Newswire

Battery storage companies raised $1.4 billion in first half of 2019

Battery storage companies raised $1.4 billion in 17 deals during the first half of 2019, according to a report from Mercom Capital Group. That figure is up 139 percent from H1 2018, during which companies raised $543 million in 30 deals. There were six battery storage mergers and acquisitions in H1 2019, compared to eight… Read more »

No, Workhorse hasn’t yet secured funding to buy GM’s Lordstown plant, but the deal is moving forward

For some time, Charged has followed the story of Workhorse Group, a Cincinnati-based company that has built a prototype electric pickup, has sold electric trucks to UPS and FedEx, and is in the running for a major contract to supply delivery trucks to the US Postal Service. Along with other observers of the EV scene,… Read more »

Easelink wants to set a new standard for EV charging: Automatic and conductive

On average, you park your EV once every nine miles. Imagine if every one of those times, your car could quickly recharge without any intervention on your part. This is the vision of Easelink, an EV charging company based in Graz, Austria. Easelink wants to put its Matrix Charging technology in parking spots far and… Read more »

Canada invests $4.6 million to add 92 fast chargers to nationwide network

The Canadian government has announced a $4.6-million investment in Petro-Canada to build 92 fast chargers in its coast-to-coast network. The first completed station, in Nova Scotia, will be part of a larger network of more than 50 Petro-Canada locations, each with two charging units on site. This investment is part of the Government of Canada’s… Read more »

Sumitomo and Kansai University develop technology to generate power from static electricity in tires

Sumitomo and Professor Hiroshi Tani of Kansai University have developed a new technology to generate electricity from the rotation of a tire. By installing a power generating device (or Energy Harvester) inside a tire, researchers were able to convert static electricity into clean energy. The new device, which Sumitomo calls the ‘SMART TYRE CONCEPT’, takes… Read more »

BMW doubles battery production capacity at its South Carolina plant

BMW has doubled its production capacity of high-voltage batteries at its plant in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The battery facility now produces new fourth-generation batteries for the plug-in hybrid models of BMW’s new X5 and its future X3, both of which are also produced in Spartanburg. In the past four years, the plant’s battery assembly team… Read more »

ZF launches electric two-speed drive

German parts maker ZF has launched a two-speed electric axle drive system for passenger cars. The drive, which integrates an electric motor with a shift element and power electronics, is compatible with standard-sized and compact cars. The modular design enables it to be scaled up for sports vehicles, according to the company, allowing manufacturers to… Read more »

Canada launches $4.5-million challenge to accelerate battery innovation

The Canadian government has announced a new $4.5-million challenge aimed at accelerating made-in-Canada battery innovation to better position the country in the global market. The Charging the Future Challenge will help accelerate the most promising Canadian battery innovations from lab to market. During the 18-month challenge, five finalists will pitch their concepts to a jury… Read more »

Zwickau VW plant to produce six electric models

The Volkswagen Group’s plant in Zwickau, Germany is undergoing a massive modernization process. When it’s done, the facility will be one of the biggest all-electric car factories in the world. The German automaker is investing some €1.2 billion to shift the plant’s production from three legacy models to six pure EVs from VW, Seat and… Read more »