Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute and ETH Zurich in Switzerland have developed a simple procedure that they say can enhance the performance of Li-ion batteries by improving the design of the electrodes without changing the underlying chemistry. In “Magnetically aligned graphite electrodes for high rate performance Li-ion batteries,” published in Nature Energy, Juliette Billaud… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "DOE"
Beyond Tesla: NextEV aims to produce Automobile 3.0
Chinese-backed startup NextEV has produced a Formula E race car, and plans to reveal an electric supercar later this year. “When we launch the car it will not be a concept,” Co-president Martin Leach told the International Business Times. “It will be engineered and validated and you will see it driving at some point shortly… Read more »
Strem Chemicals licenses next-gen battery materials from Argonne National Lab
Specialty chemicals firm Strem Chemicals plans to manufacture and distribute nine battery solvents and additives based on intellectual property for next-generation battery materials that it has licensed from Argonne National Laboratory. The materials were invented at Argonne’s Electrochemical Energy Storage Center and scaled at Argonne’s Materials Engineering Research Facility (MERF). The DOE established MERF to… Read more »
Tesla driver killed in crash with Autopilot engaged
The driver of a Tesla Model S was killed in a crash that occurred while the vehicle was in Autopilot mode, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration (NHTSA), which has opened an investigation. The accident occurred on May 7 in Williston, Florida. The victim, Ohio resident Joshua Brown, is the first known fatality… Read more »
Swiss students set new acceleration record with experimental EV
Human ingenuity continues to address the important problems of the world, pushing vehicle acceleration time ever faster. A team of Swiss students has set a new world record for EV acceleration with an experimental race car that reached 62 mph in 1.513 seconds. The Grimsel, built by the Academic Motorsports Club Zürich, shattered the previous… Read more »
Former Tesla nemesis Top Gear raves about Model X
The tiff between Tesla and British car show Top Gear was the EV world’s equivalent of the OJ Simpson circus. After prickly presenter Jeremy Clarkson, a famous hater of all things electric (and most things American) gave the Roadster a snarkily negative review in 2008, Tesla sued for libel. The ensuing drama dragged on for… Read more »
Driving the Future: Combating Climate Change with Cleaner, Smarter Cars (review)
Driving the Future, by former EPA official Margo Oge, tells the fascinating story of how the agency achieved a historic agreement with the auto industry to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions – an agreement that delivered cleaner air and millions of dollars in savings for consumers, and gave a huge boost to the growing… Read more »
VW Group to launch 30 new BEVs by 2025
The Volkswagen Group has presented a new strategic plan that places a special emphasis on e-mobility. VW and its sister brands intend to launch more than 30 battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) over the next ten years. The group estimates that by 2025, EVs could account for as much as a quarter of the global passenger car… Read more »
Elon Musk debunks scare stories about a shortage of lithium
Elon Musk and JB Straubel covered a lot of ground in a nearly-three-hour performance at Tesla’s 2016 annual shareholder meeting. They recapped the history of the company, explained why Supercharging will not be free for Model 3 buyers, and discussed their plans to remake the auto production process. They also made some very interesting remarks… Read more »
Materials Project releases trove of battery-related materials data to the public
The Materials Project, a searchable database of material properties, was launched in 2011 by the DOE’s Office of Science. It uses supercomputers to calculate the properties of materials based on first-principles quantum-mechanical frameworks. The Materials Project is designed to save researchers time by predicting the properties of materials, eliminating the need to synthesize them in… Read more »