In the late 1980s, General Motors contracted with the California-based firm AeroVironment to develop the Impact electric concept car. It was the prototype that evolved into the infamous EV1 production car. While designing the Impact, AeroVironment needed the ability to test large-format battery packs for automotive applications. However, at that time, essentially no one else… Read more »
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Simulation of battery pack cooling systems: measure twice, cut once
The experts at Mentor Graphics walk us through the simulation and analysis of a battery pack cooling system. In the business of battery pack design, one of the main considerations is cooling. The pack must have a uniform and stable temperature for the batteries to perform adequately during worst-case conditions. Even within a single cell,… Read more »
2014 Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive
After a gradual build-up, Daimler’s automotive brands are now showing their stuff in the EV arenas of three continents. Stateside, the spotlight lands on the new, competitively priced Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive. Daimler AG, the parent company of Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA), hasn’t been the most visible mover or shaker in electric mobility up to this… Read more »
Freudenberg Group’s new line of Li-ion battery separators
The separator is a critical component of a battery. It provides a barrier between the anode and the cathode while enabling the exchange of ionic charge carriers from one side to the other. For over 40 years, the Freudenberg Group has been producing separators for nickel-based batteries, such as the nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) cells widely… Read more »
Every inch an EV: Tesla’s Model S redefines the automobile (new book excerpt)
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 »
Swedish company to develop fuel cell range extender
The Swedish Energy Agency has awarded Volvo Group spinout PowerCell 7 million kronor ($964,000) to develop a fuel cell system for use in a modular range extender system for EVs. PowerCell, together with its partners in the MoRE Zero consortium, will develop a scalable fuel cell system on the order of 20-25 kW, which will… Read more »
LG Chem means to have a 25 percent share of a growing EV battery market
After years of disappointment, the EV market is ready to grow, predicts Prabhakar Patil, CEO of LG Chem Power, and the Korean battery maker means to be one of the top players. “We expect to have a 25 percent share [of the global battery market],” Patil told Automotive News. “We know that we will be… Read more »
EPA report: EVs are beginning to have a “measurable and meaningful impact”
The most recent edition of the EPA’s annual report Light-Duty Automotive Technology, Carbon Dioxide Emissions, and Fuel Economy Trends notes that alternative fuel vehicles (including EVs, PHEVs and CNG vehicles) are beginning to have a “measurable and meaningful impact” on the fuel economy and CO2 emissions of the country’s passenger car fleet. The EPA report,… Read more »
Will European drivers warm to hybrids?
Hybrids, with or without plugs, are comparatively rare on European roads, but Automotive News believes that’s about to change, as EU limits on CO2 emissions become stricter, forcing Continental automakers to electrify. German and French automakers dominate the market in Europe, and diesels have long been their chosen solution, accounting for half of new-car sales… Read more »
Tesla fires new legal salvo against New Jersey auto dealers
Tesla has launched a new offensive in the ongoing War of the Auto Dealers, claiming that New Jersey’s Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) did not have the authority to stop the company from selling its electric cars at showrooms in the state. Tesla sold cars directly to customers at two New Jersey showrooms for a couple… Read more »
