Joint e-bus innovation: Van Hool, Bombardier and battery maker Leclanché introduced a new electric bus in Belgium. It is charged wirelessly at the bus depot via Bombardier’s charging system. Three buses were handed over to the Flanders public transport company De Lijn to undergo real world testing. The project was part of the ‘living lab for electric vehicles programme’ by the Flemish ministry for innovation. leclanche.eu, hln.be (in Dutch)
More efficient: ZF presents the EcoLife automatic transmission with start/stop function at the Busworld show. The company also improved the AVE 130 electric low-floor axle as it increased power of the two electric motors from 120 to 125 kW each. By losing the conventional drive and propeller shaft in the rear, more space for passengers was created. zf.com
Swap, stack, and plug: Start-up Verd2Go from Kansas City tries to find backers to warm up the battery swap idea once more. Different from Better Place however, Verd2Go batteries can be requested in smaller stacks so they can be used in anything from a mobile to a PEV. autoblog.com, indiegogo.com
High voltage testing: Sakor presents testing technologies for electric and hybrid vehicles and batteries at the Automotive Testing Expo in the USA. Testing covers standards as well as simulations. greencarcongress.com
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Most clicked link on Monday was Volkswagen’s quite humorous full page advertisement in major Dutch newspapers to apologize for equipping its diesel cars with cheating software. nltimes.nl
Li-ion research in Germany: The research production plant for Li-ion batteries at the Centre for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research in Ulm, Germany, has been inaugurated. A first joint project by the German Ministry for Education and partners including BMW, Bosch, Daimler, SGL Carbon and Siemens will kick off in January. The initiative is funded by the state of Germany with 25.7 million euros and 6 million euros by the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. bmbf.de, emobilserver.de (articles in German)
Wet friction technology: Volkswagen’s DQ 400e dual-clutch transmission, used in the VW Golf GTE and Audi A3 e-tron, features a high-performance wet friction technology by BorgWarner. It improves shift performance and therefore lowers petrol consumption. greencarcongress.com
Sakor showcases product range: The manufacturer will present its testing technology for hybrid and electrical vehicles, as well as for high voltage batteries at the Automotive Testing Expo 2014 North America in October. Also on display will be the industry’s smallest AC regenerative engine dynamometer. greencarcongress.com
Making hydrogen with sun power: Researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne are using solar cells made with perovskite and the catalysts nickel and iron to split water in hydrogen and oxygen. They have reached a record of 12.3 percent conversion efficiency. sciencedaily.com, hngn.com
Foreign “domestic” production: Toyota Motor Auto Parts has started localised production of continuously variable transmissions (CVT) in China. It is the first time for the company to produce transmissions outside Japan and it will be followed by another premiere in 2015, when production of transaxles for hybrid vehicles is set to start. greencarcongress.com, toyota.co.jp
American-Hungarian e-bus: Inter Tan-ker from Hungary will equip its electric mini bus with UQM Technologies’ PowerPhase motor and controller. The electric bus has a said range of 300 kilometres and will be the first to be be approved for road use by the Hungarian National Transport Authority. wsj.com, businesswire.com
New testing systems: Sakor Technologies is now offering a complete test bench for electric and hybrid vehicles. The system includes AccuDyne AC motoring dynamometers, a DC battery simulator, and a DynoLAB PT data acquisition and control system. Another testing system for electric drives and inverters is being offered by HBM. greencarcongress.com (Sakor), hybridcars.com (HBM)
QUANT e fully explained: Kelly Taylor scrutinises the car that “runs on saltwater,” or, in technical terms, with NanoFlowcell technology. To get a better understanding of the 800-hp sports car, Taylor even ventures into the relative depths of fuel cells and the origins of flow cell technology in 1976. thechronicleherald.ca
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Most clicked link on Wednesday was the news about the addition of new electric bicycles to Specialized’s Turbo line. bike-eu.com
