Battery

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Magnesium electrolyte sparks next-generation battery design

University of Waterloo researchers have made a key breakthrough in developing next-generation batteries made of magnesium instead of lithium. When the idea to create batteries using magnesium was first shared in a seminal academic paper in 2000, the novel design didn’t provide enough voltage to compete with lithium-ion batteries.

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Wireless BMS built with ultra-wideband tech

NXP Semiconductor has developed the first battery management system (BMS) using ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, writes Nick Flaherty. Using wireless connections between battery cells and the BMS in a pack simplifies assembly and enables better energy density.

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Battery cell manufacturing

There are three major phases of activity for manufacturing battery cells, as Nick Flaherty reports Moving from small coin cells that prove the performance of a battery chemistry in the laboratory to production is a big step. There are many different ways to construct a cell, and many techniques for both building and characterising the resulting battery.

Show Report

The Battery Show USA show report

A wealth of advanced battery tech for EVs was on show in Detroit, as Peter Donaldson reports. Staged for the first time at Huntington Place, Detroit, The Battery Show and Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo, North America showcased a myriad advanced battery technologies. Organiser Informa Markets reports that more than 21,000 professionals from around the world attended and 1250 organisations exhibited, making the 2024 event the largest in its history, which dates back to 2010.

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Modular batteries

In optimising modular battery technologies, it’s important to harmonise design and control. By Peter Donaldson. Modular battery systems remain an essential component of e-mobility, offering unique advantages that complement recent advancements in cell-to-pack (C-t-P) technologies.

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Aluminium busbar process cuts costs and weight

brandgroup, a medium-sized, German company, is to develop and manufacture innovative and efficient springs, spring assemblies and wire-forming parts using a process for the manufacturing of aluminium busbars with high-cross sections up to 300 mm2 in the automotive charging path to cut weight and cost, writes Peter Donaldson.

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Halving the time it takes to roll out battery packs

Ionetic has developed a system of software, hardware and manufacturing technologies to simplify the development of battery packs, writes Nick Flaherty. OEMs needing 100 to 10,000 battery packs a year are faced with a difficult choice: expensive, time-consuming, highly bespoke battery packs or low-performance, off-the-shelf systems.

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E-bikes gain BMS based on 100 V Gan devices

Innoscience Technology has launched a battery management system (BMS) based on 100 V gallium nitride (GaN) devices for electric three-wheelers and e-bikes, writes Nick Flaherty. The VGaN devices are connected by a common drain for bidirectional switching of battery charging and discharging, reducing on-resistance to 3.2 mΩ.

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Ilika tests 10 Ah cells to hit Goliath D6 milestone

Ilika has reached its D6 milestone by testing 10 Ah cells in its Goliath solid-state batteries for electric vehicles. The modelling of a Goliath-based battery pack for EVs is under way by UK company Balance Batteries. Early results show the weight of the battery pack can be reduced by up to 100 kg on the basis of Goliath’s benefits, compared to a current SUV lithium-ion model of the same energy.

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Donut Lab claims new platform builds faster, cheaper, better EVs

Donut Lab has taken a new approach to building electric vehicles with a development platform that offers a library of inter-compatible components that can be used to produce supercars, buses, UVs or SUVs in record time, it says.

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