Shield announcement coincides with the 10th anniversary celebrations of the NEXA retail channel, reaffirming the company's pledge to enhance customer safety. NEXA was launched in 2015 to bring a premium automotive retail experience to its discerning customers in Safety Shield packages across NEXA and ARENA include six airbags, ABS with EBD, ESP with Hill Hold Assist, reverse parking systems, three-point ELR seat belts and seat belt reminder, ISOFIX child anchorages, and pedestrian impact protection. The company also emphasises road safety through educational programmes, enforcement support, and emergency care the years, Maruti Suzuki democratised safety in India, offering features like ESC and six airbags across a broad range — from entry-level hatchbacks to premium innovations include a 360-degree camera, heads-up display, electronic parking brake with auto-hold in New Invicto, front parking assist, and the unveiling of Level 2 ADAS in the Suzuki's Senior Executive Officer (Marketing and Sales), Partho Banerjee, said safety has always been a strategic priority for the company.'In FY 2024-25, we made significant strides in enhancing vehicle safety, with features like Electronic Stability Program (ESP) now standard across all models, and six airbags introduced as standard in 14 models."He added that the dual-channel Safety Shield rollout reflects the company's aim to anticipate evolving customer needs and deliver technologically advanced solutions that inspire confidence on the road.'We are the first company to introduce six airbags in more than 140 variants. It's a mammoth job, which we have done. Generally, the perception was that Maruti vehicles are safe or not. Today, we have showcased that it's not only the six airbags, but there are more than that, including the active and the passive safety features, which comprise the ARENA safety shield and the NEXA safety shield. We are offering one of the best safety standard vehicles, and the so-called doubts that are there in the minds of the consumers just need to be taken off," he told Suzuki's investment in safety extends beyond company operates a state-of-the-art R&D centre in Rohtak, developed for Rs 3,800 crore, where each model undergoes over 50 crash tests, including the controlled crash of around 30 vehicles, before safety credentials were bolstered when the all-new Dzire became the first sedan in India to achieve a 5-star rating under the Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (BNCAP). At the same time, the Baleno secured a 4-star combining rigorous testing, cutting-edge technology, and comprehensive safety education, Maruti Suzuki aims to set new benchmarks in vehicle safety, reinforcing its position as an industry leader in protecting drivers, passengers, and pedestrians alike. (ANI)
Al Jazeera
01-08-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
El Salvador approves indefinite presidential re-election
El Salvador's ruling party has passed a bill to overhaul how elections are run in the Central American nation, opening the door for President Nayib Bukele to serve another term. On Thursday, 57 Congress members voted in favour and three voted against a constitutional amendment that will allow indefinite presidential re-election, extend terms from five years to six and scrap election run-offs. Bukele won a second term last year despite a clear prohibition in the country's constitution. El Salvador's top court, filled with Bukele-backed judges, ruled in 2021 that it was the leader's human right to run again. After his re-election last year, Bukele told reporters he 'didn't think a constitutional reform would be necessary', but evaded questions on whether he would try to run for a third term. With Thursday's constitutional reforms, Bukele, who enjoys enormous support at home for his heavy-handed campaign against criminal gangs, will be able to run again. The overhaul will also shorten the president's current term to synchronise elections in 2027, as presidential, legislative and municipal elections are currently staggered. 'Thank you for making history, fellow deputies,' said Ernesto Castro, the president of the Legislative Assembly from the ruling New Ideas party, after counting the votes on Thursday. 'Democracy has died' Speaking during the parliamentary session, opposition lawmaker Marcela Villatoro from the Republican National Alliance (ARENA) criticised the proposal being brought to parliament as the country begins a week of summer holidays and said 'democracy has died in El Salvador'. Opposition politician Claudia Ortiz from the Vamos party slammed the reform as 'an abuse of power and a caricature of democracy'. The constitutional reform has also drawn sharp criticism from international rights groups. 'The reforms lead to a total imbalance in the democracy that no longer exists,' Miguel Montenegro, director of NGO the Human Rights Commission of El Salvador, told the AFP news agency. 'The day before vacation, without debate, without informing the public, in a single legislative vote, they changed the political system to allow the president to perpetuate himself in power indefinitely, and we continue to follow the well-travelled path of autocrats,' Noah Bullock, executive director of rights group Cristosal, told the Reuters news agency. The group recently left El Salvador, declaring itself in exile due to Bukele's drive to consolidate his grip on power and crack down on critics and humanitarian organisations.
