The process of finalizing standards for wireless charging is well underway. At a recent conference, SAE Wireless Charging Taskforce Chair Jesse Schneider presented the recently published SAE TIR, Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) for Light-Duty Plug-In/ Electric Vehicles and Alignment Methodology, along with plans for standardization by 2018 to support commercialization. The SAE TIR J2954 contains… Read more »
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Tesla posts profit for the quarter
Some are surprised, others saw it coming. Tesla has a lot of doubters at the moment, and the only way to silence them was to show that the company can be profitable, at least temporarily. Back in September, Elon Musk said that this goal was within reach, and urged employees to maximize deliveries and minimize… Read more »
Atieva renames itself Lucid Motors, teases new EV
Atieva, the stealthy EV startup with Chinese financing and a number of Tesla alumni on staff, has changed its name to Lucid Motors, and released some teaser images of its upcoming electric luxury sedan. The vehicle, code-named Atvus, reportedly features an 87 kWh battery pack and output of over 900 hp. In September, a spokesman… Read more »
Teslas now being produced with full self-driving hardware
Tesla’s latest revelation is out, it’s a big one, and this time everyone should be able to appreciate its significance. In less than two years, all Tesla models should be capable of full level-5 autonomy, driving themselves without human input. Tesla has leapfrogged far, far beyond every other automaker to introduce an innovation that could… Read more »
Ube Industries to expand production capacity for battery separators
Ube Industries plans to expand production capacity for its UPORE polyolefin multiparous film for lithium-ion battery separators, in order to meet growing demand for automotive batteries. The expansion project is expected to be completed in April 2018, and will bring the company’s annual production capacity for separators to 250 million square meters. The company plans… Read more »
Deutsche Post may sell electric delivery vans to other companies – VW is not pleased
With their regular routes, central depots and constant start-stop operation, postal delivery vans are a perfect candidate for electrification. Posten, the Norwegian postal service, recently ordered 240 Renault Kangoo Z.E.s to add to its existing fleet of 900 EVs). France’s La Poste operates a fleet of several thousand Kangoo Z.E.s. Deutsche Post DHL, the privately-operated… Read more »
BMW electrifies its best-selling model: the 330e iPerformance PHEV launches in the US
Which major automaker has sold the highest percentage of plug-in vehicles relative to its overall US sales? You may be surprised to learn that it’s BMW – aside from Tesla, of course, which sells 100% EVs. In the first half of 2016, BMW’s four plug-in vehicles – the i3, i8, X5 xDrive40e and 330e iPerformance… Read more »
Engineered Materials Solutions brings a century of clad metal experience to batteries
The methods that automakers use to join Li-ion cells together are almost as diverse as the sizes and shapes of the cells themselves. EV builders are using spot welding, mechanical fasteners, wire bonding and other joining techniques. It’s safe to say that there is no consensus on an ideal solution, and that there’s a lot… Read more »
“Electrical steel” allows electric motors to run at much higher frequencies
The DOE’s EV Everywhere initiative, announced in 2012, has set goals of bringing EV battery costs down to $125 per kilowatt-hour, and electric drive system costs to $8 per kilowatt. To help make this a reality, the feds are investing some $59 million in 35 research projects around the country. One of these is led… Read more »
Henrik Fisker to launch new company, build 400-mile EV
Danish-born car designer and entrepreneur Henrik Fisker has relaunched his namesake company, and plans to showcase a vehicle in the second half of 2017. The new luxury EV will be a “spiritual successor” to the ill-fated Fisker Karma, and will use proprietary batteries made by a new Fisker subsidiary, Fisker Nanotech. “We have really been… Read more »