GKN Automotive, a maker of electric driveline technology, has launched three families of electric drive systems, each of which integrates an electric motor and inverter with a single-speed transmission module. GKN Automotive’s Family 2 eDrive offers peak torque of 1,800 to 2,700 Nm, and is suitable for A-, B-, and C-segment applications. The company’s Family… Read more »
The European Commission recently approved a €3.2-billion research project focused on every level of the value chain of Li-ion batteries in the European market. The Commission designed the project to support the development of innovative technologies that improve charging time, battery life, safety and sustainability. The project participants will focus on four areas: Raw and… Read more »
Silicon anode specialist Nexeon has acquired three sets of patents relating to the use of silicon in lithium-ion battery anodes. The 24 patents cover the manufacture and use of nano-scale silicon particles, alone or combined with graphite, as well as methods for coating carbon particles with silicon using vapor deposition. The patents have global coverage,… Read more »
Gentherm, a developer of thermal management technologies, has published the results of a study it performed in partnership with GM to understand the real-world effectiveness of a ‘microclimate’ comfort system in reducing energy use in EVs. The study found that Gentherm’s ClimateSense microclimate comfort system increases driving range and energy savings. As part of the… Read more »
Sponsored by Knowles Precision Devices Today’s advancements in power electronics are reaching all-new highs in performance. In the quest for increasing efficiency and power density of converters and inverters, manufacturers are looking to use WBG semiconductors, such as gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC), for making metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), metal-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MESFETs)… Read more »
After China reduced EV incentives earlier this year, the global monthly drop in EV sales continued into October, which saw a 19% reduction in passenger EV sales versus the same month the year prior, according to Adamas Intelligence. On top of this downturn, the global sales-weighted average passenger EV’s battery capacity, a metric that has… Read more »
Feinmetall, a maker of contacts for Li-ion cells, has introduced new contact technologies in its new line of high-current contacts, including a new technique to avoid oxidation problems on contacts. One of its new new high-current blocks, the HC01, is suitable for contacting prismatic and pouch cells and allows continuous currents up to 600 amps…. Read more »
Range and horsepower may get the headlines, but to powertrain designers, drain-source resistance, also known as RDS(on), is a sexy spec. Those in the know are excited over the news that UnitedSiC, a New Jersey-based manufacturer of silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors, is introducing four new SiC field-effect transistors (FETs) that boast RDS(on) levels of… Read more »
Charged recently chatted with Rivian’s VP of Propulsion Richard Farquhar to learn more about the design and development of the company’s unique electric platform (read the whole story in our upcoming issue). Farquhar spent 15 years as Powertrain Director at McLaren Automotive, designing and developing some of the highest-performance propulsion systems in the world for… Read more »
Valmet Automotive has started producing batteries at its plant in Salo, Finland, which the company converted from a cell phone manufacturing plant. Construction on the new battery plant began in May 2019. Valmet added new logistics facilities logistics and production lines. Full-scale production is scheduled for early next year. By that time, the company estimates… Read more »