Graeme Davison is the VP for Business Development & Marketing at Qualcomm and knows all about the state of wireless charging today. The technology is here, even for dynamic charging. The question is where to apply it first.
Weiterlesen
The 2 km-long photovoltaic pavement stretch opened in the Chinese city of Jinan a few days ago is already out of order. Unknown perpetrators stole one solar panel and damaged seven other ones. In total, the highway features 5,874 square metres of solar panels.
latimes.com
A new video clip officially released by Nissan shows a clear image of the carmaker’s vision of future mobility. According to Nissan, by 2040, we will face no more emissions nor road fatalities, we will charge inductively and regularly use the V2G function of our EVs…
Weiterlesen
The Chinese city of Jinan started testing a 2 km-long stretch that is equipped with 5,874 square meters of solar panels. In future, electric vehicles driving on it, shall be able to charge inductively.
Weiterlesen
In-road charging start-up ElectRoad has found a new investor in bus maker Dan Bus from Tel Aviv that wants to invest 2.2 million dollars. The Israeli company that had recently presented its dynamic inductive charging technology.
Weiterlesen
Hybrid drone delivery: UPS started tests with hybrid delivery vans that carry a drone pod on their roof. From there, the little octocopter called HorseFly launches, delivers a parcel and returns to the van, where it is caught by robotic arms to dock and charge.
techcrunch.com, newatlas.com
Wireless charging for e-buses: The 50 kW inductive charging system by Wireless Advanced Vehicle Electrification (WAVE) has been certified by Underwriters Laboratories. It allows to charge electric buses at bus stops with up to 50 kW wirelessly. Californian Antelope Valley Transit Agency will be first to use it and plans to buy 85 electric buses from BYD over the next 5 years.
chargedevs.com, busride.com
Lexus confirmed specs of the LS 500h hybrid powertrain ahead of Geneva. The partially electrified version of the luxurious sedan will share its powertrain with the LC 500h. The LS500h can run in EV mode to 140 kph.
autocar.co.uk
New tool for Li-ion battery research: Positrons have been used by scientists at the TU Munich (TUM) to investigate capacity loss in NMC batteries. So-called positron annihilation spectroscopy reveals voids in the lattice of the cathode material that block electrodes’s return upon recharging.
tum.de
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Intelligent charging success: To charge batteries with green excess energy is sensible and economically viable. This is the result of the BESIC research project conducted at Hamburg harbour for 3.5 years. There, ten electric HGV ran with surplus green energy. The key was to develop a smart battery management that ensured charging when environmentally and operationally necessary.
hafen-hamburg.de
Fiat and Google autonomous together: FCA delivered 100 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans equipped with self-driving tech to Waymo, formerly the Google car project. The move fits Fiat’s plan to reveal a fully electric vehicle based on the Chrysler Pacifica at the CES in Las Vegas.
greencarcongress.com, bloomberg.com
Interoperability validated: Wireless charging bench testing has been completed and proves the interoperability and validity of the SAE TIR J2954. For the first time, interoperability between the so-called Double D (DD) and Circular Topologies has been demonstrated between 3.7 to 7.7 kW.
greencarcongress.com
BMW i3 charges wirelessly at 7.2 kW: Evatran presents its inductive charging system for use with BMW’s electric car in the States. The 7.2 kW system translates to about 20 miles of range recharged per hour and applies to both the i3 and the range-extended version but costs 3,499 dollars.
insideevs.com
Green transport: The British Government releases 21 million pounds in funding for sustainable travel initiatives. 23 councils will benefit from the money as they set up projects that promote all sorts of green transport, including cycling and walking.
fleetnews.co.uk, gov.uk (winning bids)
China’s tightest emission rules will be rolled out in Beijing by January 2017. Labelled the Beijing Six, the new fuel standards go beyond the Euro V norm and will limit car pollutants by up to an additional 20 percent in the capital. Beijing also plans to ban 400,000 trucks and mini buses that run on low-quality high-sulphur fuels from its roads over the next two years.
reuters.com, hybridcars.com
Buying into the future: Both, Toyota and Volkswagen have announced large investments in ride-sharing. So far, only an MOU exists between Uber and the Japanese as Toyota first wishes to test the ground with special offers for Uber drivers for example. VW however committed 300m dollars to Gett and hopes to establish a legally independent mobility entity.
carscoops.com, greencarcongress.com (Toyota), greencarcongress.com (VW)
Wireless charging standard: SAE issues an industry guideline for wireless power transfer between infrastructure, vehicle suppliers and OEMs. The SAE TIR J2954 establishes a common frequency band using 85 kHz and further defines four classes of WPT power levels ranging from 3.7 – 22 kW.
