It’s hard to overestimate the importance of the Tesla Model 3 (although the media has been doing its best). There’s no question that it’s a momentous motorcar on (at least) three levels. First, Model 3’s success is widely assumed to be an existential issue for the company – if it fails to deliver on its… Read more »
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Continental says its AllCharge system will provide maximum power, no matter the charging station
Continental’s AllCharge is a technology that aims to provide a universal charging experience for EVs. The way it sets out to do this is simple, yet surprisingly unique: Instead of using purpose-built charging components, AllCharge makes use of the existing components of an EV’s electric powertrain to charge the vehicle. “Normally you have to swallow… Read more »
Tesla discontinues cheapest Model S option
Tesla has officially discontinued its cheapest Model S variant, the 75 with rear-wheel drive. The Model S lineup now consists of just three models, all of them featuring dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrains: the 75D, 100D, and P100D. Tesla hasn’t changed the pricing of the three trim levels, but the change means that the least expensive Model… Read more »
New plug-in Ford Transit van debuts in UK
Ford’s new plug-in hybrid Transit Custom van made its debut at the recent Cenex Low Carbon Vehicle event in Millbrook, UK. Scheduled for volume production in 2019, the Transit Custom PHEV is expected to have a 31-mile electric range, and features Ford’s EcoBoost 1.0-liter gasoline engine as a range extender. The liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery pack… Read more »
Federal Low-No Vehicle program awards $55 million in grants for transit buses and infrastructure
The DOT’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced $55 million in grants to local transit agencies through the Low or No Emission (Low-No) Vehicle program. Fifty-one projects in 39 states will receive funding. One recipient is the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA), in Charged’s home town of St Petersburg, Florida. PSTA will receive $1,000,000 to… Read more »
GigaCoater increases manufacturing capacity for lithium-ion battery electrodes
Babcock & Wilcox MEGTEC’s new GigaCoater wide-web coating line for lithium-ion battery electrodes is designed to facilitate high-volume production of battery electrodes. The GigaCoater coating platform uses B&W MEGTEC’s simultaneous 2-sided coating system. The dual-coating method, in combination with coating rheology, maximizes production time and delivers in-line quality control. Each GigaCoater can produce up to… Read more »
A closer look at rare earth permanent magnets
Rare earth magnets have gotten a lot of coverage in the EV press over the years for being expensive – especially back in 2011 when a supply disruption in China sent the prices up anywhere from fivefold for neodymium to 20-fold for dysprosium over the course of a few months – yet they are still… Read more »
Mitsubishi Electric increases reliability of automotive power modules with direct lead bonding
Much as humans need a heart to distribute energy throughout our bodies, EVs need a heart to transfer energy from their batteries to their motors. This “heart” of an EV is called a power module, and it’s responsible for driving the vehicle’s propulsion unit as efficiently as possible. Considering the critical importance of power modules,… Read more »
Dynamic wireless charging: What’s feasible? Q&A with Qualcomm’s Graeme Davison
Charged has been writing about Wireless Electric Vehicle Charging (WEVC) technology for several years. As far back as 2012, automakers have said they plan to include the technology on future EVs. While those plans have been delayed for a few different reasons – interoperability standards, uncertainty in the EV market, etc. – it now appears… Read more »
Nissan reveals long-awaited second-gen LEAF
Since the Bolt and Model 3 cracked the 200 mile/$40k barrier earlier this year, we’ve been eagerly waiting to see how EV pioneer Nissan would respond. Well, the company has just unveiled its new 2018 LEAF and…we’re not sure what to think. From a technical standpoint, the next-gen model offers only an incremental improvement –… Read more »
