Mazda has patented an extraordinary hybrid drive with a Wankel engine in Japan. The system works with a total of three electric motors and, according to Mazda, is primarily intended to be lighter than current electric four-wheel-drive systems.
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Power management firm Eaton creates a new division aptly named eMobility to develop high-voltage technologies for hybrid and electric vehicles. Solutions will include supercaps, converters or transmissions for heavy-duty EVs and Eaton earmarked $500M over the next 5 years.
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Rolls-Royce has signed a collaboration agreement with Superdielectrics, a UK startup that has been working on novel polymers. Together they want to create what they call “very high energy storage technology,” in other words, supercapacitors.
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Autonomous Vahana taxi takes flight: Airbus has forged a partnership with MTSI and SOAR in Oregon. The will help getting the self-flying electric cab (we reported) off the ground. First prototypes could prepare for take-off as early as next year, while market launch is intended for 2020.
dailymail.co.uk
Distinguished battery researchers: BASF and Volkswagen honoured William Chueh from Stanford and Martin Ebner from ETH Zürich for their research results in the areas of energy storage and conversion and of fast charging of lithium-ion batteries. Chueh was awarded the “Science Award Electrochemistry 2016,” while Ebner received a special prize for applied research.
basf.com
Flexible supercaps for cars? Researchers at the University of Central Florida have developed a new process for creating flexible supercapacitors with a higher energy storage capacity and that can be charged more than 30,000 times without capacity loss. If they go into series production, it could mean shorter charging times and longer lifespans for EV battery packs.
sciencedaily.com
Tesla coming to Kärnten? The California EV maker is looking for a production location in Europe and the federal state Kärnten in southern Austria is looking to offer a spot. The city of Villach is throwing its hat into the ring, saying a 40-hectare large industry park would be the perfect site for Tesla.
kaernten.orf.at (in German)
