Champlain Cable has patented a flexibility testing apparatus for automotive wire and cable. The idea for the product came from a European specification for wire – LV-112, used by German OEMs – that described a wire flexing requirement, but did not describe the apparatus used to test the wire. According to Champlain, the test could… Read more »
Volkswagen plans to convert factories in Emden and Hanover to EV plants by 2022. Along with a plant in Zwickau, this will give VW three plants that produce EVs. “We are moving at full speed into the production of EVs. Emden and Hanover are to be further model plants in Germany. Together with Zwickau, they… Read more »
Wildcat Discovery, a battery research company based in San Diego, has been granted a patent for the use of sulfolane-based electrolytes designed to improve the performance of Li-ion batteries containing silicon anodes. In 2013, the company was awarded a grant by the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to develop new non-carbonate-based electrolytes… Read more »
Carbon nanotubes could make high-powered, fast-charging lithium metal batteries an alternative to lithium-ion batteries, according to new research from Rice University. In a paper published this month in the journal Advanced Materials, the researchers show how a carbon nanotube film can be used to keep batteries safe from dendrites, spear-like protrusions that naturally form on… Read more »
CAMX Power, an independent lithium-ion battery materials and design firm, has announced a new class of cathode materials that it says improves upon the high-nickel material classes NMC, NCA and LNO. The patented invention is called GEMX, and the resulting enhanced chemistries are called gNMC, gNCA and gLNO. High-nickel cathode chemistries for vehicle batteries use… Read more »
ON Semiconductor (Nasdaq: ON) has launched a new line of Automotive Intelligent Power Modules (IPMs) designed to improve performance in on-board charging and other high-voltage DC-DC conversion applications for plug-in vehicles. The FAM65xxxx APM16-packaged devices offer an integrated solution designed to ease design-in for automotive customers, with one device outline covering H-Bridge, PFC and bridge… Read more »
An engineering research team at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts recently won a million-dollar contract from the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC) to develop an innovative process for recycling used Li-ion batteries. The team, led by WPI professor Yan Wang, it created a patented closed-loop recycling process that works like this: the batteries… Read more »
Trojan Battery, a supplier of deep-cycle electric batteries, has released a new line of lithium-ion batteries to replace existing lead-acid ones. The new Trillium batteries have a life expectancy of over 5,000 cycles. They come in 3 sizes and work in lots of situations that require deep-cycle batteries, such as utility vehicles and other heavy-duty… Read more »
UK engineering icon Ricardo will assist Volvo Cars to develop a large-scale testing program to assess the life-cycle characteristics of new lithium-ion cells to determine their suitability for various future electrified vehicle applications. Ricardo noted that the work will build on the company’s extensive experience in all aspects of electrified vehicle powertrains. In terms of… Read more »
Orion Engineered Carbons (NYSE: OEC), a supplier of specialty and high-performance carbon black, has agreed to acquire the French firm Société du Noir d’Acétylène de l’Aubette (which we’ll just call SN2A), a manufacturer of acetylene carbon black. Acetylene black is an ultra-pure specialty carbon black distinguished by its high electrical and thermal conductivity. It’s used… Read more »