Magnetic sensors have several automotive applications, including determining the positions of clutch pedals, engine strokes, and valves. However, their use has been limited to linear position measurements. The current standard, Hall sensors, can only detect changes in the magnetic field perpendicular to its chip. TDK Corporation has introduced the new HAR 379x sensor, which uses its… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "DOE"
Argonne reviews 40 EV market analyses from 16 countries
A team of researchers at the DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory has conducted a review of 40 automotive market studies from 16 countries, including the US, Germany, China, South Korea, the UK and Ireland. These studies modeled the decision factors that drive consumers to buy plug-in vehicles (PEVs). The study addressed such issues as: projected market… Read more »
Tesla’s “responsible sourcing” policy for cobalt and other exotics
How do you solve a problem like cobalt? The blue metallic element is used in significant quantities in EV batteries, but half the world’s supply of comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a war-torn land in which child labor is common. Several automakers are already taking steps to reduce their use of the costly… Read more »
Robert Bollinger is building unique EVs, and a one-of-a-kind EV company
Bollinger Motors is not following the typical EV startup formula. Instead of building a luxury sedan, it’s building a rough and ready work truck. It has no strategy to evolve into a mass-market automaker, but intends to find a niche as a low-volume brand. As far as we know, the company has no former Tesla… Read more »
US energy regulators issue a new storage rule with important implications for EVs
In March, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued a rule requiring regional electrical grid operators to revise their regulations pertaining to energy storage and how storage resources might participate in electricity markets. Okay, it sounds a bit wonky, but FERC’s decision is an important policy shift that could have a big impact on EVs…. Read more »
Elon Musk fends off a shareholder challenge and answers his critics at Tesla meeting
As expected, a shareholder proposal to remove Elon Musk as Chairman was voted down at the company’s recent shareholders’ meeting, as was an attempt to get rid of three board members that some see as not sufficiently independent. Elon himself made a lengthy speech in which he addressed many of the current criticisms of the… Read more »
ARPA-E to award $30 million to develop grid energy storage technologies
The DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) is wasting no time after its recent near-death experience (the president’s proposed budget would have eliminated the agency, but cooler heads in Congress prevailed): it has announced up to $30 million in funding for a new program called Duration Addition to electricitY Storage (DAYS), which has a goal… Read more »
Critical Materials Institute to address lithium and cobalt demand
As the market for plug-in vehicles grows, so does the demand for the materials associated with production, particularly lithium and cobalt, which are used in Li-on batteries. The DOE’s Critical Materials Institute (CMI) is focused on recycling and reducing the demand for rare metals that may experience shortages in the future. The agency is also… Read more »
Tesla hopes to improve Model 3 braking distance to earn a thumbs-up from Consumer Reports
Talk about shortening timelines in the auto industry – when Consumer Reports reported that it had found Model 3’s stopping distance to be unacceptably long, Tesla CEO Elon Musk responded within hours, promising to look into the matter and do whatever it takes to improve braking performance. CR announced that it would not award Model… Read more »
As the case for e-buses solidifies, NYC announces plans to go electric by 2040
New York City has announced plans to convert its public bus system to an all-electric fleet by 2040. Details of the planned conversion are expected to be included in a modernization plan for the city’s transit system that the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) will release in May. “It does depend on the maturity of the… Read more »
