The nonprofit Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) has won a grant to support the deployment of 30 Hyundai XCIENT Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks in northern California. The trucks will serve the Port of Oakland. Each has a range of over 400 miles, enough to make runs from Oakland to Sacramento,… Read more »
Faraday Institution researchers working on the recycling of lithium-ion batteries at the Universities of Leicester and Birmingham have developed a new method to recover materials from end-of-life EV batteries. The new process uses ultrasonic waves to separate valuable material from the electrodes. The researchers say it delivers a higher purity of recovered materials compared to… Read more »
Oil companies (we’ll consider using the term “energy companies” when products other than petroleum make up at least half their revenues) are starting to invest in EV charging, and Shell is at the forefront of this trend. Now the company is expanding its partnership with the UK supermarket chain Waitrose. The companies are targeting the… Read more »
Japanese air conditioner manufacturer Daikin Industries has developed a refrigerant specifically for EVs, and plans to commercialize the product by 2025, according to a report by Nikkei Asia. At present, the most common refrigerant for use in EV air conditioners is R-1234yf, sold under the names Opteon YF by Chemours and as Solstice YF by… Read more »
A new paper from Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) analyzes the process of extracting lithium from brine. In “Energy, Greenhouse Gas, and Water Life Cycle Analysis of Lithium Carbonate and Lithium Hydroxide Monohydrate from Brine and Ore Resources and Their Use in Lithium Ion Battery Cathodes and Lithium Ion Batteries,” published in the journal Resources, Conservation… Read more »
Commercial EV innovator Proterra (NASDAQ: PTRA) builds electric buses, and also provides its powertrain technology to other OEMs under its Proterra Powered business unit. The company’s latest collaboration is with ROUSH CleanTech, a firm that’s involved with several aspects of electrification, including production design, functional performance validation, compliance testing, assembly setup and vehicle second-stage manufacturing…. Read more »
Power electronics specialist Exro Technologies has announced a new application for its patented Coil Driver technology, which it says could dramatically reduce the cost and complexity associated with deploying EV infrastructure at scale. According to Exro, EVs currently require three different types of power electronics components to power the vehicles and charge the batteries: a… Read more »
Japanese ink and materials manufacturer Toyocolor has been tapped to supply its Lioaccum series of conductive carbon nanotube (CNT) dispersions to the North American and European operations of battery-maker SK Innovation. Lioaccum dispersions are used as a conductive additive in Li-ion cathodes to help expand battery capacity. These batteries will be installed in EVs manufactured… Read more »
Drivetrain and e-propulsion specialist Dana (NYSE: DAN) has signed a strategic agreement with Ashok Leyland subsidiary Switch Mobility, a manufacturer of electric buses and light commercial vehicles. Dana will make a strategic investment in Switch Mobility, and will become a preferred supplier of electric drivetrain components for Switch’s vehicles, providing e-axles, gearboxes, motors, inverters, software… Read more »
Azul, a Brazilian airline that serves 110 destinations and operates a fleet of more than 160 aircraft, has ordered 220 electric aircraft from Lilium in a $1-billion commercial deal and strategic alliance. The companies aim to establish a co-branded network in Brazil. Azul will operate and maintain the Lilium Jet fleet, and Lilium will provide… Read more »
