Ford’s Q4 2020 earnings report included an announcement that the automaker will increase its investments in electrification to at least $22 billion through 2025, nearly twice the previously-announced level (the company also committed an additional $7 billion to autonomous vehicle tech). As auto analyst John Voelcker pointed out, Ford’s figure tops GM’s announced investment of… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "Plug "
AEM’s new control board increases Tesla Drive Unit’s power in EV conversions
AEM EV plans to release a comprehensive control system for EV conversions using a Tesla Large Drive Unit (LDU) Base Drive that increases horsepower over the factory output. AEM’s Inverter Control Board was co-developed with Cascadia Motion, a maker of EV propulsion systems, and is intended to be combined with AEM EV’s VCU200 vehicle control… Read more »
MAFI introduces new electric terminal tractor
German commercial vehicle manufacturer MAFI Transport-Systeme has released an electric version of its popular T 230 diesel terminal tractor (terminal tractors, more colorfully known as “yard goats,” are used to move cargo around within ports and other such facilities). MAFI’s distributor, Eastern Lift Truck, said the new truck will be available this spring. The new… Read more »
Isolation technologies for EV power electronics
A previous article on bidirectional chargers touched on using transformers to provide isolation at high power levels—in which application they are the only game in town, really—but this time the focus will be on achieving isolation at low power levels, such as the feedback signal in a regulator, data communication buses between devices, gate drivers… Read more »
2022 GMC Hummer EV: the biggest, baddest, butchest EV to hit the market?
The news that General Motors would relaunch the infamous Hummer name—as an all-electric truck no less—broke a few days before the high-dollar, high-visibility 2020 Super Bowl ad that introduced that vehicle to the world. After a succession of carefully staged events for media and the public, we now know that the 2022 GMC Hummer EV… Read more »
Oil companies buying up EV charging networks: Shell acquires ubitricity
The European oil giants Total, BP and Shell have been buying up assets all along the EV charging value chain. The latest news is that Shell has agreed to buy 100% of the European charging network ubitricity. Founded in Berlin, ubitricity operates in a number of European countries, and claims to be the largest public… Read more »
Setting a new standard for battery leak testing
Defective cells can shorten battery life, decrease range, and lead to safety issues. A leaky cell housing, one common failure mode for Li-ion batteries, can allow ambient humidity to come in contact with the electrolyte, triggering an exothermic (heat-releasing) chemical reaction. Currently, the common practice in the battery manufacturing industry is to test cell packaging… Read more »
Moscow manufacturer introduces electric bus powertrain
Moscow-based NPP ITELMA, a developer and manufacturer of vehicle electronics, has introduced a full powertrain system for electric buses. The system will make it possible to convert any modern bus to electric drive, the company said. The company says its system can reduce EV energy consumption by 25% and increase e-bus range by up to… Read more »
Volkswagen brand triples deliveries of pure EVs in 2020
EV sales soared in Europe in 2020, and at least two legacy automakers, Daimler and Volkswagen, appear on track to meet the EU’s stringent emissions targets for the year. For the Volkswagen brand (part of the larger Volkswagen Group, which also includes Audi and Porsche), 2020 was “a turning point [and] a breakthrough in electric… Read more »
Ideanomics acquires wireless charging specialist WAVE
Ideanomics, which describes itself as “a global company focused on the convergence of financial services and industries experiencing technological disruption,” has agreed to acquire 100% of privately-held Wireless Advanced Vehicle Electrification (WAVE). Founded in 2011, and headquartered in Salt Lake City, WAVE is a pioneer in the field of inductive (wireless) charging solutions for medium-… Read more »