Motor

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Freedom from rare earth magnets?

A good alternative to magnets made from rare earth elements such as neodymium, dysprosium and samarium – which are expensive, volatile in price and supply and polluting in their extraction – is something of a holy grail for the electrical industry in general and EVs in particular. Enter Niron Magnetics with its Clean Earth iron […]

Dossier

Irizar Group ie truck

Rory Jackson investigates the development of this electric/hybrid refuse truck, which is already operating in various European countries. Developing heavy EVs for urban applications, where regulations on emissions and noise are the strictest of any operating environment, requires a wealth of research...

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OxDrive joint venture unveils self-contained e-hub for farm vehicles

OEMs developing small EVs for agricultural applications, including those intended to have autonomous capabilities, want to focus their efforts on the core agricultural functions and the autonomy (writes Peter Donaldson). Typically, however, they are faced with specifying the driveline, sourcing components and integrating them, says Chris Horton of OxDrive, a joint venture between Performance Projects […]

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Condition monitoring

Peter Donaldson examines the factors involved in keeping tabs on the health and performance of key EV components. While an EV’s most costly component is its battery, there are also many other subsystems – inverters, generators and so on – whose condition is critical to safety and efficiency. Machinery health and usage monitoring is well-established...

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...

New Products

Eviation unveils its production all-electric Alice aircraft as it prepares for inaugural flight

Eviation Aircraft, a global manufacturer of all-electric aircraft, has unveiled the design for its Alice all-electric aircraft, which is on track for first flight later this year. The production configuration defines Alice’s path to certification, and entry into service is expected in 2024. The Alice can carry nine passengers and two crew members. It is […]

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Thermal Management 2020

Peter Donaldson reports on the methods and materials for keeping EV batteries and other components in their optimum temperature range. Thermal management is the art and science of moving heat energy around to keep various components of a vehicle – and its occupants – at safe, efficient and comfortable working...

Digest

Workhorse Group C-Series

Rory Jackson details the development of these electric delivery vans, which have been designed and built from the ground up. The Workhorse Group designs and builds battery-electric medium-duty trucks, and earlier this year it started production of its C-Series vans...

Dossier

Liebherr ETM Series

Developing these all-electric cement mixer trucks has meant blending the bespoke with the off-the-shelf. Rory Jackson reports. The conventional cement truck is a diesel-powered vehicle that spends much of each working day at a standstill. However, whether it is having concrete...