Delays in getting electrical service hooked up represent one of the biggest roadblocks to building more EV charging hubs, and several industry insiders have told Charged that a major reason for those delays is a shortage of transformers. Hitachi Energy, one of the world’s largest transformer manufacturers, is increasing production to meet the massive demand… Read more…

Norway-headquartered Vianode, a manufacturer of synthetic graphite for battery anodes, has released the results of a life cycle assessment (LCA) of its planned industrial-scale production. A typical EV battery pack contains around 70 kg of graphite, which represents up to 40% of battery cell emissions, based on average present-day production. Vianode says the results represent… Read more…

Battery materials developer Wildcat Discovery Technologies has received its 100th patent, advancing its strategy for US-based cathode materials manufacturing. Wildcat has been developing nickel- and cobalt-free battery materials since 2006. The company plans to build a plant in the US to manufacture lithium iron phosphate (LFP) in late 2026, lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) in… Read more…

Contrary to the barrage of unsourced speculation on social media, EV adoption is indeed causing carbon emissions and oil demand to fall, albeit by a small amount so far. However, despite what many EV fans might assume, electric cars are not the main drivers of the reduction. According to BloombergNEF, EVs as a whole displaced… Read more…

Sponsored by Elektro-Automatik. Battery test engineers face a variety of challenges, including: EA’s new EA-BT 20000 Triple Battery Tester was created to address these test roadblocks with a unique design—all in a more powerful test instrument. Read this application note to learn how one piece of equipment can test battery cells, modules, and packs with… Read more…

US-based ETCO, which manufactures electrical terminals and connectors, has launched a new line of heavy-duty locking ring terminals. ETCO’s BT-Series Heavy-Duty Battery Terminals are designed for high-voltage wiring in EV batteries, alternators and starters in automotive, agriculture and construction equipment, process control and trucking applications. The terminals are made from 0.06-inch thick brass or copper… Read more…

NovaCHARGE has expanded its cloud power management capabilities by introducing Virtual Circuit Technology (VCT) to distribute the load from EV chargers. VCT provides multi-level power management for utilities, fleets, multi-dwelling units, and any other location with limited available power to control the use of open standard OCPP-compliant chargers using ChargeUP, its charging platform management system…. Read more…

Volvo Buses has debuted the Volvo 8900 Electric, a low-entry bus designed for city, intercity and commuter operations that builds on the success of the Volvo 8900, its diesel-fueled predecessor.  Using the new Volvo BZR Electric chassis, the Volvo 8900 Electric shares major components and subsystems with other models built on the Volvo Group’s common… Read more…

A team from the Beijing University of Chemical Technology has used a formic acid-hydrogen peroxide system for selective leaching of lithium ions from spent lithium iron phosphate batteries. A paper on their process was published in the Journal of Power Sources. The team achieved optimal leaching conditions by single-factor optimization: formic acid concentration of 0.8… Read more…

Green Watt Power, a division of Powerland Technology, has added 8 new models to its Diamond Series of ruggedized, fully potted AC chargers, which are designed to serve low-voltage EV applications, including material handling, motorcycles, scooters, forklifts, golf carts and RVs. The EVC1000 Diamond Series supports charging of 72 V and 48 V Li-ion batteries… Read more…

After decades of trumpeting “free trade,” and watching industry after industry decamp to China, the US government has apparently decided to draw a red line in front of the auto industry, and protectionism is back in style. US automakers are currently protected from Chinese competition by a 27.5% tariff. But will that be enough to… Read more…

Sponsored by Eaton. Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more popular and affordable as the demand for clean and sustainable mobility grows. However, EVs have increasingly higher power levels that can have unsafe overcurrent situations. To address these challenges, EVs need reliable and efficient power distribution and protection solutions that can ensure safety, performance, and durability… Read more…

As the Megawatt Charging System (MCS), a new charging standard for heavy-duty EVs, enters the final stages of standardization, automakers and EVSE manufacturers are busily putting the new system through its paces. Commercial implementations of MCS, which industry experts are calling a game-changer for electric trucks, are expected to begin later this year. The latest… Read more…

Nissan, Japan’s third-biggest automaker by volume, plans to begin producing solid-state batteries for EVs at scale by early 2029, and will also use Tesla-style gigacasting machines in order to increase efficiency and drive down costs on its future EV models. Solid-state batteries are expected to deliver faster charging and longer lifespans than current Li-ion designs…. Read more…

DGeo, the packaging division of US-based Labelmaster, has expanded its large-format lithium battery packaging solutions to include collapsible, clippable wooden crates. Part of DGeo’s Obexion line of protective packaging, Obexion MAX crates are UN-certified and offer a repeatable fastening system that delivers a simple and cost-efficient packaging solution for transporting large lithium batteries. The crates… Read more…

Sponsored by Knowles Precision Devices. It’s becoming more common to see power supply circuits with wide-bandgap semiconductors rather than traditional silicon insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). There are clear performance benefits to this switch, and with costs coming down, silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors are more accessible than ever before. While the fundamental… Read more…

US severe-duty truck maker Autocar is collaborating with automated EV charging company Rocsys, headquartered in the Netherlands, to provide hands-free charging capabilities to Autocar’s electric terminal tractors at logistics facilities, including distribution centers and inland ports. Rocsys says its hands-free charging system will undergo final development through a pilot order secured from an Autocar customer…. Read more…

Syrah Resources, an industrial minerals and technology company, has become an integrated natural graphite active anode material (AAM) supplier outside China, processing natural graphite from Syrah’s Balama Graphite Operation in Mozambique. The 11,250-ton-per-year AAM Vidalia operation in Louisiana is supported by high EV-driven demand internationally, the need for independent natural graphite AAM critical mineral supply,… Read more…

As driver uncertainty about access to EV charging remains a barrier to broader EV adoption, researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are developing algorithms and multilayered communication and control systems designed to make EV chargers operate more reliably, even during electrical grid voltage drops or disturbances. Researchers have identified two key causes of… Read more…

EV fleet solution provider Synop has launched a new app designed to further streamline EV charge management for its customers. The new Fleet Driver Mobile App will provide Managed Access Charging functionality to EV fleets. Synop’s fleet customers typically give their drivers RFID cards that grant them access to on-site chargers. However, these cards are… Read more…