The DOE has selected 162 projects to receive $26.6 million in the 2015 Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) awards. About 16 of these are vehicle-related, encompassing such technologies as batteries, power electronics and hydrogen fuel cells. Under the SBIR and STTR programs, federal agencies with large R&D budgets set aside… Read more »
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Daimler joins Tesla in the energy storage market
Another entrant has joined the suddenly trendy market for stationary energy storage. Daimler’s wholly-owned subsidiary Deutsche ACCUmotive has announced plans to sell energy storage systems to both residential and commercial customers. ACCUmotive’s lithium-ion battery modules have an energy capacity of 2.5 kWh for the residential model, and 5.9 kWh for the industrial version. Up to… Read more »
Guess which minivan maker may produce an all-wheel-drive plug-in?
Fiat Chrysler sometimes seems to be the most vocal holdout of the waning oil age. It’s about the only major automaker that offers no hybrid models, and CEO Sergio Marchionne is often depicted in the EV press as an anti-electric curmudgeon – he has stated that the company loses $10,000 on every unit of the Fiat… Read more »
New PlugShare Data tool offers comprehensive EV infrastructure analytics
In the past five years, the amount of public PEV charging infrastructure in the US has skyrocketed to over 25,000 charging stations. In June 2010, that number was fewer than 1,000. That’s when the PlugShare team first began mapping EV chargers, allowing its app users to share tips and tricks about their favorite places to… Read more »
Wrightspeed introduces new Fulcrum turbine generator for range-extended EV architecture
Wrightspeed, the startup led by Tesla co-founder Ian Wright, has identified a promising target for electrification – it retrofits plug-in powertrains to urban service trucks, the most inefficient and polluting of commercial vehicles. Customers include FedEx, which recently ordered an additional 25 of the company’s powertrains. Now Wrightspeed has unveiled the Fulcrum, a new turbine… Read more »
Fairchild’s new line of MOSFETs and High Voltage Rectifiers
Semiconductor supplier Fairchild (NASDAQ: FCS) has introduced new automotive-qualified SuperFET II MOSFET and High Voltage Rectifier product families, which are designed to increase the power ratings of onboard chargers and DC-to-DC converters used in hybrid and electric vehicles. “A chief goal for plug-in hybrid and electric vehicle manufacturers is keeping onboard battery chargers and DC-to-DC… Read more »
Kia dealer: Don’t buy a Soul EV
When it comes to EV sales, the biggest party-poopers may not be shadowy oil industry conspirators, but auto dealers, who often lack information about their manufacturers’ electric models, and sometimes actively discourage buyers from considering them. Kia of Vancouver provided a blatant example of this recently, when a sales manager replied to a potential customer’s… Read more »
Assisted steering system uses individual wheel motors for more efficiency and better range
Modern automobiles are complex beasts, with numerous subsidiary systems that consume energy. In an EV, more energy consumption means reduced range, so it can be well worthwhile to study more efficient ways to power the various accessories. One of these accessory systems is assisted steering, which reduces the physical effort required for the driver to… Read more »
XALT Energy announces $1 billion battery supply agreement with Chinese bus manufacturer
XALT Energy has signed a multi-year contract, valued at over $1.0 billion, with Hybrid Kinetic Group of China to supply lithium titanate batteries for electric buses in China. Production is expected to begin during the third quarter of 2015. Dr. Yung Yeung, Chairman of HK Group, said, “XALT’s high quality and cost-competitive battery products fit… Read more »
The future of integrated inverters: Press-fit solderless interconnects and smarter design
Interplex, the complex assemblies expert, on power electronics, the automotive industry and the continuous drive for smarter design Power modules containing high-power insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) are at the core of most modern inverters. These modules are the electronic muscle of the system. They perform all the switching, and they generate all the heat. But… Read more »