Business Wire
17-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
NeoSmelt welcomes Federal Government support and signs two new participants for groundbreaking steel decarbonisation project
PERTH, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NeoSmelt, a consortium of leading resources, energy and manufacturing companies working together on ways to produce lower-emissions steel 1 from Pilbara iron ore, welcomes Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) support for its planned Western Australian pilot plant. The consortium, founded by BlueScope, BHP and Rio Tinto also welcomes two new equity participants – Woodside Energy and Mitsui Iron Ore Development – to the NeoSmelt joint venture, with the five participants taking equal equity stakes in the joint venture. NeoSmelt, which is managed by BlueScope, plans to develop Australia's largest ironmaking electric smelting furnace 2 (ESF) pilot plant at the Kwinana Industrial Area, south of Perth, to demonstrate a method to produce lower-carbon emissions molten iron from Western Australian iron ore. ARENA has committed A$19.8 million to support a Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) study for the NeoSmelt project, which aims to prove Pilbara iron ore can be used to produce lower-carbon 3 iron using a direct reduced iron - electric smelting furnace (DRI-ESF) pathway. If successful, this has the potential to unlock longer term alternatives to the traditional blast furnace steelmaking route and help ensure the longevity of Australia's iron ore industry. The project has now entered the feasibility phase. The feasibility study will help inform a final investment decision, expected in 2026. BlueScope Chief Executive Australia, Tania Archibald, on behalf of the Joint Venture said: 'Today marks a significant step forward in developing a technology for lower-carbon emissions steelmaking using Pilbara ore, and we're delighted by ARENA's $19.8 million commitment to support the feasibility phase of this groundbreaking R&D pilot plant. 'We also officially welcome Woodside Energy and Mitsui Iron Ore Development to the NeoSmelt joint venture, joining founding participants BlueScope, BHP and Rio Tinto. With this backing from government and industry leaders, we now have the opportunity to develop world leading technology that will have potential application across the global steel industry and provides the foundation for a future Australian lower-carbon emissions iron export industry.' Federal Resources Minister and Member for Brand, Madeleine King said: 'The fuels, metals, fertiliser, chemicals and grain shipped from Kwinana have powered Western Australia and the region since the 1950s. 'Now Kwinana is playing a central role in the world's energy transition and a big part in global efforts to decarbonise. If we can decarbonise steel making, we will create far fewer emissions when building the cities of the world.' The ARENA funding adds to the A$75 million contribution from the Western Australian Government announced last year. Western Australian Premier Roger Cook said: 'Local manufacturing is crucial to my Government's plan for a future that is Made in WA - which is why we are working closely with the Commonwealth Government and NeoSmelt to diversify Western Australia's economy. That way, we can maintain WA's nation-leading economy by supporting continued investment in new industries and creating more jobs for the future. 'As a Kwinana local, I'm proud to see this NeoSmelt facility play a part in our State's decarbonisation. This cutting-edge facility is an example of how governments and businesses are coming together to put WA at the forefront of the global push to slash emissions from steel production.' If approved, operations at the NeoSmelt pilot plant, which is expected to produce 30,000 to 40,000 tonnes of molten iron a year, are planned to begin in 2028. With Woodside as the preferred energy supplier, the pilot plant would initially use natural gas to reduce iron ore to DRI. Once operational, the project aims to use lower-carbon emissions hydrogen to reduce iron ore. Additional information Pilot Electric Smelting Facility The NeoSmelt pilot plant is intended to test and optimise production of iron from the electric smelting furnace (ESF), a type of furnace being developed by leading steel producers and technology companies targeting lower-carbon emission-intensity steel. The ESF is capable of producing iron suitable for the basic oxygen furnace steelmaking process. Iron ore is first converted to direct reduced iron (DRI) before being charged into the ESF. Together, the DRI-ESF equipment can replace the traditional blast furnace. Estimates show reductions of up to 80^ per cent in CO2 emission intensity are potentially achievable processing Pilbara iron ore through a DRI-ESF pathway, compared with the current industry average for the conventional blast furnace steel route. Other lower CO2 emission-intensity production routes, such as electric arc furnaces, require scrap steel and DRI produced from high grade iron ore. The ESF potentially allows for greater flexibility in input raw materials, addressing one of the key barriers to wider adoption of lower-carbon emissions technology. The ESF also has the potential to be integrated into a steel plant's existing downstream production units. Footnotes 1 Compared to the conventional blast furnace – basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) process 2 Also known in the industry as an 'electric melter'. 3 Lower-carbon has the characteristic of having lower levels of associated potential greenhouse gas emissions when compared to historical and/or current conventions or analogues, for example relating to an otherwise similar resource, process, production facility, product or service, or activity. ^ Assumes utilisation of renewable energy to power the DRI-ESF facility and zero emissions hydrogen in the DRI plant. The remaining CO2 emissions are from carbon required in the process of making liquid iron suitable for the basic oxygen furnace steelmaking process.
