City, University of London has received a £121,000 grant from both the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and Williams Advanced Engineering to test several promising thermal management technologies in a project known as Battery Integrated Power Electronics for EV Drive train (BIPED). The project seeks to distribute battery packs and circuitry in a way… Read more »
Author: Miles Gopie
MIT wins $1.89-million DOE research grant for one-step electrochemical copper extraction from sulfur-based minerals
MIT Associate Professor of Metallurgy Antoine Allanore’s lab has received a nearly $2-million dollar grant to further develop copper collection methods from molten sulfur-based minerals using electricity. The resultant high-purity copper could be used in the production of high-quality wire used in growing markets like renewable energy and EVs. Current pyrometallurgy methods are tedious: sulfide… Read more »
Continental’s thermal management solutions may increase EV range up to 25% at -10° C
Automotive tech specialist Continental has introduced several thermal management (TM) technologies for increasing EV efficiency during summer and winter. This portfolio includes sensors, BLDC-driven pumps, hydraulics and valves. Smart lines and hoses paired with special sealing solutions are also produced by the company. Continental claims that its systems can increase EV range by up to… Read more »
UQM launches PowerPhase HD2 electric motor inverter line
UQM has launched a new line of PowerPhase HD2 electric motor inverters. The system is half the weight of previous models (16 kg with a volume of 14 liters) and is rated for 950 A, up to 750 V and 250 kW. It is designed for medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles and is set to… Read more »
Wildcat and TIES collaborate on electrolytes for high energy-density Li-ion batteries
Wildcat Discovery Technologies is working with the Tianmu Lake Advanced Energy Storage Technology Institute (TIES) in a new multi-year project geared towards the development and optimization of high energy-density lithium-ion batteries. Wildcat will use its high-speed testing capabilities to provide TIES with as much data as possible. In turn, TIES’s team (headed by Professor Hong Li),… Read more »
AVID Technology wins six new power electronics and motor contracts totaling £50 million per year
Power electronics and motor specialist AVID Technology has recently won several new contracts totaling £50 million per year. The largest contract is a £34 million deal to develop an integrated EV system for a Tier 1 automotive supplier. Others include a £3.5 million contract to develop and supply customized electric cooling pumps and a 5 year, £5… Read more »
U Waterloo researchers achieve reversible four-electron conversion with lithium-oxygen batteries
Scientists from the University of Waterloo have devised several new electrochemical processes which greatly increase the lifespan and stability of lithium-oxygen batteries. On paper, Li-O2 batteries have high energy densities and low weights. However, they also have internal reactions (involving superoxides and peroxides) that slowly corrode its carbon cathodes. The superoxide also destroys organic electrolytes in the… Read more »
Axion, Aceleron and Aspire Engineering start EV battery recycling and reuse initiative
Circular economy and resource recovery specialists Axion, Aspire Engineering, and Aceleron have started an initiative to tackle the growing number of end-of-life EV batteries. They are currently providing a recovery service that begins with Aspire processing the batteries for remanufacturing, reuse and recycling. After, Aceleron tests and repurposes the batteries. If the batteries cannot be reused, Axion will then… Read more »
FCA’s Toledo Machining Plant set to build Jeep Wrangler PHEV’s Power Electronics Module
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has announced that its Toledo Machining plant will produce the Power Electronics module for the 2020 Jeep Wrangler PHEV, one of 30 vehicle nameplates to receive electrified solutions by 2022. The Power Electronics module includes both the Power Inverter Module and the Integrated Dual Charger Module (which contains the On-Board Charger and the… Read more »
Tydrolyte releases low-corrosion, low-toxicity electrolyte alternative for lead-acid batteries
Electrolyte specialist Tydrolyte has released an electrolyte intended to replace the sulfuric acid found in lead-acid batteries. It claims that the patent-pending electrolyte is well suited for start-stop batteries, offers lower hold currents and water losses and is less toxic than sulfuric acid. Start-stop batteries are used for engine starts at a rate 100x that of… Read more »
