BYD’s sales of “new energy” vehicles jumped tenfold between January and April compared with the same period a year earlier, according to China Business News. An unnamed BYD spokesman said that sales growth would have been even faster if it were not constrained by insufficient production of batteries. BYD recently projected its net profit for… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "US Hybrid"
Efficient Drivetrains and Greenkraft to develop natural gas/PHEV medium-duty truck
Efficient Drivetrains, Inc. (EDI) is partnering with Greenkraft to develop a Class-4 truck that runs on compressed natural gas (CNG) and incorporates a plug-in hybrid drivetrain. The project will fit EDI’s multi-mode PHEV powertrain (EDI-Drive) to Greenkraft’s CNG-powered, 14,500-pound, Class-4 medium-duty truck, which is equipped with a 6.0 L GM engine. The new beast is… Read more »
California Energy Commission awards $5 million to install 475 more EV chargers
The California Energy Commission approved funding for a raft of clean energy projects at its monthly meeting, including 15 grants totaling more than $5 million to install 475 EV charging stations in communities throughout California, including the cities of San Francisco, Burbank, Torrance and San Diego and the counties of Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis… Read more »
DOE-supported research projects seek to commercialize silicon-based anodes
The DOE is supporting six applied battery research projects, with the objective of developing cells that provide energy density of more than 200 Wh/kg, along with long cycle life and excellent abuse tolerance. All six projects are using some form of silicon-based material for the anode. A team led by the Argonne National Laboratory is… Read more »
Maxwell’s new ultracaps increase shock and vibration tolerance, a big advantage in mass transit applications
Maxwell Technologies’ new DuraBlue ultracapacitor cells incorporate a number of upgrades over previous versions. The 2.85-volt, 3400-farad cells offer up to 1,000,000 duty cycles, with up to 18 kW/kg of specific power and up to 4.00 Wh of stored energy. They use the industry-standard 60 mm cylindrical K2 form factor, and are available with threaded… Read more »
A123 acquires start/stop battery technology from Leyden Energy
A123 Systems is back in the news. The battery-maker, now a wholly owned subsidiary of China’s Wanxiang Group, has acquired Leyden Energy’s intellectual property in battery materials covering lithium titanate (LTO) and non-flammable electrolyte (Li-imide) technology. As part of the deal, some of Leyden’s key technical staff will be joining A123’s R&D organization. … Read more »
Ford and Samsung research lithium-ion/lead-acid dual-battery system
Electric powertrain technology is gradually creeping into legacy gas-powered vehicles. Ford and Samsung have announced that they are researching a dual-battery system that combines a lithium-ion battery with a 12-volt lead-acid battery in order to enable regenerative braking technology in non-hybrid vehicles. “We are currently expanding our Auto Start-Stop technology across 70 percent of our… Read more »
Echo Automotive aims for the plug-in fleet sweet spot
The commercial fleet market is one of the most exciting frontiers in the electromobility revolution, not only because of the enormous potential for fuel savings, but because it offers opportunities for a smaller company, which can hope to carve out a lucrative niche developing a powertrain solution, without the need to build the sort of… Read more »
The Buckeye Bullet: A student-built EV that’s racing towards 400 mph
As it stands today, Ohio State’s Buckeye Bullet 1 holds the US record speed for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) at 314.958 mph, its Venturi Buckeye Bullet 2 holds the world record for hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles at 302.877 mph, and the Venturi Buckeye Bullet 2.5 holds the world record for BEVs at 307.666 mph. … Read more »
LG Chem licenses separator film technology to Ube Maxell
LG Chem has agreed to license its separator film technology agreement to Ube Maxell. Under the agreement, Ube Maxell acquires patent use rights from LG Chem for ceramic coating of separator substrates, a key component of lithium-ion batteries. Ube Maxell, a joint venture between Ube Industries and Hitachi Maxell, was formed in 2011 to manufacture… Read more »