As some automakers such as Audi are turning to 48 V electrical systems to facilitate the integration of ever more electronic accessories, Austin, Texas-based Freescale Semiconductor (NYSE: FSL) has introduced a highly integrated 14-cell lithium-ion battery cell controller. Freescale’s MC33771 battery cell controller and companion MC33664 isolated communications interface include fourteen cell balancing transistors, a… Read more »
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New study: Rapid charging doesn’t damage lithium-ion batteries as much as thought
A new study has found that fast charging and discharging of lithium-ion batteries may not be as damaging as most researchers believe. The results of the study, Current-induced Transition from Particle-by-particle to Concurrent Intercalation in Phase-separating Battery Electrodes, published in Nature Materials, challenge the conventional wisdom that fast charging necessarily shortens battery life. The authors… Read more »
US plug-in sales break 250,000 as National Drive Electric Week kicks off
US plug-in vehicle sales have surpassed the quarter-million mark, just in time for National Drive Electric Week, September 15-21. Sales have increased by a healthy percentage every year since the Volt and LEAF went on the market at the end of 2010. 2014 sales total 76,799 so far, on track to handily beat 2013’s figure… Read more »
Are auto dealers the EV’s worst enemy?
It’s safe to say that car dealers aren’t a particularly beloved bunch. Shopping for a car may not be as bad as going to the dentist, but for many people, it’s right up there. Technically-minded buyers find it frustrating to try to glean some factual information from the typical rambling sales pitch, while more gentle… Read more »
Q&A with Qualcomm’s Joe Barrett, Appealing to the wireless generation
In January 2014, the Alliance for Wireless Power announced Qualcomm Technologies Inc. as one of the first companies to earn Rezence certification, a technology and set of specifications endorsed by the world’s leading mobile chipmakers, mobile phone manufacturers and other key industry partners. With Qualcomm and other companies now certified, it is expected that Rezence-based… Read more »
A closer look at how batteries fail
A lot of research has been done to improve lithium-ion battery safety, cycle life and power output over a range of high and low temperatures, yet understanding the fundamental processes and degradation mechanisms in Li-ion batteries remains a challenge. To understand the degradation processes of lithium-ion batteries, it is important to understand how they operate…. Read more »
New book excerpt: The early days of Tesla
This article is an excerpt from Tesla Motors: How Elon Musk and Company Made Electric Cars Cool, and Sparked the Next Tech Revolution by Charged Senior Editor Charles Morris. This 270-page book is a comprehensive history of Tesla, told by the entrepreneurs who made it happen, as well as an assessment of the company’s lasting influence… Read more »
A123 names Patrick Hurley as its new Chief Technology Officer
A123 Systems, the Massachusetts battery-maker now owned by Chinese giant Wanxiang, has hired former Johnson Controls executive Patrick Hurley as its Chief Technology Officer. Hurley will lead the company’s R&D arm, A123 Venture Technologies, and will also be responsible for integrating A123’s battery development in China. The change is part of the compnay’s move away… Read more »
Credit Suisse: Tesla has already proven that EVs are inherently better
A major stock market opinion-maker has affirmed what Charged readers already know: EVs will inevitably replace old-fashioned international combustion engines, and Tesla Motors will be a major beneficiary of the shift. “We believe that Tesla has already proven that EVs are inherently better, although most industry observers, and certainly the general public, don’t know it… Read more »
Orange EV electric terminal truck completes demonstration, qualifies for Drive Clean Chicago incentives
Kansas City-based Orange EV’s T-Series electric terminal truck has been approved for financial incentives through the Drive Clean Chicago program, which offers terminal operators a cash subsidy of $45,000 to $75,000 per truck. Orange EV converts legacy diesel trucks to pure electric, stripping the chassis down to bare metal, installing an electric powertrain and reconditioning… Read more »