Cummins partners with Battery Innovation Center for testing, validation and training


Cummins, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of commercial vehicle engines, has been steadily expanding its offerings to include hybrid and electric powertrains. Now the Indiana company has partnered with the nearby Battery Innovation Center (BIC) for support in testing of its battery systems and training for its workforce. The BIC has been helping Cummins… Read more »

OXIS steadily boosts energy density of its lithium sulfur cells


Battery developer OXIS Energy has created a 425 Wh/kg, 16 Ah lithium sulfur (Li-S) cell for High Altitude Pseudo Satellites (HAPS), and is working towards a 450 Wh/kg cell design at the end of this year. The company has its sights set on 500 Wh/kg by the end of 2019. “At 425 Wh/kg, OXIS has… Read more »

Manitou electrifies two construction-telehandler prototypes with DEUTZ drive systems


Handling equipment specialist Manitou Group has modified two construction telehandler prototypes to include DEUTZ electric and hybrid-drive systems. The two companies have collaborated on this project as part of Cologne’s ELECTRIP Event Week. Manitou is E-DEUTZ’s first-ever partner. For the hybrid prototype, the partners took a Manitou MT 1335 and swapped its 75 kW DEUTZ TCD… Read more »

German firm to develop lithium extraction, processing and battery manufacturing around Bolivian lithium deposit

Bolivia salt flats lithium (psyberartist - CC BY 2.0)
Bolivian state-owned enterprise Yacimientos de Litio Bolivianos (YLB) and German sustainable-solutions specialist ACI Systems (ACISA) are collaborating to mine, process and commercialize Bolivia’s ten-million-ton Salar de Uyuni lithium deposit. ACISA intends to use the processed ore to produce cathode materials and battery systems. The project is expected to create 500 to 1,000 direct jobs and… Read more »

Mazda to partially electrify all its vehicles by 2030, rotary-powered range extender in the works


Mazda Motor Corporation has unveiled several new electrification and connectivity strategies for its “Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030″ goal (Yes, that’s really its name). The company intends to gradually electrify its vehicles while continuing to improve internal combustion technology. By 2030, it aims to have 95% of its fleet partially electrified with the other 5% being battery-electric. As… Read more »

Lithium Werks receives €1.6-billion investment to construct battery-cell factory in China


Battery specialist Lithium Werks B.V. has signed a €1.6-billion agreement with Zhejiang Jiashan Economic and Technological Development Zone Industry Corporation to construct a 60-hectare (nearly 150 acres) battery-cell factory in the Yangtze Delta, China. This is the beginning of a 15-20 year plan to construct several large factories globally. The factory’s production capacity is expected to be… Read more »

LG Chem hosts $1.9-million battery innovation competition

LG Chem Lithium Ion Cells
LG Chem has announced its $1.9-million startup contest, “The Battery Challenge“. The competition is intended as a springboard for new concepts and partnerships in four categories: Battery Material, Battery Management and Control, Design, Manufacturing and Processing and Recycle and Regeneration. Applications are being accepted until November 2nd. Teams must submit business plans and pitches for thorough… Read more »

NCSU develops compact 50 kW fast charger with 60% less power loss, working towards 350 kW multi-EV charging


North Carolina State University (NCSU) researchers have developed a medium-voltage fast charger (MVFC) with 60% less power loss than conventional systems with one-tenth the size, all while preserving charging times. Armed with this technology, the team is working towards a multi-vehicle charger with even faster charging. Current 50 kW chargers require a heavy distribution transformer… Read more »

MacGregor Welding Systems unveils new touch retract welding torch for batteries


MacGregor Welding Systems (recently acquired by Amada Miyachi Europe) has released the TR-16A Touch Retract Welding Torch, a tool designed for R&D and low to medium-volume battery pack manufacturing, repair and reworking applications. The system was designed to weld copper, nickel and aluminum battery tab materials up to 0.5 mm thick onto 18650 and 2170 battery can… Read more »

ORNL develops 120-kW wireless charging prototype with 97% efficiency


The DOE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has created a 120-kW wireless charging system with a mere six-inch air gap between the battery and coils. Their tests have shown the experiment to be 97% efficient, rivaling wired high-power fast chargers. Their previous demonstration was a much smaller 20-kW system currently being modified for several EV… Read more »