Volkswagen has opened its first EV battery recycling facility to recover raw materials such as lithium, nickel, manganese and cobalt in a closed loop, together with aluminum, copper and plastics, achieving a recycling rate of more than 90% over the long term. The unique feature of the plant in Salzgitter, Germany is that it only… Read more »
Silicon Labs has introduced the new Si823Hx Gate Driver Board, an all-in-one isolation solution designed for the recently launched Wolfspeed WolfPACK power module. Wolfspeed power modules are used across numerous power applications, including EV chargers and motor drives. The board features the Si823Hx isolated gate driver and Si88xx digital isolator with an integrated DC-DC converter…. Read more »
The Electric Island project, a collaboration between Daimler Trucks North America and Portland General Electric, will be a test bed for all kinds of heavy-duty EV charging solutions. Electric trucks are finally starting to roll. After years of vehicle development, research projects and pilot deployments, major fleet operators around the world are beginning to place… Read more »
Cargo ships, powered by heavy fuel oil with a high sulfur content, are some of the largest and most polluting vehicles on the planet, so electrifying them could be very cost-effective in terms of reducing air pollution. Last year, a consortium of Japanese companies announced a collaboration to develop an all-electric oil tanker. Now Asahi… Read more »
Graphene, a crystalline allotrope of carbon, is reported to be a better electricity conductor than copper, 200 times stronger than steel, and six times lighter. Metal oxides can be attached to its surface to improve its energy storage functions. Now China’s GAC Group has announced “breakthrough progress” with a graphene-based super-fast-charging battery, which the company… Read more »
The Virginia Senate has passed a bill that would establish California-style clean car standards in the state. The bill, HB 1965, creates low-emission vehicle (LEV) and zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) programs. It will strengthen regulations on tailpipe emissions, and require automakers to sell a certain number of ZEVs in Virginia. Governor Ralph Northam is expected to… Read more »
BorgWarner and AKASOL have signed an agreement to position BorgWarner to expand its commercial vehicle electrification capabilities. As part of the agreement, a subsidiary of BorgWarner will pay €120 per share in cash for all outstanding shares of AKASOL. Headquartered in Darmstadt, Germany, AKASOL designs and manufactures customizable battery packs for buses, commercial vehicles, rail… Read more »
The French city of Triel-sur-Seine has launched a trial of an electric shuttle service that uses a six-meter electric bus made by Bluebus, a subsidiary of the Bolloré Group. The minibuses, which will be delivered this summer, are part of an order for up to 800 e-buses from three manufacturers by Île-de-France Mobilités, an agency… Read more »
In 2015, Israeli battery developer StoreDot announced plans to enter the EV market with battery cells that it said could enable a 300-mile battery pack to be charged in 5 minutes. Now the company has launched engineering samples of its first-generation batteries that are designed to be manufactured at scale on traditional Li-lion production lines…. Read more »
Image caption: In the first stage, the silicon film exists as a rigid but wobbly columnar structure. In the second stage, the columns touch at the top, forming a vaulted structure, which is strong due to arch action. In the third stage, further deposition of silicon atoms results in a sponge-like structure. The red dashed… Read more »
