German reinsurance company Munich Re is now offering insurance that covers battery performance. It is primarily aimed at large projects, such as utility systems designed to ensure grid stability or cover peak demand periods. In a second phase, Munich Re plans to introduce the product into the mobility market, including for EVs. US battery manufacturer… Read more »
A team of scientists that includes researchers at the DOE’s Brookhaven National Lab and SLAC National Accelerator Lab has identified the causes of degradation in nickel-rich materials for lithium-ion battery cathodes, as well as possible remedies. Researchers at Brookhaven are part of a DOE-sponsored consortium called Battery500, a group that is working to triple the… Read more »
Québec-based EV manufacturer The Lion Electric Company has launched an electric Class 8 urban truck, the Lion8. The truck, funded in part by the Québec government’s Climate Change Action Plan, will be commercialized this fall. The Lion8 will have a range of 250 miles, and was designed for North American weather and road conditions. The… Read more »
Kia has partnered with Amazon to provide EV and PHEV customers a one-stop shop for home chargers and installation services. On its website, Amazon will highlight Level 2 chargers selected by Kia and provide pricing for electrical services. Customers will be able to schedule installations directly via Amazon. Kia Executive Director Orth Hedrick said, “Being… Read more »
Energy investment firm Energy Impact Partners has invested $5.7 million in ViriCiti, developer of a telematics platform for monitoring and managing electric bus and truck fleets. “Mid- and heavy-duty vehicles present an enormous near-term opportunity for electrification, but fleet operators need the tools to leverage the unique characteristics of battery-powered vehicles,” said Shayle Kann, EIP’s… Read more »
Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE), a UK-based tech and engineering firm, says it is working on new carbon composites that offer comparable performance to existing options, but at a cost that brings them within reach of mainstream applications. WAE says carbon fiber reinforced polymer’s (CFRP) high strength-to-weight ratio, stiffness, and resistance to fatigue and its environment… Read more »
Epsilor, a developer and manufacturer of mobile energy products for defense and aerospace, showcased the latest version of its 6T NATO-standard Li-ion battery at the recent International Armoured Vehicles show in London. Industrial clients and armed forces in five NATO nations are currently performing field tests on the 6T. The Israeli Defense Forces recently completed… Read more »
Rice University scientists have found that adding a layer of red phosphorus to separators in lithium metal batteries can signal when damaging dendrites threaten to create a short circuit. Rice University chemist James Tour made lithium metal test cells with a coat of red phosphorus on the separator, which keeps the anode and cathode electrodes… Read more »
Compared to other countries of Western Europe, Switzerland is an EV laggard. The government has set an aspirational goal of electrifying a third of the auto fleet by 2030, but every proposal to establish purchase incentives has been nixed by the powerful auto importers’ lobby. While a few of the Swiss cantons (the equivalent of… Read more »
Electric cars are now officially S3XY. Tesla revealed the final component of Elon Musk’s suggestive orthographic adventure at the usual sound-and-light show at the Hawthorne Design Studio. There were few surprises, other than the fact that Tesla will offer an optional 7-seat configuration. The Y’s form factor is both practical (it’s smaller than the X,… Read more »