Honda has reached an agreement with battery developer SES (formerly SolidEnergy Systems) to jointly develop lithium metal batteries for electric vehicles. Honda also plans to acquire about two per cent of the battery developer’s shares as part of SES’s planned initial public offering.
Singapore-based battery developer SES (formerly SolidEnergy Systems) has unveiled a new hybrid lithium metal battery cell called Apollo with a capacity of 107 Ah, and also announced plans for a production facility in Shanghai.
General Motors is building a new battery cell innovation centre on its Global Technical Center campus in Warren, Michigan. The facility will be dedicated to the development and production of GM’s next-generation Ultium cells and will be operational by mid-2022.
The battery developer SES (formerly SolidEnergy Systems), spun off from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has announced its going public on the US stock exchange. For this purpose, the company wants to merge with the stock exchange shell Ivanhoe Capital Acquisition.
According to a media report, the South Korean car company Hyundai has invested around 100 million US dollars in a stake in the solid-state battery specialist SolidEnergy Systems (SES). Among the investors in SES is General Motors.
General Motors has led a 139 million US dollar investment round by solid-state battery specialist SolidEnergy Systems (SES). This follows a development agreement the US car company had signed in March with SES.
General Motors says it is planning the next generation of its Ultium batteries with lithium metal anode. For this purpose, the car company has concluded a development agreement with the lithium metal battery specialist SolidEnergy Systems.
SolidEnergy from 2018? The technology said to double EV range has long been expected. Now, the MIT spin-off SolidEnergy says its “anode-free” battery with lithium-metal foil will be available for automotive applications by 2018. Last time we checked it was 2017 but innovation takes time. electriccarsreport.com, telegraph.co.uk
Tesla battery research: The exclusive research collaboration with Dalhousie University has found that conventional electrolytes for Li-ion batteries contains material with detrimental effects for cycling performance at higher voltages. The team removed that EC and replaced it with EC-free-linear alkyl carbonate-based electrolytes for improvements. electrek.co, greencarcongress.com
Hybrid drive for the UK: Project IMPACT (Integrated Magsplit Powertrain with Advanced Control and Testing) sees Magnomatics consort with Changan UK, Romax Technology, CMCL Innovations and University of Sheffield to develop the Dedicated Hybrid Transmission (DHT) for 38m GBP. automotiveworld.com
All-in-one: EV4 Oregon’s ETM charging station features a solar canopy and battery storage for excess energy when no EV is charging. The system covers two parking spaces and offers both AC and dual-mode DC chargers with CCS and ChaDeMo connectors. chargedevs.com
GM creates electric car division: The manufacturer has formed a dedicated team for electric and self-driving cars to speed up advancement. Doug Parks takes the lead as vice president and will oversee research and development of new electrical and battery systems, as well as software. electriccarsreport.com, venturebeat.com
Google to expand EV testing: The internet corporation says it will bring its self-driving electric cars to four more U.S. cities. Testing is to start this March. Only Ann Arbor, Michigan, has so far been named as potential location for the Google cars. autocrunch.de, 9to5google.com
Driverless pods in Greenwich: This summer, electric, self-driving pods will begin roaming the roads of the London borough. They will resemble the electric passenger shuttles already in operation at Heathrow Airport, but are currently being adapted for use on public roads. bbc.com, businesscar.co.uk, ibtimes.co.uk
12m for battery start-up: The MIT spinoff SolidEnergy has raised 12m dollars in a Series B round led by an undisclosed mayor car company from the United States. The firm’s promise is to bring a battery said to double EV range to market by next year. venturebeat.com
Scalable electric drive from Germany: A total of eleven partners have developed an optimised axle module for electric commercial vehicles. The ESKAM (short for Electric, Scalable Axle Module) project is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The module that consists of a motor, gearbox and power electronics, is to be tested in a vehicle by the end of this year. phys.org
MIT battery gets concrete: MIT spin-off SolidEnergy is fixing its schedule for the introduction of its Li-ion battery with solid electrolyte technology (we reported). A big enough battery for EVs can be expected by 2017 and is said to come with an energy density of 1,200 Wh/l which could double the range of EVs. greencarcongress.com
Nissan shows Le Mans hybrid: Nissan used the Super Bowl break to reveal its hybrid WEC racer GT-R LM Nismo. Its front wheel drive is powered by a V6 3.0-liter twin turbo engine. Together with the kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) the setup is said to deliver up to 1,400 hp. greencarcongress.com, electric-vehiclenews.com, auto-news.de (in German)
A solar-powered electric car with a 3D-printed body has been developed by students from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. The NTU Venture 8 (NV8) sits on a carbon chassis and is plastered with shapeable silicon solar cells. It will debut at the Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2015. channelnewsasia.com, 3ders.org
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Most clicked link on Monday was Tesla´s Model X which was caught testing at the former naval air station in Alameda, California. youtube.com
New Mercedes concept: The carmaker unveiled its G-Code concept, a futuristic SUV coupe featuring a turbocharged combustion engine that runs on hydrogen and an electric motor that drives the rear axle. The body has received a “multi-voltaic” paint that works as a solar cell producing electric energy while under sunlight and it also regenerates electrostatic energy when wind is drawn over the body’s surface. autoexpress.co.uk, .worldcarfans.com
MIT develops “game changing” battery: The Li-ion battery will be made available in 2016 by SolidEnergy and is said to be able to triple the range of electric cars. The key is an ultra-thin metal anode with higher energy density than the graphite and silicon anodes in current batteries. electric-vehiclenews.com, thegreencarwebsite.co.uk
Formula E alliance: China Racing announced its cooperation with Omni Gear to build an electric gearbox and, in due course, a powertrain, with the aim of bringing these to Formula E and the EV market. Starting next season, teams will be allowed to provide their own drivetrains for the first time. puregreencars.com, electriccarsreport.com
Plans for SunStar unveiled: The solar plane was designed by Solar Flight as an atmospheric satellite, which operates and performs many of the functions as a satellite would do in space, but does it in the atmosphere. Uplink and downlink speeds are said to be far better than a satellite, due to the shorter distance. For take-off, the SunStar will be powered by three electric motors, which turn off once it reaches an operational altitude. avweb.com, gizmag.com
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Most clicked link on Monday was the futuristic two seater electric boat Quadrofoil, that will be available in 2015 at 15.000 euros. technologicvehicles.com