Nissan doesn’t seem to be ready to spill any details about the next-generation LEAF, but a company exec recently told Auto Express that the company is at least thinking about a couple of new electric models. “We’ve invested $5.4 billion in electric cars such as the LEAF, so we need to ensure we’re satisfying as… Read more »
The EV of the future will be a mobile part of what some are calling the “smart city” – an integrated network that ties together EV charging, renewable energy generation, energy storage and various devices that control everything from escalators to crosswalks to streetlights. These devices depend on sensors and control circuits that keep track… Read more »
By Paul Stith, Solution Lead for Black & Veatch’s Smart Integrated Infrastructure business. Stith specializes in sustainable transportation infrastructure, energy storage and their convergence within smart cities. Growing EV sales are providing new potential revenue streams for electric utilities. Though EVs still make up less than one percent of global auto sales, they have become… Read more »
By Lisa Jerram, Principal Research Analyst, at Navigant Research It’s been a little over five years since the modern EV market was launched in the US, and growth has been steady – EV sales are expected to approach 200,000 in 2016. EV charging, the partner to the EV market, has grown as well. Today, the… Read more »
Larger figure Researchers from South Korea’s Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) and Stanford University have demonstrated the feasibility of a hybrid anode for Li-ion batteries using silicon-nanolayer-embedded graphite/carbon. In “Scalable synthesis of silicon-nanolayer-embedded graphite for high-energy lithium-ion batteries,” published in Nature Energy, Minseong Ko and colleagues explain that this architecture allows compatibility… Read more »
France-based semiconductor company Silicon Mobility has introduced a new automotive microcontroller specifically designed for hybrid and electric powertrain control. Aimed at OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, the OLEA T222 includes several features designed to make it suitable for all flavors of electrification, from micro-hybrids to pure EVs, including Integrated Belt Starter Generator, Crankshaft Motor driven… Read more »
Electricity was en vogue at the recent Paris Motor Show. Few automakers had any new ICE vehicles (isn’t that an oxymoron anyway?), but there were updates to several production EVs, and a couple of promising concepts, on display. The Renault Zoe, Europe’s best-selling plug-in vehicle, has gotten a substantial battery upgrade. An available 41 kWh… Read more »
Vancouver-based startup ELIX Wireless has signed a strategic collaboration agreement with Chongqing Zongshen Power Machinery, which also acted as the lead investor in ELIX’s $5-million Series A funding round. ELIX will use the new investment to finalize the development of its E8K chargers, and to hire new employees, especially in the areas of engineering and… Read more »
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles introduced its e-Crafter electric van concept at this year’s IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hanover, Germany. However, this is not just another concept. Dr. Eckhard Scholz, Chairman of the Board of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, has said that the first e-Crafters will be in customers’ hands by 2017. The concept vehicle is equipped… Read more »
UK-based Hyperdrive Innovation is incorporating Nissan’s LEAF lithium-ion battery technology in its new intelligent battery systems, which are available to manufacturers to power electric and hybrid vehicles, and for stationary energy storage applications. Hyperdrive’s first battery packs are currently being fitted into a number of niche, off-highway vehicles. “UK car manufacturers would have to spend… Read more »
