Newswire

AKASOL introduces modular battery packs for commercial vehicles

German firm AKASOL will introduce a new modular lithium-ion battery system at the upcoming IAA Commercial Vehicle show in Hannover, Germany. The AKASystem OEM is designed for use in commercial vehicles such as buses, trucks, construction equipment and specialty vehicles. The base unit has a storage capacity of 24.4 kWh at a voltage level of… Read more »

Bloomberg: Second-life EV battery storage will total 26 GWh by 2025

In a new report for clients, Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) forecasts that there will be 29 GWh of used EV batteries available in 2025. This far exceeds the size of the current stationary storage market. Of this, almost a third will get a second life as stationary storage (10 GWh), bringing the cumulative installed… Read more »

Ethylene carbonate-free electrolytes promise less oxidation and better-performing Li-ion cells

A team led by celebrated battery boffin Professor Jeff Dahn at Dalhousie University has demonstrated that a common electrolyte additive is detrimental for Li-ion cells at high voltages, and suggest some alternatives. Dahn and his team discuss their latest work in two papers: “Enabling linear alkyl carbonate electrolytes for high voltage Li-ion cells,” published in… Read more »

New separator membrane could enable faster charging, eliminate thermal runaway

Researchers from Ohio State University have designed a thin plastic membrane that could improve the charging speed of current batteries, and possibly enable a new type of battery as well. In a study published in the journal Energy & Environmental Science, assistant professor Vishnu-Baba Sundaresan and doctoral student Travis Hery argue that current battery designs… Read more »

Wireless charging and autonomous vehicles will mobilize the smart city

By Alex Gruzen, CEO of WiTricity There’s no question that autonomous electric vehicles are coming. From Google and Uber to Tesla, BMW and Nissan, the world’s most innovative brands are conceiving and bringing to market entirely new modes of transportation that will revolutionize the ways in which we travel. According to Navigant Research, by 2035… Read more »

Singapore pilot uses Mitsubishi and Renault EVs as self-driving taxis

Autonomous taxis are coming, perhaps sooner than people think. Uber recently announced a trial of self-driving taxis in Pittsburgh, but followers of the tech scene were disappointed to learn that the company will not be using EVs, but legacy gas-guzzling SUVs. As it happens, the California giant has been scooped by a small MIT spin-out… Read more »

European CLEVER network offers home and public EV charging for a fixed monthly fee

CLEVER, which operates a network of fast charging stations in Denmark, Sweden and Germany, has introduced a new plan that offers unlimited charging for a fixed monthly fee. CLEVER Unlimited includes installation of a home charging station, and unlimited free use of the company’s over 900 public charging points. The company recently announced an agreement… Read more »

Tesla introduces third-generation battery pack technology

As is often the case with Tesla, the mainstream press has missed the true significance of the company’s latest product. Tesla’s announcement of its new P100D battery pack option focused on the quicker 0-60 time, so that’s what most media outlets wrote about. Everyone other than acceleration junkies greeted it with a yawn – who… Read more »

MotorSolve Online cloud-based electric motor design software

Infolytica has launched a cloud-based version of its electric motor design software. MotorSolve Online is a subscription-based web site for designers of synchronous (brushless AC/DC, permanent magnet AC) and induction motors. It allows designers to model and perform finite element analysis (FEA) simulations to predict motor performance. The cloud-based service uses the same automated FEA… Read more »