Volvo has acquired a stake in San Francisco-based mobile charging company FreeWire Technologies via the Volvo Cars Tech Fund. While Volvo does not plan to own charging or service stations directly, it says the investment reflects its support for user-friendly charging options as electric mobility continues to grow. “To support wider consumer adoption of electric… Read more »
Forklift manufacturer Wiggins Lift unveiled a fully electric industrial forklift, Yard eBull, at the recent Breakbulk Americas Show in Houston. The Yard eBull has a 30,000 to 70,000 lb capacity and is commercially available with a six-month lead time. Wiggins says the Yard eBull achieves higher capacities than other electric lifts by using high-voltage lithium-ion… Read more »
Handling equipment specialist Manitou Group has modified two construction telehandler prototypes to include DEUTZ electric and hybrid-drive systems. The two companies have collaborated on this project as part of Cologne’s ELECTRIP Event Week. Manitou is E-DEUTZ’s first-ever partner. For the hybrid prototype, the partners took a Manitou MT 1335 and swapped its 75 kW DEUTZ TCD… Read more »
Sponsored by Littelfuse EV charging stations come in many different types and provide differing speeds (or levels) of charge to a vehicle. Most chargers can be classified into one of two types: AC chargers, which provide alternating current (AC) power to a vehicle’s on-board charger from an electrical utility supply DC chargers, which provide direct… Read more »
Bolivian state-owned enterprise Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB) and German sustainable-solutions specialist ACI Systems (ACISA) are collaborating to mine, process and commercialize Bolivia’s ten-million-ton Salar de Uyuni lithium deposit. ACISA intends to use the processed ore to produce cathode materials and battery systems. The project is expected to create 500 to 1,000 direct jobs and… Read more »
Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology has been experimenting with carbon fiber as a structural electrode. The team has studied the relationship between carbon fiber’s microstructure and electrochemical capacity, and is working to develop a combination that is both mechanically sound and energy dense. In short, they would like to use an EV’s body as its battery. The… Read more »
Mazda has unveiled several new electrification and connectivity strategies as part of a “long-term vision for technology development” which it calls “Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030” (yes, that’s really its name). The company intends to gradually electrify its vehicles while continuing to improve internal combustion technology. “With a view to achieving a 90-percent reduction versus 2010 levels in… Read more »
Semiconductor provider STMicroelectronics and French research institute Laboratory of Electronics and Information Technologies (Leti) have announced plans to enhance on-board EV chargers with gallium nitride-on-silicon (GaN-on-Si) technology. They plan to have validated engineering samples ready in 2019. Devices that use gallium nitride can handle higher voltages, frequencies and temperatures than those using conventional materials such… Read more »
The Trump administration is determined to roll back US fuel economy standards, but for now at least, it will have to go through a complex legally mandated process, including a period of public comments, a customary formality that ended last week. Also last week, GM issued a press release in which it made no comment… Read more »
As EVs proliferate, there’s an increasing need to establish protocols for sustainably procuring battery cells. BMW plans to collaborate with battery maker Northvolt and materials specialist Umicore to develop a sustainable lifecycle for European EV batteries. From cell chemistry to usage to recycling, the project seeks to optimize every step of a battery’s lifecycle around… Read more »
