Tesla has reached an agreement with the Shanghai government to build the company’s much-anticipated Chinese Gigafactory. And none too soon – last week, in response to new US tariffs, China increased the import duty on American-made cars to 40 percent, forcing Tesla to raise prices by as much as $30,000. “We expect construction to begin… Read more »
Thermal paste is essential for preventing overheating and short circuits during battery operation. Unfortunately, its application is one of the slowest processes in battery pack production, as potting material is highly viscous and abrasive. Scheugenpflug, a provider of adhesive bonding, dispensing and potting solutions, has developed a new dispensing solution for thermal potting material that… Read more »
Drivetrain technology supplier Dana (NYSE: DAN) has announced a joint venture with TM4, a subsidiary of Hydro-Québec. TM4 will become Dana’s source for electric motors, power inverters, and control systems, and Dana will become a majority shareholder of TM4 in exchange for $165 million Canadian ($127 million US). TM4 manufactures EV motors, power inverters, and… Read more »
Bel Power Solutions and Protection‘s newest DC-DC converter, the 0RQB-30Y05L, offers high-amperage and high-voltage power conversion for demanding railway and industrial applications. These include communication and control systems such as TCMS, passenger information systems, onboard WLAN, Ethernet switches and door control. The converter can be used for embedded computing applications as well. The compact 0RQB-30Y05L… Read more »
Researchers from the University of Maryland and the DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have developed a cathode material containing iron trifluoride (FeF3) that they say could triple the energy density of Li-ion batteries. Their research was published in Nature Communications. “Compared to the large capacity of the commercial graphite anodes used in lithium-ion batteries, the capacity of the cathodes is… Read more »
GM and Honda have agreed to develop new battery chemistry components in order to hasten their plans for future all-electric vehicles. They seek to improve power density, packaging size, and charging capabilities for their up-and-coming EVs. Honda intends to source the new modules from GM in the future. This is not their first partnership; they… Read more »
Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL) is on a serious roll – China’s biggest battery builder issued a successful IPO on the Shenzhen stock exchange earlier this month, and has been announcing new supply contracts left and right – Daimler, Honda, Nissan/Renault, SAAB successor NEVS and EV startup Byton are now customers, and there are rumors… Read more »
Power semiconductor supplier ROHM and gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductor specialist GaN Systems have partnered to develop new power electronics. Wordy? Yes. Interesting? It GaN be. The partnership will harness GaN’s expertise in power transistors along with ROHM’s established design and manufacturing capabilities in order to create new lines of compatible products. The new products will… Read more »
ON Semiconductor has introduced a robust line of automotive-grade silicon carbide (SiC) Schottky diodes. The AEC-Q101 diodes can handle high surge currents and are meant to operate from -55° to 175° C. There are several reasons why SiC diodes are ideal for automotive applications. They are smaller and cheaper compared to alternatives, have higher power densities, and create… Read more »
The Volkswagen Group has invested approximately $100 million in California battery QuantumScape, following six years of collaboration with the firm. VW also announced that it aims to have a production facility for solid-state batteries by 2025. VW estimates that solid-state battery technology could more than double capacity compared with its current batteries, for example boosting… Read more »