Newswire

Virginia to become the next zero-emission vehicle state

The Virginia Senate has passed a bill that would establish California-style clean car standards in the state. The bill, HB 1965, creates low-emission vehicle (LEV) and zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) programs. It will strengthen regulations on tailpipe emissions, and require automakers to sell a certain number of ZEVs in Virginia. Governor Ralph Northam is expected to… Read more »

BorgWarner to acquire AKASOL

BorgWarner and AKASOL have signed an agreement to position BorgWarner to expand its commercial vehicle electrification capabilities. As part of the agreement, a subsidiary of BorgWarner will pay €120 per share in cash for all outstanding shares of AKASOL. Headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany, AKASOL designs and manufactures customizable battery packs for buses, commercial vehicles, rail… Read more »

Bluebus electric minibus, with solid-state LMP batteries, operating in France

The French city of Triel-sur-Seine has launched a trial of an electric shuttle service that uses a six-meter electric bus made by Bluebus, a subsidiary of the Bolloré Group. The minibuses, which will be delivered this summer, are part of an order for up to 800 e-buses from three manufacturers by Île-de-France Mobilités, an agency… Read more »

StoreDot releases samples of its “five-minute” EV battery

In 2015, Israeli battery developer StoreDot announced plans to enter the EV market with battery cells that it said could enable a 300-mile battery pack to be charged in 5 minutes. Now the company has launched engineering samples of its first-generation batteries that are designed to be manufactured at scale on traditional Li-lion production lines…. Read more »

Silicon anode nanostructure could increase battery capacity and lifespan

Image caption: In the first stage, the silicon film exists as a rigid but wobbly columnar structure. In the second stage, the columns touch at the top, forming a vaulted structure, which is strong due to arch action. In the third stage, further deposition of silicon atoms results in a sponge-like structure. The red dashed… Read more »

BorgWarner launches 800-volt electric motor for commercial vehicles

BorgWarner’s latest High Voltage Hairpin (HVH) electric motor, the HVH 320, is designed to power a variety of commercial EVs. Production of the HVH 320, which is equipped with 800-volt capabilities and is available in four variants, is expected to kick off in 2024. Its multifaceted platform will deliver over 400 kW of power at… Read more »

Tesla may get $1.2 billion worth of German subsidies

The European Commission recently approved a multinational project to support battery innovation, which will involve 42 companies, including several automakers. One of those automakers is Tesla, which may receive a cool billion euros ($1.2 billion) in public funding from the federal government of Germany and the state of Brandenburg, the site of the company’s Gigafactory… Read more »

New report outlines cooperation between utilities and school districts to finance electric school buses

A new report from the United States Public Interest Research Group (US-PIRG) outlines ways that utility companies and school districts can come together to deploy electric school buses across the country. Electric school buses are ready to roll—the technology is here, and protecting school children from noxious diesel fumes is a cause that draws a… Read more »

Ford says all its passenger vehicles in Europe will be electric by 2030, invests $1 billion in Cologne EV plant

A game of one-upmanship seems to be developing between America’s top two legacy automakers, and we’re cheering them on. In January, GM made a weaselly (but still significant) announcement of its “aspiration to eliminate tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035.” A week later, Ford announced that it would double its planned investments in… Read more »

Zenlabs says its silicon anode cells are ready for commercialization after 1,000-cycle testing

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has successfully tested over 1,000 charge-discharge cycles using high-energy silicon anode pouch cells made by Zenlabs Energy.  Zenlabs received a $4.8-million, 50% cost-share development contract from the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) to develop low-cost, fast-charge EV batteries.  As a part of the USABC program, Zenlabs delivered its 12 Ah… Read more »