A recent report from metals and minerals research firm Roskill details how China is quickly working to increase its control of the lithium supply chain to support the rapid growth of its lithium-ion battery industry. The report provides examples of several major players who have recently announced or completed acquisitions. CATL, one of China’s largest… Read more »
Goodyear presented a prototype of a new tire design optimized for EVs at the recent Geneva International Motor Show. The EfficientGrip Performance with Electric Drive Technology is to go on sale in Europe by 2019. Goodyear’s testing has revealed that traditional tires can wear out up to 30% faster on EVs, due to the powerful… Read more »
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) have demonstrated a “self-healing” lithium-metal anode that can eliminate dendrite buildup. Researchers are looking for ways to replace graphite anodes with lithium metal in order to boost energy density. However (as regular Charged readers know), lithium metal anodes are plagued by the buildup of dendrites, branchlike protrusions that can grow… Read more »
Akasol, based in Darmstadt, Germany, is now manufacturing lithium-ion battery systems for Daimler subsidiary EvoBus, which plans to launch its new Citaro electric bus at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show in September, and begin series manufacturing this year. Each bus will be fitted with between six and ten of Akasol’s AKASYSTEM OEM battery packs (maximum… Read more »
As regular Charged readers know, the US Department of Energy (DOE) provides funding for a variety of basic research programs that benefit the EV and renewable energy industries. The current administration in Washington has made no secret of its desire to end government support for these industries – its recent proposed budget would have eliminated… Read more »
Sponsored by HBM The eDrive solution from HBM acts as both a power analyzer and data acquisition system. It has the ability to record ALL signals along the drive train (power source, inverter, torque and speed of a motor, temperatures, CAN signals, strain, vibration, etc.) with a single instrument. This greatly reduces the test complexity and results… Read more »
Engineering consultancy Drive System Design (DSD) has partnered with software specialists Altair and FluiDyna to develop and enhance nanoFluidX, a computer modelling technique that is used to analyze lubrication flow. DSD uses nanoFluidX to reduce drivetrain drag losses, which the company says represent the largest energy draw on the battery pack at speeds up to… Read more »
Chile’s state development agency, CORFO, has selected the Chilean firm Molymet and China’s Fulin Group (a joint venture between Samsung SDI and South Korea’s POSCO) to develop value-added lithium products in Chile. Within two years, the companies are expected to be ready to produce some 58,000 metric tons of cathode materials per year. This announcement… Read more »
More than a dozen shipping-related organizations, including flag states, research institutions, battery and propulsion suppliers, fire extinguishing system providers and ship operators, have formed a joint development project to advance the understanding of the use of lithium-ion batteries in the shipping industry. The new project aims to create a deep pool of expertise from different… Read more »
Gamma Technologies has acquired the battery modeling software package AutoLion from EC Power. AutoLion, a predictive, physics-based simulation software that models the internal electrochemical processes of Li-ion batteries, will augment GT-SUITE, Gamma Technologies’ multi-physics automotive-related CAE system simulation tool. Battery suppliers and OEMs use AutoLion for 1D and 3D battery analysis and design. It includes… Read more »