NOHMs Technologies (Nano Organic Hybrid Materials), a Cornell University spin-out founded in 2010, has raised $5 million in Series B venture capital financing to commercialize its non-flammable battery electrolyte technology. NOHMs has developed a family of ionic liquid-containing electrolytes that are stable above 4.5 volts in lithium-ion cells. The two electrolyte product lines currently under… Read more »
A123 Systems has announced an agreement with Argonne National Laboratory to collaborate on a three-year, multi-million-dollar cathode development program that will focus on improving cathode safety without compromising energy density or battery life. A123 will leverage its battery expertise to commercialize advances in nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) technology originally developed by Argonne, which already… Read more »
Karma Automotive, the successor to the ill-fated Fisker, has officially launched the Revero, a plug-in hybrid based on the earlier Fisker Karma. The Revero has a 21.4 kWh LiFePO battery pack mounted in the center of the vehicle. Electric range is an estimated 50 miles, 0-60 time is 5.4 seconds, and top speed is a… Read more »
GM has announced pricing for the historic Chevrolet Bolt EV, and the company has kept its promise to deliver a 200-mile EV for under $30k (with the $7,500 federal tax credit). MSRP for the base LT trim level will be $37,495, including destination charge. The Premier model, which includes heated “leather-appointed” seats, surround camera and… Read more »
UK charging operator ChargePoint Services (not to be confused with the US firm ChargePoint) has purchased SSE’s interest in an EV charging network in Hampshire and Cornwall. ChargePoint’s Genie platform already provided back office management for the network, which includes 23 tri-header 50 kW rapid chargers and 28 twin-socket fast chargers. The GeniePoint Network charges… Read more »
PowerCell Sweden, which has been developing fuel cell technology for more than a decade, has received an order from a Chinese automotive company for its PowerCell S2 fuel cell stack, which will be used as a hydrogen-based range extender for electrified commercial light-duty trucks. The PowerCell S2 fuel cell stack is designed for efficient power… Read more »
The UK’s Office for Low Emission Vehicles has launched a new £24-million funding competition to enable industry-led research trials and development of innovative vehicles and related technology for the freight, logistics, utilities and emergency industries. The competition consists of two streams. Stream 1 will fund real-world trials of vehicles and on-vehicle technology, supporting small trial… Read more »
Battery researchers around the world are working on lithium metal electrodes, which have the potential to greatly increase energy density. But the drawback to lithium in this form comes in the form of dendrites, root-like lithium deposits that form on the metal surface and can harm performance and even lead to short circuits. Now a… Read more »
Norway is the world’s undisputed EV capital (see the current issue of Charged for a feature on EV-spotting in Oslo), and plug-in sales figures there continue to balloon. However, her Nordic neighbors present a much more mixed picture. Sales of EV and PHEVs set a new record in the first half of 2016, according to… Read more »
Images from Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM) show catalyzed cells exhibiting longer cycle life than uncatalyzed cells under similar cycling conditions. Credit: Ates, M. N., et al. (2016) Lithium-air batteries, which have the highest theoretical energy density of all known battery devices, could revolutionize the energy economy. However, there are several technical challenges to… Read more »
