News

February 19, 2019

Researchers Explore Proton-Hopping Mechanism to Improve EV Batteries

Researchers at Oregon State University have shown that a chemical mechanism known as proton-hopping may provide a new method of energy storage for EVs and other high-power applications. “Coming up with Faradaic electrodes that afford batteries energy density and capacitors power with excellent cycle life has been a big challenge. […]
February 13, 2019

KAIST Research Team Develops Stable, High-rate Li-S Batteries

A research team from South Korean research university KAIST has developed stable, high-rate lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) by using hierarchically porous titanium nitride (h-TiN) as a sulfur host. In a paper in the journal Advanced Materials, the researchers report that h-TiN/S shows a reversible capacity of 557 mAh g-1 even after 1,000 cycles at 5 […]
February 11, 2019

Tesla and Jeff Dahn Patent New Battery Cell Chemistry

Tesla’s battery research group in Halifax, which is led by battery superstar Jeff Dahn, has applied for a patent on a new battery cell chemistry that promises to deliver faster charging, longer life and lower cost. In the application, entitled “Novel battery systems based on two-additive electrolyte systems,” Dahn and his […]
February 8, 2019

Honda and CATL to Cooperate on EV Development

Honda and EV battery manufacturer Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) have signed a cooperation agreement to develop EVs. CATL will provide Honda with 56 GWh worth of EV batteries by 2027. CATL will also set up a local office in the Japanese city of Utsunomiya, the location of Honda’s Automobile R&D […]
February 4, 2019

Corvus Energy toProvide Energy Storage Systems For Five New Electric Ferries

Corvus Energy, a supplier of energy storage systems (ESSs) to the maritime industry, has been selected as the ESS provider for five new electric ferries to be operated by Norwegian company Fjord1. Corvus will provide its lithium-ion battery-based ESSs to electrical systems integrator Norwegian Electric Systems (NES), which will provide […]
February 4, 2019

Tesla to Acquire Ultracapacitor Developer Maxwell Technologies

Tesla plans to to acquire Maxwell Technologies at a price of $4.75 per share, or approximately $218 million. The merger, which was unanimously approved by Maxwell’s board of directors, is to be finalized around the second quarter of 2019. Maxwell is based in San Diego and has about 380 employees. The company will be […]
February 2, 2019

France Betting Big On Batteries With 700 Million Euro Investment

The French government sees a battery-powered future and is betting big on it with news that it will invest 700 million euros in the manufacturing of battery cells for electric vehicles over the next 5 years. News broke of the investment as part of a new plan crafted by French […]
January 29, 2019

Higher Crystallinity Results in Better Solid-state Batteries

Scientists at the Tokyo Institute of Technology have been working on solid-state batteries, which are theoretically safer, more stable, and have higher energy densities than conventional Li-ion batteries with liquid electrolytes. They have recently made progress towards overcoming a major limitation of solid-state batteries: high resistance at the interface between the […]
January 25, 2019

Tesla’s Battery Leadership Protected In Secrecy

Originally published on EVANNEX. By Charles Morris By now, regular readers of this column are well aware that we (along with most other writers who focus on electric vehicles) consider the threat of the “Tesla killer” to be no threat at all. Yes, Big Auto is producing excellent EVs, some of which are […]
January 23, 2019

VW to Join Tesla in the Charging and Energy Storage Businesses

Volkswagen has announced plans to set up a new brand called Elli – for “electric life” -to sell EV charging stations, stationary storage batteries and electric services such as clean power. Elli, which will initially be focused in Europe, will sell various home charger models, including two 11 kW wall […]
January 22, 2019

Tesla Raises Supercharger Prices Worldwide, Flirts With Chinese Battery Manufacturers

Last week, Tesla announced it was increasing the cost of Supercharging around the world. Even though Elon Musk has said the Tesla charging network is not intended to be a profit center for the company, the company is under significant pressure to show a profit — no matter how slight — going forward. To further that […]
January 20, 2019

Toyota & Panasonic Form Battery Manufacturing Partnership

Toyota has been slow out of the gate in the race to build cars with plugs, preferring to rest on its laurels as the first company to sell conventional hybrid cars in large quantities. Other than that, it has cast its lot with fuel cell technology, managing to sell hundreds of its […]