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Proactive AI for EV charging

Monta in Denmark has developed a layer of AI for its charger system software, writes Nick Flaherty. As EV charging networks expand rapidly, operators face a growing gap between scale and operational capacity.

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An electrically powered gyroplane for urban air traffic

Researchers in Germany have looked at two different drive systems for a new electric gyroplane with two electric motors for propulsion and one electric motor for pre-rotation, writes Nick Flaherty. The aircraft is being developed by the S2TOL (Silent Short Takeoff and Landing) project by the DLR and Institute of Jet Propulsion and Turbomachinery (IST) at RWTH Aachen University in Germany for urban and regional air traffic.

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Joint venture for high-performance busbars

HPW and Brand KG have set up a joint venture to develop high-performance busbars for EVs, writes Nick Flaherty. HPW Metallwerk in Linz, Austria, develops high-performance wires for e-mobility while Brand KG in Anröchte, Germany, is a specialist in springs, spring assemblies and wire forming parts.

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Temperature boost shrinks DC-link capacitor

TDK has developed a high-temperature dielectric film for modular high-power DC-link capacitors, writes Nick Flaherty. Silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor devices push converters to higher power densities and temperatures that conventional polypropylene (PP) capacitors can’t tolerate. The ModCap UHP overcomes this limitation with a PP–cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) blend dielectric rated 25 K higher than standard film capacitors. This results in 40% smaller DC-link designs for EVs.

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A sodium fuel cell for electric aircraft

Researchers in the US have developed a sodium/air fuel cell that can be used for electric aircraft, writes Nick Flaherty.

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High-voltage solid-state battery

Researchers in South Korea have developed an all-solid-state battery (ASSB) with an output of over 5 V, significantly higher than that of other batteries, writes Nick Flaherty. The team at Yonsei University developed a fluoride-based solid electrolyte that enables ASSBs to operate beyond 5 V safely with a spinel electrode, addressing the long-standing barrier in battery science of achieving high-voltage stability without sacrificing ionic conductivity (as occurs with conventional solid electrolytes that tend to break down above 4 V).

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Active Torque Vectoring

Alpine has developed a three-motor architecture that outperforms mechanical limited-slip differentials with extra-precise and quick torque control on each rear wheel, writes Nick Flaherty. The architecture has one motor at the front that powers the front axle and the two motors at the rear power one wheel each. Besides enabling all-wheel drive, this configuration allows the two rear motors to be controlled independently.

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EV charger security vulnerability

Researchers in the US have identified a security vulnerability in a standard protocol governing communications between electric vehicles (EVs) and EV charging equipment, writes Nick Flaherty.

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5 A battery simulator

Pickering Interfaces has developed a simulation card that supplies up to 8 V and 5 A on each of four channels for testing battery management systems at the desktop, writes Nick Flaherty. The PXIe card, which handles up to four channels, each with a 5 A source or sink, is small enough to sit on an engineer’s bench rather than in a 19 in rack.

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Self-assembling solid-state battery materials

Researchers in the US have developed a self-assembling battery material that quickly breaks apart when submerged in a simple organic liquid, writes Nick Flaherty.