(This article originally appeared in Charged Issue 7 – MAR/APR 2013) Q&A with Erik Spek: The Chief Engineer at TÜV SÜD Canada on battery abuse testing, improving safety, and developing standards. When analyzing the current state of lithium-ion technology, it helps to look back at the development of the nickel metal hydride battery (NiMH). Some argued that hybrid automotive… Read more »
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Mercedes plans to offer S-Class PHEV
Mercedes-Benz’s next generation S-Class will include two hybrid models, a gasoline and a diesel version, and a plug-in hybrid model will join the lineup “soon.” The new S 400 Hybrid, which combines a V6 gasoline engine with an electric motor and Li-ion battery pack, will deliver combined fuel economy of around 37 mpg, a reduction… Read more »
DOE to award $62.5 million to USABC to accelerate development of next-generation EV batteries
The DOE announced that the US Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC), an industry group managed by GM, Ford and Chrysler, will lead an industry-wide effort to accelerate development of next-generation battery technologies for electrified vehicles. The DOE will invest $12.5 million per year for five years, subject to congressional appropriations, which will be matched by an… Read more »
It’s in the details: Digatron Firing Circuits’ new stop-start testing rig
Digatron Firing Circuits’ new stop-start testing rig examines the limitations of lead-acid batteries and the inadequacy of traditional static tests. As the battery in a stop-start system ages, the fuel efficiency advantages are curtailed. It’s a real problem found in some first-generation systems, and has led many to question the methodology used in urban-efficiency tests…. Read more »
Model S outsells competing models from Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Lexus
While taking the number-two spot among such long-established automakers is an impressive feat for a startup company, it isn’t entirely a fair comparison.
EPA estimates Chevrolet Spark EV’s electric range at 82 miles
The Spark EV will be the first vehicle on the market to offer (as an option) the new SAE combo charger, which includes Level 2 and DC fast charging.
Buick Riviera PHEV debuts at Shanghai show
This strikingly sleek coupe is the fourth concept vehicle jointly developed by GM’s Shanghai joint ventures.
Plug-in vehicle sales set a new record in March
Please don’t tell any of the mainstream media, but US plug-in vehicle sales reached a new all-time high in March. Interestingly, pure EV sales (4750) outnumbered PHEV sales (3080), which, if its not just a temporary market gyration, would seem to be a reversal of the current conventional wisdom. In first place for March is… Read more »
KAIST discovers method to extend Li-air battery life
Researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have discovered a means to extend the lifetime of lithium-air (Li-air) batteries, a technology that offers the promise of higher energy densities than those achievable with conventional lithium-ion batteries. They report their findings in the February issue of the journal ChemSusChem. Li-air batteries are… Read more »
Mitsubishi electrifies Geneva
The prize for most charged major automaker at the Geneva Auto Salon goes to Mitsubishi, hands down. The majority of Mitsu’s exhibit space was devoted to electrified vehicles, and electro-themed videos played nonstop. At center stage were two flashy concept cars: the CA-MiEV, a red-hot electric hatchback with a 28 kWh battery that gives… Read more »
