Electric vehicles

Scandinavia is the first region in the world to rely increasingly on battery-powered and thus environmentally-friendly technologies in the shipbuilding industry.

IDTechEx believes that the window of opportunity for fuel cell vehicles in mainstream applications is closing. Whereas Battery Electric Vehicles increasingly have green electricity, fuel cell vehicles almost entirely use hydrogen from fossil fuels and even that is expensive.

EVs use a lot of their precious electricity  heating occupiers in winter so improvements are afoot. Making replacements for dumb structural parts that double as occupant focussed heating has attraction as has directed infrared - "heat the person not the space" but less focussed heat pumps are efficient contenders

48V mild hybrids will start series production at many automotive manufacturers in 2017 with many others following shortly after.

Electric vehicles have gone from curiosity to being a frequent news item and, if you live in Norway or the Netherlands, something you see often. However, that is nothing compared to EVs shaking the foundations of society over the coming decade from robot agriculture and delivery to almost free travel in sunny countries and almost eliminating air pollution even in mining.

At IDTechEx we are convinced that lithium-ion batteries will dominate the automotive scene over the coming ten years and possibly the coming fifteen years. During that time we shall see peak lead acid battery the biggest nail in its coffin being when electric vehicles more widely abandon them and even those conventional vehicles modified to stay legal under impending carbon dioxide laws abandon them, relying totally on lithium-ion units.  

Toyota and Daimler presented at a recent IDTechEx conference on their fuel cell vehicle programs. A questioner asked them to reveal the unique selling proposition of fuel cell vehicles. They said there is no USP.

At this year's CEATEC, Japan's largest consumer electronics show, Honda showed an example of its so-called Micro Commuter electric car with a body that's been constructed using additive manufacturing.

senseFly, producer of professional mapping drones, will introduce its next-generation fixed-wing system for survey-grade photogrammetric mapping, the eBee Plus.

The U.S. Department of Energy has released a new report that highlights the accelerated deployment of five clean energy technologies: wind turbines, solar technologies for both utility-scale and distributed photovoltaic, electric vehicles and light-emitting diodes.

IDTechEx Technology Analyst Lorenzo Grande looks at the example of TankTwo. While the US Government throws millions of dollars into post-Li-ion development, and private companies struggle with smartphone recalls due to defective batteries, a bunch of innovative inventors are putting a good deal of lateral thinking into how to make the best of what is already on the market.

At IDTechEx we believe that the future of the energy, mobility, electronics, and communications industry will be strongly shaped by the development of one key enabling technology, that is, energy storage. At the historical tipping point of structural change in these sectors there has never been a better time for a dedicated forum on energy storage as key enabling technology.

You might think cars with low carbon emissions are expensive. Think again.

In the US, carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation, primarily coal, have long been the main air polluter in the country, but it's about to change.

Electric Vehicle and Energy Storage (EVES) start-ups exhibit in Santa Clara.

TankTwo is a Finnish company developing smart Li-ion batteries that enable a full charge in 3 minutes by physically refuelling an EV tank with 18650 cells.

ASI (Autonomous Solutions) employs 150 people and generates $30m. Half of its income stems from the mining industry. It is focused on mining, construction and agriculture. 

Within a few years, the U.S. Department of Energy wants plug-in electric vehicles to be just as affordable and convenient as the internal-combustion machines most of us drive today.

The IDTechEx Show! which will be held on November 16 - 17 at the Santa Clara Convention Center, will showcase the latest technology needs and advancements to over 3,000 attendees.

The first Swiss electric plane capable of performing an aerobatic program.