By Jeffrey Wishart, a Senior Project Engineer at Intertek, conducts research and development on products and services in the areas of energy, the environment, and advanced transportation. In addition to his supervisory position at Intertek, Dr. Wishart worked for several years at ETEC LABS (the research and consulting division of ECOtality) and at a utility company… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "range energy"
Volvo to show gas PHEV in Beijing
Underscoring the growing importance of China as a market for “new energy” vehicles, Volvo has announced that it will reveal its S60L PPHEV concept car at the 2014 Beijing International Auto Show. The gas/electric plug-in hybrid will be launched in China in early 2015, and will be produced at Volvo’s Chengdu plant. There’s no word… Read more »
Silicon rally: EnerG2’s new silicon battery anode material
It seems that every time the hottest new smartphone or tablet comes out, one of the biggest points of contention among users is its battery life. The demands put on the batteries run them down faster than users would like, and the OEMs can’t simply increase the batteries’ size while still hitting their targets for… Read more »
Ultracapacitor firm Ioxus raises $21 million in series C funding
Ioxus, a manufacturer of ultracapacitor technology, has raised $21 million in a series C funding round from investors that include IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and venture capital firm the Westly Group (this follows $15 million that Ioxus raised last July). Supercapacitors (aka ultracapacitors or ultracaps), with their superior charge/discharge rates and… Read more »
French retailer pleased with 18-month test of Renault electric truck
French retailer Carrefour has been testing what it claims is the world’s largest all-electric truck under actual operating conditions for the past 18 months, to rave reviews. The 16-ton refrigerated delivery truck was developed by Renault Trucks, and is based on a Midlum vehicle chassis. It has a 103 kW electric motor and two lithium-ion… Read more »
Quantifying battery risks and thermal safety
Exponent engineers on battery risks and thermal safety: If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. Any type of energy storage technology has some risk associated with the unanticipated release of stored energy. Failure of a pumped-hydro storage system, for example, can lead to flooding. Hydrocarbon fuels like gasoline, diesel or methane can ignite into flames…. Read more »
Tom Gage on ZEV mandates, Tesla’s early days, BMW’s EV commitment and V2G tech
Q&A with the EV trailblazer Tom Gage Tom Gage is one of America’s true EV pioneers. He’s perhaps best known as one of the designers of the tzero electric sports car that provided the inspiration for the Tesla Roadster. However, that is far from his only contribution to the electric mobility field. Charged recently caught up… Read more »
NHTSA closes investigation of Model S fires, Tesla installs new shield for battery pack
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has closed a three-month investigation of the Model S fire incidents, as Tesla announced a design change to better shield the car’s battery pack from road debris. Shortly after the fires, Tesla made a software update that raised the ride height of the Model S to reduce the… Read more »
Walmart develops tractor-trailer with turbine-powered series hybrid powertrain
Walmart has developed a super-efficient tractor-trailer rig that features a turbine-powered range extending series hybrid powertrain. The prototype truck, which is on display at this week’s Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Kentucky, is the result of collaboration between Walmart and many vendors, including Peterbilt, Roush Engineering, Great Dane Trailers, Parker Hannifin, and Capstone Turbine. The truck… Read more »
China’s best-selling plug-in: BYD’s QIN
China’s National Passenger Car Association has named BYD’s QIN plug-in hybrid sedan (pronounced “cheen”) the country’s best-selling electric vehicle. Since its launch in China in December, the BYD QIN has sold more than 6,000 vehicles, which represents over half of the Chinese new-energy vehicle market. Chinese buyers of plug-ins and other “new energy” vehicles receive… Read more »