Korean batterymaker LG Chem is one of the rising stars of the EV revolution. Its cells power the Chevy Volt, and its components are an integral part of the new Bolt. It will also supply the battery pack system and controls for the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan. This is translating into jobs in the… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "US Hybrid"
Plug-in sales through the roof in 2016 as multiple models set records
December plug-in sales blew away last year’s figure, a cheery finale to a year that saw a huge increase. 159,139 EVs and PHEVs changed hands in 2016, a 37% increase over 2015’s 116,099. A new breeze seems to be blowing through boardrooms around the industry, from Toyota to Chrysler to Ford. As usual, Tesla heads… Read more »
China may allow EV makers to produce cars without JV partners
China is one of the epicenters of the electromobility revolution, and a new proposal could make it much more so, while also giving a boost to American EV-makers such as Tesla. Currently, foreign automakers are allowed to produce vehicles in the country only through a joint venture with a local partner. Now China’s National Development… Read more »
Valeo and Siemens launch electric powertrain joint venture
The powertrain joint venture announced in April by tech giants Valeo and Siemens has begun operations. Valeo Siemens eAutomotive is headquartered in Erlangen, Germany, and is expected to have some 1,000 employees. It has plans to establish R&D centers in Europe and China. The JV’s portfolio includes motors, range extenders, onboard chargers, inverters and DC/DC… Read more »
New ORNL hardware-in-the-loop facility simulates advanced ICEs combined with electrification
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) have developed a new testing capability to explore new automotive technology, including hybrid vehicle architectures, in real-world drive cycles. The new facility is focused on low-temperature combustion engines, but builds upon the powertrain-in-the-loop expertise established by ORNL’s Vehicle Systems Integration Laboratory. The hardware-in-the-loop setup includes a transient dynamometer… Read more »
Seaworthy EVs: Leclanché designs and manufactures Li-ion cells and systems
The advantages of electrifying transportation are far-reaching. Advanced energy storage systems are even making their way into the commercial marine industry. There are many marine applications in which adding a large Li-ion battery pack makes a lot of sense. The best-use case varies depending on the boat size and purpose. All-electric ferries, for example, are… Read more »
Turnkey drivetrains: UQM, Eaton and Pi Innovo collaborate to help build better heavy-duty EVs
We write about electric buses a lot at Charged. That’s because, as our July/August cover story pointed out, we think that e-buses will inevitably become the top choice for cities and municipalities. This could happen a lot quicker than many people realize, and some have predicted that transit buses will be the first segment in… Read more »
VW to provide $2 billion for ZEV infrastructure, drawing criticism and praise from insiders
By now, the main events in Volkswagen’s dirty diesel scandal are familiar to Charged readers. For years, the world’s second-largest automaker opted not to produce hybrids or EVs, instead relying on “clean diesel” to meet government-mandated emissions standards. In 2015, scientists at the International Council on Clean Transportation were puzzled to find that they couldn’t… Read more »
I tried to power three EVs with solar panels
It’s a compelling vision of the future: empowered consumers generating their own clean electricity to power their state-of-the-art EVs. But is it practical today? Popular Mechanics writer Ezra Dyer set out to find out. Dyer installed a rooftop solar array consisting of 24 310-watt LG panels, with a nominal capacity of 7.4 kilowatts. The system… Read more »
Penn State professor wins grant to develop self-healing layers for Li metal anodes
Donghai Wang, who leads the Energy Nanostructure Laboratory at Penn State, has won a $1.1-million grant from the DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office to develop a new lithium-ion conductor that will prevent the formation of dendrites, the bane of lithium metal anodes. Wang and his team plan to use thin layers of nanostructured hybrid materials to… Read more »