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Ground vibration testing of NASA’s X-57 Maxwell electric aircraft

Electric propulsion is spawning aircraft with diverse and novel configurations. The multiple motors, rotors, propellers and fans associated with distributed electric propulsion are shaping many complex and unusual forms in the quest to enhance lift and thrust, and to reduce drag through close aerodynamic coupling with airframes. One of the most important processes in their development is ensuring that they don’t suffer from damaging vibration. To that end, NASA has used equipment from Hottinger Bruel & Kjær (HBK) to collect and process accelerometer data in ground vibration testing (GVT) for its X-57 Maxwell aircraft.

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Silver Power Systems and partners develop ‘world’s most advanced’ battery digital twin

An established concept in other areas of industry, a digital twin is a high-fidelity software model of a real system to which it is linked in as close to real time as possible. With that goal in mind, EV battery analytics specialist Silver Power

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Validating BMS performance

Battery management systems are becoming increasingly safety-critical, as they are responsible for balancing battery cells operating at several hundred volts and maintaining temperatures within narrow working ranges to prevent thermal runaway (writes Peter Donaldson). Gauging the performance of a BMS during r&d, validation, verification and production is therefore of vital and growing importance. Bloomy Controls’ new Flex BMS Validation System is focused on the validation part, particularly in situations where the developer needs to test more than one BMS design.

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StoreDot announces eXtreme approach to charging

StoreDot is developing new a lithium-ion battery technology it calls eXtreme Fast Charging (XFC) that will enable an EV to charge in 5-10 minutes (writes Peter Donaldson). At the heart of it is a silicon-dominated anode that can accept lithium ions much faster than a graphite anode (thanks to silicon’s lower resistance) but controls

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ABB plans fast-charger network for electric aircraft

As with cars and trucks, electric aircraft need access to an extensive network of reliable fast chargers, and in October it was announced that ABB is to develop a megawatt fast-charging infrastructure for Lilium’s short-haul electric jet

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Finnish miner to supply Renault with sustainable battery chemicals

In early October, Terrafame announced a deal with Renault in which the Finnish mining company and battery chemicals producer is to supply the car manufacturer with low-carbon and fully traceable nickel sulphate for EV batteries

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Battery vent protects against rapid rises in pressure

As the battery pack is the single heaviest and costliest component of an EV drivetrain, weight reductions in the pack pay dividends in terms of range as well as performance and handling. One of the ways battery manufacturers are looking to reduce weight is to produce packs with thinner walls, which means that they must operate at lower internal pressures and with those pressures carefully controlled.

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AVL and Ford partner to produce fuel cell concept van

AVL and Ford have unveiled the FCVGen 1.0, a concept demonstrator for a fuel cell-electric Ford Transit produced through a project partnership between the two companies and funded under the UK Advanced Propulsion Centre's Advanced Route to Market Demonstrator programme

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Balance Batteries shares details about its range of modules

Balance Batteries, a new Tier 2 supplier of battery modules, recently unveiled its energy storage solutions and spoke with us exclusively to highlight the technologies used in them – some of which are supplied externally, and some developed in-house

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Williams Advanced Engineering and Molicell team up for high-power battery applications

In mid-August, Williams Advanced Engineering (WAE) and Molicell announced a strategic collaboration centred on lithium-ion batteries optimised for power density rather than energy density, and with applications in sectors including automotive and mining, as senior commercial manager for battery technology at WAE James Hoxey explains to Peter Donaldson. “Our strategic collaboration enables us to focus […]
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