DB Regio, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn which operates regional and commuter train services in Germany, has ordered 44 battery-electric Flirt Akku multiple units from Swiss manufacturer Stadler. The first of the 44 multiple units are to go into passenger service on eight routes in the Pfalz region December 2025, and the diesel trains currently… Read more »
OBE Power, which operates a private network of smart, distributed EV chargers, plans to adopt Driivz’s end-to-end charging and energy management platform. Miami-based OBE Power offers an owner-operated Charging as a Service (CaaS) business model for host customers and charge point operators, including software that enables cross-platform integration, fleet operations and Vehicle to Grid (V2G)… Read more »
Li-Cycle has announced plans to build its first Hub facility near Rochester, New York. The company expects to process equivalent battery material to power approximately 225,000 EVs per year. Li-Cycle (profiled in our July/August 2020 issue) uses a hub-and-spoke model for its recycling process. The New York Hub will be integrated with Li-Cycle’s existing network… Read more »
The US Environmental Protection Agency has finalized a set of new auto emissions standards, which the New York Times calls “the most significant climate action taken to date by the Biden administration, and [the] highest level ever set for fuel economy.” The story so far: In 2017, major automakers asked the incoming US president to… Read more »
A new study from DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory seeks to identify the reasons that DC fast charging accelerates battery degradation. The researchers gained some new insights into a process that can cause damage to the anode during charging and discharging. A paper based on the study, “Increased disorder at graphite particle edges revealed by multilength… Read more »
The Dutch city of Utrecht is already pretty green. The rate of car ownership is far lower than in the US. The city boasts the world’s largest bike parking garage and an extensive network of bike lanes, and a new car-free neighborhood for 20,000 people is on the drawing board. Even here, however, cars aren’t… Read more »
Ford has launched a new sustainable charging program that allows plug-in vehicle owners in California to opt for carbon-neutral home charging. Ford is participating in the California Air Resource Board (CARB) Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) program, which allows customers to match the use of electricity for charging with 100-percent local renewable energy. Owners of… Read more »
Sponsored by Schaeffler Imagine a hybrid vehicle that could not only heat a home when the power goes out, but that could also pull a bigger trailer than its non-hybrid brother while using less fuel. Ford Motor Co. did just this with the new 2021 F-150. To enable that hybridization, Schaeffler designed and industrialized a… Read more »
Automaker Stellantis and electronics manufacturer Foxconn are teaming up to design and produce purpose-built semiconductors for the automotive industry. “With Foxconn, we aim to create four new families of chips that will cover over 80% of our semiconductor needs, helping to significantly modernize our components, reduce complexity, and simplify the supply chain,” said Stellantis CEO… Read more »
Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories may have discovered a way to make a longer-lasting, more efficient battery. The team used Kelvin probe force microscopy to locate places where electron flows get stuck. Solid-state batteries use solid electrolytes instead of electrochemical gels and liquids. Researchers suspected that there was a loss of voltage at interfaces within… Read more »
