USA Rare Earth has purchased the neodymium iron boron (NdFeB) permanent magnet manufacturing equipment formerly owned and operated in North Carolina by Hitachi Metals America. Demand for rare earth magnets is being driven by plug-in vehicles (electric motors and batteries), wind generators (direct drive generators), medical devices (personal vital sign monitors and medical imaging machines)… Read more »
We’re learning more about the coronavirus every day. Now it seems that it infects EVs, but not ICE vehicles. Ford and Rivian have canceled their plans to jointly develop an EV for the Lincoln brand, citing the “current environment” around the ongoing coronavirus crisis as the reason. Although development of some of Ford’s new gas-powered… Read more »
NASA has released a series of concept images of the X-57 Maxwell electric airplane, showcasing aspects of its final Mod IV configuration during different flight modes. The artist’s concept image shows the Maxwell in its final configuration. This configuration, known as Mod IV, features a high-aspect ratio wing, relocation of the cruise motors to the… Read more »
FreeWire Technologies, a provider of “power solutions for the grid edge,” has closed a $25-million Series B and venture debt financing round, which was led by existing investor BP Ventures, together with new investors ABB Technology Ventures and Energy Innovation Capital. The financing will support the commercialization of FreeWire’s fast charging technologies. The company’s solutions… Read more »
Sunstone Engineering has expanded the energy range of its production-ready, capacitive discharge fine spot welders, adding the 1,200 Ws model to its existing line, which already includes 200, 400, and 600 Ws models. “Sunstone’s CDDP-A welders make [EV] power cell production more efficient in two ways,” says Sunstone President Jonathan Young. “First, as a fine… Read more »
Mercedes-Benz has ended its development of fuel cell-powered passenger cars, saying that they would be too expensive—around double the cost to produce of comparable battery-electric vehicles. The company has been working on fuel cell technology for over 30 years. Mercedes says it will wind down production of the GLC F-Cell, which was developed in a… Read more »
Researchers have demonstrated the use of ionic liquids for recycling bonded neodymium (NdFeB) permanent magnets—-the type often used in EV motors. Their work, which could ease the strain on rare earth materials, is published in the open-access journal Green Chemistry. “Ionic liquids (ILs) are known to be excellent green solvents for many types of synthetic… Read more »
Who knew that bakers would be major drivers of the electromobility revolution? Mexican bakery giant Bimbo is building its own electric delivery vans, and now we learn that German organic baker Roland Schüren is building what’s billed as Europe’s largest electric car charging park. The bakery’s charging facility is located at the busy Kreuz Hilden… Read more »
Transit operator Keolis Métropole Orléans, which serves the city of Orleans, France, has ordered 29 Irizar ie tram electric buses. The order is part of the city’s plan to convert its entire public transport system to electric drive by 2025. The first of the Irizar e-buses are scheduled for delivery in mid-2021. Each bus is… Read more »
Another game of California cat and Tesla mouse may be getting underway—a reverse of the game that played out in March, as the carmaker went back and forth with the local authorities, trying to keep production going as long as possible. A couple of days ago, Bloomberg reported that staff working in paint and stamping… Read more »
