BMW plans to bring its Induction Charging Pilot Program to the United States. The company launched the program in Germany in 2018. BMW’s Wireless Charging allows for automated charging via an induction GroundPad when a CarPad is fixed to the underside of the vehicle. The system has a charging power of 3.2 kW, which is… Read more »
Colorado’s Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) voted 8-1 to approve the state’s adoption of the zero-emissions vehicle mandate. Colorado became the 10th state to join California’s ZEV program. According to the state’s Air Pollution Control Division (yes, this is a separate agency from the AQCC), automakers will be required to make ZEVs 4.9% of the… Read more »
The PHEV variants of the new Porsche Cayenne, the Turbo S E-Hybrid and Turbo S E-Hybrid Coupé, are the most powerful versions of the luxury automaker’s popular SUV. The PHEVs draw 500 kW from a four-liter V8 engine coupled with an electric motor that is integrated into the eight-speed Tiptronic S transmission. Both the standard… Read more »
Researchers at Germany’s prestigious Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have created a new coating process that produces electrodes for lithium-ion batteries at record speed. The researchers say the new process also improves the quality of electrodes and reduces production costs. When manufacturing battery electrodes, a thin paste of electrode material is applied to a copper… Read more »
Many have foretold the demise of the global petroleum industry, to be met with every reaction from delight to dismay, but mostly with disbelief. However, the latest prophet of doom is no kale-cooking techno-greenie, but French banking group BNP Paribas, the largest bank in the Eurozone and the 8th largest in the world. According to… Read more »
California-based electric bus maker Proterra has launched a new program, Proterra Powered, to help automakers manufacture their own electric fleet vehicles. Proterra designs and manufactures battery systems, electric drivetrain technology, and standardized, heavy-duty charging systems for commercial vehicle applications. As part of Proterra Powered, Proterra will provide OEMs with the electrification hardware as well as… Read more »
Western EV fans were exhilarated to read about the upcoming launch of the Chevrolet Menlo – the US and European markets badly need more electric crossover and SUV options. Alas, the excitement quickly turned to disappointment when we learned that, once again, this new EV will be sold only in China. CarNewsChina describes the Menlo… Read more »
UK charging network operator InstaVolt is now installing the new ChargePoint Express 250 high-powered chargers, which boast a 125 kW charging capacity. The first charger is now in the ground in Hampshire and new stations will follow across the UK throughout the summer. InstaVolt says its existing network of 50 kW rapid charging stations will… Read more »
Researchers at MIT have come up with a new pulsed laser deposition technique to make thinner lithium electrolytes using less heat, which they say promises faster charging and potentially higher-voltage solid-state lithium-ion batteries. Key to the new technique for processing the solid-state battery electrolyte is alternating layers of the active electrolyte lithium garnet component (LLZO)… Read more »
As research into solid-state lithium batteries continues, researchers at Belgium’s Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain) say they’ve found a new solid material, LTPS, in which lithium can travel more easily than in any other solid electrolyte. The results are published in the scientific journal Chem from Cell Press. Lithium ions are much less mobile in… Read more »
