Automotive

Dossier

Lightyear One

Rory Jackson explains how this aerodynamic five-seater has been designed for daily trips purely on solar power While EV technology has come a long way over the past decade, the main concerns being raised by engineers

New Products

CSM launches split HV measurement modules for confined spaces

CSM has unveiled its latest measurement technology solution for electric and hybrid vehicles where installation space is limited. Called the HV Breakout Module (BM) Split system, it provides high-frequency measurement of current, voltage and power directly in HV power cables as well as busbars. The split design allow measurements at points where there is not […]

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Fast charge ahead for BMW vehicles

Sprint Power is leading the development of an 800 V fast-charging system for BMW (writes Nick Flaherty). The Celeritas project is a £9.7 million effort to develop fast-charging cells and battery packs for battery EVs and fuel cell hybrid EVs. As well as BMW, its members include the UK’s Advanced Propulsion Centre, BP, AMTE […]

New Products

Koenigsegg announces its first e-motor and EV drive unit

Koenigsegg has unveiled its first e-motor, the Quark, which uses a torque/power-rich balance between radial (power-dense) and axial (torque-dense) flux topology it calls Raxial Flux. The company has also integrated two of them with one of its David inverters, plus planetary gearsets, to create a torque-vectoring EV drive unit it calls the Terrier. The company says a key […]

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Inverter integration cuts size, weight

Texas Instruments has integrated a transformer into a gate driver to enable distributed switch architectures for inverters (writes Nick Flaherty). The UCC14240-Q1 isolated DC-DC bias supply module integrates the transformer and components with 3.5 mm-high planar magnetics to reduce the size, height and weight of a distributed power system in an inverter. The integration of […]

Focus on...

48 V systems

Moving to power distribution networks running on 48 V looks set to confer a range of benefits to battery-electric vehicles. Nick Flaherty reports Technology based on 48 V has been adopted for

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Schaltbau launches arc-quenching high-current DC contactors

Switching large direct currents safely and responsively is a critical task in EV drive systems, requiring electromagnetically controlled contactors that extinguish the unwanted arcs that inevitably form between the main contacts when they open (writes Peter Donaldson). Drawing on almost a century’s experience in the railway industry, German company Schaltbau is addressing this issue by […]

New Products

BYD takes emissions-free route for school runs

BYD has introduced its Type A battery-electric vehicle, a zero-emissions school bus. It features vehicle-to-grid technology, seats up to 30 and can be equipped with a liftgate capable of lifting 800 lb. It has a range of up to 140 miles on a single charge. Standard safety features include a high-strength steel body, electronic stability […]

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Feinmetall launches high-current contacts for battery testing and production

As currents produced by EV batteries get higher, the demands placed on the contacts in the systems used to check cell, module and general battery performance in testing and production are also increasing. High-performance contact probes are therefore growing in importance (writes Peter Donaldson). To that end, contacts manufacturer Feinmetall has launched a family of […]

Dossier

Sigma Powertrain EMAX transmission

Peter Donaldson reports on how lamination technology has evolved in recent times to meet changing demands from the EV industry Whether or not governments