Detroit-based Wirtz Manufacturing, which provides equipment design and technology for the lead-acid battery market, has invested in nickel-zinc (NiZn) battery maker ZAF Energy Systems. ZAF plans to use the investment to expand manufacturing capacity at its Joplin, Missouri facility from hundreds of batteries a month to thousands. The battery maker hopes the investment in a… Read more »
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has launched a lithium-ion battery recycling center, the ReCell Center, at DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois. The ReCell Center’s goal is to develop profitable methods to dramatically improve battery recycling rates. DOE is funding the ReCell Center with $15 million over three years. The ReCell Center will have… Read more »
Klaric, a provider of measurement and inspection technology, has announced the KLARI-QUAD2 measurement module for EVs and hybrids. The KLARI-QUAD2 provides galvanic isolation of 1,500 volts DC to enable current, voltage, and temperature measurements in EVs. The KLARI-QUAD2 includes an Auto-Range function to automatically use the best input range for a measured signal. It can… Read more »
Semiconductor provider Transphorm has announced that its third-generation high-voltage gallium nitride (GaN) field-effect transistor (FET) has passed AEC-Q101 stress tests for automotive-grade discrete semiconductors. The transistor targets EV applications including on-board chargers, DC-DC converters, and DC-AC inverter systems. Transphorm’s new FET, the TP65H035WSQA, performed at 175° C during AEC-Q101 qualification testing, which the company says… Read more »
Battery manufacturer OXIS Energy will establish a plant in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, for the mass production of its lithium-sulfur (Li-S) cells to be used for aviation, defense, and EV applications. The construction of the plant was funded by Codemge Participacoes, a public company in Belo Horizonte, for $60 million. The plant will aim to produce… Read more »
Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has introduced several specially-designed test stands to measure frictional torque in shaft seals used in electric motors. The stands, which are located in its Weinheim test facility, can measure at rotational speeds up to 36,000 rpm. Freudenberg says that seals used between electric motors and downstream transmissions must withstand higher speeds and… Read more »
BMW is seeking new solutions for EV battery cooling that can provide improved cooling capacity during fast charging as well as a reduction in noise and vibration emissions. BMW will consider both early-stage and mature solutions, and will work to evaluate and develop solutions that meet its criteria. BMW’s key criteria for solutions include an… Read more »
The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany has established an organization that aims to teach companies experienced in manufacturing combustion engines how to transition their skills to EV technologies. The Transformation Hub Electric Mobility, which will target small to medium-sized companies, has been funded with €2.6 million from the German state of Baden-Württemberg. The… Read more »
The ABB FIA Formula E Championship has announced a partnership with Belgian materials technology and recycling group Umicore to recycle the Li-ion battery units and cells used during the first two seasons of the racing series. The batteries from Formula E’s first two seasons, which were built by Williams Advanced Engineering, have been collected and… Read more »
Automotive supplier BorgWarner has acquired two Oregon-based companies specializing in EV technology: Rinehart Motion Systems and AM Racing. The two newly acquired companies will be merged into a single company called Cascadia Motion. Cascadia Motion will target customers with low-volume, specialty EV applications. Before the acquisition, Rinehart Motion Systems developed propulsion inverters and controls for… Read more »