BMW Group has signed a €540-million contract with China’s Ganfeng Lithium for the supply of raw lithium from mines in Australia. The carmaker has restructured its supply chains for its upcoming fifth generation of battery cells. From 2020 on, it will directly source both lithium and cobalt. The raw materials will then pass on to… Read more »
Author: Ryan Austin
Delta-Q introduces new module for its Stackable Charging System to support AC charging
Canadian charger manufacturer Delta-Q has launched its new Vehicle Charge Interface Module (VCIM) to allow its Stackable Charging System to support AC charging stations and two-way communicating electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE). The VCIM allows the Delta-Q chargers to be used with standard EVSE by helping negotiate the AC current limits and communicate the electrical… Read more »
NCC partners with Drive System Design to integrate composite materials into e-drives
England’s National Composites Centre (NCC) is partnering with engineering consultancy Drive System Design (DSD) on a new project to improve the efficiency of integrated e-drives. The 12-month project is partly funded by the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK, and will investigate the use of composites to enable both increased power density and a reduction in… Read more »
Vitesco’s new compact transmission for PHEVs
Vitesco Technologies, the powertrain business of German parts maker Continental, has unveiled a new compact transmission for PHEVs. As a PHEV contains two separate power sources, the additional complexity can raise costs to a level that prohibits significant market penetration, says Vitesco. To solve the problem, the company has created the DHT transmission. The DHT… Read more »
Northvolt’s battery recycling program aims to source 50% recycled material by 2030
Swedish battery maker Northvolt is launching a new program, Revolt, that is devoted to recycling lithium-ion batteries. It plans to bring a pilot recycling plant online in Västerås, Sweden, in 2020, next to its existing manufacturing plant. The plant will handle NMC and NCA Li-ion chemistries. It will serve as a platform for developing and… Read more »
California and 7 other states commit to faster electrification of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles
California is joining with seven other states to develop an action plan to put hundreds of thousands more zero-emission trucks and buses on the roads. This new medium- and heavy-duty vehicle collaborative effort will be implemented through the multi-state ZEV Task Force, and will be facilitated by the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management… Read more »
Volvo unveils heavy-duty concept EVs for construction and regional transport
Volvo Trucks has developed electric concept trucks for construction operations and regional distribution to gauge commercial interest. The company plans to have select European customers pilot a small number of these concept vehicles, which it plans to commercialize in the future. Volvo points out that heavy-duty e-trucks can improve the work environment for drivers and… Read more »
IBM unveils heavy metal-free battery that performs better than Li-ion
IBM Research has unveiled new battery materials extracted from seawater that it says could help eliminate the need for dangerous heavy metals in battery production. Use of the three new proprietary materials create a battery chemistry that does not use heavy metals or other substances that suffer from concerns about sourcing. Beyond the environmental and… Read more »
Siemens Mobility leads build-out of local charging network in West of England
Following the launch of local public charging network Revive, Siemens Mobility is working with Alfen and ENGIE EV Solutions (formerly ChargePoint Services) to deliver new charging hubs and more than 120 new EV connections across the West of England. Revive is a public charging network that will feature four dedicated charging hubs around Bristol, Bath,… Read more »
Infineon’s new 900 A IGBT chip offers 30% less static loss
German semiconductor manufacturer Infineon has introduced a new version of its IGBT7 chip in its TRENCHSTOP line that boasts 30% less static loss than previous models. The 1,200 V module provides a leading nominal current of 900 A. Infineon says this enables a 30% higher inverter output current from the same frame size compared with… Read more »
