The Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA), which serves some 450,000 residents in the northern Los Angeles metro region, says it has taken a step toward becoming the first 100% electric public transit fleet in the country, ordering up to 85 BYD electric buses over a five-year period. BYD will deliver a variety of e-bus models,… Read more »
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GM may license Volt powertrain to other automakers
GM has floated the idea of selling the plug-in hybrid powertrain used in the 2016 Chevrolet Volt (and in the Cadillac CT6 PHEV and Chevy Malibu Hybrid) to other automakers. “We want to be the partner of choice in propulsion system development in this complex and turbulent era we are approaching,” GM’s global powertrain chief… Read more »
The next nifty EV feature: perpendicular steering
Add another item to the list of neat tricks that cars will soon be learning: the ability to maneuver sideways in order to slip into tight parking spaces. The OmniSteer project, funded by Germany’s Ministry of Education and Research, aims to develop a vehicle with “a lateral and transverse guidance system capable of performing orthogonal,… Read more »
Advancing BMS: Linear Technology launches its fourth-generation battery stack monitor
Engineers use battery management systems (BMS) to prevent problems that occur in Li-ion batteries when they are over-charged or over-discharged, including premature capacity loss and thermal events. A BMS ensures precise control and keeps the individual cells balanced, which is critical to extracting the most useful energy from a pack. Fortunately for EV systems designers,… Read more »
Hyundai joins the plug-in club with the 2016 Sonata PHEV
Around the world, automakers are facing ever-tightening emissions regulations, and they understand very well that improving the efficiency of their internal-combustion engines isn’t going to be enough to bring them into compliance. Each OEM has crafted its own strategy to reduce the average emissions of its fleet. Hyundai has opted for an “all-in strategy,” developing… Read more »
EV Fleet CEO on building a highway-capable light-duty all-electric truck
There are a lot of great opportunities for companies building EVs for niche markets, but getting an independent automotive startup off the ground is anything but easy. EVs can be very practical from a financial point of view. So it’s a bit of a shame that for the world’s most practical vehicle buyer – the… Read more »
Self-heating lithium-ion battery aims to conquer winter range anxiety
One of the drawbacks of lithium-ion batteries is that they tend to suffer power loss in cold weather. At temperatures below freezing, charging is slower, regenerative braking is restricted and vehicle range can be reduced. Now researchers from Penn State and spin-off company EC Power have developed a battery that avoids these problems by self-heating… Read more »
DOE announces $58 million in funding for advanced vehicle technologies
The DOE has announced a Funding Opportunity Announcement that makes $58 million available for the development of various types of automotive technology advancements. The DOE will fund cost-shared projects with private industry, national laboratories, and university teams. “Our work refining cars that are efficient, affordable and can plug into the grid will help propel us… Read more »
New material shuts down batteries at high temperatures and restarts when it cools
Stanford researchers have invented a new technology that could eliminate thermal runaway in high-energy-density batteries. Thermal runaway refers to a chain reaction in which an increase in temperature causes further increases in temperature and uncontrollable release of energy. In “Fast and reversible thermoresponsive polymer switching materials for safer batteries,” published in Nature Energy, Professor Zhenan Bao and… Read more »
Indianapolis deploys second-largest electric bus fleet in the US
Complete Coach Works has complete delivery of 21 Zero Emission Propulsion System (ZEPS) electric buses to the Indianapolis Public Transportation Corporation (IndyGo). The 40-foot ZEPS-powered electric buses have been rebuilt with lightweight flooring and seats, low-resistance tires and energy-efficient heating and cooling. They are equipped with air-operated doors, hydraulic power steering, stainless steel bike racks… Read more »
