At the recent Autonomy Investor Day, Tesla highlighted the progress it’s been making on its Autopilot system, and discussed its vision for the future of self-driving. Elon Musk and several other company execs, including Director Peter Bannon, Senior Director of Artificial Intelligence Andrej Karpathy, and VP of Engineering Stuart Bowers, made presentations for an audience… Read more »
Dana has launched the TM4 MOTIVE, an integrated motor and inverter for the light vehicle market. The TM4 MOTIVE includes a high-RPM permanent magnet electric motor, power-dense electronic inverter, and advanced controls. The system weighs 110 pounds and is scalable up to 150 kW and 11,000 rpm, according to the company. The integrated inverter is… Read more »
UK technology company Johnson Matthey (JM) has secured a site in Poland for production of its battery cathode materials. It has also announced a 10-year agreement with Nemaska Lithium to supply lithium hydroxide for the cathode materials, which it calls eLNO. With these two developments, JM says it’s on track to start commercial production in… Read more »
Sponsored by Intertek While the energy density of lithium-ion batteries offers a distinct advantage, it also presents safety concerns related to overheating and fire. Manufacturers need to mitigate these risks, not only throughout use but also during transport. Because lithium batteries may present a hazard during transportation, they are considered dangerous goods. In order to… Read more »
Researchers at Freudenberg are developing a plastic housing material for EV electronics as an alternative to heavier and more costly aluminum. To protect against electromagnetic waves that can disrupt signal flow in microprocessors and transmitter-receiver systems, EV makers typically encase electrical components in conductive metal housings, usually aluminum. Freudenberg says the additional weight of the… Read more »
Chemical company Henkel has identified several major challenges faced by battery manufacturers, including: cost efficiency and high-speed cell assembly; reliable thermal management for safety and UL94 flammability standards; and serviceability of battery packs. Henkel’s battery assembly adhesives and thermal interface materials (thermal adhesives and thermal gap fillers) are designed to address these challenges. Henkel produces… Read more »
The Fraunhofer Institute and Hitachi Metals say they’ve produced an on-board charger (OBC) prototype that delivers both high power output and compactness by using soft magnetic materials developed by Hitachi. Hitachi says the technology enables the OBC prototype to generate a power density of 3.8 kW/l. Hitachi explains that there is typically a trade-off between… Read more »
Japanese electric motor company Nidec has developed two smaller versions of its fully-integrated traction motor system, E-Axle. It has also announced a new short-range radar that doubles as a proximity sensor for automatic parking systems. Nidec first introduced the E-Axle system in April 2018 as a 150 kW system, composed of an integrated electric motor,… Read more »
Solid Power, a spin-out company of the University of Colorado, has partnered with Ford to continue development of its all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) for EVs. The partnership will focus on further developing ASSBs towards automotive requirements. The partners will use Solid Power’s fully automated, roll-to-roll production facility, which the company says will be fully operational in… Read more »
The DOE has announced $59 million in new funding for research on advanced vehicle technologies, including advanced batteries, electric drive systems and materials for more efficient powertrains. Funding opportunities fall within six topic areas. Those directly related to EVs include: Solid State Batteries – Up to $12.5 million available for projects aimed at developing new solid electrolytes. Projects should address… Read more »