The Volkswagen Group is by far the most charged of the legacy automakers—it’s making massive investments in electrification, converting entire factories to EV production, and rolling out fast charging networks across the US and Europe. Chairman Herbert Diess recently won an important vote of confidence from the company’s board, which agreed to back his ambitious… Read more »
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Model S refresh includes completely revamped interior, powertrain updates and more
Over the past couple of years, as Tesla rolled out a seemingly endless stream of new features for Models 3 and Y, folks have been saying that the two elders of the line-up were overdue for an update. Now Tesla has announced a sweeping new refresh for Models S and X, featuring an entirely new… Read more »
Setting a new standard for battery leak testing
Defective cells can shorten battery life, decrease range, and lead to safety issues. A leaky cell housing, one common failure mode for Li-ion batteries, can allow ambient humidity to come in contact with the electrolyte, triggering an exothermic (heat-releasing) chemical reaction. Currently, the common practice in the battery manufacturing industry is to test cell packaging… Read more »
New class of cobalt-free cathodes could enhance energy density of Li-ion batteries
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) researchers have developed a new family of cathodes with the potential to replace the costly cobalt-based cathodes typically found in today’s lithium-ion batteries. The new class, called NFA (nickel, iron, aluminum), is a derivative of lithium nickelate that’s used as a cathode material. These novel cathodes are designed to be… Read more »
Sunstone Engineering’s new battery welding system paves way for copper and nickel tab welding
Sponsored by Sunstone Engineering Sunstone’s new Omega PA250i battery welding system can do what other welders struggle to accomplish: Attach copper to steel or aluminum. By using a pure copper tab to connect one power cell to another, EV manufacturers will realize a significant boost in power cell efficiency. So why do most EV manufacturers… Read more »
Porsche Taycan delivers electric luxury and performance
There are so many new EVs on the market or in the pipeline these days, in all form factors and all price ranges, that it’s becoming impossible to keep up with them. However, the Porsche Taycan stands out from the crowd for several reasons: it’s the flagship model of the Volkswagen Group, which is by… Read more »
Envision AESC provides battery modules for FreeWire Technologies’ charging stations
FreeWire Technologies makes several flexible charging solutions, including Mobi, a battery pack on wheels that can be used to charge EVs away from fixed charging stations; and the Boost Charger, a charging station that uses an integrated battery as a buffer to deliver high power output without stressing the local power supply. Now FreeWire has… Read more »
OXIS Energy to power luxury yacht with Li-S batteries
Yachts de Luxe (YdL) of Singapore has signed a ten-year contract with Oxis Energy valued at $5 million to build the world’s first luxury boat to be powered by Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) batteries. The objective is to achieve a range of 70 to 100 nautical miles at cruising speed. Oxis will work with YdL to design… Read more »
Rivian takes an adventurous approach to its charging network
As it prepares for the first deliveries of its R1T pickup truck and R1S SUV, Rivian is taking a page from Tesla’s book, making plans to set up its own public charging network (Tesla wasn’t thrilled about sharing that particular page—in July, it sued Rivian, claiming that the younger company had stolen trade secrets). As… Read more »
2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E first drive report
Ford’s first real EV turns out to be a serious contender from Day One, due to striking looks and universal name recognition. Sitting in the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E as it fast-charged in a Walmart parking lot, a grinning middle-aged man approached. The Mach-E attracts attention—thumbs-up in traffic, stares on the highway—so we figured he… Read more »