Nov 17, 2014 - 09:20 am

Ligier, Warren Buffet, TU Berlin, Vampire drain.

Autonomous shuttle: French Ligier has shown its concept of a driverless shuttle at last week’s Bibendum in Chengdu, China and has partnered with Robosoft Technology to create the Easymile Company to market it. The EZ-10 features a camera-based system developed by the Institut Pascal.
phys.org, drivingtothefuture

Warren Buffet buys Duracell: Berkshire Hathaway Inc., one of the billionaire’s ventures, will acquire the battery maker for roughly three billion dollars. Rumour has it that the acquisition could be a play on EVs, as Berkshire Hathaway also holds a ten percent stake in Chinese car and battery maker BYD.
abcnews.go.com

Multifunctional catalyst: A team from Technische Universität Berlin reports developing cobalt-manganese-based spinel microspheres as highly efficient multifunctional catalysts that unify the electrochemical oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with oxidant-driven and photocatalytic water oxidation as well as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells and rechargeable metal-air batteries.
greencarcongress.com

The vampire is back: Since the latest 6.0 software update for the Model S, the issue of the so-called vampire drain is haunting several Tesla owners again. Apparently, ‘sleep mode’ is not working and causes the car to lose power for about 13 miles per night when not plugged in.
insideevs.com, teslamotors.com

Jan 23, 2014 - 09:52 am

KSPG, FEW, LG Chem, R&D investments, Vampire drain.

Silent and compact REX: German KSPG and FEW are testing a low-noise range extender installed in an electric Fiat 500. The V2-type engine weighs only 62 kilos and fits into the space of a spare tyre. According to German media sources, KSPG expects the range extender to go into serial production within 18 months at a price of less than 2,000 euros (2,700 dollars).
electricvehiclesresearch.com, aachener-zeitung.de (In German)

Separator patented: LG Chem Ltd. obtained a patent for its safety-reinforced separator (SRS) in Europe and Japan. SRS is a key component of li-ion polymer batteries, as it prevents internal short-circuits by using nanoscale ceramic particles. LG Chem already holds SRS patents in the U.S., China and South Korea.
greencarcongress.com, english.yonhapnews.co.kr

Investing in innovation: Carmakers and their suppliers like Bosch and Continental are increasingly investing in research and development, Boston Consulting found out. VW, GM and Toyota are the three biggest spenders. Expenses concentrate on fuel efficient power trains, lightweight materials, connectivity, and assisted driving.
ft.com, thegreencarwebsite.co.uk, bcg.com

Vampire drain de-mystified: How thirsty is a Tesla really if being left unplugged in a freezing parking lot in the middle of Norway? Bjørn Nyland took the test and after 27 days, his Model S had consumed about 20% of its previous charge of 95%. The car went into hibernation mode to keep only the most essential functions operational.
youtube.com (Video) via transportevolved.com