ECOtality management announced the company was awarded a US$2.87-million contract from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (Air District) to become the project manager of the organization’s Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) deployment program. Through the program, ECOtality will oversee the installation of 2,750 home-charging stations and 30 direct-current, fast-charging stations throughout the Bay Area.

In advance of the first-ever EU summit on energy scheduled for February 4 in Brussels, 20 European companies and associations are calling on EU heads of state to create a single market for electricity by 2015.

An expert panel organized by Indiana University on February 2 unveiled a report showing that automakers don’t yet have enough production lined-up to meet U.S. President Barack Obama’s goal of 1 million electric vehicles (EVs) by 2015.

According to a report released by Accenture in mid-January, “The US and China: The Race to Disruptive Transport Technologies,” China could lead the race to roll out electric vehicles and will deploy new transportation technologies at scale more quickly than the United States. But the U.S. could lead a global biotechnology-based agricultural revolution that will generate a greater range of biofuel breakthroughs, Accenture also found.

BMW and PSA Peugeot Citroën jointly announced February 2 the creation of a joint venture (JV), to develop hybrid-electric vehicle technologies.

.S.-based Marathon announced February 2 that its downstream refining, marketing and transportation segment earned US$213 million in fourth-quarter 2010, versus an $18-million loss in fourth-quarter 2009.

U.S. crude inventories increased by 2.6 million barrels – in line with analyst expectations – and refined product stocks were mixed, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) report for the week ended January 28.

NYMEX light sweet crude for March delivery settled at US$90.86 per barrel (/bbl), up 9¢ on February 2, as the market continued to closely monitor geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

Canada-based Suncor announced February 2 that better margins and volumes boosted refining and marketing net earnings in fourth-quarter 2010 to Cdn$372 million (US$376 million) versus Cdn$151 million (US$153 million) in fourth-quarter 2009.

Recently, former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R) called for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be “replaced with a new and improved agency dedicated to bringing together science, technology, entrepreneurs, incentives and local creativity to create a cleaner environment through smarter regulation,” according to an article posted on Gingrich’s Web site.