The DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) has awarded $3.5 million in funding to a team that includes 24M, Sepion Technologies, Berkeley Lab, and Carnegie Mellon University. The funds will be used to develop novel membranes and lithium-metal anodes for a new generation of high-energy-density batteries. 24M’s core technology is semi-solid lithium-ion, a new class… Read more »
Efficient Drivetrains, Inc (EDI) has closed on $7.85 million in new capital in its Series C financing round. The company expects to raise $15 million by the time the Series C round is completed in Q4 2016. EDI will use the new funds to accelerate plans for mass production of its PowerDrive drivetrain product line,… Read more »
GKN Driveline has developed a new electric drive system for PHEVs, which will start production in 2019 on a global platform from a European vehicle manufacturer. GKN supplies its eAxle for the BMW i8 and the Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine. The company has produced more than 300,000 units at its manufacturing facilities in Europe… Read more »
What factors influence the level of EV sales in a given region? Some may find enlightenment in a new study from the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). In “Leading edge of electric vehicle market development in the United States: An analysis of California cities,” Stephanie Searle and colleagues examine 30 California cities in which… Read more »
Battery storage is essential to compensate for natural fluctuations in output from solar power plants and wind turbines, ensuring a stable electricity supply. Swedish electric utility Vattenfall is working with BMW and Bosch to test a system that uses second-life EV batteries for this purpose. The companies operate a 2 MW, 2,800 kWh electricity storage… Read more »
Charging network operator ChargePoint has rolled out a new service called Waitlist, which enables drivers to use their mobile phones or RFID cards to “line up” to use a public charging station. When a charging station is busy, drivers can use Waitlist by tapping their ChargePoint card on the station to get in line. After… Read more »
International materials company Ilika, a developer of solid-state batteries, is taking part in a three-year project, led by Johnson Matthey, to develop protected anodes for lithium-sulfur batteries. The project will take advantage of Ilika’s high-throughput materials development technique to discover new electrolyte composition options and fabricate a free-standing, lithium-containing protected anode/separator for integration into pouch… Read more »
Ohio State University’s Venturi Buckeye Bullet 3 has set a new world land speed record, reaching an average top speed of 341.4 miles per hour at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats track. The streamlined electric racer shattered the previous world record of 307.6 mph set by the Ohio State team in 2010. At one point, the… Read more »
Wireless charging pioneer WiTricity and Netherlands-based Tier 1 supplier Prodrive Technologies have announced that they are collaborating to design an 11 kW wireless charging system for an unnamed European carmaker that plans to release its first wirelessly charged vehicles in 2019. WiTricity will provide its magnetic resonance intellectual property, reference designs and consulting services. Based… Read more »
Batteries need separators to keep anode and cathode apart while allowing the exchange of ions. Alas, heat can cause a separator to shrink, profoundly affecting battery lifespan and safety. Soteras CCS, a new binder technology from Ashland, is designed to help battery manufacturers address this problem. Compared to PVDF and PVP binders, Ashland says its… Read more »