chargedevs.com, standards.sae.org (guideline)
Electrified South America: An electric bus has entered service in Santiago de Chile. The BYD bus will operate free of charge in a bid to make the Chilean town more liveable. Montevideo, too runs a BYD electric bus. It is part of a pilot programme the capital of Uruguay set up. Both cities clearly see the low running costs as an advantage but shy away from the initial investment.
english.cri.cn (Chile), laht.com (Uruguay)
Solar charged South Africa: The first BMW i solar carport has been unveiled at the tip of Africa. It feeds about 3,6kW of solar power straight to the BMW i Wallbox. BMWi carports will be installed in Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Durban for public charging from July 1.
electriccarsreport.com
Hybridisation of manual transmissions: Schaeffler presented its E-Clutch transmission system. It enables fuel saving while “sailing” or driving electrically and can thus be integrated into vehicles with manual transmissions. The system works on three levels of automation that go from the help of an actuator to purely Electronic Clutch Management (ECM).
hpmag.co.uk, schaeffler.co.uk
Inductive cooperation: Korean utility firm Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO) and wireless carrier SK Telecom Co. join forces to push wireless EV charging technology. The same goes for “Vehicle to Infrastructure” (V2I) systems that connect cars with the road and conditions around them.
pulsenews.co.kr
New Mission: Electric motorcycle brand Mission Electric has been taken over by Vayon and will keep its focus on electric drivetrain and EV component development. Vayon will also provide further testing capabilities for the Mission Motor Company, including for high voltage batteries and climate chambers.
greencarcongress.com, vayongroup.com
LG Chem goes maritime: Corvus Energy announced a multi-year agreement with LG Chem to supply Li-ion cells for its hybrid and electric maritime ESS. They will power passenger and commercial vessels, both hybridised or fully electric.
bestmag.co.uk, ees-magazine.com
Most clicked link on Wednesday was our article predicting the beginning of the end of the CHAdeMO standard in Germany and the rest of Europe.
electrive.com
V2G commercialisation: Aston University’s European Bioenergy Research Institute (EBRI) commissioned a permanent electric vehicle to grid (V2G) charging system first developed in Japan. It is part of the EU project Itheca that will see the institute develop a smart control algorithm to optimise energy distribution between the grid and connected EVs.
power-technology.com
Testing inductive charging: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) runs trials with wireless charging solutions from 6.6 kW to 10 and even 19 kW. Test mules are electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles by Toyota and Hyundai, including the Prius and Kia Soul EV.
ngtnews.com
U.S.-China research: The DOE earmarked 12.5 m dollars for a consortium that aims to improve the efficiency of medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Hybrid systems are part of the initiative of the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center that sees R&D centres set up and funded in both countries.
greencarcongress.com
High voltage MLCCs: TDK expands its CGA range of its high voltage multi-layer ceramic capacitors. The new CGA6 and CGA9 series come with a rated voltage of 1,000 V. They are made for use in wireless charging units, DC-DC converters and on-board chargers in electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.
global.tdk.com
Most clicked link on Tuesday was BYD’s electric coach the Chinese manufacturer presented in Paris. The model has a range of 200 km.
automotiveworld.com
Wireless charging testbed: EVs that charge inductively can be tested in Greenville, South Carolina. The new testbed is part of the International Transportation Innovation Center (ITIC) and the result of a cooperation between Clemson University, Toyota, Evatran, Cisco, Duke Energy and the ORNL.
smartgridnews.com, itic-sc.com
Upcycled solar car: Sicilian start-up Futuro Solar and the University of Catania jointly developed the Archimede Solar Car concept. It is made almost solely from recycled materials (98%) and powered by 246 solar panels with an output of 1,000 watts. The vehicle reaches a maximum of 57 kph but could go faster in the future.
futureentech.com
Will to progress: MBtech expands activities at its eMobility competence centre as 30 new employees will join this year. New testing devices for hybrid drives, power electronics and electric machines are planned, as well as an electric bike with connectivity features.
mbtech-group.com (in German)
What makes batteries age the most? A team at Pennsylvania State University found a mathematical formula to predict factors influencing Li-ion battery ageing. The research was supported by Volvo Trucks.
greencarcongress.com, psu.edu
Wireless boost: Researchers from North Carolina State University and Carnegie Mellon University are working on making wireless charging more effective. Their Magnetic Resonance Field Enhancer (MRFE) uses a simple copper loop to augment transmission, making it at least 100% more efficient than transmission via air alone.
