It’s plain to anyone who follows the auto industry that there are pro-EV and anti-EV factions at every legacy automaker. For the last three decades, the OEMs’ interest in EVs has flapped this way and that in the winds of quarterly earnings and political shifts. Last fall, the “let’s wait awhile” contingent appeared to have… Read more »
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New survey finds myths and misinformation about EVs are deeply embedded
It won’t be news to regular Charged readers that myths and misconceptions about EVs have taken deep root among the populace. When I tell a new acquaintance that I write about EVs, as often as not their reply is some sound bite that could be a direct quote from an oil industry social media feed…. Read more »
Exclusive: Black Book used EV values to include Recurrent battery-condition data
The biggest question in buying a used EV is whether its battery is any good and how much range is left. We’re a little closer to an answer now. The Black Book used-car valuation service said Tuesday it would incorporate battery-condition data from Recurrent into its used-EV values. That data lets Black Book vary what… Read more »
New studies indicate that battery-electric aircraft with 800 km range could be practical
Several companies are working on battery-electric aircraft, but electric aviation is a tougher nut to crack than electric cars, for physical reasons. It simply takes a lot more energy to keep an aircraft aloft than it does to propel a vehicle along a road, and every additional pound of battery weight takes a steep toll… Read more »
New report: automakers have secured less than a fifth of battery metals required for 2030 EV production
When it comes to electrifying by the magic date of 2030, automakers talk a great game—but if you want to know which companies are serious about electrification, look into which ones are lining up supplies of critical battery minerals. According to a recent report from Transport & Environment (T&E), automakers in the European market have… Read more »
Toyota to source recycled EV battery components from Redwood Materials
Redwood Materials, the battery recycling company founded by Tesla co-founder JB Straubel, is focused on two of the most critical battery components: cathode active materials (CAM) and anode copper foil. Together, these two components account for the majority of the cost of a battery cell, the company explains, and at the moment, they are produced… Read more »
How to improve EV traction motor efficiency
A look at improving motor efficiency in two main categories: electrical and mechanical. Regular readers of Charged don’t need to be told that the typical EV drivetrain is way more efficient from battery to wheels than its ICE-based equivalent, but it is perhaps less well-known that the approximate drivetrain efficiency ranges from 75-90% for the… Read more »
Packaging second-life EV batteries into a plug-and-play energy storage system
Q&A with Smartville CEO and co-founder Antoni Tong What do EV batteries have in common with athletes and politicians? Once they age out (or get voted out) of their positions, they have the opportunity to have a lucrative (and in the case of batteries, useful) second career. Repurposing depleted EV batteries for stationary storage applications… Read more »
CATL launches fast-charging LFP battery, to start mass production this year
CATL, the world’s largest EV battery maker and a major Tesla supplier, has launched a new lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery that it claims can add 248 miles of range in 10 minutes of charging. The company says its new Shenxing battery (named for an ancient Chinese phrase having to do with speed) will deliver… Read more »
CATL’s new 500 Wh/kg battery could enable electrification of passenger aircraft
At this week’s Auto Shanghai, CATL announced a new battery technology that it says offers sufficient energy density to enable the electrification of passenger aircraft. CATL says its new condensed battery will offer specific energy (energy stored per unit of weight) of up to 500 Wh/kg, as well as “a high level of safety,” and… Read more »