Search Results Found For: "lithium"

Smith Electric Vehicles: the long haul and the short end of the stick

Smith sees a bright future in electric trucks on the horizon, but must wade through a sea of speculation to get there.  All Smith Electric Vehicles Corp. wanted was a long-term growth strategy that would let the company scale up production of its all-electric, zero-emission medium-duty trucks at the same time that it beefed up… Read more »

Can phase change material mitigate thermal runaway in Li-ion packs?

(This article originally appeared in Charged Issue 6 – JAN/FEB 2013) AllCell Technologies’ new phase change thermal management material If you have spent time at any of the EV industry trade shows, you’ve probably heard the term thermal runaway. It refers to a chain reaction in which an increase in temperature causes further increases in temperature and uncontrollable… Read more »

Rich Byczek on delayed battery overheating and stranded energy

(This article originally appeared in Charged Issue 6 – JAN/FEB 2013) EV standards gaps: Intertek’s Rich Byczek on two of the biggest safety concerns centered around batteries. The EV industry is young and evolving quickly – too quickly, in some cases, for the standards community to keep up.  The competing charging standards provide the most obvious example. There are… Read more »

A closer look at Li-ion cell balancing

Battery technology is an ever-changing, ever-improving field that has gained a great deal of momentum in recent years. With improved energy density, power density, and cost comes a huge variety of new and exciting applications in a wide range of industries. The future looks bright. But the future won’t be enabled solely by advances in chemistry… Read more »

Mouse Tesla offers to remove thorn from Lion Boeing’s paw

Elon Musk, the entrepreneurial force behind Tesla Motors and SpaceX, who surely knows a thing or two about lithium-ion batteries, has offered unspecified aid to aviation giant Boeing, whose flagship 787 Dreamliner remains grounded after a pair of battery-related incidents.  “Desire to help Boeing is real & am corresponding w 787 chief engineer,” Musk tweeted… Read more »

VIDEO: VIA Motors shows off massive plug-in pickup and work trucks

Leave it to Bob Lutz to create what must be the baddest plug-in truck ever built. VIA Motors’ XTRUX, which the company unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show, is based on the Chevrolet Silverado, but with its squared-off wheel wells and massive, chunky front end, it looks like it’s just itching to eat a LEAF for lunch…. Read more »

Accelerating battery development, part 2: Wildcat Discovery Technologies

Wildcat Discovery Technologies is a venture-backed start-up residing in sunny San Diego. Launched in late 2006, it makes efficient use of just 32 employees. The company has developed proprietary methods for rapidly synthesizing energy-storage materials.  Serial entrepreneurs Prof. Peter Schultz and Robert Downs have worked together for a number of years at the Genomics Novartis… Read more »