The battery pack is not only one of the most expensive components in an EV—it’s also incredibly complex, in some cases comprising thousands of individual cells. The tasks of preserving a battery’s efficiency, lifespan, thermal stability and safety rest upon the battery management system (BMS), an embedded controller that regulates the flow and distribution of… Read more »
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Read past issues of Charged – Electric Vehicles Magazine
Issue 68: April-June 2024 Featuring: Issue 67: January-March 2024 Featuring: Issue 66: October-December 2023 Featuring: Issue 65: July-Sep 2023 Featuring: Issue 64: April-June 2023 Featuring: Issue 63: January-March 2023 Featuring: Issue 62: October-December 2022 Featuring: Issue 61: July-September 2022 Featuring: Issue 60: April-June 2022 Featuring: Issue 59: January-March 2022 Featuring: Issue 58 – November/December 2021… Read more »
TEPCO Ventures invests $2.5 million in V2G provider Fermata Energy
Fermata Energy, a provider of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, has secured a $2.5-million strategic investment from TEPCO Ventures, the investment arm of Tokyo Electric Power. Fermata’s bi-directional chargers enable EV batteries to provide energy storage to the power grid, reducing power loads during peak times and consequently reducing electricity costs. Fermata Energy’s proprietary software system is… Read more »
A closer look at DC-DC converters
As far as we know, all EVs in production by major automakers use a conventional lead-acid battery for the 12 V system (surprising, but true – more on why in a bit) and this battery needs charging, just as it does in an ICE vehicle. While you could hang an alternator off the traction motor… Read more »
Nidec’s Ultra Fast Charger smooths out power demand from the grid
Nidec ASI’s new Ultra Fast Charger (UFC) incorporates 160 kWh of batteries, and functions as a buffer between a charging station and the electrical grid. It can use LV or MV grid connections and, according to Nidec, can supply 320 kW of power to a vehicle, while drawing only 50 kW from the grid. Nidec… Read more »
Bel Power Solutions sees strong growth in industrial electrification and its auxiliary power products
When many people think of electric vehicles, they imagine sleek passenger EVs like the near-quintessential Tesla Model S. However, EVs are by no means restricted to consumer use. As more and more industries move towards electrification, more and more industrial EV solutions will be needed. Bel Power Solutions is a power conversion product provider that… Read more »
Advancing BMS: Linear Technology launches its fourth-generation battery stack monitor
Engineers use battery management systems (BMS) to prevent problems that occur in Li-ion batteries when they are over-charged or over-discharged, including premature capacity loss and thermal events. A BMS ensures precise control and keeps the individual cells balanced, which is critical to extracting the most useful energy from a pack. Fortunately for EV systems designers,… Read more »
Texas Instruments introduces integrated battery monitor and protector
Texas Instruments (NASDAQ: TXN) has introduced what it calls the industry’s first integrated battery monitor and protector. The enticingly-named bq76PL455A-Q1 provides cell-voltage monitoring for large batteries with up to 256 cells in a series. The bq76PL455A-Q1 is designed to reveal a pack’s state of charge and state of health by precisely measuring cell voltage, and… Read more »
Ideal Power’s battery converters to be used in DoD V2G project
Ideal Power Inc. (NASDAQ: IPWR) has received a purchase order for ten of its 30 kW battery converters from Coritech Services, a provider of custom engineering solutions for EV charging. Coritech intends to install the converters in its bi-directional charging system for use in Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) applications for the Department of Defense (DoD). The US… Read more »
Tom Gage on ZEV mandates, Tesla’s early days, BMW’s EV commitment and V2G tech
Q&A with the EV trailblazer Tom Gage Tom Gage is one of America’s true EV pioneers. He’s perhaps best known as one of the designers of the tzero electric sports car that provided the inspiration for the Tesla Roadster. However, that is far from his only contribution to the electric mobility field. Charged recently caught up… Read more »