The UK, along with many other urbanized regions, has a special challenge to overcome if EV adoption is to take off: many drivers live in multi-family housing, and have no assigned parking spaces in which to install chargers. One possible solution is a peer-to-peer charging network that allows EV owners to share their home chargers… Read more »
Researchers at the DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have discovered that the “special sauce” of batteries is all about the salt concentration. By getting the right amount of salt right where they want it, they’ve demonstrated that a lithium-metal battery can undergo about seven times more charge/discharge cycles than batteries with conventional electrolytes. Finding an electrolyte solution… Read more »
New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC), which serves some 84,000 homes and businesses in 115 communities, has become the first utility in the state to offer discounted off-peak rates to EV drivers. According to NHEC, the owner of an EV such as the Chevrolet Bolt who drives 16,000 miles a year can save about $20 a… Read more »
Scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have pioneered a method that enables reversible chemistry of magnesium metal in noncorrosive carbonate-based electrolytes. The technology has several potential advantages over lithium-ion batteries, including higher energy density, improved stability and lower cost. Magnesium batteries can theoretically store almost twice as much energy per volume as lithium-ion… Read more »
Dutch charging provider Fastned has won a tender from the North East Combined Authority (NECA) and Newcastle University to deploy two fast charging stations in the city centers of Newcastle and Sunderland (where Nissan manufactures LEAFs for the UK market). Each “Go Ultra Low Filling Station” will house six DC fast chargers, two of which… Read more »
Researchers from Bosch, the Technical University of Munich, and the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg are using neutron imaging to analyze the filling of lithium-ion batteries with electrolytes. Since very few neutrons are absorbed by the metal battery housing, they are ideal for analyzing batteries. In “Visualization of electrolyte filling process and influence of vacuum during filling… Read more »
A recent report from metals and minerals research firm Roskill details how China is quickly working to increase its control of the lithium supply chain to support the rapid growth of its lithium-ion battery industry. The report provides examples of several major players who have recently announced or completed acquisitions. CATL, one of China’s largest… Read more »
A lack of advertising is often cited as a main reason for the slow pace of EV adoption, so it’s welcome news that a consortium of automakers and Northeast states intends to cooperate on an EV ad campaign. The Drive Change Drive Electric campaign, launched at the recent New York International Auto Show, will focus… Read more »
Goodyear presented a prototype of a new tire design optimized for EVs at the recent Geneva International Motor Show. The EfficientGrip Performance with Electric Drive Technology is to go on sale in Europe by 2019. Goodyear’s testing has revealed that traditional tires can wear out up to 30% faster on EVs, due to the powerful… Read more »
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) have demonstrated a “self-healing” lithium-metal anode that can eliminate dendrite buildup. Researchers are looking for ways to replace graphite anodes with lithium metal in order to boost energy density. However (as regular Charged readers know), lithium metal anodes are plagued by the buildup of dendrites, branchlike protrusions that can grow… Read more »
