There are a number of synergies between space travel and electromobility (just ask Elon Musk). Both pursuits require energy storage devices with high energy density, stringent safety standards, and the ability to operate in high-vibration, extreme-temperature environments. Developing improved battery technology is a high priority at NASA, and the agency is making significant investments in… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "our next energy"
Korean battery-maker SK Innovation doubles production capacity
SK Innovation, a unit of SK Group, is a small fish in a sea of Asian battery suppliers like Panasonic, Samsung and LG, but its automotive customer base is growing, and it is rapidly ramping up production. Since the Korean firm opened its battery plant in Seosan in 2012, it has been enlarging its production… Read more »
Tesla to raise $500 million – wait, make that $650 million – with new stock offering
Tesla has big plans – expensive plans. Tooling up for volume production of Model X, developing Model 3 for an unveiling next year, the Gigafactory, the new energy storage business, more charging infrastructure, the Snakebot charger, a new Roadster, the James Bond submarine/car, Hyperloop…good grief, this is going to require a pile of cash! To… Read more »
California DOT orders 11 portable solar EV charging stations from Envision Solar
San Diego-based Envision Solar has secured a contract from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to supply state and local agencies with the company’s EV ARC portable solar-powered EV chargers. The first purchase order is for 11 units, to be delivered within the next 90 days for around $750,000. The EV ARC is a standalone… Read more »
Volkswagen working on automated DC charging
EV drivers are demanding more range, and automakers are responding. However, as several observers have noted, this will introduce a new set of challenges. Better batteries can hold more energy, and consumers certainly don’t want longer charging times, so higher charging power levels will be required. That, in turn, will require thicker (or perhaps liquid-cooled)… Read more »
The 2016 Volvo XC90 T8 Twin Engine PHEV enters the US market with great promise
These days when most Americans think of Swedish engineering, they probably remember a frustrating experience with an Allen wrench and one too few pieces of particle board. But we didn’t always buy our Swedish creations under the same roof as our Swedish meatballs. Any American old enough to drink remembers a friend whose parents drove… Read more »
Tesla boosts battery performance to ludicrous levels
The Model S is just about the greatest car ever made, but it’s always had one major defect: there are a couple of other production vehicles that can beat it in a drag race. For those of us who wish to go beyond Insane, Tesla has introduced Ludicrous mode (the name is a reference to… Read more »
Proterra CEO on the economics of the electric bus business
Venture capitalists assume a large amount of risk when they invest in early-stage companies. They do so because of the potential for huge returns. To ensure that a portfolio of investments delivers the greatest return with the least risk, VCs spend a considerable amount of time evaluating companies, looking for the key ingredients of success…. Read more »
UQM Technologies grows from pioneer to power player in vehicle electrification
With its integrated electric propulsion systems spreading across the globe in all conceivable vehicle types, UQM Technologies could be called the biggest little company in the EV industry. Over the past few years, the company seems to have entered its prime, as in one of those TV commercials where a deep, authoritative voice tell us… Read more »
Researchers add compounds to electrolyte to prevent dendrite growth
Those doggone dendrites are the bane of battery boffins working on otherwise promising lithium metal anodes. Now a group of researchers from SLAC, Stanford and MIT have discovered that adding lithium polysulfide and lithium nitrate to an ether-based electrolyte can prevent dendrite growth and minimize electrolyte decomposition. Professor Yi Cui, Professor Yet-Min Chiang (a co-founder… Read more »