GM says equipping the next-gen Chevy Bolt EV with LFP batteries will save billions


EV enthusiasts were disappointed at GM’s decision to discontinue the popular (if a bit dull) Chevy Bolt EV last year. In hindsight, the move may have been premature—the new Ultium EVs that were supposed to replace the Bolt in GM’s lineup have been delayed, causing the company to post embarrassingly low EV sales figures for… Read more »

Stellantis Ventures invests in Tiamat’s sodium-ion battery technology


Stellantis Ventures has made a strategic investment in France-based sodium-ion battery developer Tiamat. Tiamat says its sodium-ion technology is lithium- and cobalt-free and cheaper per kilowatt hour (kWh) when compared with lithium-ion batteries. The wide availability of sodium boosts sustainability and material sovereignty.  Tiamat will use the new funding to start construction of a sodium-ion… Read more »

Farasis Energy researches plastic battery housing for increased EV safety


Farasis Energy, a battery manufacturing company, Kautex Textron, a supplier of energy storage systems, and the Fraunhofer Institute for High-Speed Dynamics aim to make plastic-based battery housings safer by means of virtual design to increase the safety of EVs. Farasis, which develops and produces lithium-ion battery technology and pouch cells for electromobility, is developing a… Read more »

Depot charging for electric trucks could reduce out-of-route miles


Predicting the future of new technologies (or of anything) is a chancy business, to say the least. And yet, companies and policymakers must indulge in a bit of crystal-gazing in order to choose where to focus their investments. Vehicle electrification is still an emerging technology, and the only thing certain is that it remains uncertain… Read more »

SK On unveils upgraded fast-charging EV battery cells at Seoul trade show


Battery manufacturer SK On is showcasing new fast-charging battery cells at this week’s InterBattery 2024, a battery trade show in Seoul, South Korea. The Advanced SF and SF+ batteries are among several new technologies that SK On is displaying at the show. The original SF (Super Fast) battery, introduced in 2021, was a high-nickel battery… Read more »

CISSOID releases new SiC Inverter Control Modules for EVs


Power semiconductor specialist CISSOID released a new series of SiC Inverter Control Modules (ICMs) for the e-mobility market at the recent Applied Power Electronics Conference. These software-powered SiC Inverter Control Modules are designed to help engineers create safe, robust and modular e-motor drives.  The new CXT-ICM3SA series offers optimal hardware and software integration of CISSOID’s… Read more »

Which urban neighborhoods have the highest EV adoption rates, and why?


To date, most EV buyers, at least in the US, have been suburban dwellers, and these folks may not understand what the fuss is about charging. They install a charger in their carport or driveway, and never look back. But for EV adoption to reach the next cohort of drivers, there needs to be a… Read more »

QuantumScape introduces a new cell format for solid-state EV batteries


QuantumScape, a US battery company, has introduced a new cell format, FlexFrame, for solid-state EV batteries. FlexFrame combines pouch and prismatic cells. The FlexFrame architecture has a frame that wraps around the cell stack and a flexible polymer laminate outer layer like pouch cells. The cell is anode-free and the cell stack is contracted, with… Read more »

Skanska concludes North American pilot of Volvo EC230 Electric excavator


Construction giant Skanska has completed a 90-day pilot program using the Volvo EC230 Electric excavator on the Purple (D Line) Extension Transit Project in Los Angeles. The goal of the trial was to test the capability of a battery-powered excavator to match the performance of a legacy diesel-powered machine. The excavator was used to load… Read more »

Layered oxide cathode could make sodium-ion batteries an attractive option for EVs


Researchers at the US Department of Energy (DOE)’s Argonne National Laboratory have invented and patented a new battery cathode material that replaces lithium ions with sodium and could be significantly cheaper. The research team has developed a layered oxide cathode for sodium-ion batteries. A layered sodium nickel-manganese-iron (NMF) oxide cathode efficiently inserts and extracts sodium,… Read more »