These days, not a week goes by without an announcement of some major electrification initiative from a major carmaker: Nissan’s new LEAF is coming to the US soon, GM is actually advertising its Bolt EV, VW and Daimler have each announced a range of new EVs (for China, at least), and Volvo and Jaguar have… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "range energy"
Nissan IMx electric SUV concept debuts in Tokyo
As it prepares to launch the next-generation LEAF in the US, Nissan offered a glimpse of the next phase of its electric strategy at the recent Tokyo Motor Show. The Nissan IMx is a compact crossover concept EV that has a range of 370 miles (on the Japanese test cycle – perhaps the equivalent of… Read more »
New control strategy enhances battery performance in cold weather
Researchers at Penn State, with a colleague from EC Power, have devised a new control strategy that can rapidly restore EV battery power and permit full regeneration while driving at temperatures as low as -40° C. The strategy involves heating the battery internally during regenerative braking and rest periods. In “Rapid restoration of electric vehicle… Read more »
Cummins acquires battery pack designer Brammo
Cummins (NYSE: CMI), best known as a manufacturer of heavy-duty diesel engines, recently unveiled a prototype electric truck. Now the company has taken another step towards electrification with the acquisition of Brammo, which develops electric drivetrains and battery packs. Brammo was founded in 2002 to build electric motorcycles (and was featured in the February 2014… Read more »
Tesla Model 3: Will this machine kill the Oil Age?
It’s hard to overestimate the importance of the Tesla Model 3 (although the media has been doing its best). There’s no question that it’s a momentous motorcar on (at least) three levels. First, Model 3’s success is widely assumed to be an existential issue for the company – if it fails to deliver on its… Read more »
Johnson Matthey to invest $270 million in battery material technology
Specialty chemicals company Johnson Matthey plans to invest $270 million to build production capacity for high-energy battery materials. Johnson Matthey first entered the Li-ion battery market in 2012, and is focusing on a broad portfolio of cathode materials to support a range of electrified vehicle applications. It has strategic partnerships with cell manufacturers and automotive… Read more »
ABB to deliver 117 more fast charging stations for German highways
Global electronics giant ABB has received an order from energy supplier EnBW for 117 rapid charging columns to be deployed at Tank & Rast service stations on German highways. EnBW ordered 68 stations from ABB last year. The fast charging stations, which are now being installed, have a charging capacity of 50 kW and feature… Read more »
Proterra and LG Chem co-develop new battery cell
Electric bus builder Proterra and Korean battery giant LG Chem have partnered to develop a battery cell optimized for the heavy-duty vehicle market. The cell chemistry has been optimized for maximum energy throughput, charge rate acceptance and energy density. Proterra claims its Catalyst E2 bus, introduced last year, offers the longest range of any electric… Read more »
Flying electric: Both startups and industry giants push ahead with electric airplanes
In the popular imagination, aviation represents the last frontier for electrification. Considering the weight and limited range of batteries, an electric airplane might seem practically impossible. However, while electric long-haul airliners probably lie pretty far in the future, the fact is that, in some applications, the technical obstacles to electrified aircraft are not as formidable… Read more »
Mitsubishi Electric increases reliability of automotive power modules with direct lead bonding
Much as humans need a heart to distribute energy throughout our bodies, EVs need a heart to transfer energy from their batteries to their motors. This “heart” of an EV is called a power module, and it’s responsible for driving the vehicle’s propulsion unit as efficiently as possible. Considering the critical importance of power modules,… Read more »