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Fast-charge ferries start sea trials

A fleet of fully electric passenger ferries is rolling out in Thailand using motors from Danfoss Editron (writes Nick Flaherty). The first two 24 m-long catamarans are currently being tested in Bangkok. Each one is fitted with two Danfoss EMPMI375-T800 motors. The motors use synchronous reluctance assisted...

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Safe disconnects at up to 1000 V

Staubli has launched a connector for battery packs that supports voltages up to 1000 V for onboard chargers in commercial EVs (writes Nick Flaherty). The PerforMore connector supports 400 A at 1000 V and has a mechanism to allow safe disconnection at that voltage. The goal was to get the most power out...

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Tesla cars to use structural cells

Electric car maker Tesla is to use a new form factor for its battery cells that will form part of the structure of its vehicles (writes Nick Flaherty). The company is also using a new material, silicon powder, and a new roll-to-roll manufacturing process to build the cells. In the current 2170 cell, which is 21 mm in diameter and 70 mm long, the roll of electrodes...

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Open season for EV platforms

The world’s largest contract manufacturer is offering car and truck makers an open platform for EVs (writes Nick Flaherty). Foxconn Technology has developed an electric powertrain, chassis and battery system for a range of EVs that can be made by itself, by OEM partners...

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Double-sided ceramic power module for drive inverters

Engineers in Germany have developed a double-sided ceramic power semiconductor module for more efficient cooling of silicon carbide (SiC) power devices in e-mobility designs (writes Nick Flaherty). The ceramic module developed in the FuCera project dramatically cuts the size of drive inverters by providing more efficient cooling and allows vertical interconnection within the ceramic substrate […]

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Electrolyte detection outs cell leaks

Cell leakage in lithium ion batteries is bad news, so battery makers want to find any that happen during manufacture or assembly so their quality control teams can prevent early failures and minimise warranty costs, while drivers need confidence, safety and low servicing costs. Sandra Seitz from vacuum analysis and test instrument specialists Inficon explained […]

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Dyno development

For ICE powertrain companies looking to transition into e-powertrain engineering, the construction of the new test cells poses on of the biggest cost-barrier to entry, writes Rory Jackson. High-speed dynamometers and test benches capable of measuring the performances of e-motors are inevitably pricey, and many such companies already possess significant testing equipment for cycling combustion […]

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Battery chip boosts EV range

A sensing and balancing chip for battery packs that can extend the range and reliability of EVs has been launched (writes Nick Flaherty). The TLE9012AQU from Infineon Technologies supports up to 12 battery cells with an accuracy of ±5.8 mV over a pack’s temperature and voltage range as well as its life cycle. This accuracy extends an EV’s range...

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ATMP goes electric

Researchers at the University of Exeter, in the UK, have teamed up with Supacat to develop an electric version of the 6 x 6 All-Terrain Mobility Platform, or ATMP (writes Nick Flaherty). The ATMP, first developed in the 1980s, already operates in a range of harsh terrains for military applications using a diesel engine. The conversion to an electric powertrain had to be rugged...

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Relay device retains memory

Researchers at the University of Bristol, in the UK, have developed a new type of electromechanical nanodevice that can be used as a non-volatile memory in high-temperature power systems in EVs and aircraft (writes Nick Flaherty). The leakage current in transistors used as electronic memory devices increases with temperature, so an electromechanical relay built on a micromachined...