Sponsored by Littelfuse By Carlos Castro, Global Director Marketing Automotive Electronics, Littelfuse, Inc. As hybrid and electric vehicles roll closer to battery power drive systems with 48V or higher, the lithium-ion battery in a closed system is the clear leader for power. Lithium-ion gets high marks in cost, energy efficiency, temperature performance, power-to-weight ratio and lifecycle…. Read more »
The Union of Concerned Scientists has issued a new report that ranks the environmental performance of global automakers. It’s no surprise that Tesla topped the rankings by a wide margin. (Yes, the report considers the full lifecycle of vehicles, including emissions associated with manufacturing and the production of fuel.) However, EV fans may be surprised… Read more »
Northvolt plans to build a new Li-ion battery factory with an annual capacity of 32 GWh, aided by a €10-million investment from Siemens. This partnership will make Northvolt the main Li-ion battery supplier for Siemens and promote the use of new technologies and production methods. The new plant is meant to be an analog to… Read more »
Tesla seems to be back into the pattern its investors love to see: Elon tweets out a slow drip of good news items, and the stock ratchets higher (as the media makes an about-face and the short sellers gnash their teeth). The latest tidbit is that the eagerly awaited Autopilot version 9 software upgrade, scheduled… Read more »
New Jersey’s Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), the state’s largest utility, has revealed plans to invest $300 million in smart EV infrastructure, along with $100 million in utility-scale energy storage projects and $2.5 billion in energy efficiency measures. The company will file the plan with the state Board of Public Utilities later this year. The… Read more »
The German Federal Ministry for the Environment has approved a subsidized pilot project to research the electrification of long-haul trucks using a roof-mounted pantograph to charge from an overhead power line. Siemens will be responsible for developing the pantograph, and Volkswagen will provide hybrid trucks via subsidiary Scania, and will carry out the research. Trial… Read more »
A team of researchers at the DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory has conducted a review of 40 automotive market studies from 16 countries, including the US, Germany, China, South Korea, the UK and Ireland. These studies modeled the decision factors that drive consumers to buy plug-in vehicles (PEVs). The study addressed such issues as: projected market… Read more »
The big land of big cowboys driving big trucks has actually been fairly supportive of EVs. The state previously offered $2,500 rebates for EVs under a year-long program that ended in 2015 (a total of 1,896 rebates were awarded, out of 2,000 available). Now the Lone Star State has established a new incentive program under… Read more »
Electrify America is teaming up with mall operator Simon Property Group to install DC fast charging stations at more than 30 Simon properties throughout the US. The first installation will open in June at Gulfport Premium Outlets in Gulfport, Mississippi. Other locations soon to be electrified include malls in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Ontario, Orlando,… Read more »
How do you solve a problem like cobalt? The blue metallic element is used in significant quantities in EV batteries, but half the world’s supply of comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a war-torn land in which child labor is common. Several automakers are already taking steps to reduce their use of the costly… Read more »