If you use social media, you probably see a never-ending stream of “articles” insisting that EV batteries wear out in a few years, making the cars worthless, that they can’t be recycled, they’re full of poisonous chemicals, yada yada yada. That would be news to Nissan’s UK Marketing Director Nic Thomas. “Almost all of the… Read more »
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Toyota to invest $5.6 billion to boost EV battery production in Japan and North Carolina
Toyota, that most enigmatic of major automakers, is slowly increasing investment in its struggling electrification efforts, even as it continues to lobby against government climate action, and sings the praises of ICEs in its corporate communications. The company recently announced plans to invest an additional $2.5 billion in a US facility that will manufacture batteries… Read more »
innolectric and CBMM study soft magnetic materials to increase charging efficiency
A joint research project of EV component manufacturer innolectric and Niobium products company CBMM is studying the role of nanocrystalline magnetic materials in boosting EV charging efficiency. The research is testing a soft magnetic core material with niobium in an innolectric on-board charger. “To achieve the best possible results, the functional properties, thermal behavior and… Read more »
SparkCharge raises $7 million in new investment, expands on-demand charging service to 12 new cities
Mobile charging specialist SparkCharge has secured an increased Series A investment of $7 million from Cleveland Avenue, bringing the company’s total Series A funding to $30 million. The company will use the new funds to finance its aggressive growth strategy. SparkCharge has also announced plans to expand its Currently on-demand EV charging delivery service app… Read more »
New California rule could increase participation in time-of-use rate programs
An increasing number of utilities are offering time-of-use (TOU) rate plans, which incentivize EV owners to schedule charging at off-peak times. However, as Canary Media reports, some utilities require customers to install redundant separate electrical meters at their own expense in order to take part in TOU programs, even though many EV charging stations can… Read more »
Duke Energy tests EV batteries as grid resource in Florida lab
Florida utility Duke Energy is testing the V2G features of the new Ford F-150 Lightning at the company’s Energy Wise Lab in St Petersburg, Florida (the home of Charged). The R&D pilot will evaluate the viability of the Lightning’s high-capacity batteries and two-way charging capability as a way to power Florida homes during outages and… Read more »
Blue Bird offers turnkey charging solutions for electric school buses
Iconic school bus builder Blue Bird has expanded its electrification ecosystem with the launch of Blue Bird Energy Services, which provides turnkey charging solutions for electric school bus fleets. Blue Bird says it has nearly 650 electric school buses in operation today. The company builds a full range of electric school bus models, which offer… Read more »
hofer’s new 800 V EV inverter to use VisIC gallium nitride chips
Automotive powertrain maker hofer powertrain is using semiconductor manufacturer VisIC Technologies’s gallium nitride chip in its new inverter. hofer powertrain has selected the gallium nitride D3GaN Direct Drive D-Mode chip for its new traction inverter. The high-frequency 3-level inverter is designed for 800 V battery systems in automotive applications. “hofer powertrain’s development paves the way… Read more »
Blue Bird and Lightning eMotors to offer electric retrofits for gas and propane school buses
School bus icon Blue Bird plans to offer a factory-certified electric repower program for some of its gasoline- and propane-powered school buses. The company is working with Colorado-based powertrain manufacturer Lightning eMotors to jointly develop this retrofit powertrain system. Blue Bird will launch the repower program in 2023 for gasoline- and propane-powered Blue Bird Vision… Read more »
The EV raw materials crunch: How bad, how long, how to solve it?
This article originally appeared in Issue 60: April-June 2022 Subscribe now Every new technology must overcome a series of temporary constraints on its way to widespread adoption. Since modern EVs appeared a decade ago, they’ve motored past many of these bottlenecks, (or hurdles, or roadblocks—pick your preferred metaphor). Range has increased, access to charging infrastructure has expanded,… Read more »