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 »
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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 »
Will the Buy American provisions of the revamped EV tax credit do more harm than good?
Auto industry experts (and others) are beginning to assess the details of the redesigned federal EV tax credit program contained in the Inflation Reduction Act. There’s broad agreement that the changes will help to speed EV adoption, but there’s also concern that some provisions of the law could be counter-productive, at least in the short… Read more »
bp to invest £50 million in new UK battery R&D center
bp has unveiled plans to invest up to £50 million (around $60 million) in a new, state-of-the-art EV battery testing center and analytical laboratory in the UK. The new facilities, which are planned to open by the end of 2024, will be located at bp’s existing global headquarters for its Castrol business in Pangbourne, Berkshire,… Read more »
LG Energy Solution partners with Compass Minerals to secure US lithium supply chain
LG Energy Solution has signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Compass Minerals (NYSE: CMP), a provider of essential minerals for producing battery-grade lithium. Under the terms of the MoU, Compass Minerals would supply LGES with lithium carbonate and hydroxide. LGES would be supplied with as much as 40% of Compass’s planned annual phase-one… Read more »
Walmart to buy 4,500 Canoo electric delivery vehicles
Walmart has become the latest large fleet operator to make a vote of confidence in a startup EV-maker—the giant retailer has made a definitive agreement with Canoo (NASDAQ: GOEV) to purchase 4,500 electric delivery vehicles, beginning with the Lifestyle Delivery Vehicle (LDV), with the option to purchase up to 10,000 units. Advanced deliveries, which will… Read more »
Turntide Technologies to offer powertrains for commercial and industrial EVs
Motor maker Turntide Technologies plans to launch a battery and powertrain product line designed for off-highway, autonomous guided, construction, truck, bus, marine and rail applications. Turntide Electrification products include the lithium-ion Hyperdrive battery system, inverters, stackable motor systems, pumps, fans and DC-DC converters. UK-based heavy-equipment manufacturer JCB uses the Hyperdrive battery system in its 19C-1… Read more »
Littelfuse acquires C&K Switches
Littelfuse, a circuit protection specialist, has acquired electromechanical switch company C&K Switches. C&K Switches designs and manufactures switches and interconnect systems for the industrial, transportation, aerospace and datacom markets. “The combination of our companies significantly expands our technologies and capabilities, enabling us to deliver comprehensive solutions offering to our broad customer base, across a wide… Read more »