US-based battery cell manufacturer EnPower is planning to open a customer qualification facility for batteries in Indianapolis in 2022. The company plans to produce batteries with its proprietary multilayer anodes at the facility. “A customer qualification facility is critical to scale production, optimize cell geometries, complete comprehensive cell testing and secure sales agreements,” said EnPower… Read more »
International non-profit The Climate Group has issued a Zero-Emission Vehicle (ZEV) pledge calling on government organizations to shift 100% of their owned or leased fleets to ZEVs. The Climate Group’s ZEV pledge calls for buses and two- and three-wheelers to be converted by 2030, light-duty vehicles by 2035, and medium- and heavy-duty vehicles by 2040…. Read more »
GM has announced plans for electric versions of the Chevy Equinox and Blazer SUVs. Speaking at CES 2022, CEO Mary Barra noted that the compact and midsize SUV segments are growing in the US market. SEE ALSO: 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV unveiled Few details of the proposed new EVs have been offered. The Equinox EV… Read more »
Commercial vehicle manufacturers Volvo Group, Daimler Truck and the Traton Group have agreed to create a joint venture to build and operate a high-power public charging network for heavy-duty long-haul trucks and coaches across Europe. The planned JV, which will be equally owned by the three firms, is scheduled to start operations in 2022. The… Read more »
Two electric pickups from GM and Ford makers take surprisingly different approaches to electrifying the full-size truck The 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV unveiled today by General Motors CEO Mary Barra shows the largest US auto company’s determination to hang onto its core large-pickup market even as vehicles of all sorts accelerate the transition from gasoline… Read more »
GM has announced a plan to work with global materials firm POSCO Chemical on a battery material processing facility in North America, which is scheduled to open in 2024. POSCO Chemical manufactures anode and cathode materials. GM plans to use the battery materials processed with POSCO for the cells it plans to produce at its… Read more »
Power electronics distributor PPM Power has developed cold plates that offer integrated cooling of power modules, DC link capacitors and busbars for power conversion systems. The new cold plates have been designed to meet specific customer requirements for thermal performance and pressure drop. Customers can choose from a range of standard Power Ring capacitors and… Read more »
Italian charger designer and manufacturer Alpitronic has chosen the EasyPACK 1B and 2B modules and EiceDRIVER X3 driver IC from German semiconductor manufacturer Infineon for Alpitronic’s HYC50 charger, which will be launched in the second quarter of 2022. The HYC50 is a wall-mounted 50 kW DC fast charger with two charging ports. The EasyPACK 1B… Read more »
Responding to soaring demand for its EVs, Ford has been regularly announcing increases in planned production numbers. In December, CEO Jim Farley said demand had been “two to three times what we expected.” Now Ford says it plans to double production of the F-150 Lightning at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn to 150,000… Read more »
A new report from IHS Markit foresees the possibility of an electrical steel shortage, beginning in 2025, that could pose a threat to automakers’ electrification plans. Electrical steel is an iron-silicon alloy with magnetic characteristics that make it well suited for electric motors. Non-Oriented Electrical Steel (NOES) is one form that’s used to make motors…. Read more »
