Researchers from Idaho National Laboratory (INL), along with the DOE and several automotive companies, have completed bench testing to support SAE Technical Information Report (TIR) J2954, a guideline for wireless charging that was published earlier this year. The SAE’s TIR J2954 is designed to ensure the performance and safety of Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) systems,… Read more »
Lucid Motors, formerly known as Atieva, has unveiled its Lucid Air electric luxury sedan. Some of the specs are already known, as the powertrain seems to be much the same as that used in the company’s hotrod van Edna, but the new car’s design was revealed for the first time. The Air uses a new… Read more »
By now, the main events in Volkswagen’s dirty diesel scandal are familiar to Charged readers. For years, the world’s second-largest automaker opted not to produce hybrids or EVs, instead relying on “clean diesel” to meet government-mandated emissions standards. In 2015, scientists at the International Council on Clean Transportation were puzzled to find that they couldn’t… Read more »
As promised, the US president-elect is nothing if not unpredictable. Shortly after naming various oil industry insiders and science deniers to his cabinet, he not only invited fearless fossil fuel foe Elon Musk to a meeting of tech titans, but also announced that Musk will be on the president’s Strategic and Policy Team, a group… Read more »
It’s a compelling vision of the future: empowered consumers generating their own clean electricity to power their state-of-the-art EVs. But is it practical today? Popular Mechanics writer Ezra Dyer set out to find out. Dyer installed a rooftop solar array consisting of 24 310-watt LG panels, with a nominal capacity of 7.4 kilowatts. The system… Read more »
Nikola Motor Company, named for a certain Serbian-American inventor, recently unveiled its Nikola One electric semi-truck at its Salt Lake City headquarters. The Nikola One has an electric drivetrain powered by lithium batteries, as well as a hydrogen fuel cell. It has a range of 800-1,200 miles, and delivers over 1,000 hp and 2,000 ft-lbs… Read more »
BorgWarner’s electric drive module (eDM) with integrated eGearDrive transmission will be used in two pure EVs from a major Chinese automaker. Production is expected to begin in summer 2017. BorgWarner’s eDM provides primary or secondary propulsion for pure electric or P4-type hybrid vehicles. The electric motor and transmission are integrated into one housing, making installation… Read more »
Loop Energy has introduced a new fuel cell-based range extender for heavy-duty electric transport vehicles. Following a three-year development period, the Loop power module is now being integrated by an OEM, and will begin operation in 2017. Loop’s eFlow fuel cell is designed to optimize air flow inside the fuel cell, producing greater power density… Read more »
Envision Solar (OTCQB: EVSI) has secured an order for 13 of its EV ARC self-contained charging units from the Fresno County Rural Transit Agency (FCRTA). The solar-powered EV ARC EV chargers will be installed throughout Fresno County, particularly in disadvantaged communities. The EV ARC fits inside a parking space and does not reduce available parking…. Read more »
Donghai Wang, who leads the Energy Nanostructure Laboratory at Penn State, has won a $1.1-million grant from the DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office to develop a new lithium-ion conductor that will prevent the formation of dendrites, the bane of lithium metal anodes. Wang and his team plan to use thin layers of nanostructured hybrid materials to… Read more »
