Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada have developed a way to stabilize lithium metal electrodes by forming a single-ion-conducting and stable protective surface layer in vivo. In “An In Vivo Formed Solid Electrolyte Surface Layer Enables Stable Plating of Li Metal,” published in the journal Joule, Quan Pang, Xiao Liang and colleagues explain how they… Read more »
Plug-in sales have failed…to reach the milestone of 200,000 units. Total US sales for 2017 were 199,826 (according to InsideEVs), a 26% increase compared to 2016’s 158,614. Worldwide sales were well over a million. December saw the biggest US monthly sales in history, and was the 27th consecutive month that sales were greater than the… Read more »
The California Energy Commission has awarded nearly $3 million to car-sharing programs using EVs in disadvantaged communities. Stratosfuel will demonstrate a fuel cell car-sharing platform using the hydrogen-refueling network in Riverside and Ontario. Calstart will use battery EVs in a ride-hailing service targeting community college students who attend Fresno City College from surrounding rural areas…. Read more »
Renault’s SYMBIOZ concept car, revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, is currently performing road tests in France to demonstrate Level 4 autonomy, which frees the driver from all dynamic driving tasks. Level 4 automation is currently not permitted under French road rules, but trials are allowed if a human is traveling in the… Read more »
Researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a way to mitigate the risk of battery failure during automobile accidents by including slits along the electrodes. In “Limiting Internal Short-Circuit Damage by Electrode Partition for Impact-Tolerant Li-Ion Batteries,” published in the journal Joule, the research team explains how this technology could allow manufacturers… Read more »
Carbon fiber-reinforced plastics represent a promising lightweight replacement for heavy steel. However, for carbon fiber to be widely adopted, new, more economical composites need to be developed. Unfortunately, carbon fiber properties are difficult to model, as they depend on complex features such as fiber loading, length distribution and orientation. Now researchers at the DOE’s Pacific… Read more »
Toyota and Panasonic have agreed to begin studying the feasibility of a joint automotive prismatic battery business. Panasonic has positioned lithium-ion batteries as one of its key businesses, and its automotive batteries are used by many automakers worldwide. Toyota, maker of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, has been a holdout when… Read more »
The California Air Resources Board has approved $663 million in new funding for projects to reduce emissions, particularly in disadvantaged and low-income communities. The plan allocates $398 million to incentivize clean heavy-duty trucks, buses and freight projects. While diesel trucks account for only 2% of vehicles in the state, they emit the majority of the… Read more »
Volvo subsidiary Mack Trucks has demonstrated a PHEV truck that can recharge by means of an overhead catenary. The prototype Mack Pinnacle DayCab recently participated in a one-mile, zero-emission eHighway demonstration in Carson, California, near the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The goal of the project, which is sponsored by the South Coast… Read more »
Ultracapacitor manufacturer Skeleton Technologies has signed a distribution agreement with Sumitomo Europe to provide energy storage solutions for the EV industry. Skeleton’s graphene-based ultracapacitors boast high power density, a recharge time of 2-3 seconds and more than one million life cycles. In EVs, ultracapacitors can be used in tandem with lithium-ion batteries, an arrangement that… Read more »
