The Norwegian company Teco 2030 is to deliver 120 fuel cell stacks to the Austrian propulsion developer AVL. This is provided for in a letter of intent now concluded between the two companies.
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The Norwegian company Teco 2030 and the Austrian drive developer AVL List have signed a cooperation agreement to use fuel cell stacks from Teco 2030 in AVL’s DemoTruck. The first prototype of the FC truck is scheduled to be on the road from mid-2023.
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The MEDUSA project is now underway with the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and its partners AVL List, EnerCharge, Infineon Technologies Austria and Xelectrix Power are developing a fast-charging station and the corresponding infrastructure for electric heavy vehicles, buses and trucks in the multi-megawatt range.
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Ford and powertrain testing specialist AVL UK have teamed up to build a functional Transit FCEV prototype, which will be used to research the suitability of hydrogen powertrains in the commercial vehicle sector.
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AVL List has put its new Battery Innovation Center (BIC) into operation in Graz. In addition to the functional development of new high-voltage batteries for electric vehicles, the focus is on establishing, implementing and validating new efficient production processes.
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The Chinese real estate group Evergrande looks like it is on the verge of withdrawing from the automobile business. According to a media report, the indebted group is looking into selling the division to other Chinese carmakers.
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Researchers at TU Graz, together with industry partners Audi, Daimler, and AVL, have looked into the entire battery lifecycle to detail ageing processes. The SafeBattery project ultimately aims to define parameters for the re-use of discarded EV batteries.
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The development of more powerful fuel cell components for heavy-duty trucks with a lifespan of at least 30,000 hours is the goal of a new project consortium called IMMORTAL (IMproved lifetiMe stacks fOR heavy-duty Trucks through ultrA-durabLe components).
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The European research project INN-BALANCE to develop a new generation of components for fuel cell vehicles has been extended until October 2021 to complete outstanding system tests. The project is dedicated to optimising peripheral fuel cell components.
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A group of 25 companies and organisations from the hydrogen sector have formed a consortium called ‘StasHH’ to develop and test a European standard for fuel cell modules for heavy-duty applications for the first time.
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In Austria, the Graz University of Technology has opened a new facility for the development of solid-state batteries with their industrial partner AVL. Called the Christian Doppler Laboratory, the facility deals in depth with the reduction of interfacial resistances within the solid-state battery.
Read moreThe EU-funded project COBRA (CObalt-free Batteries for FutuRe Automotive Applications) aims to develop next-generation cobalt-free batteries. The project also aims to eliminate the need for other critical materials.
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The extremely ambitious electric car plans of the Chinese Evergrande Group are becoming more concrete: In Huzhou in Zhejiang Province, local media reported that the ground-breaking ceremony for a production facility of Evergrande for electric drive systems has now taken place.
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The Chinese real estate group Evergrande is bringing specialized expertise on board for its ambitious electric car plans. The company has now officially signed cooperation agreements with FEV Group, EDAG, IVA Group, AVL and Magna.
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AVL List has opened their Battery Lab again after remodeling the facility for eleven months. It now offers 700 m² of space for modern testing facilities for electric and thermic batteries up to 750 kW and 1,200 V.
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Eco heavyweights: MAN Truck & Bus is taking part in the EU project ECOCHAMPS, that wishes to develop hybrid technology for passenger and commercial vehicles. Out of the 26 partners, MAN is looking to build a hybrid bus for cities and hopes to lower cost through the standardisation of components. Its driveline will be compatible with different energy sources, be it a gas generator or fuel cell.
mantruckandbus.com
National Battery Prototyping Centre: Coventry is becoming a centre for alternative mobility as plans are revealed to build a competence centre for battery research there. The proposal is backed by politicians, scientists, and industry alike. While the centre would focus on research and development, it could ultimately lead to a large scale local battery production. Still, Coventry seeks money from the government to execute the plans but already got the (idealistic) backing of neighbouring Jaguar Land Rover, that says it wants to build both EVs and batteries in England. Funding decisions will only be made after the General Election.
reuters.com, coventrytelegraph.net
Another competence centre has been completed in Graz, where the ‘AVL-TU Graz Transmission Center’ offers ample space to research gearbox systems. 750 square metres will see testing of all sorts of transmissions, from hybrid drives to power axles for electric vehicles. It is a unique coupling of corporate and academic forces from which both partners hope to benefit.
tugraz.at
Cleaning the lagoon: Venice wants to electrify its water taxi fleet and a new hybrid drive from British REAP may help. It can be retrofitted and works with a carbon drive belt. It is not the first attempt to keep noise and exhaust levels low as Siemens already fully electrified a Venetian vessel with more to come.
contitech.de
Kreisel Electric builds battery factory: The Austrian company mainly known for retrofitting cars with electric drives, is increasing its battery production capabilities. Construction of a new facility named 3K One kicked off yesterday in northern Austria. From March 2017, battery packs with a combined capacity of 800,000 kWh will roll of production lines there annually.
automobil-industrie.vogel.de, focus.de (articles in German)
Putting fuel cells to the test: Austrian AVL List and Canadian company Greenlight Innovation announced their corporation on the development of a test platform for fuel cell drivetrains. The testing system will be suited for passenger cars as well as utility vehicles.
greenlightinnovation.com
Wireless charging for the Model S: U.S.-based company Evatran will offer its inductive charging system for the Tesla Model S from the end of May. It is already available for the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt. The Tesla-option has a charging capacity of 7.2 kWh and will cost 3,290 dollars.
