Range anxiety: we’re not sure whether it’s a serious disease or a psychosomatic ailment, but it’s one of the most commonly-cited objections heard from potential EV buyers, and automakers take it quite seriously. All of the top EV-makers are investing heavily in public charging infrastructure in an effort to eradicate this dreaded malady. At the… Read more »
ChargePoint, which operates one of the world’s largest public charging networks, plans to extend its empire into the home, in conjunction with solar installer Sun Edison. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal’s Venture Capital Dispatch, CEO Pasquale Romano explained the synergies between EV charging and solar energy. “The reason we partnered with Sun… Read more »
In a speech at Stanford University last week, Dr Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Volkswagen, said that he sees great potential in solid-state batteries, which could boost EV range to as much as 435 miles, representing a volumetric energy density of about 1,000 Wh/l. Replacing the traditional liquid electrolyte with a nonflammable inorganic… Read more »
BMW has developed an energy-efficient street light that is also an EV charging station. The Light and Charge unit combines LED technology with a standard Level 2 charging connector that’s integrated into BMW’s ChargeNow network. “Light and Charge is a simple and innovative solution to naturally integrate a reliable network of charging stations in the… Read more »
What’s really going on with batteries? A recent panel discussion from Autoline (via Green Car Reports) asked three experts – one from one of the world’s biggest battery concerns, one from a promising startup, and one academic – and they see great things ahead. Host John McElroy starts out the way all mainstream media stories on EVs do… Read more »
Researchers around the world are working on supercapacitors (aka ultracaps), whose high power density makes them a perfect complement for lithium-ion batteries. Meanwhile, a couple of visionaries at Volvo have been thinking about ways to get around the high space requirements of batteries by storing energy in a car’s body panels. Image Courtesy of Volvo… Read more »
With the falling prices, increasing sales and growing mass-market appeal of plug-in vehicles, more and more facility owners are contemplating EV charging amenities for employees, tenants and visitors. EV infrastructure could become a real competitive differentiator by attracting the desirable EV-driving population. In today’s competitive landscape, facility owners can no longer ignore the idea of… Read more »
Chemicals giant BASF and metal oxide specialist Toda Kogyo have agreed to form a joint venture for Li-ion cathode active materials (CAM). The firms will combine their respective CAM businesses, intellectual property and production assets in Japan. The new venture, BASF Toda Battery Materials, will produce a broad range of cathode materials, including Nickel Cobalt… Read more »
OXIS has developed its largest lithium-sulfur cell to date, achieving specific energy in excess of 300 Wh/kg. The company has also increased cell capacity to 25 Ah, a twelve-fold improvement in 18 months. OXIS predicts that it will achieve a cell capacity of 33 Ah by mid-2015. The OXIS scientific team expects to achieve its… Read more »
San Diego-based Andromeda Interfaces has introduced its Electric Vehicle Interface Controller (EVIC), an integrated display device to monitor the operation and safety of an EV’s major subsystems. EVIC consolidates data from battery management and charger systems and motor controllers into one display device. CEO Brian L Gallagher said, “With the increasing adoption rate of EV… Read more »
