Materials

New Products

New metal cover with IP69K protection and push-pull locking

The RJ45 series Y-Con from Yamaichi Electronics is a modular and expandable product line that meets the requirements of protection ratings IP20, IP67, IP68 and IP69K, among others. Within the product line, the Y-Con Cover-40 has been replaced by a die-cast zinc cover called the Y-Con Cover-40 PP, which has push-pull locking. The cover automatically […]

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Separator and current collector protect cells from shorts

Soteria Battery Innovation Group, together with a consortium of more than 110 organisations, is making available new separator and current collector technologies that protect battery cells from the effects of internal short-circuits (writes Peter Donaldson). The consortium members include NASA, Mercedes-Benz, Lenovo, DuPont, Bosch and Motorola. As European consortium director Dr Juergen Kellner explains, “We […]

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

In Conversation

Allan Paterson

Britishvolt’s head of r&d tells Rory Jackson how his experience in battery cell technology has led to him being involved in setting up the UK’s first gigafactory In high-tech industries such as the EV

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Making the cases for battery transport

As the EV industry grows, the logistics of moving major components – particularly batteries – between facilities has to be closely considered, argues Olivier Saada, business development manager for containers at battery transport packaging specialist Corplex (writes Peter Donaldson). EV batteries are considered dangerous goods and fragile items, and the company makes cases that are […]

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Meeting the challenges of developing e-VTOL air taxis

AutoFlight’s Prosperity I, a Chinese-designed e-VTOL air taxi sized to accommodate a pilot and three passengers, is intended to meet the rigorous safety standards that apply to transport-category aircraft including the largest airliners, and the company is aiming for certification and service entry in 2025 (writes Peter Donaldson). Invited by electric aviation pioneer and AutoFlight’s […]

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A case of plastic over aluminium

Containing thermal runaway, protecting EV occupants from fire and saving weight are all drivers for the application of new materials to batteries, and the battery case is a prime target for replacing aluminium alloy with plastics (writes Peter Donaldson). Multi-industry plastics specialist SABIC has recently re-engineered existing EV battery cases in two proof-of-concept exercises that […]

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Motor laminations

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

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New chapter in the story of cork

Finding a material with several applications in state-of-the-art EV powertrains that literally grows on trees might seem unlikely, but that is exactly what Portuguese company Amorim Cork Composites is offering with cork (writes Peter Donaldson). The raw material is the bark of the cork oak tree (Quercus suber), which in addition to its best-known application […]

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Motor wire is ‘green’

Tau has started shipping prototype environmentally friendly winding wire to the automotive industry. The wire combines minimised partial discharge, high fill factors and improved temperature resistance for high-voltage and frequency optimisation for electric motors.

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