Automotive

PS

Battery reuse and recycling

As awareness grows of the environmental problems associated with several types of lithium mining and extraction, it is becoming obvious that the eco-friendly shine on EVs could soon become tarnished unless those processes are cleaned up and a circular economy for lithium-ion batteries and the materials in them can be established (writes Peter Donaldson). A circular economy means reusing...

New Products

Sono Motors’ Sion gets more powerful battery with greater range

Munich-based mobility provider Sono Motors has announced it will use a more powerful, 54 kWh, battery for use in its Sion solar EV. The new LFP (lithium iron phosphate) battery extends the vehicle’s total range by up to 305 km and its maximum charging power by up to 75 kW. The additional range provided by […]

New Products

GM to use US lithium for next-generation EV batteries through closed-loop process

General Motors has agreed to form a strategic investment and commercial collaboration with Controlled Thermal Resources (CTR) to secure local and low-cost lithium. The lithium will be produced using a closed-loop, direct extraction process that results in a smaller physical footprint, no production tailings and lower CO2 emissions than traditional processes such as pit mining […]

Grid

Power semiconductors battleground

Even though wide bandgap semiconductors such as silicon carbide (SiC) and to a lesser extent gallium nitride (GaN) are making their presence felt in EV power conversion systems still dominated by silicon (Si), there is more performance to come from Si – and EVs are positioned to take advantage of competition among all three materials […]

Web exclusive

Parallel processing saves energy

As EVs become more sophisticated to appeal to potential buyers, manufacturers will have to pay close attention to both the power consumption and heat dissipation of sensors and their associated computers if they are to squeeze maximum range from the battery, which will require more parallelisation (writes Peter Donaldson). Among the most important of these […]

Grid

Dyno development

For ICE powertrain companies looking to transition into e-powertrain engineering, the construction of the new test cells poses on of the biggest cost-barrier to entry, writes Rory Jackson. High-speed dynamometers and test benches capable of measuring the performances of e-motors are inevitably pricey, and many such companies already possess significant testing equipment for cycling combustion […]

In Conversation

Henrik Fisker

Fisker Inc's founder tells Stewart Mitchell why the company's first car will be a mass-market, all-electric SUV. For the past few decades, automotive designer and entrepreneur Henrik Fisker has been working on high-performance luxury sportscars and unique coach-builds...

Dossier

Elaphe L1500 in-wheel motor

The L1500 has been designed to enable it to be used in a wide range of OEM EVs and HEVs. Rory Jackson reports on how it was developed. Slovenian company Elaphe is known in the e-mobility industry for its in-wheel propulsion technology, which is used in a range of automotive applications around the...

Show Report

Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo Europe 2018

Lawrence Butcher reports on some of the latest products that caught his eye at this major e-mobility show. May 2018 saw this annual expo take place in Hanover, Germany, where it also incorporated The Battery Show. Concurrently, the conference element of the show saw a...

Focus on...

eAxles

Peter Donaldson canvasses some Tier 1 suppliers’ views on contemporary eAxle technology and the likely future trends in their design. Integrating a motor, gearing and power electronics into a compact, modular package that sits between a vehicle’s driven wheels creates a system that has come to be known as an eAxle. It is an increasingly attractive option for...