As many readers know, competitive engineering of e-mobility systems takes more than just high-quality electric parts: there is far more to an EV than its battery, motor and inverter. Many of the most cutting-edge and game-changing electric road, off-road, sea and air vehicles simply would not exist without innovations in non-electric components. When it comes to maximising actual kilometres per kilowatt, attention has to be paid to subsystems such as transmissions, suspensions, tyres and lightweight materials. More…

Researchers in the US have developed a solid-state lithium metal battery for use in future EVs that would fully charge in as little as 3 minutes (writes Nick Flaherty). The technology, which has a lifetime of 10,000 cycles, has been licensed by Harvard University to Adden Energy to scale up to pouch and then prismatic […] More…

Magna’s 48 V hybrid transmission has been fitted to the Jeep Renegade, Compass e-Hybrid, Fiat 500 X and Tipo, the first models from Stellantis to be equipped with the system. The transmission is said to offer improved driving dynamics due to electric torque vectoring and traction support. Magna says the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission provides a […] More…

Silicon Mobility has announced that its OLEA APP-T222 motor control application for traction inverters is now certified to ISO 26262 ASIL-C. The company says this makes it the first to offer an ISO 26262-certified full-stack automotive solution, which includes the ASIL-D OLEA T222 FPCU chip, the OLEA Composer development framework and the OLEA LIB libraries […] More…

Pumping air into an engine so that more fuel can be burned is a long-established means of persuading the engine to provide more power and, in the case of turbocharging, greater fuel efficiency (writes Peter Donaldson). These days, the same technique is being applied to fuel cells and for the same reasons. Cummins, for example, […] More…

Research into sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) began in the 1970s and ’80s but was overtaken by lithium-ion battery (LIB) research in the 1990s. However, NIBs have recently re-emerged as a potential sustainable and less expensive alternative to LIBs as the demand for lithium drives up its cost, and there is growing concern over the safety of LIB cells, which can be prone to short-circuits and thermal runaway. More…

Developing heavy-duty powertrains for integrating into electric passenger buses is fundamentally different from other EV applications, owing to their unique drive cycles and weight-carrying considerations, and their dramatically different HVAC requirements (writes Rory Jackson). Unlike other EVs, an electric bus can expend as much energy on heating and cooling its cabin interior as it does […] More…

Coherent has unveiled HIGHvision, a machine vision system for laser-welding heads that it says greatly improves the efficiency of manufacturing EV batteries and motors. HIGHvision is a turnkey system consisting of machine vision hardware and software that enables laser welding heads to align to software-defined features on the workpiece in milliseconds and with high accuracy. […] More…

As part of the FullStack TS fuel cell test bench project, a new generation of test benches is being developed to cover full stacks of cells of up to 200 kW. In the project, Smart Testsolutions will be responsible for monitoring the cell voltages. The project’s funding comes from the Baden-Wurttemberg Lebens-grundlage Umwelt und ihre […] More…

Amogy in the US has demonstrated its ammonia-powered technology in a heavy-duty electric vehicle for the first time (writes Nick Flaherty). The 100 kW tractor marks a 20-fold increase in the performance of the technology over the past year. It uses ammonia (NH3) with a fuel cell rather than hydrogen to provide access to a […] More…

Increasing interest in preserving the world’s Arctic regions has generated strong demand among tour companies and eco-tourists for zero-emissions snow-going vehicles. An electric snowmobile would be quieter, emissions-free, and far easier to maintain than an IC-engined version. More…

EPC has developed a reference design called the EPC9165 for a 2 kW bidirectional charger in 48 V hybrid vehicles using GaN transistors (writes Nick Flaherty). Mild hybrids running on 48 V require a 48 to 12 V bidirectional converter, with power ranging from 1.5 to 6 kW. The EPC9165’s design uses a synchronous buck/boost […] More…

German e-mobility specialist Quantron has signed a framework agreement with TMP Logistics Group for an order of up to 500 Class 8 trucks with fuel cell EV drive systems. The signing took place after the Hydrogen Americas Summit 2022 on October 12 at the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce. The event was supported by […] More…

Ascend Performance Materials has announced a new flame-retardant nylon for EV safety applications. It says its Trinohex Ultra electrolyte additive, which it unveiled recently at The Battery Show North America, improves lithium-ion battery safety, extends cycle life and boosts performance. In third-party testing, Trinohex Ultra demonstrated superior cathode protection across cathode and electrolyte chemistries. The […] More…

The most supportable claim by EVs to environmental friendliness is that they lead to cleaner air in towns and cities because they emit no combustion products (writes Peter Donaldson). The fly in that ointment is particles from tyre wear, of which EVs tend to generate more because they are heavier than comparable IC-engined vehicles and […] More…

Reading materials Advances in coating and materials were some of the key takeaways from one of Europe’s largest battery trade fairs, reports Peter Donaldson Held in Stuttgart as June became July, the Battery Show and Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo had many highlights, including an advanced battery concept that boosts energy density using a […] More…

GKN Aerospace has been working on cryogenic technology to boost the efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells and electric motors for aircraft (writes Nick Flaherty). The ‘hyperconducting’ systems proposed by the company use the liquid hydrogen stored in the aircraft as fuel as a heat sink, cooling the electrical conductors to temperatures below -200 ºC to […] More…

Aqua Metals has demonstrated a key step in using recycled elements in the production of lithium-ion cells for EVs (writes Nick Flaherty). The company, based in Nevada, has successfully plated high-purity cobalt and produced manganese dioxide from lithium-ion battery black mass. Black mass is the result of the recycling process of lithium ion battery cells […] More…

Everrati has announced that its electrified version of the Porsche 911 (964) Wide Body Cabriolet – the first of its kind in the world – is now available. It has more than double the output of the original car, on which it is based, and comes in 440 bhp or 500 bhp options and with […] More…

Mustang Advanced Engineering (MAE), a US manufacturer of testing equipment, dynamometers and related products, has announced the delivery of the third of three functional test stands for a major OEM of battery EVs. The OEM contacted MAE to design and build three different pieces of testing equipment – an end-of-line chassis dynamometer capable of testing […] More…