BMW

Ultrahaptics

Ultrahaptics are a UK startup developing projected ultrasonic haptic actuators. Their solution enables touchless haptic feedback, using arrays of ultrasonic speakers to generate sound wave fields that can be felt by the user.

IDTechEx: Invest Now in Fuel Cell Vehicles?

There is divided opinion on future of traction fuel cells in electric vehicles, though few argue any more that they will power the majority of electric vehicles. Nonetheless some manufacturers are very enthusiastic and now could be the beginning of the end of the trough of disillusionment, indeed the time to invest.

IDTechEx: Invest now in fuel cell vehicles?

There is divided opinion on future of traction fuel cells in electric vehicles, though few argue any more that they will power the majority of electric vehicles.

Display concept enhances safety and convenience.

MINI is revealing its vision for connectivity between augmented reality eyewear and the car.

BMW i8 wins 2015 world green car award

The BMW i8 was declared the 2015 World Green Car at a press conference hosted by the New York International Auto Show, Bridgestone Corporation, and Autoneum.

Crossover motorcycles in new multi-billion dollar market

The new IDTechEx report, "Electric Motorcycles and Three Wheel Electric Vehicles 2015-2025" reveals gaps in the market as e-motorcycles and their three wheel derivatives become a multi-billion dollar market. One gap is the crossover between bikes and motorcycles created as a premium-priced product.

Lessons from conferences on electric, connected and autonomous cars

The event SMMT Connected covered the connected and ultimately autonomous car with some nod in the direction of other autonomous vehicles doing "dull, dirty, dangerous" rather than freeing up time and reducing accidents, which is what autonomous cars target.

CPT's new technical centre in Coventry

The official opening by Controlled Power Technologies (CPT) of its new engineering technical centre in the West Midlands.

Autonomous Vehicles Part 2 - Types, Benefits and Difficulties

In part 2 of the autonomous vehicles article series we are looking at the types and degrees of autonomy available and the associated benefits and difficulties. In parts 3 and 4 we will discuss the reasons for going autonomous, the technologies and the markets.

Customers order and pay for pizza from their cars

Pizza Hut is testing a proof-of-concept "connected car" system that would let its customers order and pay for pizza from their vehicle before identifying themselves when arriving at the restaurant through Bluetooth beacons placed in designated parking bays.

CPT sees rapidly growing interest in 48V mild hybrid technology

Environmental award winner Controlled Power Technologies witnessed more interest in 48V mild hybrid vehicles when it recently showcased its switched-reluctance (SR) motor-generator technology in Los Angeles.

Fuel cell cars: caution needed say IDTechEx analysts

Launches of fuel cell cars are reportedly planned by up to six carmakers from 2015 including Tata Motors of India, owners of Jaguar Land Rover.

IDTechEx report from the first major supercapacitor event of 2015

This article focuses on the highlights of the second day of the AABC Conference 2015 in Mainz Germany, specifically in the Electrochemical Capacitor Symposium.

PG&E and BMW partner to extract grid benefits from electric vehicles

Pacific Gas and Electric Company and automaker BMW are teaming up to test the ability of electric vehicle batteries to provide valuable services to the electric grid.

Electric Cars: The stakes are raised

A revolution is slicing through the car industry.

Watts up - aeroplanes go hybrid-electric

An aircraft with a parallel hybrid engine - the first ever to be able to recharge its batteries in flight - has been successfully tested in the UK.

Electric Vehicles and Structural Electronics- Insights and Top Trends

Recently, the good news has been the continued strong growth of the market for hybrid cars, buses and outdoor forklifts, premium-priced pure electric cars and pure electric vehicles of many other types from the newly popular electric motorcycles to mobile cranes, mobility vehicles for the disabled and microEVs. On the negative side, the oversupplied e-bike/ e-scooter business remained almost entirely loss-making Chinese suppliers of the Chinese market where growth eased and companies left the business. Mainstream pure electric cars remained a failure due to up-front price too high, resale price too low (those short-lived batteries) and range too short. The term "structural electronics" is little known despite being used for several years, notably in terms of specifics such as "structural sensors" and "structural batteries". Google has tens of millions of items on the subject and, more importantly, in 2014, it started to be realised that this is to be something big.

Review of supercapacitors in 2014 and the outlook for 2015

Whilst the industry has reduced its growth in comparison to the previous years (from an estimated 30% in 2014 vs 2013 to 15% in 2014 vs 2013), IDTechEx believes that this is just a temporary stagnation. Indeed, the fact that other companies are investing in manufacturing capacity and challenging the leadership of Maxwell Technologies is a positive sign for the industry and a good signal for the supercapacitor market, which by definition needs more than one major player. We believe that more manufacturer options across the globe will provide the required alternative supply that end user industries are requiring in order to warranty market competition. This article gives an overview of the major events and developments in 2014 and gives the IDTechEx outlook for 2015.

Thermoelectric harvesting: Great increase in interest in 2014

Thermoelectric harvesting will be on production hybrid electric on-road vehicles from 2018. It will be commonplace on hybrids in 2020 and almost entirely to charge the battery, or increasingly supercapacitor or supercabattery used for power.

EEVC Belgium: Lessons from the first day

This two yearly event again had about 400 delegates. Once again it provided a forum for the huge number of European and global EV related organisations with overlapping agendas. Of the hundreds of millions of dollars they spend each year, too much goes on soft topics such as consumer attitudes to car models that will not be with us for long or how cars may form a meaningful part of a smart grid over ten years from now.