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…

Milence, an EV charging joint venture of Daimler Truck, the TRATON Group and Volvo, has expanded its operations to the French and Swedish markets. In late 2023, Milence opened its first charging hub in Venlo, the Netherlands. Now the company has opened a charging hub in Heudebouville, 40 km south of the city of Rouen…. Read more…

Battery manufacturer ZAPBATT has developed its Battery Operating System (bOS) in a strategic partnership with Toshiba, initially focused on Toshiba’s battery SCiB lithium titanium oxide (LTO) chemistry for integration across several applications, including EVs. ZAPBATT’s bOS is a battery management system, which enables the adoption of optimal battery chemistries without significant investment in battery infrastructure… Read more…

Adamas Intelligence data shows that 408,214 tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent (LCE) were deployed globally in new passenger EV batteries last year, up by 40% from 2022. Europe and the Americas accounted for 40% of global deployment, rising by 38% to 163,423 tons in 2023. Across the three continents, Tesla took the top spot with… Read more…

Dry coating of lithium-ion batteries has the potential to revolutionize battery production through a reduced solvent, energy, and footprint demand. However, dry coated electrodes suffer from poor adhesion between the dry film and current collector that leads to the demand of a pre-coating. In this webinar, we will discuss how carbon coatings of current collectors… Read more…

German chemical manufacturer BASF offers a portfolio of engineering plastics that can be used in co-creation partnerships with the automotive industry to develop next-generation EV motors. The compounds are available in different colors, from colorless to orange and laser-markable black, and feature short-glass, long-glass or mineral fiber reinforcement as well as various heat stabilizers. The… Read more…

The directors of Australian fast charger manufacturer Tritium have declared the company as well as three of its Australian subsidiaries—Tritium, Tritium Holdings and Tritium Nominee—insolvent and called in voluntary administration, according to a statement filed to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). “The Company’s other subsidiaries will continue to operate outside the voluntary administration,”… Read more…

School transportation provider First Student, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, has surpassed three million miles driven by its electric school buses. The company has deployed more than 330 electric buses to North American school districts and approved 1,108 more for order. It has a goal of transitioning 30,000 diesel school buses to electric by 2035. First… Read more…