The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and the Korea Railroad Research Institute (KRRI) have developed a wireless power transfer technology that can supply 180 kW of power at 60 kHz. KAIST first tested its On-line Electric Vehicle (OLEV) in 2009, and has made substantial improvements in size and charging power since then…. Read more »
If you think you can develop an EV battery that delivers three times the range for a third less cost than current designs, you can claim a slice of $20 million in research funding from the DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E). The agency has issued a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) for the… Read more »
The bad news: a colorful scandal has emerged at another of the companies that received DOE funds to build EV-related components. The good news: this time the feds got wise to the hanky-panky in time, and are forcing the company to make amends. In 2009, Korean battery maker LG Chem received a $150-million federal grant,… Read more »
Ford plans to more than quadruple the number of dealers selling its line of plug-in electric vehicles. The Detroit News reported that the company will have 900 certified dealers across the country by this spring, up from the current 200 or so. This means that about a third of US Ford dealers will be able… Read more »
Well, what a surprise – Elon Musk is in the news again. A few days ago, he offered to help out beleaguered Boeing, whose pride and joy, the new 787 Dreamliner, has been grounded because of its battery pack problems. Now Musk has criticized the Dreamliner’s battery design as “inherently unsafe,” in an email to… Read more »
Elon Musk, the entrepreneurial force behind Tesla Motors and SpaceX, who surely knows a thing or two about lithium-ion batteries, has offered unspecified aid to aviation giant Boeing, whose flagship 787 Dreamliner remains grounded after a pair of battery-related incidents. “Desire to help Boeing is real & am corresponding w 787 chief engineer,” Musk tweeted… Read more »
By improving the usage efficiency of electricity – for example, by cutting the amount used during peak usage times – the new system can cut the cost of electricity and gas used by half
Based on the internal-combustion Trumpchi GS5 SUV which was introduced in March of 2012, the new concept was jointly developed by GAC and California-based AC Propulsion.
Since the issue of premature battery capacity loss began to surface last May, Nissan has taken a number of steps to investigate the problem and reassure LEAF owners – it tested affected vehicles, established an independent board to improve communications, and even bought back a couple of LEAFs. Now the company has announced that it… Read more »
A recent Ford survey found that battery reliability ranks as the single most important consideration for potential hybrid customers – topping 17 other factors, including fuel economy and safety features.1