Heat generated in high-density automotive battery packs is often managed by connecting battery cells and/or modules to a heat sink via a thermal interface material (TIM). The TIMs promote heat conduction by displacing any air that resides within the large gaps and microscopic rough surfaces that exist between the substrates to be bridged. In practice, battery… Read more »
Swiss battery system and production specialist ecovolta (don’t kill us yet folks, the lowercase isn’t a typo) will build a 200 MWh battery pack assembly plant this September in the Swiss canton of Schwyz. The plant will use fully-automated processes to produce both prismatic and cylindrical batteries. The battery packs will have voltage levels ranging… Read more »
Exide Industries and Leclanché will participate in a joint venture aimed at providing batteries and power storage solutions for India’s EV and power grid needs. The JV will pair Leclanché’s Li-ion expertise with Exide’s brand recognition and sales network. Leclanché is a specialist in Li-ion battery production and battery management systems (BMS), while Exide is India’s… Read more »
Researchers from Hydro-Québec and the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) used a new high-voltage cathode to produce what they say is the world’s first 5 V, 1.2 Ah Li-ion cell. According to ARL scientists Jan Allen and Richard Jow, who published their findings in the Journal of Power Sources, the cells enable higher energy densities and improved… Read more »
Steel production and recycling specialist Big River Steel will invest $1.2 billion in the expansion of its Arkansas Flex Mill facility, doubling its hot-rolled steel production capacity to 3.3 million tons per year. A key feature of this expansion will be the ability to produce higher grades of electrical steel, demand for which is expected to be… Read more »
Battery system specialist XALT Energy has unveiled its XRS XPAND Rack system, which combines the company’s XPAND Battery System with its proprietary battery management system (BMS). These products have received DNV GL Type Approvals, which means that they can be installed in vessels classified by maritime registrar DNV GL. The modular systems also show promise for… Read more »
Williams Advanced Engineering has selected ZapGo, a spinout of Oxford University, to join a consortium working to develop next-generation battery systems for EVs (part of the UK government’s Faraday Battery Challenge). ZapGo’s Carbon-Ion technology, based on carbon nanomaterials including graphene, is intended to combine the power density of supercapacitors and the energy density of rechargeable… Read more »
Researchers from Hokkaido University and colleagues in Japan and Taiwan have improved the ability to transform wasted heat into usable electricity by narrowing the space through which spread electrons move, according to a new study published in Nature Communications. Currently, more than 60 percent of the energy produced by fossil fuels is lost as waste… Read more »
German automotive supplier ZF has unveiled a new Axle Hybrid concept which uses an electrified Automated Manual Transmission (eAMT). This system combines ZF’s traditional electric axle drive system (eVD) with its automated manual transmission (AMT). The eAMT eliminates tractive force interruption and features AWD capabilities. “With eAMT, ZF has developed a fully-fledged plug-in hybrid drive for front-transverse vehicles,”… Read more »
Power management company Eaton aims to take advantage of increasing demand for EV technologies with the creation of its new eMobility business, which will focus on intelligent power electronics, power systems, power distribution and circuit protection. Eaton’s existing line of electrified products includes DC/DC converters, PDUs, hybrid and EV transmissions, and high-voltage fuses. The company… Read more »