MacGregor Welding Systems (recently acquired by Amada Miyachi Europe) has released the TR-16A Touch Retract Welding Torch, a tool designed for R&D and low to medium-volume battery pack manufacturing, repair and reworking applications. The system was designed to weld copper, nickel and aluminum battery tab materials up to 0.5 mm thick onto 18650 and 2170 battery can… Read more »
Those of us who saw past the tweets and the alarmist headlines were expecting good news from Tesla’s third-quarter earnings report, as it became apparent that demand for Model 3 remains robust as the company emerges from production hell. However, even most true believers were expecting a small loss, or perhaps a nominal profit. Instead,… Read more »
GreenFlux, provider of a cloud-based white-label smart charging platform, has launched a new generation of smart charging controllers. The new line offers a modular design and a scalable architecture, supports the OCPP protocol, and is ready for the new German Calibration Law (Eichrecht). Mounted inside the charger, the controller becomes the digital brain, providing intelligence… Read more »
The DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has created a 120 kW wireless charging system with a mere six-inch air gap between the battery and coils. Tests have shown the experiment to be 97% efficient, rivaling wired high-power fast chargers. Their previous demonstration was a much smaller 20 kW system currently being modified for several… Read more »
Enevate Corporation, a California battery tech firm that’s done some pioneering work on silicon-dominant anodes and cells, has received funding from South Korea battery giant LG Chem. Enevate says its HD-Energy technology allows Li-ion batteries to be charged to 75 percent capacity in 5 minutes, while also providing higher energy density than batteries currently on… Read more »
The British firm Dyson, famous for its innovative vacuum cleaners and hand dryers, has chosen Singapore as the manufacturing site for its upcoming EV. Dyson, which is investing some $2.6 billion in its effort to expand into automobiles, says it will complete the factory by 2020, and hopes to bring its first model to market… Read more »
ChargePoint and FLO, two of the largest charging networks in the US and Canada, respectively, have formed a roaming partnership designed to provide EV drivers with a seamless charging experience across North America. Much as mobile phone roaming enables user-transparent connections between cell networks, ChargePoint and FLO members can now access public chargers on both… Read more »
Specialty powertrain manufacturer AxleTech is developing a heavy-duty e-powertrain system in partnership with Thor Trucks. The companies plan to integrate AxleTech’s e-axle technology with Thor’s proprietary battery technology to create a fully electric commercial vehicle powertrain. AxleTech provides integrated solutions for on-highway EVs, including Class 6, 7, and 8 trucks, as well as for transit… Read more »
City, University of London has received a £121,000 grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Williams Advanced Engineering to test several promising thermal management technologies in a project known as Battery Integrated Power Electronics for EV Drive train (BIPED). The project seeks to distribute battery packs and circuitry in a way that… Read more »
Back in March, a Porsche exec said that the brand expected to make a profit from its planned network of fast chargers, a comment that was met with much skepticism in the EV industry. Now the company is sending a rather different message, saying that its US dealers will be expected to pony up between… Read more »
