Nick Flaherty explains how techniques for analysing the surface of battery materials are leading to better cell designs Materials analysis is essential in developing new battery components and ensuring they meet high standards of quality. Thermal analysis plays an important part in raw material characterisation, especially for thermal runway issues. More…

BMW and Airbus are using a quantum computer to improve the design of hydrogen fuel cells (writes Nick Flaherty).
The two are working with quantum computing company Quantinuum on a design flow that combines quantum and classical techniques to speed up research. More…

Porsche and Frauscher Shipyard have presented the first production model of their electric 850 Fantom Air.
Equipped with powertrain technology from the forthcoming all-electric Porsche Macan, it uses components of the Premium Platform Electric on which the Macan is based. This includes a permanently excited synchronous electric motor, whose peak power for the eFantom has been limited to 400 kW, and the associated power electronics. More…

Comau has implemented a turnkey solution to automate the manufacturing of NIO’s next-generation e-drive systems. The company says it ensures fast and reliable co-line production for the EV manufacturer’s third-gen induction and permanent magnet motors.
The solution includes primary lines such as e-motor assembly lines, gearbox manufacturing and inverter assembly lines, as well as end-of-line testing processes. More…

Peter Donaldson reports on how this zero-emissions version of a diesel piling rig has been designed and developed Drilling piles into the ground has been a crucial task in building for thousands of years. Whether they’re made from timber, reinforced concrete, steel or aluminium – and whether in column or sheet form – they help to stabilise the ground and make it more able to support heavy structures. More…

ZF’s Commercial Vehicle Solutions division showcased its AxTrax 2 LF electric portal axle for low-floor city buses at the recent Busworld 2023 show. More…

Elinta Motors has launched its third-generation 400 and 800 V systems. The 400 V version is aimed at light to medium-duty vehicles, and features a 160 kW motor and up to 168 kWh with four battery packs. More…

Researchers in the US and UK have used additive manufacturing (AM) to develop a 3D-printed motor with materials previously considered too brittle to use (writes Nick Flaherty).
The researchers, at the University of Sheffield in the UK and the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US, have developed a 10 kW prototype motor that they are scaling up to 40 kW for e-mobility applications. More…

Battery power systems producer EaglePicher has announced an award by Saab to design and develop a 24 V, 36 Ah lithium-ion batteries for its Gripen E-series fighter aircraft. They are the first of their kind to be used on Saab’s aircraft. More…

Welding experts give Peter Donaldson their views on how the technology is keeping abreast of developments in the EV batteries industry Welding is a vitally important family of joining techniques for EV battery systems. A large battery might need thousands of individual connections, joining the positive and negative terminals of cells together in combinations of parallel and series blocks to form modules and packs of the required voltage and capacity. More…

About:Energy has characterised the P45B high-power battery cell from Molicel being used in several eVTOL designs (writes Nick Flaherty).
The P45B has a 10C pulse discharge capability and a 3C charge capability but can still provide a 242 Wh/kg nominal specific energy. Its low DC internal resistance is measured by About:Energy at 13.8 mΩ (7.86 mΩ for 0.2 seconds) bodes well for high C-rate use cases, particularly where the thermal management system is constrained. More…

Bo, maker and developer of the world’s most sophisticated urban micro-mobility vehicle, announces the move to production and confirms full launch specifications of the revolutionary Bo M, a new electric vehicle for city riders, which will offer the smoothest and most stable ride of any vehicle in its class. More…

Adhesives & Bonding Expo Europe, co-located with Foam Expo Europe and Thermal Management Expo Europe, is a free-to-attend trade fair and conference scheduled to take place from 5-7 December 2023, in Stuttgart, Germany – a renowned manufacturing hub and an established location for the automotive industry. More…

Foam Expo Europe is a free-to-attend trade fair and conference, taking place on 5-7 December 2023 in the manufacturing hub and car capital of Stuttgart, Germany. It’s co-located with Adhesives & Bonding Expo Europe and Thermal Management Expo Europe, plus your free pass includes access to Automotive Interiors Expo Europe, our event partner. More…

Researchers at the Bernal Institute in the University of Limerick (UL) are developing processes to create sustainable carbon fibres for car structures and batteries (writes Nick Flaherty).
The processes use lignin, which is found in the walls of plant cells and is the second most common carbon material after cellulose. More…

Vitesco Technologies, a leading international supplier of modern drive technologies and electrification solutions, is developing a power module which will be manufactured using transfer molding process.
During this process the power electronics are sealed under a dielectric material that protects the components extremely well. The result is a very robust, cost effective and reliable electronic. The power module consists of three overmolded half-bridges and forms the core of an inverter system, which controls both the drive energy and the energy recovery (recuperation) in high-voltage electric vehicles. More…

Despite the pace at which sales of electric passenger vehicles are growing, and the promise they hold for lowering worldwide carbon emissions, there is a major conflict between the way EV designs are evolving and how that threatens to create serious problems for the sustainability of automotive supply chains.
Historically, the primary deterrent to consumers adopting EVs has been range anxiety, given the comparatively lower MPGe of battery packs versus fuel tanks in IC-engined cars, and the far lower availability of charging points relative to fuelling stations. In response, automotive OEMs are building EVs with ever-larger batteries, with a view to enabling EVs to complete their day-to-day journeys and make it back home without needing to recharge. More…

Yamaichi Electronics has added Connector Position Assurance (CPA) and integrated contact protection to its fourth generation of board-to-cable connector for battery packs (writes Nick Flaherty). More…

Motors and inverters manufacturer Helix has announced the completion of its direct drive scalable aerospace electric propulsion demonstrator technology project.
Known internally as the XBS, the project ran in partnership with the UK’s Midlands Aerospace Alliance (MAA) and the Aerospace Unlocking Potential (Aerospace UP) project between the MAA and the University of Nottingham. Helix developed the XBS project within its X-Division. More…

Turntide Technologies has announced the launch of the Turntide lithium-ion NMC battery pack. It offers a scalable modular design with greater energy density in a lighter, smaller form factor than the previous Hyperdrive battery line. More…