There’s a new battery cell in town, and everybody’s talking about its better energy density and lower costs. South Korean cell maker SK Innovation recently announced that its new NCM 811 cells would be available in December for stationary storage systems, and in the third quarter of 2018 for EVs. SK’s current cells use an… Read more »
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New control strategy enhances battery performance in cold weather
Researchers at Penn State, with a colleague from EC Power, have devised a new control strategy that can rapidly restore EV battery power and permit full regeneration while driving at temperatures as low as -40° C. The strategy involves heating the battery internally during regenerative braking and rest periods. In “Rapid restoration of electric vehicle… Read more »
First electric waste collection truck arrives on New Zealand streets
Waste Management NZ has demonstrated its first electric truck for residential wheelie bin waste collection. The city of Christchurch will put an electric truck into service in October, and more are scheduled to join the fleet in other New Zealand cities by the end of the year. The company has already introduced more than 20… Read more »
US Army partners with Brown University to study SEI on silicon anodes
The US Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and Brown University researchers have teamed up to study the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer that forms on the anodes of lithium-ion batteries, with particular emphasis on experimental silicon anodes. The Army is working to replace its alkaline and nickel-metal hydride field batteries with Li-ion batteries. “The Army is… Read more »
DOE awards $6 million to first crop of Battery500 Seedlings
The Battery500 consortium, led by the DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), intends to build a battery pack with a specific energy of 500 Wh/kg, which would more than double the 170-200 Wh/kg per kilogram in today’s typical EV battery. Part of the initiative is the “Seedling” program, which identifies new and risky battery research… Read more »
Argonne NL licenses continuous ALD technology to Forge Nano
Argonne National Laboratory has granted an exclusive license to Colorado-based nano-coating specialist Forge Nano to commercialize Argonne’s patented system for continuous atomic layer deposition. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a process that deposits a uniform, ultrathin encapsulating coating around any material. It can be used to upgrade materials such as powders utilized in lithium-ion batteries,… Read more »
Wire bonding for EV batteries and inverters: application and process tips from Hesse Mechatronics
Sponsored by Hesse Mechatronics All electronic devices need to be connected electrically (and mechanically) and there are numerous ways of completing this task. Wire bonding is one type of interconnection. There are three types of wire bonding: thermocompression, thermosonic and ultrasonic. We will focus on ultrasonic wedge bonding with aluminium wire and discuss the wire bonding process… Read more »
Umicore invests €300 million to boost capacity in cathode materials
Materials technology specialist Umicore plans to invest €300 million ($328 million) between 2017 and 2019 to further increase its production of nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) cathode materials. NMC is one of the most popular cathode materials for EV batteries, and global demand is increasing fast. The increased capacity will enable Umicore to respond to a surge in… Read more »
Rogers introduces new materials for high-power circuits
Rogers Corporation (NYSE:ROG) has introduced curamik ADVANTAGE, a family of features and process enhancements for its curamik ceramic circuit substrate materials. curamik ADVANTAGE materials are designed to enable circuit designers to optimize the performance of high-power circuits through an assortment of services and processes, including several plating options for improved copper surface finish, two different… Read more »
ECO COMBAT project aims to develop better and more sustainable batteries
Ten European industry and research organizations are partnering in the EU-funded project ECO COMBAT (Ecological Composites for High-Efficient Li-Ion Batteries), which aims to develop next-generation Li-ion batteries. Better performance is not the only goal for the new battery. The project also aims to develop a battery that’s more sustainable, by reducing the need for expensive… Read more »