California-headquartered Archer Aviation, a designer and developer of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), an independent economic development agency of the UAE government, to jointly work toward commencing air taxi operations in Abu Dhabi in 2026. Archer’s goal is to replace… Read more…
Category: Charged EVs
What is this EV mandate that auto dealers are kvetching about?
Since the advent of modern EVs, auto dealerships have been seen as an impediment to faster EV adoption—and that image doesn’t appear likely to change any time soon, even though annual US EV sales cracked the one-million mark in 2023. Over 3,800 US auto dealers recently signed on to an open letter to President Joe… Read more…
ubitricity to provide public EV charge points in London borough of Bexley
London- and Berlin-based EV charge point operator ubitricity, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Shell Group, has been selected by Bexley Borough Council to supply and maintain a hundred 5 kW public charge points to be installed in existing on-street lamp posts and bollards. The charge points take as little as two hours each to… Read more…
ChargeX consortium recommends common EV charging station error codes
The National Charging Experience Consortium (ChargeX) is a collaboration among DOE national labs, EV charging industry players and consumer advocates. Its mission is to gauge and improve the customer experience with public EV charging infrastructure in the US. Now the consortium has released a report that recommends 26 common EV charging error codes to enable… Read more…
Epsilon Advanced Materials to build $650-million battery anode manufacturing facility in North Carolina
Epsilon Advanced Materials (EAM), an Indian battery materials manufacturer, will build a $650-million graphite anode manufacturing plant in Brunswick County in North Carolina. The company will start construction in 2024 and begin manufacturing in 2026, achieving full capacity by 2031. The plant will make high-capacity EV battery anodes using green technology. EAM is in talks… Read more…
Littelfuse introduces automotive-grade 3 kA high-surge AC current protector for EVs
Littelfuse, a US electronics company, has launched a new AC surge current protector series for EVs and hybrids operating in harsh environments. The Pxxx0S3N-A Automotive Grade SIDACtor Protection Thyristor Series in DO-214AB (SMC) package offers high power density and can withstand surge currents up to 3 kA (8/20 µs) and voltages up to 6 kV… Read more…
U.S. Steel converts diesel locomotives to battery power
U.S. Steel has converted two of its diesel switcher locomotives at its Mon Valley Works plants to lithium-ion battery operation. The locomotives were built by Louisiana-headquartered Innovative Rail Technologies (IRT). The conversion was funded in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. U.S .Steel contributed $2.3 million of the total cost. The locomotives carry… Read more…
Toyota undertakes vehicle-to-grid research project with San Diego utility
Toyota is collaborating with utility San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) on vehicle-to-grid (V2G) research, using a Toyota bZ4X EV. The project will explore bidirectional charging technology that enables battery EV owners to discharge electricity from their batteries back to the grid. As Toyota points out, understanding the needs of BEV owners, their charging habits,… Read more…
Lincoln Electric launches Velion DC Fast Charger
Welding technology multinational Lincoln Electric has introduced its Velion DC Fast Charger for EVs. The Level 3 charger has been designed with industrial-grade components, provides output power of up to 150 kW, and has a charging efficiency of 95%, according to the company. The charger is manufactured with more than 75% domestic component content, according… Read more…
Webinar: Optimizing battery pack and module production testing
In today’s fast-paced battery production landscape, where ambitious goals for scalability and data ownership are at the forefront, understanding the critical role of testing and data analytics is paramount. Discover the challenges faced in achieving ambitious battery pack and module production goals and how to overcome them. Learn how to harness the power of the… Read more…
Nissan is ramping up EV production at its UK factory—but will it have enough batteries?
The beleaguered English auto industry got some good news this week, as Nissan and its partners announced plans to invest some £2 billion to build three electric car models at its Sunderland factory, which employs about 6,000 workers (and indirectly supports thousands more). To support the new EV production, a new battery gigafactory will be… Read more…
Pickering Electronics releases new high-voltage SMD reed relays
Pickering Electronics, a manufacturer of reed relays, has introduced new high-voltage surface-mount reed relays for semiconductor testers, medical equipment testing, EV charge point testing and monitoring solar cell PV efficiency. The new Series 219 high-voltage surface-mount device (SMD) reed relay can switch up to 1 kV and is the only surface-mount high-voltage relay available on… Read more…
Today’s EV infrastructure webinar schedule: Wednesday, December 6th
Charged is hosting a virtual conference on EV infrastructure that’s free to attend, and it starts today. The conference includes live webinar sessions with interactive Q&As and on-demand webinars. View the daily session schedule online here. All of the live sessions will be recorded and available to view after the broadcasts. You can access the… Read more…
New version of Chargeway EV routing app embeds real-time charger info for drivers
EV drivers shouldn’t have to understand kilowatts—or drive up to a dead charger. Chargeway has an answer for all that. The Chargeway EV charging app may still be the best electric-car idea you’ve never heard of. Not as well-known or as widely distributed as Plugshare or A Better Route Planner (ABRP), it remains among the… Read more…
Wevo developed new potting compounds and gap fillers for EV inverters
German adhesives and sealants producer Wevo-Chemie has developed thermally conductive potting compounds and gap fillers that target heat removal and ensure component mechanical stability in EV power electronics. The epoxy resin- and silicone-based materials protect against electrochemical corrosion and provide reliable electrical insulation due to their low ion content. Wevo has optimized the flow properties… Read more…
Toyota to source recycled EV battery components from Redwood Materials
Redwood Materials, the battery recycling company founded by Tesla co-founder JB Straubel, is focused on two of the most critical battery components: cathode active materials (CAM) and anode copper foil. Together, these two components account for the majority of the cost of a battery cell, the company explains, and at the moment, they are produced… Read more…
Today’s EV infrastructure webinar schedule: Tuesday, December 5th
Charged is hosting a virtual conference on EV infrastructure that’s free to attend, and it starts today. The conference includes live webinar sessions with interactive Q&As and on-demand webinars. View the daily session schedule online here. All of the live sessions will be recorded and available to view after the broadcasts. You can access the… Read more…
New white paper examines how auto dealers are preparing to service EVs
There’s no question that the transition to EVs will result in big changes to the auto dealership industry. We often hear that auto dealers are afraid that EVs’ lower maintenance requirements will deprive them of a major source of income. That remains to be seen, but it’s worth asking how dealerships that are currently selling… Read more…
Westminster City Council powers fleet of 45 electric refuse trucks with waste
In a recent interview, a Mack Trucks exec gave Charged several reasons that garbage trucks represent an ideal use case for EVs, and here’s one more: refuse trucks can be powered by electricity generated by the waste they collect. That’s just what’s going on at the Landmann Way depot in London, where an adjacent waste… Read more…
Altilium works to transform mine tailings into valuable EV battery materials
UK-based clean technology group Altilium has secured over £700,000 in UK government funding for two collaborative research projects focused on the recovery of copper and rare earth elements (REE) from mine waste. Building on previous work to recover lithium and other battery materials from end-of-life EV batteries, Altilium is partnering with CPI and the Camborne… Read more…