News

The impending deployments of Tesla Powerwalls in the US appears to be starting, with surveys having been sent out to early reservation holders. No firm details are included, but with Tesla already releasing the user manual and installing Powerwalls in the UK and Australia, the timing of the surveys seems like a […]

Battery boffins are buzzing about silicon anodes, which could store up to 10 times more energy than today’s anodes. The catch is that silicon particles tend to swell and crack during cycling, and to react with the electrolyte in unwanted ways. Now a team from Stanford University and the Department […]

Motorola Solutions has invested an unspecified amount in Pellion Technologies, a startup that was founded by a team of MIT researchers. Pellion is focused on commercializing magnesium-ion battery technology. Because magnesium is divalent, it can displace double the charge per ion that lithium can, and the element is more abundant […]

Originally published on EV Obsession. Nissan has announced that it will be producing future-generation EV batteries in Sunderland, in the UK. First of all, this is exciting news for Sunderland and the UK as a whole, as it means high-quality, high-paying jobs for hundreds of people. Additionally, I’m viewing it […]

One of the drawbacks of lithium-ion batteries is that they tend to suffer power loss in cold weather. At temperatures below freezing, charging is slower, regenerative braking is restricted and vehicle range can be reduced. Now researchers from Penn State and spin-off company EC Power have developed a battery that […]

The idea of hitting 100% renewable energy (yes, energy, not just electricity) scares a lot of people. That is, a lot of people don’t think their cities or countries can achieve 100% renewable energy. However, a leading energy researcher at Stanford has led teams of researchers in order to practically […]

As the search for a better battery grinds on, a lot of the attention is focused on potential cathode materials. Nickel is one possibility that shows a lot of promise – its drawback is that it is unstable and tends to have destructive reactions with the electrolyte. Now a team […]

Stanford researchers have invented a new technology that could eliminate thermal runaway in high-energy-density batteries. Thermal runaway refers to a chain reaction in which an increase in temperature causes further increases in temperature and uncontrollable release of energy. In “Fast and reversible thermoresponsive polymer switching materials for safer batteries,” published in Nature […]

Saft has signed an agreement with SNCF, the national railway operator in France, to provide nickel-based batteries for over 200 trains, which employ the Alstom Coradia Duplex electric multiple unit (EMU) platform. These trains can achieve 160 km/h and are used in regional routes in France. The Saft/SNCF contract has been valued at about […]

Texas Instruments (NASDAQ: TXN) has introduced what it calls the industry’s first integrated battery monitor and protector. The enticingly-named bq76PL455A-Q1 provides cell-voltage monitoring for large batteries with up to 256 cells in a series. The bq76PL455A-Q1 is designed to reveal a pack’s state of charge and state of health by […]

Litarion, a subsidiary of Electrovaya Inc, has introduced a new, thinner flexible ceramic separator for utility-scale and EV applications. Among all cell components, the separator, is responsible of preventing the contact between the electrodes while permitting a free transport of ions in the cell. Its properties are also closely related […]