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 »
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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 »
EVs, renewables & energy storage: The unstoppable trio of energy’s future
The ripples of disruption: Q&A with Mike Calise The concept of disruption is often discussed in the fields of semiconductors, the internet, data, computers and software. But what about the energy industry? The world has been largely generating and consuming energy the same way for over a century. Charged talked to Mike Calise, Head of Electric… Read more »
Utah State University builds a dynamic wireless charging test track
Wireless charging is gradually making its way to the market. We’ve seen countless demonstration projects over the past few years, and a couple of OEMs have announced that they have wireless charging systems in the pipeline. Convenience is the most obvious reason to cut the cable, but wireless can deliver several other benefits as well… Read more »
PG&E and BMW team up to test V2G services
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and BMW are working together to test the ability of EV batteries to provide services to the electrical grid. PG&E selected BMW after a competitive solicitation to manage a minimum of 100 kilowatts of electric demand on PG&E’s system, as other large industrial and commercial customers do today as… Read more »
Canada bans shipments of lithium metal batteries on passenger flights
The Canadian Transport Ministry has officially banned the transport of lithium metal batteries as cargo on passenger flights, bringing its regulations into line with a ban adopted by the International Civil Aviation Organization in 2014 (the US has already instituted a ban). The new rule does not apply to lithium-ion batteries, or to lithium metal… Read more »
German automakers (still) planning to challenge Tesla
Elon Musk hopes Tesla’s success will inspire other automakers to get serious about EVs. The latest buzz in the automotive press is that he may get his wish, as German luxury brands are rumored to be working on their own EVs to compete with the boys from Silicon Valley. Automobile magazine reported earlier this month… Read more »