Thermal paste is essential for preventing overheating and short circuits during battery operation. Unfortunately, its application is one of the slowest processes in battery pack production, as potting material is highly viscous and abrasive. Scheugenpflug, a provider of adhesive bonding, dispensing and potting solutions, has developed a new dispensing solution for thermal potting material that… Read more »
BP has agreed to purchase Chargemaster, which builds charging stations and operates a network of over 6,500 public charging points across the UK. Unlike some oil giants, BP is taking a proactive approach to the coming transition to electric transport. The company estimates that there will be 12 million EVs on UK roads by 2040,… Read more »
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has awarded $20 million in grants for demonstrations of zero-emission off-road equipment in the freight, agriculture and waterborne mass transit sectors. The projects are part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of dollars from the state’s Cap-and-Trade program to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, particularly… Read more »
French conglomerate Bolloré launched its Autolib electric car-sharing service in Paris in 2011, and later expanded to other French cities, as well as London, Indianapolis and Los Angeles. Unfortunately, the Paris operation has died. After a very public dispute, the syndicate that brought together the 103 partner municipalities, including Paris, in Île-de-France, terminated its contract… Read more »
Drivetrain technology supplier Dana (NYSE: DAN) has announced a joint venture with TM4, a subsidiary of Hydro-Québec. TM4 will become Dana’s source for electric motors, power inverters, and control systems, and Dana will become a majority shareholder of TM4 in exchange for $165 million Canadian ($127 million US). TM4 manufactures EV motors, power inverters, and… Read more »
Heavy-duty engine specialist Cummins (NYSE: CMI) has announced plans to acquire Silicon Valley-based Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. (EDI), a producer of hybrid and electric powertrain solutions for commercial vehicles that has often been featured in Charged. Cummins has been investigating the possibilities of electrification for a decade, but has been turning up the voltage over the… Read more »
Bel Power Solutions and Protection‘s newest DC-DC converter, the 0RQB-30Y05L, offers high-amperage and high-voltage power conversion for demanding railway and industrial applications. These include communication and control systems such as TCMS, passenger information systems, onboard WLAN, Ethernet switches and door control. The converter can be used for embedded computing applications as well. The compact 0RQB-30Y05L… Read more »
Researchers from the University of Maryland and the DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a cathode material containing iron trifluoride (FeF3) that they say could triple the energy density of Li-ion batteries. Their research was published in Nature Communications. “Compared to the large capacity of the commercial graphite anodes used in lithium-ion batteries, the capacity of the cathodes is… Read more »
GM and Honda have agreed to develop new battery chemistry components in order to hasten their plans for future all-electric vehicles. They seek to improve power density, packaging size, and charging capabilities for their up-and-coming EVs. Honda intends to source the new modules from GM in the future. This is not their first partnership; they… Read more »
EVSE manufacturer WattZilla has launched a new line of IEC-compatible charging stations for the European market. The new line includes single, dual and quad models, each of which is available in two versions, to be used with either single-phase or three-phase power. All versions can deliver 63 amps of power, feature a 25-foot cable and… Read more »
