Contactor specialist YM Tech presented three new additions to its line of DC high-voltage EV relays at Shanghai’s International Lithium Battery Industry Fair. The new EVH400 DC contactor is rated for 400 A and 1,000 VDC. The EVH600 DC contactor is rated for 600 A and 750 VDC. And the EVH1000 is rated for 100 A… Read more »
Nickel-zinc (NiZn) specialist ZAF Energy Systems has received $300,000, the first installment of a $600,000 investment from Missouri’s Department of Economic Development. With the new funding, ZAF will increase production capacity to meet the increasing demand for its NiZn batteries. The company claims that the batteries have double the storage capacity and triple the power… Read more »
This fall, AKASOL is set to begin mass producing batteries for Mercedes-Benz’s eCitaro. AKASOL’s first-generation battery systems will contain ten battery modules for up to 243 kWh per vehicle and a charging rate of up to 300 kW. In order to make this possible, AKASOL uses a water-cooling system to keep its batteries at 25° C in various… Read more »
As per the goals of the European Competitiveness in Commercial Hybrid and AutoMotive PowertrainS (ECOCHAMPS) project, Ricardo Innovations has developed a new 48 V e-motor and inverter combination that it says delivers a 50% power density increase compared to alternatives. ECOCHAMPS brought 25 European commercial and academic partners together to design powertrains with at least… Read more »
Solid-state batteries are theoretically safer, more stable, and have higher energy densities than conventional Li-ion batteries with liquid electrolytes. Unfortunately, they also tend to have relatively high resistance at the interfaces between their electrodes and solid electrolytes, which can limit the rate of charging and discharging. In order to solve this, researchers from the Tokyo… Read more »
Battery specialist Sila Nanotechnologies has received $70 million in Series D funding from Sutter Hill Ventures, Next47 (backed by Siemens), and Amperex. Sila Nano will use the funding for the development and commercialization of its silicon-dominant anodes. Overall, Sila has raised $125 million from investors including Bessemer Venture Partners, Chengwei Capital, Matrix Partners, Samsung, and… Read more »
bdtronic, a global manufacturer of dispensing machines and systems that process polyurethane, epoxy, silicone and liquid resins, has developed what it claims is the world’s largest and fastest automotive motor impregnation machine. The B8300 impregnator is designed to speed up the motor production process – its main function is to fill electric motor stators with a solid gel… Read more »
Porous electrodes have been 3D printed in the past using extrusion processes in which a strand of material is extruded from a heated nozzle. Interdigitated, or clasped, structures created with this technique provide space for ion flow, but their limited geometries are quite inefficient. Carnegie Mellon University’s new research has developed a completely different additive process… Read more »
Fast charging cold Li-ion batteries comes with the risk of lithium plating. When metallic lithium is formed in a battery, it can severely reduce battery lifespan and increase instability. Researchers from Penn State have suggested a solution to that problem that can provide 15-minute fast charging and a twelve-year battery lifespan in temperatures as low as… Read more »
Auto tech specialist Dana has been working to create a drivetrain for the Mecalac e12 electric compact wheeled excavator. The vehicle will use Mecalac’s 12MTX as a base frame, Spicer 112 axles and a Spicer 367 shift-on-fly transmission. The e12 will be equipped with a 146 kWh LiFePO4 battery pack that can charge in seven… Read more »