News

January 13, 2015

Did Nikola Tesla Create An Electric Car That Could Be Charged Wirelessly?

While the mythology that currently surrounds Nikola Tesla does contain a lot of very fanciful elements, there’s no doubt that the man had a mind that was well suited towards the creation of technological “marvels.” The man has certainly left his mark on the world of modern technology — which […]
December 30, 2014

Gallium Nitride and Silicon Carbide Expected to Displace Silicon in Power Electronics

Emerging materials such as gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) will eventually displace silicon in power electronic applications, according to a new report from Lux Research, which forecasts that the market for GaN power electronics will reach $1.1 billion, about 5% of the total market, by 2024. While silicon […]
December 29, 2014

Automakers: Lead-Acid Batteries Are Still Necessary

While lithium-ion is the chemistry of choice for EV batteries, almost every ICE vehicle made today still uses the ancient lead-acid battery technology for its 12-Volt starter battery (Porsche and a couple of other makers of high-performance cars offer lithium-ion starter batteries). Auto OEMs and battery providers want to preserve […]
December 28, 2014

Will Seeo’s 400 Wh/kg Battery Fulfil Expectations?

Forbes, Bloomberg, TechCrunch, Giacom, Green Car Congress, Xconomy, Reuters Pe Hub,The Green Optimistic, VentureBeat, and the MIT Technology Review have all written about the California start-up company Seeo. Korean electronics giant Samsung led in the recent $17 million round of series E investments. The other two investors, Khosla Ventures and Beijing-based GSR Ventures, increased […]
December 26, 2014

Graphene Wrapper Enhances Performance of Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Lithium-sulfur batteries are of great interest, as they could offer specific energy densities far greater than those of current lithium-ion chemistries. However, current designs are plagued by low efficiency and capacity degradation. A team of researchers from the University of Cambridge and the Beijing Institute of Technology has devised a […]
December 24, 2014

Ioxus Announces New Line of High-Temperature Ultracapacitors

New York-based ultracapacitor manufacturer Ioxus has introduced a new line of high-temperature 1250-Farad cells. According to the company, its proprietary Titan technology meets the requirement of automotive customers for ultracaps with a wider operating range that meets both cold and high temperature standards. Ioxus’ newest line of cells functions at […]
December 21, 2014

EV Battery Experts Discuss Battery Costs & More

Today is clearly a video catchup day for me. This last one of the day is a super interestingdiscussion about electric vehicle (EV) batteries. It includes the CEO of LG Chem (which providesEV batteries to GM for the Chevy Volt and Renault for its electric vehicles, as well as others), […]
December 17, 2014

IATA Publishes Guidelines For Safe Transport of Lithium Batteries

Like any energy storage medium, lithium-ion batteries can be dangerous if mishandled, so it’s necessary to establish guidelines for their safe transport and storage. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has published a guide for the safe handling of lithium batteries on aircraft. The IATA estimates that each year, over […]
December 10, 2014

Volkswagen Buys Piece of Solid-state Battery Startup

Volkswagen has bought a five-percent stake in battery startup QuantumScape. Confidential sources told Bloomberg that the Volkswagen Group plans to complete tests of QuantumScape’s technology by mid-2015, and is considering using it in VW, Porsche and Audi vehicles. Closely-held QuantumScape, founded in 2010 by former Stanford University researchers, is working […]
December 8, 2014

50 Big Ideas Shaping The Future of Electric Mobility

Some good people at Urban Foresight, the International Energy Agency, the Electric Vehicles Initiative, and Clean Energy Ministerial have put together an “EV City Casebook” that I highly recommend checking out (it’s free). The focus of the casebook is a summary of “50 big ideas shaping the future of electric mobility.” We’ll be […]
December 5, 2014

Researchers Develop Dendrite-Free Lithium Films, an Important Step Toward Lithium Metal Anodes

There’s a lot of interest in using lithium metal as an anode material, because of its theoretical high capacity of 3,860 mAh g−1 (around ten times that of the graphite anodes used in typical Li-ion batteries). However, it doesn’t measure up in terms of cycle life and safety requirements, and one […]
December 3, 2014

Daimler Invests €100 Million to Expand Lithium-ion Battery Production

Daimler plans to invest around €100 million ($125 million) to expand production capacity for lithium-ion batteries at its Deutsche ACCUmotive subsidiary. A new building is under construction in Kamenz, Germany, and when it is completed in mid-2015, Deutsche ACCUmotive will have nearly 20,000 square meters of production and logistics space. […]