Scientists at the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology—a graduate school and research university—have developed a new carbon-based anode material that may increase the durability of batteries and shorten charging times. The scientists calcinated a polymer called polybenzimidazole at 800 degrees Celsius to construct a carbon-based anode with 17 percent nitrogen, then tested it…. Read more »
Toshiba has introduced a 20 Ah-HP lithium-ion battery cell that is available for order throughout the world and is intended for the EV, industrial equipment and energy storage markets. It’s part of the SCiB product line, and the company says it is designed for conditions of high-power input and output as well as environments where… Read more »
GM has announced new investment of more than $7 billion in four Michigan manufacturing sites, calling it “the single largest investment announcement in GM history.” Most of the new investment, which is expected to create 4,000 new jobs, is aimed at increasing battery cell and electric truck manufacturing capacity. Projects include the construction of a… Read more »
Dutch civil engineering company Bam Infra Nederland has commissioned yellow-machine builder Wirtgen and Dutch powertrain developer New Electric to convert an asphalt spreading machine into “the world’s first fully electric paver.” The conversion team replaced the paver’s stage V motor with an electric drive consisting of a 270 kWh battery pack and two “smartly switched”… Read more »
Automated testing, data acquisition and control system provider Bloomy has introduced a test system for battery management systems. The FLEX BMS Validation System is designed to evaluate hardware, software and firmware, and is intended for the electrification and test lab markets. The FLEX BMS Validation System simulates vehicle electronic signals, and uses Bloomy’s FCC- and… Read more »
Tesla’s latest earnings report, for the fourth quarter and full year 2021, was another strong one. Deliveries grew by 87% in 2021, earnings per share and revenue each beat analyst estimates by over 6%, and the company claimed that it achieved “the highest quarterly operating margin among all volume OEMs…demonstrating that EVs can be more… Read more »
Ford Pro, the division of Ford that caters to commercial fleet customers, has introduced Ford Pro Intelligence, a cloud-based platform to support EV fleet operations. Ford Pro Intelligence combines Ford Pro’s suite of services, including telematics, with Salesforce’s cloud-based CRM system. It’s designed to help fleet operators keep track of vehicles, manage drivers and share… Read more »
Charging specialist CTEK has integrated its EV chargers with billing software from Fuuse Billing, a brand of the England-based company Miralis Data. Customers with CTEK Chargestorm Connected 2 chargers can now link their chargers to Fuuse Billing software to generate revenue. The payment card industry-compliant software supports payment collections from drivers, automated invoicing and secure… Read more »
Bridgestone Retail Operations, a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas, plans to expand its electric and hybrid vehicle services at 44 of the company’s Firestone Complete Auto Care and Wheel Works stores in Austin, Texas and San Francisco, California. While EV services today account for less than 10% of total services at Bridgestone’s retail operations nationwide, the… Read more »
German semiconductor manufacturer Infineon introduced the EiceDRIVER 2ED4820-EM gate driver with an SPI interface, which is designed to protect 48 V lithium-ion battery systems from negative and positive voltages. It’s part of the EiceDRIVER APD product line, and is in production now. The new dual-channel high-side gate driver can withstand negative voltages at Vbat down… Read more »
