Researchers at the DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have discovered that the “special sauce” of batteries is all about the salt concentration. By getting the right amount of salt right where they want it, they’ve demonstrated that a lithium-metal battery can undergo about seven times more charge/discharge cycles than batteries with conventional electrolytes. Finding an electrolyte solution… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "raw material"
Garnet ceramic electrolyte helps block dendrite formation
Researchers at the University of Maryland have developed a new template that they hope will enable a safer alternative to liquid electrolytes, which have several drawbacks, including flammability, leakage and dendrite formation in the electrodes. In “Lithium-ion conductive ceramic textile: A new architecture for flexible solid-state lithium metal batteries,” published in Materials Today, UMD researchers… Read more »
2018 smart fortwo loses its top – and its gas engine
The smart isn’t for everyone, and it has never pretended to be. The media buzz these days centers around the trendy trio – Model 3, the Bolt and the new LEAF, each of which aspires to be “your affordable, every-day, one-and-only car,” as Motor Trend recently put it. The smart does not aspire to any… Read more »
Battery expert examines Tesla Roadster claims
Elon Musk raised some eyebrows when he announced that the new Tesla Roadster will do 0-60 in 1.9 seconds and have a range of 620 miles. That would make it not only by far the longest-range EV in existence, but also the quickest car ever produced. “These numbers sound unreal but they’re not,” said Musk…. Read more »
Fisker files patents on solid-state battery tech
Reborn automaker Fisker has filed patents for a new type of solid-state battery technology that it says could lead to much greater energy density and faster charging times. According to Fisker, current limitations of solid-state technology include low electrode current density, limited temperature ranges and non-scalable manufacturing processes. Other drawbacks include: low power and low… Read more »
Long aluminum, double-sided chip cooling solutions enhance electrified vehicles
Sponsored by Dana. Today, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are looking for cooling solutions that reduce costs and enhance efficiency. Long® double-sided insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) cooling systems produced by Dana enable electrified vehicles to achieve consistent operation and long-lasting performance. As OEMs design electrified vehicles that compete with traditional combustion engines, the need for… Read more »
Details of Tesla Model 3 continue to trickle out
As the long-awaited delivery date for Model 3 draws closer, more details of the world’s most anticipated vehicle are slowly coming to light. Production is to start in July, and Elon Musk has said that deliveries will begin in July as well – probably with a ceremonious handing-over over of keys to a handful of… Read more »
New VW subsidiary to manage $2 billion investment in EV infrastructure
Volkswagen has formed a new subsidiary to manage its $2 billion penance for the dirty diesel scandal. The new company, Electrify America, will be based in Reston, Virginia, and Volkswagen Group of America Chief Operating Officer Mark McNabb will serve as its CEO. Electrify America will build and maintain a “high-speed, cross-country” network of over… Read more »
Tesla subsidies amount to a fraction of what the Big Three have received
Tesla has been the target of trolls, misinformation and fake news stories since its founding. Whole web sites are devoted to trumpeting the company’s failings, real and invented. Since the US presidential election, the torrent of tirades has kicked into high gear. The Institute for Energy Research, a think tank funded by oil and coal… Read more »
New supercapacitor has the potential for “astonishingly high” capacity
Supercapacitors, which can be charged rapidly and deliver intense bursts of power, are a hot topic these days. However, current supercapacitors use components made of carbon, which require high temperatures and harsh chemicals to produce. Now researchers at MIT and elsewhere have developed a supercapacitor that uses no conductive carbon, and that could potentially produce… Read more »