Three Li-ion battery chemistries, the speed of its software and hardware systems configuration and the automotive legacy of Voltabox make this newly-landed American spin-off company a player in the realm of rechargeable batteries for public transit and heavy industrial vehicles. Austin, Texas is known for many things: music festivals, barbequed ribs, the Texas Longhorns, filmmaker… Read more »
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Next-gen battery pack testing: AeroVironment launches the AV-900 EX
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 »
Innovate UK ponies up £15 million for carbon-reducing vehicle technologies
The UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK (formerly the Technology Strategy Board) has put up a pot of £15 million ($24 million) in grants for the development of vehicle technologies that can reduce CO2 emissions. Funding will be awarded on a competitive basis. Innovate UK is seeking proposals in these areas: Electric machines and power electronics… 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 »
Maxwell and Corning agree to work together on ultracapacitor tech
Maxwell Technologies (NASDAQ: MXWL) has announced a joint development agreement with Corning (NYSE: GLW) with the goal of advancing the state of capacitive energy storage technology. Maxwell brings expertise in ultracapacitor cell design and a growing presence in the energy storage market to the partnership, while Corning is a specialist in high-performance materials, and has… Read more »
GM releases details of next-generation Volt powertrain
GM has released some details of the second-generation Voltec electric-drive system that will power the 2016 Volt. According to Volt Lead Engineer Andrew Farah, the primary goals for the new powertrain were to improve performance, raise overall efficiency, and cut engine noise. The new Volt has a pair of electric motors, either or both of… Read more »
German researchers optimize regenerative braking with torque vectoring transmission
As part of Germany’s Visio.M electromobility project, researchers at Munich Technical University (TUM) have developed a torque vectoring transmission that’s designed to improve handling and recoup the maximum amount of braking energy. “While drive torque is normally distributed 50/50 to the wheels of the drive axle, our torque vectoring system doses the torque between the… Read more »
New battery, using titanium dioxide anode, can be recharged in two minutes
The latest battery breakthrough comes from Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore), where researchers have developed a lithium-ion battery that they say can be recharged up to 70 per cent in only two minutes, and can endure more than 10,000 charging cycles. NTU Singapore’s scientists replaced the traditional graphite anode with a new gel material made… Read more »