FEV has developed a combined simulation and testing process for the optimization of thermal propagation behavior in automotive battery packs. The company claims the process can help to reduce the risk of injury and damage from battery cell thermal runaway, while also saving development time and cost. Thermal runaway is a key safety aspect for… Read more »
Aachen, Germany-based FEV has announced that its transmission and battery technology is being used in a PHEV that is now in series production. The unspecified vehicle has a 10 kWh battery pack and an electric range of about 30 miles. FEV was involved in developing the battery hardware and software from the development of the… Read more »
FEV is exhibiting a new transmission specially designed for plug-in hybrid powertrains at this week’s SAE World Congress in Detroit. According to FEV, engine downsizing for increased fuel efficiency has led to challenges for transmission developers, who must provide higher levels of capability in a smaller package. The company took a “clean sheet approach” to… Read more »
Lucid Motors has announced independent verification of a 517-mile range for its upcoming Lucid Air luxury sedan. The tests were conducted by FEV North America in Auburn Hills, Michigan, using the EPA’s Multicycle Test procedure. This appears to be a new record for a passenger EV, handily besting the 402-mile range of the 2020 Tesla… Read more »
UK automotive clean tech firm AVID Technology has appointed Mike Dowsett Vice President of Business Development to lead the company’s expansion in North America. Mr. Dowsett will lead the business growth strategy and operations at AVID’s new US office in Michigan. Dowsett has over 30 years of automotive industry experience. He began his career at… Read more »
When some future author writes a book about the most influential cars in automotive history, the Nissan LEAF will be right up there with the Model T, the VW Beetle and the Tesla Model S. The LEAF was the first EV aimed at the mass market, and as of this writing, it remains the best-selling… Read more »
Motorola Solutions has invested an unspecified amount in Pellion Technologies, a startup that was founded by a team of MIT researchers. Pellion is focused on commercializing magnesium-ion battery technology. Because magnesium is divalent, it can displace double the charge per ion that lithium can, and the element is more abundant and more stable. Magnesium-ion batteries… Read more »
The Schaeffler Group, a multinational conglomerate that makes a range of electric drivetrain components, fielded an EV at July’s E-Car Rally in Montafon, Austria, held on the dream roads of the Alps. The STEP2, Schaeffler’s third entry in this yearly event, is an EV with a drive from the Schaeffler subsidiary IDAM and a two-speed… Read more »
The three front-runners in the plug-in sales race are swapping some major paint – Toyota’s Prius Plug-in Hybrid edged into the lead with 2,095 sales for the month of October. Sales of the PPI have soared over the past three months after languishing in triple digits earlier in the year. It now looks likely that… Read more »
Will the next-generation Volt see a substantial increase in its electric range? The aficionados who hang out at GM-Volt.com certainly hope so, and at least one of them believes that some comments made by GM CEO Dan Akerson reveal that the next iteration of Chevy’s popular PHEV will feature a range improvement of “20 percent… Read more »