The electromobility revolution will not stop at the water’s edge. Large commercial vessels such as ferries are already going electric in Scandinavia. Meanwhile, some European countries are banning gas-burning motors on environmentally sensitive lakes and rivers, creating a demand for small and medium-size electric outboards. One company hoping to lead the electrification of the world’s… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "VIA Motors"
Silicon Mobility’s new electric powertrain microcontroller
France-based semiconductor company Silicon Mobility has introduced a new automotive microcontroller specifically designed for hybrid and electric powertrain control. Aimed at OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, the OLEA T222 includes several features designed to make it suitable for all flavors of electrification, from micro-hybrids to pure EVs, including Integrated Belt Starter Generator, Crankshaft Motor driven… Read more »
Torque Trends offers plug-and-play electrification for fleet conversions
Startup companies often evolve as they grow, and sometimes they stumble on a new application for a prosaic product that leads to a new way of doing things, with the huge opportunities that implies. For Mitchell Yow, the CEO of Torque Trends, the journey started with a gearbox, and has led to a complete electrification… Read more »
TDK and Toshiba establish joint venture for automotive inverters
Japanese conglomerates TDK and Toshiba have agreed to establish a joint venture to manufacture automotive inverters for hybrids, PHEVs and EVs. With an eye on the global trend toward stricter emissions regulations, TDK is strengthening its energy unit business, which centers on power conversion hardware, and the controlling software, for electrified vehicles. TDK’s line-up includes… Read more »
DARPA invests $2.7 million in QinetiQ electric wheel-hub drive technology
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has announced a $2.7- million investment in UK-based QinetiQ’s electric hub-drive technology. QinetiQ’s hub-drive replaces gearboxes, differentials, and drive shafts with compact electric motors contained completely within the wheels, significantly reducing the overall weight of a vehicle. QinetiQ is developing the hub-drive system as part of DARPA’s Ground… Read more »
Rare earth element-free motor debuts in Honda Freed
Honda was an early electrification innovator, but the disappointing career of its Insight Hybrid apparently killed the company’s interest in electrons. However, there are signs of a turnaround – the hybrid version of Honda’s Odyssey minivan, launched in Japan in February, now accounts for 70% of Odyssey sales. Now Nikkei Asian Review reports that Honda… Read more »
Honda and Daido Steel develop rare-earth-free neodymium magnet
Daido Steel and Honda have collaborated to develop a hot deformed neodymium magnet that contains no heavy rare earth elements, but still delivers the high heat resistance and high magnetic performance required for a hybrid vehicle motor. Neodymium magnets are prized for use in electrified vehicle motors, as they have the highest magnetic force of… Read more »
Swiss students set new acceleration record with experimental EV
Human ingenuity continues to address the important problems of the world, pushing vehicle acceleration time ever faster. A team of Swiss students has set a new world record for EV acceleration with an experimental race car that reached 62 mph in 1.513 seconds. The Grimsel, built by the Academic Motorsports Club Zürich, shattered the previous… Read more »
Texas Instruments launches new motor drivers for performance powertrains
Texas Instruments (TI) has introduced two new automotive motor drivers that support high-performance powertrain applications. The DRV8305-Q1, an integrated three-phase brushless DC gate driver, and the UCC27211A-Q1, a high-current half-bridge gate driver, are designed to improve system performance and provide design flexibility for a range of automotive system requirements. For powertrain applications such as transmission… Read more »
Elon Musk debunks scare stories about a shortage of lithium
Elon Musk and JB Straubel covered a lot of ground in a nearly-three-hour performance at Tesla’s 2016 annual shareholder meeting. They recapped the history of the company, explained why Supercharging will not be free for Model 3 buyers, and discussed their plans to remake the auto production process. They also made some very interesting remarks… Read more »