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Texas unveils ASIL-D wireless BMS

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...

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Bipolar nickel-hydrogen battery for 2021 Toyota Aqua

Toyota’s new Acqua compact HEV comes with a bipolar nickel-hydrogen battery, a world first for a road vehicle according to the Japanese automotive giant (writes Peter Donaldson). Conventional non-bipolar nickel-hydrogen batteries have a much lower energy density than lithium-ion versions but much longer service lives. Compared with the nickel-hydrogen battery in the previous-generation Aqua, says […]

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Solid-state batteries will be big in EVs – eventually

The promise of much safer electrolytes makes solid-state batteries attractive for EVs, particularly passenger cars, and EVs are expected to be their biggest single market (writes Peter Donaldson). However, the technology is far from mature and several challenges remain, according to Dr Xiaoxi He, principal technology analyst at IdTechEx, which has published an in-depth report […]

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Nanotubes boost copper wiring

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...

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GaN switch at 650 V ‘sweet spot’

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...

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Standard pack for trucks unveiled

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...

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On-site charge packs needs no grid

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...

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Powertrains project takes off

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...

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Switcher steps in with 12 V supply

Power Integrations has unveiled a flyback switcher with an integrated 750 V MOSFET and secondary-side sensing that can be used to provide an alternative 12 V power supply for an EV if its onboard 12 V battery fails (writes Nick Flaherty). The InnoSwitch3-AQ can be used for traction inverters, onboard charger, DCDC bus converters and BMSs. The 12 V battery is used to provide the gate drive...

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Power semiconductors battleground

Even though wide bandgap semiconductors such as silicon carbide (SiC) and to a lesser extent gallium nitride (GaN) are making their presence felt in EV power conversion systems still dominated by silicon (Si), there is more performance to come from Si – and EVs are positioned to take advantage of competition among all three materials […]