VerdeGo Aero’s CTO talks to Rory Jackson about how his academic work feeds into the company’s commercial development of aviation technology. Aviation has been a constant presence in Dr Pat Anderson’s life. One of his earliest memories is being visited at the age of five by his uncle...

Bel has developed a three-phase wide range bidirectional inverter that can be used as an onboard charger as well as a power source for external equipment (writes Nick Flaherty). The key innovation for the BCL25-700-8 is a wide DC output range from 250 to 800 V, with a constant current of 60 A across the voltage range and both single and three-phase...

Rory Jackson explores how this e-bike combines the efficiency for urban commuting with the performance for recreational use. Since its founding in 2014, the Energica Motor Company has sought to combine cuttingedge electrical engineering with designs that capture the ergonomics and aesthetics needed to thrive in the world...

Texas Instruments (TI) has combined its proprietary comms protocol with its sensor chips to create a wireless BMS (writes Nick Flaherty). The use of a wireless BMS is key to the economics of EVs, as it reduces the weight and complexity of wiring and allows the battery packs to have...

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the US have created a composite that increases the electrical current capacity of copper wires (writes Nick Flaherty). The research aims to boost the performance and life of components such as electric motors and power electronics. The carbon nanotube (CNT) material can be deployed...

Texas Instruments (TI) has produced a 650 V gallium nitride (GaN) power switch for EV designs (writes Nick Flaherty). It is combined with a silicon gate driver in a single package to simplify the design and management of power systems. The combination has been under test with customers for the past two years, gathering...

Webasto, better known for producing heating and cooling systems, has developed a standardised, modular battery pack for commercial EVs (writes Nick Flaherty). The basic 35 kW, 400 V pack in the CV Standard Battery System has been designed to be used in series or parallel to support 800 V requirements. It uses NMC prismatic lithium-ion cells, and the company has also developed a modular...

Jolt Energy has launched a 160 kW high-speed charger for EVs that comes with a replaceable battery pack for when there is no grid connection (writes Nick Flaherty). The MerlinOne measures 230 x 120 x 110 cm and has 200 kWh of internal battery storage. It was developed in cooperation...

As awareness grows of the environmental problems associated with several types of lithium mining and extraction, it is becoming obvious that the eco-friendly shine on EVs could soon become tarnished unless those processes are cleaned up and a circular economy for lithium-ion batteries and the materials in them can be established (writes Peter Donaldson). A circular economy means reusing...

A project has been announced in the US to develop lightweight and ultra-efficient electric motors, drives and associated thermal management system for large commercial electric aircraft (writes Nick Flaherty). The Aviation-class Synergistically Cooled Electric motors with iNtegrated Drives (ASCEND) project brings together an engineering team at Texas A&M University...