The European MotorBrain project has presented a prototype of a lightweight electric motor system that integrates the motor, gear drive and inverter, and requires no rare earth metals. The prototype motor system is three quarters the size of models from the beginning of the project in 2011, and, at less than 77 kg (170 lbs),… Read more »
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Plug-in vehicle legislation update: New rebates and waiting lists in California, Utah expands EV credit
New $2,500 California rebate program for public agencies located in Bay Area Air Quality Management District The Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) announced a new rebate program, on April 3, for public agencies that purchase or lease electric vehicles. Highlights of the program include: Approved public agencies can receive $2,500 vouchers for purchasing or… Read more »
Ultracapacitor firm Ioxus raises $21 million in series C funding
Ioxus, a manufacturer of ultracapacitor technology, has raised $21 million in a series C funding round from investors that include IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and venture capital firm the Westly Group (this follows $15 million that Ioxus raised last July). Supercapacitors (aka ultracapacitors or ultracaps), with their superior charge/discharge rates and… Read more »
Chevy reportedly planning a lower-priced version of the Volt, Opel developing pure EV
Chevrolet’s redesigned 2016 Volt will be offered in a lower-priced model with a smaller battery pack and a shorter electric range, supplier sources told Reuters. The standard 2016 Volt isn’t expected to be dramatically different from the current model, with a 380-mile total range and a $35,000 price tag. The “entry level” Volt will likely… Read more »
GM invests $449 million to upgrade Volt and battery plants
General Motors has announced that it will invest $449 million to upgrade manufacturing processes at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly and Brownstown Battery Assembly plants. “These investments will help the next-generation Chevrolet Volt build on its position as the leader in electrified propulsion,” said Gerald Johnson, GM North America Manufacturing Vice President. The Hamtramck facility (affectionately known… Read more »
Quantifying battery risks and thermal safety
Exponent engineers on battery risks and thermal safety: If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. Any type of energy storage technology has some risk associated with the unanticipated release of stored energy. Failure of a pumped-hydro storage system, for example, can lead to flooding. Hydrocarbon fuels like gasoline, diesel or methane can ignite into flames…. Read more »
Final CARB rules seem to favor fuel cells over battery swapping
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has posted final modifications to its Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Regulation for public comment. The ZEV rules require automakers to sell a certain number of zero-emission (battery-electric or fuel cell) vehicles in California. It also provides for automakers who don’t sell enough ZEVs to purchase excess credits from other… Read more »
Number of plug-ins doubling every year
The number of plug-in cars on the road has increased at an annual rate of more than 100% over the last three years, according to an analysis by Germany’s Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW). At the beginning of 2014, there were 405,000 plug-ins (EVs and PHEVs) registered worldwide, compared to 200,000 in… Read more »
Daimler acquires two key German battery firms
Daimler has agreed to acquire Evonik’s shares of Li-Tec Battery GmbH and Deutsche ACCUmotive GmbH, making Daimler the sole owner of the two companies. In recent years, Daimler and Evonik have worked together to develop industrial series production of lithium-ion battery cells for EVs. The two companies produce the batteries used in the current model… 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 »