Champlain Cable has patented a flexibility testing apparatus for automotive wire and cable. The idea for the product came from a European specification for wire – LV-112, used by German OEMs – that described a wire flexing requirement, but did not describe the apparatus used to test the wire. According to Champlain, the test could… Read more »
Northern Ireland-based bus manufacturer Wrightbus showed a production-ready fuel cell-powered double decker bus at the recent Euro Bus Expo in Birmingham, UK. Wrightbus developed the Streetdeck FCEV with funding from the EU-backed Joint Initiative for hydrogen Vehicles across Europe project (JIVE, which some would call a fitting name). The new Streetdeck FCEV bus features a… Read more »
UK-based Zapinamo has developed a new charging system that uses battery storage to “power boost” a domestic electric grid connection and reduce charging time. According to Zapinamo, a typical home charger adds 4 miles of charge in 30 minutes, whereas the new Hubz unit can add 50 miles in 30 minutes. The Hubz product range… Read more »
Volkswagen plans to convert factories in Emden and Hanover to EV plants by 2022. Along with a plant in Zwickau, this will give VW three plants that produce EVs. “We are moving at full speed into the production of EVs. Emden and Hanover are to be further model plants in Germany. Together with Zwickau, they… Read more »
Wildcat Discovery, a battery research company based in San Diego, has been granted a patent for the use of sulfolane-based electrolytes designed to improve the performance of Li-ion batteries containing silicon anodes. In 2013, the company was awarded a grant by the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to develop new non-carbonate-based electrolytes… Read more »
Electrify America (profiled in the July/August 2018 issue of Charged) has been making headlines for the comprehensive network of fast charging stations it’s building. But the company’s mission also includes increasing awareness of EVs, and trying to make them more accessible to disadvantaged and low-income communities. To that end, EA has announced a collaboration with… Read more »
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, pickup trucks are popular – they made up 16% of US auto sales in 2017 (per Trucks.com). If EVs are to move into the mainstream, somebody needs to produce a mass-market pickup. Startups Workhorse, Havelaar and Bollinger have pickups in the pipeline; Tesla has been talking; and Ford finally feels… Read more »
In one of the largest fleet orders of EVs to date, FedEx has ordered 1,000 electric vans from California EV startup Chanje. The delivery giant said it will buy 100 Chanje V8100 vans outright, and will lease the remaining 900 from fleet management specialist Ryder System, which Chanje has designated its exclusive sales channel and… Read more »
Seldom has the future of an industry turned sour so quickly. US automakers have enjoyed several years of record profits, but the wild ride is coming to a screeching halt as global trends point to a future of reduced demand, curtailed product lines and the need to invest large sums in new technologies. As part… Read more »
HBM eDrive is a system for testing electrical inverters and electrical machines. Mechanical signals (e.g., torque) and electrical signals (current, voltage) are acquired simultaneously, helping to better understand the electric drive and its losses in minutes. This is important for the optimization of the drive as well as the increase in efficiency. In contrast to… Read more »
