In India, electric two-wheeler manufacturer Hero Electric has announced its partnership with Sun Mobility, a provider of energy infrastructure and services for EVs, to deploy electric two-wheelers integrated with the latter’s smart-swappable battery technology.
Read moreScooter sharing floats: German Floatility has convinced Singapore to launch a pilot with its solar-powered stand-up scooters at its development partner Autodesk. Their staff will kick about the facility on the partly 3D-printed, three-wheeled and self-balancing EVs, that come with custom-built docking stations to charge. Another pilot is due to start in Vienna in the coming weeks, when tourists will be asked to float around town.
hardwarezone.com.sg, electrive.net (Austria pilot, in German)
Swapping a battery in India shall become most easy as Sun Mobility plans to work together with various OEMs to integrate their solution into electric cars, buses but also scooters and rickshaws. So far, only Ashok Leyland is on board but further steps are to be announced later this year.
ndtv.com, business-standard.com
Hybrid bus order: Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) expects the delivery of 345 new buses of which 156 will be diesel-electric and 175 CNG. Overall, they will replace a third of the fleet with cleaner options once they arrive next month and shall make the system more reliable, esp. in winter.
bostonglobe.com, metro.us
Ballard scores again: The fuel cell specialist received an order from the SunLine Transit Agency for five FCveloCity systems to power hydrogen buses in Palm Desert, California. The 150 kW systems are expected to be shipped in 2017 and Ballard here works with ElDorado National and BAE System.
greencarcongress.com, ariva.de
Battery swap: The idea of battery swapping is here to stay it seems, just its advocates change. The latest attempt is by Mahindra founder Chetan Maini, who wants to turnover power packs with his new company Sun Mobility. Yet, he added a twist – at the base of his business are modular battery packs, suitable for all kind of EVs, i.e. two-wheelers as well as big industrial vehicles. Maini has a service model in mind that not only allows to exchange a battery pack quickly but also keeps prices low as drivers won’t need to buy the batteries. On the Indian market this might actually work.
business-standard.com, team-bhp.com
The future of freight: The German Aerospace Centre (DLR) has turned from rockets to rails as its engineers present their holistic concept for the next-gen of cargo transport. NGT CARGO – hitherto known as freight trains among earthlings – are made up of powerful end cars and intelligent single wagons, that automatically couple and only as needed. The latter come equipped with separate electric drives and recuperating batteries in order to master the last miles autonomously. DLR hopes its trains may some day replace some of the container ships trawling the seas between Europe and Asia.
greencarcongress.com, dlr.de
Coat for life: Researchers at the University of California, Riverside are en route to solve the dendrite problem of lithium metal anodes. A coating made from the organic compound methyl viologen apparently stabilises performance, eliminates dendrite growth and may thus triple the battery’s lifetime.
ucrtoday.ucr.edu
New player in the cargo trike market: The start-up Sanitov Bicycles introduces its first electric cargo trike called movE. The company was created by a Danish designer based in London and his electric trike can carry loads of up to 200 kilos in its rear box that can be customised.
treehugger.com
- ADVERTISEMENT -
