Newswire

Sunstone Engineering’s new battery welding system enables copper and nickel tab welding

Sunstone Engineering, a manufacturer of high-tech micro-welding and engraving solutions, has developed a new battery welding system that’s capable of welding copper and nickel tabs to power cells. Sunstone’s Omega PA250i includes new welding technology that clears a path for battery manufacturers to use pure copper or nickel tabs in the production of power cells…. Read more »

Renesas unveils integrated LIN interface sensor signal conditioner for EV HVAC Systems

Renesas Electronics recently introduced the ZSSC4132—an automotive pressure sensor solution featuring an integrated certified LIN v2.2a interface. Available in a single-package compact form factor, the sensor signal conditioner (SSC) is designed for EV climate control systems. Renesas says the AEC-Q100 qualified ZSSC4132 can be configured for nearly all resistive bridge sensors.  “HVAC plays a significant… Read more »

Edmonton Transit Service to deploy 40 Proterra Catalyst E2 Max electric buses and charging infrastructure

Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) has unveiled first 21 Proterra electric buses, the first installment of 40 that it plans to deploy this year, as well as a new, purpose-built electric bus garage. ETS, which serves the capital of Alberta, Canada, with a fleet of over 900 buses, will begin putting its new electric buses into… Read more »

Northvolt to supply €2 billion worth of green battery cells to BMW

The BMW Group has signed a long-term battery cell supply contract worth 2 billion euros with Swedish supplier Northvolt. The cells will be produced beginning in 2024 at the Northvolt Ett gigafactory, which is currently under construction in Skellefteå in northern Sweden. Northvolt Ett in Sweden is to go on line in 2021 with an… Read more »

Guidehouse Insights report identifies Rivian, Nio, and Nikola as “leading EV upstarts”

Global interest in plug-in vehicles continues to grow, but Big Auto continues to take only timid and halting steps toward electrification. This presents opportunities for bold new competitors to establish footholds in the auto market of the future. A new report from Guidehouse Insights identifies some of the “leading EV upstarts.” Guidehouse notes that momentum… Read more »

Sonoma Coast Incentive Project offers $7 million in rebates for public EV chargers

California has set a goal of putting 5 million EVs on the state’s roads by 2030, and supporting those vehicles with 250,000 chargers. The Sonoma Coast Incentive Project, one of a statewide web of organizations and initiatives designed to further these goals, will make some $6.75 million in incentives available over the next three years… Read more »

Former Tesla VP Chris Porritt joins Rimac Automobili as CTO

Croatian supercar builder Rimac Automobili has appointed Chris Porritt to the role of Chief Technology Officer. Mr. Porritt has spent over three decades in the automotive industry—previous positions include Chief Engineer at Aston Martin, VP of Engineering at Tesla, and lead at Apple’s Special Projects Group. He has overseen the development of several bespoke performance… Read more »

Freudenberg develops thermally conductive elastomer for EVs

Engineers at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies have developed an elastomer that merges relatively high heat capacity with electrically insulating properties by combining silicone rubber with special fillers. Electronic components can be mounted in a thermally conductive aluminum housing, which dissipates heat through cooling water or convection. Senior Application Manager Armin Striefler explains why Freudenberg decided to… Read more »

ABB breaks ground on new EV charger factory to meet global demand

Since entering the EV charging market a decade ago, ABB has sold over 14,000 DC fast chargers, in more than 80 countries. However, the Swiss-based electronics giant believes this is just the beginning. It has begun construction on a new production facility in San Giovanni Valdarno, Italy. The company plans to invest $30 million in… Read more »