New York-based battery management specialist Sendyne has obtained a patent for an invention that dynamically reduces offset error in shunt-based DC current measurement systems. Offset error – an erroneous value read by the measurement system when the actual current is zero – has a significant impact when Coulomb counting information is utilized for State-of-Charge (SOC)… Read more »
Not all in the oil industry are inclined to dismiss EVs as a passing fad. In a recent article in the trade magazine Alberta Oil, Max Fawcett writes, “The Tesla Model S is one of the most beautiful and interesting automobiles to ever get made. It might also be one of the most dangerous. That’s… Read more »
ClipperCreek seems to have a charger for just about every application. The latest to join the product line is the HCS-50, a Level 2 charging station that uses a standard 240 V, 50 amp outlet to deliver 40 amps to the vehicle. EVs capable of high-power charging can add approximately 30 miles of range per… Read more »
Oil and barbecue ain’t the only sources of energy in Texas. Since a 1996 breakthrough at the University of Texas, Austin has been something of a center for rechargeable battery technology. One of the many companies in the area is Voltabox, a subsidiary of German automotive supplier paragon AG, which chose Austin for its US… Read more »
London’s world-famous red buses are steadily going electric. Two single-deck e-buses built by the Spanish firm Irizar went into passenger service last week on routes 507 and 521, which link Waterloo station with Victoria and London Bridge stations. By autumn of 2016, all 51 buses serving these two routes will be electric. E-buses from several… Read more »
Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel had some interesting things to say at the recent Intersolar North America conference. Savvy observers of the energy transition understand that the synergy between solar power and EVs is a critical part of the transition to electromobility, and Tesla, with its alliance with SolarCity and its new energy storage… Read more »
Faced with the fact that improved fuel efficiency is translating into lower gas tax receipts, several states have instituted, or are considering, special fees on electrified vehicles. A fee proposal currently making its way through the Michigan legislature has drawn opposition from an automakers’ trade group. In a recent letter to Michigan Senate Majority Leader… Read more »
Arkema, a global chemical company, and SCE France, a subsidiary of Canadian electricity producer Hydro-Québec, plan to create a joint laboratory that will focus on developing a new generation of materials for the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries, in particular new electrolytes (solvents, lithium salts) and conduction agents (carbon nanotubes, conductive polymers). Arkema’s Kynar polyvinylidene fluoride… Read more »
Volvo has acquired Polestar, a Swedish company with which it has been working in motor sports since 1996. Polestar will now be used as the model name for special high-performance Volvos. In 2015, Volvo expects to sell 750 Polestar versions of the V60 wagon and S60 sedan, and hopes to increase that to between 1,000… Read more »
The difficulty of starting up a car company, and the unlikelihood of anyone duplicating Tesla’s success, are so well known as to require no repetition here. Suffice it to say that Faraday Future’s recent colorfully-worded announcement that it intends to bring a new EV to the market has been greeted with predictable skepticism. However, the… Read more »
