Search Results Found For: "army"

A look at BMS validation testing

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 »

Tesla’s battery research partner Jeff Dahn calls new chemistry the best he’s seen in 10 years

21st-century soldiers use lots of battery-powered gadgets, and they need batteries that are light to carry, safe, and impervious to abuse – exactly the characteristics required by EV batteries. A new battery tech developed by the US Army has attracted the attention of battery luminary Jeff Dahn, who works with Tesla on battery research. In… Read more »

Short sellers burn, financial pundits fulminate as Elon Musk announces plan to take Tesla private

Wheee! What fun it must be to set the financial markets and the media ablaze with a single tweet, and incinerate $1.3 billion of your enemies’ wealth with a few keystrokes. Tesla has been through some roller coaster rides before, but this year has been unlike anything we’ve ever seen, and things just got even… Read more »

Water-in-salt electrolyte boosts energy density

Researchers at the University of Maryland (UMD) and the US Army Research Lab (ARL) are collaborating on a new type of lithium-ion battery that uses a high concentration of salt in an aqueous electrolyte. They hope to develop a battery that offers greater energy density and better safety than current designs. “Lithium-ion batteries raise safety,… Read more »

US Navy solicits bids to lease 400-600 EVs

Maybe they’re tired of going to war for oil, or maybe they just like to be frugal with taxpayer dollars – whatever the reasons, the US military continues to show a good bit of interest in electrifying its vehicle fleet (and in developing microgrids with V2G technology). In July, the US Navy announced plans to… Read more »

Navitas to develop second-gen Li-ion batteries for military vehicles

Navitas Systems, a provider of energy storage products and power electronics, has won a $7.2 million contract to develop next-generation lithium-ion batteries for military vehicles. As new power-hungry electronics proliferate, the US Army’s Tank Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Center (TARDEC) has been working with Navitas to develop prototype 24 V lithium-ion batteries in the… Read more »

Water-in-salt electrolyte could enable high-voltage aqueous Li-ion chemistries

A team of researchers from the University of Maryland (UMD) and the US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) have devised what they call a “water-in-salt” electrolyte that could offer power, efficiency and longevity comparable to Li-ion batteries, but without the toxic chemicals and fire risk. In “Water-in-salt electrolyte enables high-voltage aqueous lithium-ion chemistries,” published in the… Read more »

Elon Musk personally interviewing software engineers for Autopilot program

If you need convincing that Tesla does things differently from other automakers, take a look at the latest set of tweets from CEO Elon Musk: Ramping up the Autopilot software team at Tesla to achieve generalized full autonomy. If interested, contact autopilot@teslamotors.com. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 20, 2015     Should mention that I… Read more »

Studies indicate that EVSE and shade structures could attract prime customers

Public charging and parking have a symbiotic relationship, for obvious reasons. A number of companies in the charging field are forging business relationships with parking providers, which may be large employers, owners of commercial, residential or government properties or third-party operators of paid parking facilities. Most of us devote surprisingly little thought to parking, considering… Read more »

$55 million in new federal funding for vehicle R&D, 19 EV projects

The DOE has announced $55 million in new funding for 31 projects to accelerate R&D of vehicle technologies to improve fuel efficiency and reduce costs. 19 of the new projects are aimed at meeting the goals of the EV Everywhere Grand Challenge, which seeks to make the US auto industry the first to produce plug-in… Read more »