ncsu.edu
Electrified yachts: Nimbus Boats Sweden and German Torqeedo agreed to develop yachts with electric and hybrid drivetrains. They are already working on a hybrid demonstration vessel that will cruise on Lake Starnberg, where the use of combustion engines is strictly limited.
plus.ibinews.com, mby.com
Battery development extended: With Toyota and Bosch, the California CalCharge platform has gained prominent new charter members. Both companies will now join in the development of energy storage technologies. Other new general members include Blue Current, Ensor, EnZinc and ITN Energy.
greencarcongress.com
New drivetrain factory: Efficient Drivetrains held a soft opening of its new 30,000-square-foot facility in Milpitas, California. The facility will be used to manufacture electric and hybrid motors for on and off-road light, medium and heavy duty vehicles.
mercurynews.com
Video tip: See the road through the “eyes” of Google’s self-driving car and understand how it makes decisions autonomously. The video is guided by Chris Urmson, who heads up Google’s driverless car programme.
youtube.com
Reading tip: From the Economist comes a thorough run through of inductive charging technology with respects to all technologies that it could affect, like drones and phones. But the main focus is on the automotive sector.
economist.com
Video tip: This episode of Futuris from Euronews visits a cable-less charging station in Spain developed within the EU-supported Unplugged project to explain inductive charging technology as well as some of the challenges that lay ahead. The overall conclusion is that it this is the technology of the future.
euronews.com
Reading tip: The Idaho National Lab has looked into how much plug-in hybrids actually drive electric. According to recently published figures, the Chevy Volt has completed the most electric miles and is driving in all-electric mode 94 percent of the time.
hybridcars.com via greencarreports.com
Video tip: Whilst everyone’s eyes are on Detroit now, it is worth to take a look back at CES. To tease its appearance in Vegas, Audi released a video featuring not only the A3 e-tron but also inductive charging. No details were given but obviously the Germans have something coming.
youtube.com via insideevs.com
Reading tip: John Tuohy tried the BlueIndy electric car-sharing in Indianapolis. While the city’s and French Bolloré’s joint efforts are currently up in the air, Tuohy enjoyed his demo drive but is not a big fan of the small size and prominent branding of the rental EVs.
indystar.com
Premium inductive charging: BMW and Daimler will join their efforts to develop wireless charging. The system is said to charge at a power rate of 3.6 kW with 90% efficiency. Like the inductive charging system by Swiss supplier Brusa (we reported), the German system seems to work without any external wallbox. A coincidence? The technology might go into serial production in two or three years, according to Daimler.
electriccarsreport.com
New H2 tank: Researchers from DLR with partners have developed a sponge-like tank in which hydrogen can be stored at 70 bar and normal outside temperatures. Researchers of the EU project SSH2S were able to fit the entire system to an Iveco Daily van and use it as an auxiliary power unit. A high-temperature fuel cell was used, delivering electricity and the heat required to release the hydrogen from the storage materials.
chemistryviews.org, dlr.de
Indian solar car: SolarMobil is a team of 27 engineers from Manipal University, India, that have put together a solar-powered two-seater. The ‘Solar Electric Road Vehicle (SERVe)’ is said to have a “cruising speed” of up to 120 kph, and 60 kph when running on solar panels only. The team will race at the South African Solar Challenge (SASOL14).
auto.ndtv.com
Most clicked link on Tuesday was our Short Circuit about the “Toro.” A Renault Twizy upgrade for bumpy roads.
thegreencarwebsite.co.uk
Testing Centre for EVs: Germany’s postal service (Deutsche Post/DHL) wants to open a test centre near Aachen, in order to test alternative delivery methods, such as the StreetScooter (picture). Construction is set to start at the end of June. The reason the postal service chose the location is that it is located near the University RWTH Aachen.
aachener-nachrichten.de (in German)
Battery-body: Swedish researchers are testing if the carbon fibre shell of an EV could be used as an active electrode in a multifunctional structural Li-ion battery. Meaning, whether the battery could be integrated into the body. Others such as Volvo and the Imperial College London have also begun looking at the possibilities.
greencarcongress.com
Charging the market: In a new paper entitled “Strategic Analysis of Inductive Charging for Global Electric Vehicles (EV) Market,” Frost & Sullivan forecasts that the market for inductive charging will grow 126.6 percent annually between 2012 and 2020. Especially Europe will see tremendous growth, with many carmakers already testing the technology.
greencarcongress.com
Yellowstone gives batteries a second life: 208 decommissioned batteries used in Toyota Camry hybrids will be installed at the Lamar Buffalo Ranch inside the U.S. national park. With a combined storage capacity of 85 kWh, they will be able to hold enough excess energy produced by local solar panels and micro hydro turbines to power the farm off the grid.
hybridcars.com
