Automotive

In Conversation

Andrew Cross

Integral Powertrain’s CTO tells Rory Jackson how he has come to lead the company’s development of high performance consumer EV drives. One of Andrew Cross’ most prominent early memories is the engineering company his father owned and ran, designing and manufacturing polymer parts, and developing much of his own production systems and tooling...

Web exclusive

Super/ultracaps set for new applications in EVs, says UCAP Power CEO

In the wake of Tesla’s sale of supercapacitor/ultracapacitor maker Maxwell Technologies, Gordon Schenk, CEO of UCAP Power, which bought the company, exclusively discussed the future of this high-power, short-duration technology and its EV applications, in which it complements and could replace some batteries (writes Peter Donaldson). Compared with batteries, ultracapacitors have lower specific energy in […]

PS

Tesla Octovalve analysis

It’s not often that we get the opportunity to dig into the details of an important EV subsystem from the point of view of an independent engineering team, but that is what Cory Steuben of Munro & Associates provided at the recent Battery Show and EV Tech online event (writes Peter Donaldson). The subsystem was the Tesla Model Y’s heat pump, in particular...

Deep Insight

Vehicle-to-grid charging

Although bidirectional charging for EVs remains a niche technology, writes Nick Flaherty, progress on its uptake is being made. Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging is an appealing technology, as it enables EV batteries to be used as part of the electricity grid to even out demand. For example, electric car owners could charge their...

Digest

VIA Motors CHEMA skateboard

This hardware system puts modularity at the heart of commercial EV designs. Rory Jackson describes how it was designed and developed. For more than 10 years, Utah based VIA Motors has strived to develop technologies and system architectures for EVs to bring to fruition its vision for the next generation...

Dossier

Energica Eva Ribelle

Rory Jackson explores how this e-bike combines the efficiency for urban commuting with the performance for recreational use. Since its founding in 2014, the Energica Motor Company has sought to combine cuttingedge electrical engineering with designs that capture the ergonomics and aesthetics needed to thrive in the world...

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Bring me my charger!

Russian EV charger manufacturer L-Charge announced in June that its first mobile EV charger is in service on the streets of Moscow, where customers can summon it to wherever they are using an app (writes Peter Donaldson). Mounted on a light truck, the charging system can deliver 120-250 kW and can charge an EV as […]

Grid

Bipolar nickel-hydrogen battery for 2021 Toyota Aqua

Toyota’s new Acqua compact HEV comes with a bipolar nickel-hydrogen battery, a world first for a road vehicle according to the Japanese automotive giant (writes Peter Donaldson). Conventional non-bipolar nickel-hydrogen batteries have a much lower energy density than lithium-ion versions but much longer service lives. Compared with the nickel-hydrogen battery in the previous-generation Aqua, says […]

Grid

Solid-state batteries will be big in EVs – eventually

The promise of much safer electrolytes makes solid-state batteries attractive for EVs, particularly passenger cars, and EVs are expected to be their biggest single market (writes Peter Donaldson). However, the technology is far from mature and several challenges remain, according to Dr Xiaoxi He, principal technology analyst at IdTechEx, which has published an in-depth report […]

New Products

Anglo-American partnership to build electric versions of iconic sportscars

Everrati, which specialises in futureproofing automotive icons by integrating advanced EV powertrains, and 1960s-era continuation component sportscars Superformance, based in the US, have formed a strategic partnership. The first result of it will be an electrified version of the Ford GT40. Each Everrati is fitted with a custom-designed electric power unit and battery system. Superformance […]
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