INFICON, a manufacturer of leak testing solutions, introduces the ELT Vmax—a leak detector specifically designed for integration into leak testing systems for the industrial high-speed mass production of lithium-ion and sodium-ion battery cells. The ELT Vmax tests the leak tightness of all battery cells filled with liquid electrolyte—lithium-ion or sodium-ion—in all formats, including prismatic, round… Read more…

Freight mobility company Einride has opened a charging hub for heavy-duty EVs in Lynwood, California. Einride’s Smartcharger Station has 65 chargers, and can charge up to 200 vehicles a day. The site was built in collaboration with charging infrastructure developer Voltera. The charging station, which is strategically located near the Ports of Los Angeles and… Read more…

As regular Charged readers know, when it comes to EVs, legacy automakers tend to follow two tracks—while preparing for the transition, and telling the media about how committed they are to electrification, they simultaneously participate in trade groups that actively lobby against emissions standards and other pro-EV regulations. Volkswagen Australia has broken with this trend—the… Read more…

Oil giant Shell has announced plans to divest 1,000 retail sites over the next two years, and also says it plans to expand its public EV charging business. Is Shell shutting down gas stations in order to replace them with EV charging hubs? Well, that’s what several media reports implied, but that’s not quite what… Read more…

US-based EV charging consultancy and infrastructure supplier Blue Whale EV recently opened its new 10,000-square-foot headquarters building in Hanover, Maryland.  The facility serves as the company’s corporate HQ as well as a hub for sales, storage and service of EV charging infrastructure in the mid-Atlantic region and throughout the US. It will also serve as… Read more…

UK-based electric fleet software developer FPS and UK commercial vehicle dealership HTC Group have partnered to deliver end-to-end electrification services designed to allow HTC’s DAF Trucks customers to benefit from seamless EV transitions.  FPS’s services encompass EV fleet feasibility, cost and transition planning using big data and simulation; ensuring that chargers are fit for purpose… Read more…

Dutch developer of maritime battery systems EST-Floattech has received an investment of €3 million from Energy Transition Fund Rotterdam and a joint investment of €1 million from existing shareholders Rotterdam Port Fund, PDENH, Ponooc and Yard Energy. The investment will allow the company to continue growing nationally and internationally.  EST-Floattech develops and produces lithium-ion battery… Read more…

ION Storage Systems, a Maryland-based manufacturer of solid-state batteries, has announced that its anodeless and compressionless SSB achieved a key threshold with its first market deployment with the US military. ION says its SSB successfully exceeded 125 cycles with less than 5% capacity degradation in performance, offering the potential for more than 1,000 cycles in… Read more…

EV component suppliers Schaeffler and Vitesco Technologies Group have entered into a merger agreement. The transaction is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2024. The two companies make components such as e-drives, power modules, BMS, control units, motors, steering systems and much more. Schaeffler recently built an electric version of the Ford… Read more…

Optiphase Drive Systems and OPAL-RT, a specialist in simulation and hardware-in-the-loop testing, have formed a strategic alliance to offer real-time simulation capabilities for vehicle designers that integrate Optiphase’s 5-phase electric motor and drive system. Optiphase says it developed its 5-phase electric power and control technologies to overcome the limitations and workarounds inherent to 3-phase systems…. Read more…

British hotel multinational IHG has an agreement with US EV charging infrastructure company EnviroSpark to make its EV chargers available to the more than 4,100 IHG-branded hotels in the US and Canada, each of which can partner with EnviroSpark to meet its individual needs. The agreement will expand on the number of IHG locations worldwide… Read more…

Munich-headquartered Lilium, developer of an eVTOL jet, has partnered with Singapore-based charging infrastructure producer Star Charge to develop and provide charging systems for the Lilium Jet.  The aircraft went into production in late 2023 following Design Organisation Approval by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). It is expected to enter service in 2026. Lilium… Read more…

Volvo Cars has partnered with UK-based EV charging management software developer Breathe to become the first automaker to access the latest version of its Breathe Charge software, for use in its new generation of electric cars. Volvo will integrate the software with its own in-house-developed battery management platform to optimize performance and reduce charging times…. Read more…

US school bus manufacturer Thomas Built Buses, a brand of the Daimler Group, has delivered its 1,000th Saf-T-Liner C2 Jouley battery-electric school bus as part of an order for eight of the buses placed by Meriwether County School System (MCSS) in Georgia. The new buses are fully funded through the EPA’s Clean School Bus grant… Read more…

Spark connections: Fuel your automotive applications Adhesives & Bonding Expo, the largest, free-to-attend trade fair and conference for industrial bonding products and manufacturing in North America, is returning for its fourth edition from June 25-27, 2024, in Novi, MI. Register to attend and you’ll gain easy access to the co-located Foam Expo taking place in… Read more…

Electrical equipment giant Leviton has launched a plug-in version of its EV Series Smart Home charging station. Originally launched in January 2023 in a hard-wired version, the EV Series Smart Home station is designed to be part of a smart home system that also incorporates lighting and load centers such as heating/AC, refrigerators and other… Read more…

The DOE has offered American Battery Solutions (ABS) a $165.9-million loan under the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing (ATVM) Loan Program.  The company plans to use the funds to expand its battery pack assembly facilities in Springboro, Ohio and Lake Orion, Michigan. The project will support the company’s goal of delivering standardized and customized battery packs… Read more…

The days of ICE vehicles in Norway are numbered. Some years ago, the government set a goal of 100% electric sales by 2025, and that goal is well within sight. In the month of February, plug-in vehicles took 92.1% of the market, up from 90.1% year-on-year. Battery EVs took a 90% share, as recent tax… Read more…

Phoenix Motor, a manufacturer of electric transit buses and commercial EVs, has partnered with wireless charging pioneer InductEV (formerly Momentum Dynamics). The companies will develop software, hardware and cooling and electrical systems to integrate InductEV’s wireless charging pads with Phoenix’s electric drive systems. This strategic partnership will provide Phoenix’s customers with the option to select… Read more…