Schaeffler, Kulan, University of Maryland, University of Texas, TNO.

Mild-hybrid SUV: Schaeffler will show the second phase of its concept car based on an all-wheel-drive, midsize SUV at the North American International Auto Show in January. Including a 48-volt system and other innovations, the vehicle already meets 2025 CAFE requirements.
greencarcongress.com

Electric donkey: Shown at the IAA Commercial Vehicles show in Hanover earlier this year, the Kulan electric utility concept was created by a German consortium of 14 companies and research organisations and is designed for transporting loads around farms. With just about 4 kW from two electric motors – one in each rear-wheel hub – it is able to carry one tonne of cargo.
greencarreports.com

Li-ion research: Researchers at the University of Maryland say they have improved the cycle life of silicon-carbon composite electrodes by 300 percent. This was achieved solely by the chemical tailoring of the interface between the silicon and the carbon with atomic oxygen.
greencarcongress.com

Lithium-sulfur research: Researchers at the University of Texas have found that using phosphorus pentasulfide (P2S5) as an electrolyte additive enables the direct use of commercially available bulk Li2S particles as high-capacity cathode materials for Li−S batteries. According to the researchers, this could significantly decrease the manufacturing cost of Li−S batteries.
greencarcongress.com, pubs.acs.org

Intelligent e-bike: The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) has developed an electric bike that is able to detect oncoming dangers and warn its rider by vibrating either the handlebars (danger from the front) or the saddle (danger from the back). The radar and camera-assisted safety bike could be available to customers within the next two years.
telegraph.co.uk