Norwegian power electronics firm Zaptec has developed a new portable charger in partnership with Renault. The ZapCharger Portable is designed to be compact (3 kg, 45x10x10 cm), rugged and smart – it’s waterproof, operates at temperatures from -40° to 55° C, and continuously monitors the grid to shut down immediately if it detects a fault…. Read more »
Québec-based Lion Bus showed its eLion Type C electric school bus at the recent ACT Expo in Long Beach. The eLion features a modular battery design that allows customers to customize the range depending on their route distance, charging availability and desired price. Options range from 50 miles of range with 3 battery modules up… Read more »
Even in green California, plug-in vehicle sales still represent only 3 percent of the new vehicle market. However, with 20 models now available, and a new generation of vehicles in the pipeline, the potential for growth is huge. A new survey released by the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and Consumers Union offers encouraging news:… Read more »
GKN Driveline’s latest electric axle drive (eAxle) technology offers the option of adding all-wheel drive to PHEVs. Production is now underway at the company’s factory in Italy. The first application is the BMW 2 Series Active Tourer PHEV. The eAxle’s single-speed design has a transmission ratio of 12.5:1. The system generates up to 2,000 N·m… Read more »
The Los Angeles Police Department has ordered 100 BMW i3s, and plans to add 500 more plug-in vehicles over the next five years. San Francisco- and Singapore-based Greenlots will supply 100 Level 2 chargers and four DC fast chargers, and integrate its software with LAPD’s fleet management program. Greenlots’ SKY technology will be used for… Read more »
PSA Peugeot Citroën presented its new electrification strategy at a recent company event. The group plans to consolidate development on two global modular platforms – CMP and EMP2 – that will be the basis for legacy ICE vehicles, EVs and PHEVs, starting in 2019. The Common Modular Platform (CMP), developed in partnership with Dongfeng Motors,… Read more »
The Materials Project, a searchable database of material properties, was launched in 2011 by the DOE’s Office of Science. It uses supercomputers to calculate the properties of materials based on first-principles quantum-mechanical frameworks. The Materials Project is designed to save researchers time by predicting the properties of materials, eliminating the need to synthesize them in… Read more »
As vehicles steadily electrify on land, air and sea, some may be surprised to learn of a form of electric propulsion that has been mainstream in the maritime industry for a quarter of a century. The Azipod electrical propulsion system, made by electronics giant ABB, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. The Azipod system… Read more »
Tesla has a long-standing relationship with Panasonic, as a battery supplier and a partner in the Gigafactory. So EV-savvy ears perked up at news that the California carmaker had met with a trio of Korean battery-builders. In fact, Reuters reported that Samsung SDI was “making progress” in talks with Tesla to supply batteries for Model… Read more »
Long-distance electric driving in Europe is getting easier by the day, as DC fast-charging stations sprout up along the continent’s highways. The Fast-E project, co-financed by the European Union and nine companies, will install 241 fast-charging stations in Germany and 37 in Belgium, spaced every 80 km along main motorways. A sister project will add… Read more »
