The DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) is wasting no time after its recent near-death experience (the president’s proposed budget would have eliminated the agency, but cooler heads in Congress prevailed): it has announced up to $30 million in funding for a new program called Duration Addition to electricitY Storage (DAYS), which has a goal… Read more »
As the market for plug-in vehicles grows, so does the demand for the materials associated with production, particularly lithium and cobalt, which are used in Li-on batteries. The DOE’s Critical Materials Institute (CMI) is focused on recycling and reducing the demand for rare metals that may experience shortages in the future. The agency is also… Read more »
China is steadily positioning itself at the forefront of Li-on battery production. One sign of this is a massive ramp-up of the production of wet-process separators (separators are a critical component of Li-on batteries – they keep the anode and cathode from touching, while allowing ions to pass through). Shanghai Energy has announced that it… Read more »
The 45-year-old Nidec Corporation has unveiled a fully integrated traction motor system. Nidec’s E-Axle is based on an earlier design that included an integrated inverter. The new design also integrates an electric motor and reduction gearbox. According to Nidec, the new design delivers higher torque than earlier models – up to 3,900 N-m. Despite the… Read more »
At least a couple of the oil giants see the handwriting on the garage wall, and are taking some baby steps toward the electric future. BP has installed over 70 EV charging stations at retail sites in several countries. It has also invested $5 million in FreeWire, a manufacturer of mobile EV charging systems, and… Read more »
Indiana-based heavy-duty engine specialist Cummins unveiled its lithium-ion battery portfolio at the recent Battery Show Europe in Hannover, Germany, including battery packs and modules that can be integrated with the company’s new electric and hybrid powertrain portfolio. Cummins’s product range includes the BM44E (44 kWh) and BM20E (20 kWh) low-voltage modules, designed to power material… Read more »
The Fuso eCanter light-duty electric truck, which is now in production in Europe and Japan, uses a PD400 inverter from John Deere Electronic Solutions (JDES). The JDES PD400 has been proven in off-road vehicles from John Deere and other OEMs. The inverter’s software is designed to be flexible, offering a broad set of features and… Read more »
The DOE has announced a new funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0001919) that will make up to $68.5 million available for early-stage research of advanced vehicle technologies. The agency is seeking research projects in several areas, including: Batteries and Electrification; Materials; and Technology Integration and Energy-efficient Mobility Systems. The Batteries and Electrification topic area, which will receive up… Read more »
Michigan-based Meritor, a supplier of drivetrain, mobility, braking and aftermarket solutions for commercial vehicles, has chosen motor maker UQM Technologies as a strategic supplier for its 14Xe electric axle system for the medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicle market. Meritor and UQM have worked together for over a year to develop this new technology, which includes… Read more »
Battery pack remanufacturer Spiers New Technologies (SNT) is opening a dedicated production center at Ede in the Netherlands. The facility will be SNT’s central location for the rollout of its high-voltage battery remanufacturing services to European clients in the automotive and energy sectors. The company says it is a logical step to further exploit its… Read more »