Carbon fiber-reinforced plastics represent a promising lightweight replacement for heavy steel. However, for carbon fiber to be widely adopted, new, more economical composites need to be developed. Unfortunately, carbon fiber properties are difficult to model, as they depend on complex features such as fiber loading, length distribution and orientation. Now researchers at the DOE’s Pacific… Read more »
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Workhorse to spin off SureFly personal helicopter business
Workhorse Group (NASDAQ:WKHS) has several electric irons in the fire, so to speak. It says it has pre-orders for over 5,000 units of its W-15 plug-in pickup truck (profiled in the May/June 2017 issue of Charged); it has an electric truck on the short list to be selected as the next delivery vehicle for the… Read more »
ARPA-E issues $100-million funding opportunity for early-stage energy R&D
The DOE has announced up to $100 million in funding for new projects as part of ARPA‑E’s latest OPEN funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0001858). Areas of research covered by this FOA include all aspects of transportation, including electrification and energy efficiency. Under the Transportation Technical Category, subcategories include: electric motors; fuel cells; alternative vehicle designs such as… Read more »
Here’s what you need to know about EV charging station safety
Sponsored by ClipperCreek After deciding to buy a plug-in electric vehicle, often the next decision is to purchase a Level 2 charging station for faster charging at home. The technical name as defined in the National Electric Code for these products is EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment), commonly called charging stations. Safety might not be the first consideration… Read more »
Chinese shipyard launches all-electric cargo ship – for hauling coal
A shipyard in Guangzhou, the capital of China’s Guangdong province, has launched what it says is the world’s first all-electric cargo ship. According to China Daily, the 230-foot vessel uses a 2,400 kWh battery system comprised of 1,000 individual lithium-ion packs. Range is 50 miles with a load of 2,200 tons of cargo and a… Read more »
Battery management device reconfigures battery modules to extend EV range
A pair of Vanderbilt University researchers have developed a battery management device that could increase the useful range of a battery pack by controlling each cell individually. Ken Pence, Professor of the Practice of Engineering Management, and Tim Potteiger, a PhD student in electrical engineering, used the open-source Tesla battery to model their technique, adding… Read more »
SAE J2954 Recommended Practice enables automated wireless charging to 11 kW
SAE International has published a new Recommended Practice (RP), SAE J2954, which provides the first worldwide specification for wireless power transfer (WPT) up to power levels of 11 kW (WPT 3). This follows the organization’s previous Technical Information Report J2954, which dealt with power levels up to 7.7 kW (WPT 2). The new RP also… Read more »
Is Tesla’s Model X the ultimate EV? Extended drive review
Tesla set out to build not the best electric cars, but the best cars, and many would argue that it has achieved that goal. Models S and X are two of the most advanced, feature-rich autos on the market today. In a sense, Model X must be considered the ultimate, as it has more interior… Read more »
New report analyzes global market for recycled lithium and cobalt
In a new analysis of the global end-of-life value chain for lithium-ion batteries, consultancy Creation Inn predicts that the total amount of recycled lithium could reach 5,800 tons (30,000 tons lithium carbonate equivalent) in 2025, 9 percent of the total lithium battery supply, while the amount of cobalt from recycled batteries is expected to reach… Read more »
Raption 50 DC fast charger uses a modular design to maximize uptime
Barcelona-based charger manufacturer Circontrol presented its new Raption 50 DC quick charging station at the recent EVS30 exhibition in Stuttgart. The Raption 50 series is designed to maximize its uptime and availability for users, thanks to its modular design, which features four individual power packs that deliver 12.5 kW each. If one power pack fails,… Read more »
