Battery advance extends RV range 9 E-Mobility Engineering | November/December 2023 US start-up Grounded has developed a modular electric recreation vehicle (RV) with a range of 250 miles (writes Nick Flaherty). The G2 increases the range from the 100 miles of the original version, the G1, by using a larger and more efficient battery pack. The G2 is based on the Zevo 600 platform from BrightDrop, which is backed by General Motors. The platform uses the GM Ultium pouch cells in an 800 V, 165 kWh pack. The RV has an additional 10 kWh of battery, called the house battery, to power the interior. This can be charged from the vehicle’s battery as well as 640 W rooftop solar cells. Both the vehicle battery and the house battery systems are bidirectional, allowing the vehicle battery to be charged from the house battery if necessary. Sensors in the vehicle monitor the usage of the battery systems and diagnose potential issues. The software will also learn how users operate the vehicle over time, with plans to extend the lifespan of the battery pack through over-the-air updates to provide optimisations. The Zevo is built at CAMI Assembly in Canada, and is shipped for the rest of the implementation. The G2 also includes the Starlink satellite broadband service for high-speed internet access. The G2’s interior implements a gridbased modular system with a library of modules and the ability to choose the location of each module. The modules are attached to exposed mounting rails within the vehicle, allowing customers to add and remove them. The rails can also be used by customers for mounting additional accessories. ROAD VEHICLES Detectors do more using less Nisshinbo Micro Devices has launched two voltage detectors that are designed to provide higher accuracy in ECUs and BMSs using fewer components (writes Nick Flaherty). When monitoring high voltages, it is crucial to consider the drawbacks of using traditional low-voltage detectors with an open drain output. The NV3600 and NV3601 series detectors reduce the need for additional resistors to divide the monitored voltage and pullup resistors at the output. Additional resistors can lead to an increase in component count and leakage current concerns. While the input range is 2.4 to 6.0 V, the Sense pin of the NV3600 devices have a high withstand voltage, of 42 V, with no need for a voltage divider resistor. There is also the option of NMOS open-drain or CMOS output types. These eliminate the leakage current issue and do not require additional external components. The NV3600 has adjustable hysteresis to monitor power supplies that experience large voltage fluctuations, such as those found in automotive batteries in noisy environments. The detection and release voltages can be set individually by selecting the appropriate hysteresis width based on the system requirements. This avoids false detection and misinterpretation from the hysteresis, even when the voltage fluctuation is significant. The NV3601 has under and overvoltage detection to monitor abnormalities, not only when the monitored voltage decreases but also when it increases beyond a certain threshold. It can also monitor under and overvoltage using a single chip. ELECTRONIC HARDWARE A solar-powered RV with 250-mile range A voltage detector design cuts component count
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