Wireless Power Transfer circuits demand stable high capacitance, high voltage capacitors to act as the tank capacitor in the LC resonant circuit. Multi-Layer Ceramic Capacitors (MLCCs) are increasingly used for this application due to their volumetric efficiency and cost-effective mounting techniques, but there are caveats that need to be followed to achieve reliable operation. This presentation addresses… Read more »
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved $11.7 million in funding for Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) to develop three new pilot programs to test ways in which bidirectional EVs and chargers can provide power to the electric grid and various benefits to customers. PG&E will test bidirectional charging technology in a variety… Read more »
Semiconductor provider STMicroelectronics is supplying SiC semiconductors for SEMIKRON’s eMPack EV power modules. “In addition to its transformative effect in e-mobility, our SiC technology, now in its third generation, is driving increased efficiency, performance and reliability in sustainable energy and industrial power-control applications,” said STMicroelectronics Executive VP Edoardo Merli. As part of a four-year technical… Read more »
Volta Trucks plans to introduce its electric commercial vehicles into North America, beginning in 2023 with a Volta Zero Class 7 truck (equivalent to the company’s existing European 16-ton truck) with a dry or refrigerated cargo box. The Volta Zero is a purpose-built electric medium-duty truck specifically designed for urban logistics. It uses a compact… Read more »
6K, a producer of engineered materials for lithium-ion batteries, has raised $102 million in the first of two Series D funding tranches. The round was led by Koch Strategic Platforms, an investment arm of fossil fuel giant Koch Industries, with participation by investors Energy Impact Partners, Albemarle, HG Ventures and others. 6K will use the… Read more »
Sustainability is the raison d’etre of EVs, so it’s obviously important to find a way to document the sustainable nature of the raw materials that go into EV batteries. A “battery passport” that traces the content and carbon footprint of batteries could be the solution, and that’s just what a new German-funded consortium of automakers… Read more »
Fremont, California-based Solo Advanced Vehicle Technologies has revealed the design and specifications of a new purpose-built electric Class 8 truck that’s designed specifically for autonomous driving. The SD1 includes “full, aerospace-level system redundancy and the lowest drag coefficient of any Class 8 truck on the road, enabled by a complete redesign that removes the human… Read more »
Charging and energy management specialist FreeWire Technologies has raised $125 million in new capital from BlackRock Financial Management and other investors, including bp ventures, Riverstone Holdings, Octave Ventures and Daishin Private Equity. FreeWire will use the new capital to support ambitious growth plans as it accelerates commercial deployments of its battery-integrated EV charging technology and… Read more »
NovaCHARGE, an Orlando-based provider of charging hardware, software and cloud-based charger administration, has completed the successful deployment of 627 EV charging ports for Duke Energy Florida’s Park & Plug program. Duke selected NovaCHARGE as the prime contractor for its Park & Plug program, which was launched in 2018. NovaCHARGE was responsible for delivery of a… Read more »
GM and mining giant Glencore have announced a multi-year sourcing agreement under which Glencore will supply GM with cobalt from its Murrin Murrin operation in Australia, to be used in GM’s Ultium battery cathodes. Both Glencore and GM are members of the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), and Glencore’s Murrin Murrin operation conforms to the OECD-aligned… Read more »
