Silicon-based semiconductors are approaching their performance limits, so researchers are investigating materials such as gallium nitride (GaN) as potential replacements. A team of engineers from Cornell, Notre Dame and the semiconductor company IQE has created GaN power diodes capable of serving as the building blocks for future GaN power switches. Alas, GaN is prone to… Read more »
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DOE offers $56 million in funding for transportation technology research
In January, the DOE is expected to make around $56 million in new funding available for transportation-related R&D projects. The Vehicle Technologies Program Wide Funding Opportunity Announcement describes how organizations can apply for grants to support the development of such vehicle technologies as advanced batteries, power electronics and electric motors. Areas of Interest include: EV… Read more »
Nissan and Eaton collaborate on second-life EV battery applications
Nissan and Eaton have announced a partnership that will use their respective expertise in lithium-ion batteries and power electronics to create commercially viable energy storage and control centers that offer a productive second life for Nissan’s EV batteries after their days on the road. The two companies will deploy a module that combines retired LEAF… Read more »
Hitachi researchers demonstrate thermally durable solid-state Li-ion battery
A research team sponsored by Hitachi and Tohoku University’s Advanced Institute for Material Research (AIMR) has demonstrated technology that reduces the internal resistance of all-solid-state Li-ion batteries through the use of LiBH4-based complex hydrides as solid electrolytes. A conventional Li-ion battery uses a volatile organic electrolyte solution with a maximum operating temperature around 60˚ C…. Read more »
Bombardier battery-powered tram makes record test run
Bombardier Transportation has successfully completed a 26-mile catenary-free test run in the German city of Mannheim using a tram, powered by Bombardier’s PRIMOVE battery and MITRAC (Modular Integrated TRACtion) system. The PRIMOVE system features batteries provided by the German firm AKASOL, and use nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) Li-ion cells. A thermal conditioning unit maintains the… Read more »
Under new Chinese owners, A123 finds promising niche in micro-hybrid market
Most Charged readers will certainly remember A123, the company that was founded in 2001 on the basis of promising battery technology developed at MIT; received a $249-million grant from the DOE and $100 million in tax breaks from the state of Michigan; raised $380 million in a 2009 IPO; made a bad bet on Fisker… Read more »
Volvo to produce an EV by 2019
Volvo has announced a major expansion of its electrification plans. The company says it will introduce PHEVs across its entire range, and bring a pure EV to market by 2019. In the first phase of the new strategy, Volvo will introduce plug-in hybrid versions of its 90 series and 60 series larger cars, based on… Read more »
PowerAmerica offers funding for wide bandgap semiconductor projects
PowerAmerica, a private-public partnership led by North Carolina State University, has released a call for projects to advance wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor technology. Funding is available for projects to accelerate commercialization of WBG power electronics applications in high voltage systems, efficient motors and other transportation- and renewable energy-related fields. Objectives for eligible projects include: Lowering… Read more »
SoCal Edison deploys workplace charging with smart grid demand response
EVSE LLC, Greenlots and Southern California Edison control peak charging demand Electric utilities around the world have been studying the potential impact of EVs on the grid. The largest pilot program with smart grid demand response (OpenADR 2.0b) that we’ve seen is an 80-unit deployment of EVSE LLC’s Level 2/Level 1 combo smart charging stations at… Read more »
Silicon Valley’s Motiv helps electrify heavy-duty trucks, shuttles and buses
Sometimes kids can’t wait to be grown-ups, but growth takes time. An acorn doesn’t become an oak tree overnight. Electric vehicles are a growth industry, and many people in that industry would like to see explosive expansion, rather than the slow and steady gains that have characterized the market for years. Yet even slow progress… Read more »