Duxion Motors has successful ground tested its patented eJet Motor for electric aviation, writes Nick Flaherty. The successful ground testing of the scaled prototype at Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada, included both low-speed and high-speed testing. Read more…

Elkem has developed a new, specialised iron-silicon powder, which may allow the 3D-printing of components for electrical motors, with partners through an EU-funded project. Read more…

H3X is meeting the challenge of maximising continuous power output against high operating temperatures. Rory Jackson reports
Commercial aviation is one of the world’s fastest-growing sources of pollution, responsible for about 2% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and 2.5% of carbon emissions. These levels are projected to reach… Read more…

Heraeus High Performance Coatings has launched an innovative process for laminated rare-earth metal magnets that boosts performance and manufacturing efficiency, which is crucial for high-power electric motors. Read more…

A new material called Quantix Ultra, produced by Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, offers improved fire protection in electric vehicle (EV) drives, having resisted temperatures of up to 1,200 C during testing. Read more…

Amprius Technologies, a manufacturer of next-generation lithium-ion batteries, has unveiled its new SiCore product platform, with the aim of revolutionising electric mobility.
The company has also branded its existing silicon nanowire platform, SiMaxx, with its current product range of up to 500 Wh/kg and 1,300 Wh/L energy density. Read more…

Automation solutions provider Comau is tasked with designing the digitalisation and implementation strategy for Fastest, an EU project that aims to accelerate the development of batteries that are safer, more reliable and durable.
Turin-based Comau, a Stellantis company, will leverage its long-standing expertise in digitalisation, process simulation and electrification to accelerate the testing and verification of automotive and stationary batteries. Read more…

They literally move the world as no powertrain can do without bearings ─ be it electric cars, hybrid vehicles or internal combustion engines. Schaeffler has now developed a special high-performance ball bearing with an integrated centrifugal disc. Read more…

Littelfuse, a Chicago-based industrial technology manufacturing company, has launched an overtemperature-detection platform, designed to transform the management of lithium iron (Li-ion) battery systems. Read more…

Adhesives are used in vehicles of all kinds, but they are particularly essential in electric vehicles (EVs) because they perform key functions within battery packs and help save weight in body structure, translating into performance and energy efficiency, as David Fetterman, PPG Industries’ global segment director for adhesives and sealants, explains to Peter Donaldson. Read more…

Freudenberg Performance Materials has developed an absorbent pad technology for installation inside electric vehicle (EV) battery packs (and outside their modules). These Battery Pack Liquid Absorbers are intended to enable passive climate control through long-lasting moisture management, with repeatable absorption and redrying cycles. Read more…

Dust explosions are a major hazard in many industries, and there are about 2,000 occurrences in factories and refineries across Europe per year. Battery electrode manufacturing is exposed to this type of risk and must take precautions that comply with explosive atmosphere (ATEX) directives. Read more…

Nyobolt has developed electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) for off-board DC fast chargers that integrates silicon carbide (SiC) power transistors.
Although the UK-based company most recently made headlines for its fast-charging battery technology, showcased in its eponymous EV… Read more…

Kennametal has created a new machining tool leveraging its “KENionic” technology, which is aimed at tackling industry requirements on the precision production of motor and transmission housings. Read more…

Tata Passenger Electric Mobility (TPEM), have introduced its first advanced Pure EV architecture – acti.ev (pronounced as active). acti.ev stands for (Advanced Connected Tech-Intelligent Electric Vehicle).
The acti.ev architecture is based on the key pillars of Performance, Technology, Modularity, and Space Efficiency and consists of four layers: Read more…

OmniOn Power has developed a modular 30 kW rectifier in a 19 in rack format to build EV fast chargers (writes Nick Flaherty).
The EV100H3NK and EV101H3N1K AC-DC variants of the rectifier design have efficiencies of up to 96% and integrate CAN automotive comms protocols. Up to 12 rectifiers can be used in parallel in a 19 in rack to build fast-charging 360 kW systems quickly and easily. Read more…

Researchers at the University of Bath are investigating how deploying spoiler-like devices called mini-tabs could help electric aircraft fly faster (writes Nick Flaherty).
Mini-tabs can counteract the damaging vibrations caused by whirl flutter that occurs at high flight speeds. Maxon has provided the motion systems to test the effectiveness of the mini-tabs on a novel wind tunnel test rig. Read more…

Nick Flaherty reports on how semiconductor r&d is leading to more efficient and powerful electronic switching solutions for e-mobility
Power devices for e-mobility come in a range of technologies to boost performance and efficiency. Insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) made from silicon have been the original power switch for decades; they are robust and low cost but can only switch at frequencies of around… Read more…

Researchers in the US have developed a sealed compressor using a linear motor for refuelling hydrogen EVs (writes Nick Flaherty).
The hydrogen compressor, developed at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), can improve the efficiency and reliability of hydrogen compression used in the refuelling of fuel cell EVs (FCEVs). Read more…

Our battery show report in this issue contains stories on various materials engineered to prevent a thermal runaway in a cell in a lithium-ion pack from spreading and cause a major fire (writes Peter Donaldson).
Prevention is better than cure because, rare though they are, thermal runaways in EV lithium-ion batteries contain all four elements of the ‘fire tetrahedron’ – heat, oxygen, fuel and a chemical reaction – making them notoriously hard to extinguish. Putting them out is far from impossible, however. Read more…