Colorado-based UQM Technologies (NYSE MKT: UQM) has earned a patent for a new EV motor design that uses non-rare earth magnets. Most current EVs use permanent magnet motors that include rare earth metals, which offer strong and constant magnetic fields. However, obtaining rare earths can be environmentally harmful, and some fear that supplies may run… Read more »
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VIDEO: Mister Musk goes to Detroit, presses automakers to get serious about EVs
Elon Musk spoke at the Automotive News World Congress in Detroit this week, and as usual, he had plenty to say – in an hour-long interview and a Q&A with reporters, he covered a wide range of topics. The gadfly of the automotive industry reiterated his long-standing challenge to other automakers to move faster on… Read more »
The EVSE GMI circuit: Should the standards be changed?
Leviton’s Director of Engineering explains the EVSE GMI circuit and why he believes the standards should be changed. One of the many safety features integrated into EVSE is the ground monitor interrupter (GMI) circuit. The GMI circuit ensures that the ground path is connected from the vehicle chassis all the way to the electric service… Read more »
2015 VW e-Golf ushers in an era of interchangeable drivetrains for every Volkswagen model
Rising above the waters of the Mittelland Canal in Wolfsburg, Germany, four iconic smokestacks cut through an otherwise sparse skyline. These are the most recognizable – and among the last – vestiges of the original Volkswagen factory from 1938. Symbolically, however, the smokestacks represent much more than the symbols of a power plant that –… Read more »
AutoLion Li-ion battery simulation software claims a unique modeling technology
Super modeling: EC Power’s AutoLion claims unique technology, reliable results and extraordinary savings in development time and cost With battery technology being one of the key bottlenecks slowing down the widespread adoption of electric vehicles, Pennsylvania’s growing startup EC Power proposes a tantalizing offer to battery developers: cut your product development cycle by around 20 percent, and… Read more »
Pushing the power limits: Fuji Electric on the new requirements of power electronics
With each passing model year, the requirements demanded of automotive power electronics increase. Market forces are pushing Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) modules towards lighter, smaller, more powerful and more reliable technology. These switching devices are what power an EV or hybrid inverter, and with increasingly stringent emissions requirements, automakers are looking for more innovative… Read more »
Meanwhile, Chevrolet unveils a substantially improved 2016 Volt
Unveiling the new Bolt and Volt (or is it Volt and Bolt?) together doesn’t seem like the smartest of marketing moves – the game-changing new 200-mile electric hatchback is bound to steal some thunder from the upgraded practical plug-in sedan, and that would be a shame, because the improvements to the Volt are worth trumpeting…. Read more »
ARPA-E offers funding for novel energy-related research
If you’re working on an outside-the-box technology that’s a little hard to explain, there may be hope of getting government research funding after all. ARPA-E has issued a $125-million open Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) to support “disruptive new technologies in all areas of energy research and development.” Unlike most of the agency’s FOAs, OPEN 2015… Read more »
Tesla’s batteries – past, present and future
This article is an excerpt from Tesla Motors: How Elon Musk and Company Made Electric Cars Cool, and Sparked the Next Tech Revolution by Charged Senior Editor Charles Morris. Tesla seems to make a point of doing things differently than other automakers, and its battery pack – the most critical component of any EV –… Read more »
Chevrolet Bolt EV: 200-mile range for $30,000
The EV world has been looking forward to the launch of the next-generation Volt at next week’s Detroit auto show, but the latest news promises to make the Volt a sideshow. According to sources cited by the Wall Street Journal and Detroit News, GM plans to launch a new EV called the Chevrolet Bolt, with… Read more »