8 Dec 2011
Elaphe seek partners for in-wheel motors
Elaphe is a startup in Slovenia that has just demonstrated axial flux, permanent magnet synchronous traction motors of unusually high power-to-weight and torque-to-weight ratio.
7 Dec 2011
Energy harvesting for vehicles
Energy harvesting comes to the fore with electric vehicles because the price they pay for being environmental and exhibiting many performance advantages is that they have limited energy available.
6 Dec 2011
Transportable, autonomous EV charging stations
There are many reasons for creating an electric vehicle charging station based on a large battery. For example, Green Charge Networks in the USA (Prosser and ConEdison) finds that a remarkable 7-12% of installations there need local grid upgrade so they have developed a transportable, dedicated substation for this purpose which contains a 26 kWh lithium-ion battery roughly equivalent to that in a Nissan Leaf, and appropriate contacted outlets, including for Level 3 fastest charging.
External press release
5 Dec 2011
Opalux receives Technical Development Material Award
Opalux receives "Technical Development Material Award" at the 2011 Printed Electronics Conference for its Photonic Crystal Display Technology.
1 Dec 2011
Energy harvesting case studies analyzed
Energy harvesting is the use of ambient energy to provide electricity for small and or mobile equipment, whether electrical or electronic. In 2011, $700 million is spent on the energy harvesting component itself, rising to just under $5 billion in 2021.
External press release
30 Nov 2011
Kodak and Heraeus announce milestone in transparent conductive films
The Conductive Polymers Division of Heraeus Precious Metals GmbH & Co. KG, and Eastman Kodak Company's Industrial Materials Group today jointly announced a milestone in the development of transparent conductive films that can be easily patterned to provide a cost-effective alternative to Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) films.
25 Nov 2011
Smith Electric to build Newton Truck in New York State
Smith Electric Vehicles will expand its U.S. operations by adding a manufacturing facility in New York State, creating up to 100 new direct local jobs.
23 Nov 2011
Overtaking Barriers: Pushing emerging technologies forward
Two of the main challenges in the development and further adoption of flexible electronics have been the sensitivity to moisture and oxygen of active materials, leading to stringent requirements for permeation and the need to replace expensive, brittle ITO, the most popular choice as a transparent conductive layer.
23 Nov 2011
FDK, Asahi Kasei join in li-ion capacitor JV
FDK and Asahi Kasei today concluded a basic agreement to establish a joint-venture company for the combined operation of a lithium ion capacitor (LIC) business.
22 Nov 2011
Would you buy a retro EV?
This year has seen a new phenomenon in on-road electric vehicles - many models of retro scooter.
22 Nov 2011
On moving printed electronics from enabling technology to application
IDTechEx has already shared the sheer scope, profiles of key players, enabling devices, and commercial product possibilities presented by printed electronics. Just a couple years ago, we tracked 500 organizations (50% universities & research institutes, 50% corporations) developing printed or organic transistors, and found that the combined commercial revenue of products using these transistors was zero - in other words, the industry still needed time, money, and partnerships to scale.
22 Nov 2011
Printed Electronics USA 2011: Reaching New Milestones
Next week the 8th annual IDTechEx Printed Electronics USA event opens at the Santa Clara Convention Center in CA, USA, on Nov 30 - Dec 1. Pre-registrations are 22% higher compared to this point last year and the number of exhibitors has grown by 19%. Pre-registered attendees are coming from 29 countries, with a particularly large contingent from Korea, Japan and Taiwan. Attendees are also coming from afar as China, Australia, India, South Africa and all over Europe.
21 Nov 2011
Visit to Polaris Industries Minnesota
Electric Vehicles Research invests heavily to seek out new insights into the EV industry. In recent weeks that has taken us to Switzerland, Germany and Slovenia. In Switzerland we reported on Swissauto, the latest acquisition of Polaris Industries the $2 billion leader in off road vehicles.
18 Nov 2011
Winners of the IDTechEx Energy Harvesting and WSN Awards
At the Energy Harvesting & Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) awards dinner on November 15 in Boston, USA companies were recognized for making significant technical or commercial progress with these technologies.
17 Nov 2011
Levant Power harvesting dampers: rapid advances
As part of the highly successful IDTechEx event "Energy Harvesting USA" this week in Boston, there has been a visit to the MIT spinoff Levant Power which has made remarkable progress in only two years.
17 Nov 2011
The death of lead acid batteries
In historical terms, the death of the flint tool, cooking by dung and other bygone technologies occurred very rapidly. This was because several factors conspired to bring in the better alternative and this created a multiplier effect. So it is with lead acid batteries. To this huge industry and the magazines that write about it, there is a long term, if unspectacular, future for the lead acid battery in vehicles - the main use.