Battery

In Operation

Lightning Systems LCF truck

Rory Jackson reports on how this electrified version of a mainstream truck is operated and maintained. Lightning Systems carries out full all-electric powertrain integrations on commercial road vehicles such as cargo trucks, buses and passenger shuttles. Founded in 2008 with a focus on hydraulic hybrid propulsion technology...

Dossier

BB Green ferry

Rory Jackson looks at the development of this battery-powered ferry, which is aimed at shuttling workers to and from work. As more and more people find work in the major urban centres of the world, traffic congestion continues to worsen. While road networks struggle to cope with an ever-growing number of commuters, levels of driver stress and greenhouse gas...

Show Report

Battery Show North America 2019

The latest battery cooling, management, monitoring and other related technologies were exhibited at this show. Rory Jackson has some highlights. Every year, the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan, plays host to The Battery Show North America (co-located with Electric & Hybrid Tech Expo North America). With more than...

Focus on...

Onboard Chargers

EV users who need to prioritise safety and running costs should look to onboard chargers. Rory Jackson examines the engineering and technology inside them. The viability of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles depends on how quickly, efficiently and safely their battery packs can be recharged. At the moment, the charging times are...

In Operation

Lion8 refuse truck

Rory Jackson details the development of this combined all-electric truck and refuse collection system. When the owners of the Lion Electric Company first set their eyes on engineering specialised commercial vehicles for niche users who have distinct operational and cost requirements, they spent an initial five years on planning and r&d for their...

Dossier

Performance Projects / Dynium electric tractor

Peter Donaldson relates the development of this tractor’s powertrain, which is designed to operate in confined spaces. When Dynium Robot decided to rethink the tractor to work in the confined spaces of orchards and polytunnels, the off-road robotics specialist turned to racecar engineering company Performance Projects to design the vehicle from...

PS

Race for battery breakthroughs

While lithium-ion battery chemistries continue to improve rapidly, a number of rival technologies and their developers are tantalising the EV industry with promises of much higher energy densities, but always with a caveat or two in other critical areas (writes Peter Donaldson). Some of these technologies represent improved...

Digest

Tropos Motors ABLE-XR

Matching the size of vehicle to the size of job was the inspiration behind developing this utility vehicle. Rory Jackson reports. The ABLE-XR from Tropos Motors is an electric compact utility vehicle (eCUV) designed for carrying loads over short distances, for delivery applications that would normally be reserved for...

Grid

Bike battery spreads the load

Curtiss Motorcyles in the US has replicated a V8 engine with a distributed battery pack to provide higher efficiency for its latest Zeus model (writes Nick Flaherty). The Zeus has a skeletal space frame anchored to the custom powertrain architecture. “With the battery cells packaged inside eight cylindrical towers configured in a flaring radial vee pattern, we’re able to...

Grid

Battery data gets cloud cover

A battery management start-up has developed a cloud-based battery monitoring service that can handle data from millions of electric bikes and cars on the road (writes Nick Flaherty). The Edison management software from Indian company Ion Energy uses a design called FS-XT, developed by a technology company in France called...