West Australian
04-06-2025
- Business
- West Australian
Mining giant looks to limit emissions by electrifying refining process
A South West mining giant is looking to limit emissions by electrifying its heavily polluting refining process with help from a $4.4 million grant. South 32 received funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency in order to support the development of steam electrification pathways at the Worsley Alumina Refinery in the South West. The alumina refining industry is the country's biggest user of industrial process heat, collectively responsible for about 15 million metric tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2021 — 3 per cent of Australia's total green house gas emissions that year. Currently, close to 70 per cent of these emissions are produced from steam production in the alumina refining process, fuelled by fossil fuel sources such as coal and gas. With the sector identified as a hard-to-abate polluter finding a method to reduce emissions is needed. The identified options to reduce these emissions include electric boilers, which generate steam directly using an electrode, and mechanical vapour recompression, which involves capturing low-pressure waste vapour from the refining process for recompression to create pressurised steam for reuse. Paired with renewable energy these technologies have the potential to reduce the significant contribution to overall emissions alumina production entails. ARENA CEO Darren Miller said the study was a significant step towards making low emissions alumina and decarbonising Australian metals production. 'Meeting Australia's emissions reduction targets will require businesses in the most energy intensive industries to incorporate renewables in their operations,' he said. 'Funding from ARENA will help South32 investigate innovative electrification options for steam generation that enable the use of renewable energy.' South32 chief operating officer Vanessa Torres said the company had a long-term goal to achieve net zero emissions across all scopes by 2050 alongside the Federal Government's target and to halve overall emissions from the company by 2035 from their 2021 baseline. 'Decarbonising our operations is key to achieving our goals and targets,' she said. 'The pre-feasibility study that we will undertake at Worsley Alumina, with funding support from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, builds on the work already under way to reduce Worsley Alumina's greenhouse gas emission. 'Electrification of the steam generation process at Worsley Alumina's refinery has the potential to further reduce the operation's green house gas emissions and we look forward to starting work on the project. We welcome the support from ARENA and look forward to the outcomes of the study.'
West Australian
31-05-2025
- Automotive
- West Australian
Under the skin of Hyundai's XCIENT fuel cell truck
Up front, it's best to underline this: Hyundai's XCIENT fuel cell truck is an electric truck. It's not driven by hydrogen but by electricity from a large on-board battery. The hydrogen is the fuel that runs the on-board battery charging. The concept of hydrogen fuel cell cars and trucks is to add an emissions-free range-extender to a battery electric driveline. Hyundai's truck is on display at the Brisbane Truck Show, and Hyundai locally is in discussions with operators in NSW, Victoria and WA to sell or lease limited numbers of the trucks into daily operations on evaluation. Hyundai's boss of future mobility and government relations, Scott Nargar, told us that some of the operators they were speaking to were keen to own the trucks in conjunction with recognition and assistance from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, ARENA, which exists to support industry moves towards low emissions solutions based on renewables. The trucks will likely be a combination of prime movers and rigids but will all feature the same spec driveline. Six hydrogen tanks each with a 31kg capacity will supply two 90kW fuel cell stacks that in turn will charge a 72kWh battery. The electric motor develops 350kW (470hp) and a thumping 2237Nm of torque, delivering that urge to the drive wheels through an Allison 4500R transmission. Based on European market testing the expected range, including regenerative braking is quoted as 'up to 400km', which would comfortably out-distance similar all-electric heavy-duty trucks now in use in WA fleets. Refuelling, with a 350bar H2 station is claimed to be between 8-20 minutes. XCIENT FC is purely hydrogen fuelled – there is no system to top-up the battery from a charging point. As long as the battery needs charging and there is hydrogen in the tanks, the fuel cell will bubble away even when the truck is parked up. The company is presently finishing off certification and homologation issues and will be sourcing the trucks through its New Zealand operation. That's because the Korean factory only builds the trucks in left-hand drive but converted test units have been running with the Kiwis since 2023. Hence XCIENTs for Australia will dog-leg across the Tasman. No details yet but I'm aware that Hyundai Australia is seeking local conversion opportunities until enough volume can be generated to justify some RHD production from the factory. Hyundai has been trialling this truck in 13 countries including NZ since 2021 with about 13 million kilometres in Switzerland alone. The data accumulated suggests some significant operational and logistical advantages over purely electric drivelines, however the issue of an hydrogen infrastructure looms large. Here in WA, Woodside has started a project with WA Government support to establish an hydrogen production and refuelling facility - Hydrogen Refueller @H2Perth - in the Rockingham industrial zone. Distributing the fuel to stations elsewhere in Perth, particularly the Kewdale transport hub would seem to be a necessity. Elsewhere, Hyundai is expanding the trial in California, where 30 hydrogen fuel cell trucks working in the ports of Oakland and Richmond to haul freight containers and vehicles will shortly be integrated into trials of fully autonomous operations.