insideevs.com, autoevolution.com, pluglesspower.com
Battery cooperation: Swiss tech company Bühler received an order from Chinese battery manufacturer Lishen for the installation of four production lines for EV batteries. The Swiss-developed manufacturing process is said to save 60 percent of space and energy, therefore making production much more cost efficient.
cleantech.ch, buhlergroup.com (articles in German)
Road-powered EV: Researchers at Japan’s Toyohashi University of Technology replaced the battery of an EV with special tires that draw energy from steel paths embedded in the road. The technology works similar to inductive charging and guarantees that energy never runs out. A first prototype has already gone for a test drive – but at very low speeds.
autoblog.com
Short circuit to blame: A Tesla had caught fire while at a Supercharger in Norway in January. The isolated incident has finally been deemed the result of a short circuit in the EV’s distribution box. Due to the extensive damage, the exact cause of the short circuit cannot be determined, however. Meanwhile, Norwegian officials see no reason to keep the electric luxury cars off the road.
teslarati.com
New battery tester: The E-storage BTE from Austrian consulting firm AVL is a battery tester and can be used to simulate electric motors and inverters fin an early developmental phase. The system is very small, and reduces required floor space by up to 25 percent, and may reduce battery lifecycle testing time by up to 20%.
avl.com
Shibusa e-bike: Georgia Tech students have created a futuristic e-bike as part of a nine-week study project. The Shibusa is designed specifically to blend appeal and flexibility. It is available with electric-assist technology, or as an ordinary, human-powered bike. Components can easily be switched out thanks to a modular design – a first on the e-bike market.
core77.com, elvinchu.com
Driverless bus goes public: In Dutch Wageningen, an autonomous electric bus is rolling up and down a 200 metre stretch of road. The WePod goes 8 kph tops, but nevertheless uses public streets. The pilot will eventually expand to cover a 6 km long route, while the WePod will gradually speed up to 25 kph. The city looks to roll out an entire fleet over the coming years.
reuters.com, theguardian.com, wepods.com
Google eyes Austria: The IT giant is looking to test its self-driving pods in conditions not usually found in Silicon Valley, looking to Austria, where it will find snow, mountains and narrow curves. Autocluster AC Styria already signed a letter of intent with Google.
wirtschaftsblatt.at (in German)
Ultracap backed up: Skeleton Technologies received a 4m euro (4.4m USD) cash injection from KIC InnoEnergy, an investment company with shareholders like ABB, EDF, and Total. Skeleton aims to reach the ambitious target of a 20 Wh/kg energy density for its graphen-based technology by 2020.
greencarcongress.com, businessgreen.com, skeletontech.com
New technology centre: AVL’s latest technology centre has begun operations near Stuttgart, Germany. It features nine test beds for the development and testing of engines, powertrains and vehicles, including EVs. The modular design allows the addition of another 16 test beds.
avl.com
Dyson acquires battery maker: Shortly after the maker of vacuum cleaners loudly thought about building its own EV, Dyson now bought solid-state battery start-up Sakti3 for 90m dollars. Previously, Dyson had invested 15m dollars. Things are poised to get even more serious as Dyson plans to build a grand battery factory for an estimated 1 billion dollars. It sure will deliver power packs for vacuum cleaners, if for electric cars too, will remain to be seen.
usatoday.com via greencarcongress.com, electric-vehiclenews.com
Electric-Retrofit is a system set up by Benteler Engineering to convert diesel into electric buses. The axle drive module is by Ziehl-Abegg and recuperates. The system is said to fit in 10.5 to 18-metre vehicles and is currently presented at the Busworld show in Belgium.
benteler-engineering.de
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New emission test site: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has awarded AVL to set up an emissions measurement system at the National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory (NVFEL). Here, EPA wants to test electric and hybrid vehicles next to conventional vehicles.
prnewswire.com
Student racer for Garage 56? An electric racer built by Eindhoven University of Technology is preparing to take part in Le Mans. As of now, only a prototype exists but it already reaches 285 kph. The Le Mans version will have four instead of two electric drives and a small conventional motor. The students are looking for sponsors.
electricautosport.com
Most clicked link on Tuesday was the motor of a BMW i3 filmed in action. While it sounds like an oversized dentist drill, more curiously it moves – slightly.
youtube.com
BYD takes on the Gigafactory: BYD announced that it wants to increase its battery production by 6 GWh per year. That means BYD could ramp up production from this year’s 10 GWh to 34 GWh by 2020 – nearly the same output that Tesla has announced for its Gigafactory (35 GWh).
businessinsider.com, ibtimes.com
Does the Leaf have a problem with the cold? Transport Canada is investigating possible problems with Nissan Leaf brakes in severe cold weather. The vehicles concerned were built in the years 2013 to 2015. The results of the investigation have not been published yet.
hybridcars.com, insideevs.com
Safe Li-ion batteries: Scientists from the German Juelich Research Center have developed a new battery cell for EVs, using a special ceramic as solid electrolyte. In a next step, the researchers will reduce the thickness of the electrolyte to only a few micrometers.
idw-online.de, golem.de (articles in German)
AVL moves to Sweden: The powertrain developer from Graz has bought 51 percent of shares of the Swedish company Victura AB. It is said to be one of the leading transmission and hybrid driveline design companies and will “strengthen AVL’s broad range of development services and its position in Sweden”.
vicura.se
