Electric vehicles

Researchers at MIT and Sandia National Laboratories have used transmission electron microscope (TEM) imaging to observe, at a molecular level, what goes on during a reaction called oxygen evolution as lithium-air batteries charge; this reaction is thought to be a bottleneck limiting further improvements to these batteries. The TEM technique could help in finding ways to make such batteries practical in the near future.

Ricardowill be working with Electricore, who has received a $750,000 award from California Energy Commission to perform a comprehensive survey of the commercial plug-in electric vehicle (PEV) marketplace and to propose value-based design options for standardization of battery systems.

IDTechEx has been forecasting all electric vehicle markets - land, water and air - for 13 years. On 22 & 23 May we will be hosting a free webinar "Electric Vehicles 2013-2023 - Forecasts and Outlook".

A flying car capable of vertical take-off and landing is being developed by Massachusetts-based Company Terrafugia but delivery of the vehicle will take another decade. It can take off like a helicopter and fly like a plane as well as drive on roads like a car.

Researchers at Tyndall National Institute at UCC in Cork, Ireland are leading an international project in advanced nanoelectronics which is aimed at maintaining Europe's position as a world leader in innovative automotive power electronic systems for both conventional and electric cars.

The Defense Logistics Agency continues to explore alternative fuel vehicles in its motor pool fleet.

CODA announced that it is focusing its business strategy on the growing energy storage market. CODA plans to implement the restructuring of its business through a voluntary filing under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.

Aspin Kemp & Associates (AKA) has been awarded the contract to supply a Diesel-Electric Power and Propulsion System for Bhagwan Marine's Dive Support Vessel (DSV) that will be constructed in Singapore.

Might the automotive major lose out on the electric vehicle revolution? This was the question asked at the INTRASME Electric Vehicle Opportunity Workshop in the ICC Berlin (19th April).

Solar Impulse, the Swiss solar powered airplane, plans to depart from San Francisco today with Bertrand Piccard in the single seater cockpit, to complete the first leg of its coast-to-coast flights across the USA. It is the first time that a solar airplane capable of flying day and night without fuel, will attempt to fly across America.

The conference "Electric Vehicles - Overcoming Barriers, Driving Adoption Conference" could have been more pithily named "Commercial and Private Electric Vehicles" for that was the focus, from incentives to user experience and technical improvements planned.

Day 2 of this event took place on Saturday April 27. The start was less dramatic than the excellent Day 1. Dean Sigler, Editor, CAFE Technology Blog told us to get back to the early days of airports, his title being, "Sustainable, Neighborly Airports".

This excellent event "7th Electric Aircraft Symposium" in Santa Rosa, USA was acclaimed as the best ever in the series. Over 150 people attended, an eclectic mix from NASA and Siemens to hobbyists, universities and technology startups were there.

SOLARWATT GmbH and BMW i will be teaming up to supply combined rooftop and carport photovoltaic solutions for future BMW i customers.

Joined by government and industry leaders, the University of Delaware and NRG Energy are celebrating an important milestone for its eV2g project today, becoming an official resource of PJM Interconnection and proving for the first time that electric vehicle-to-grid technology can sell electricity from electric vehicles to the power grid.

Researchers at Tyndall National Institute at UCC in Cork, Ireland are leading an international project in advanced nanoelectronics which is aimed at maintaining Europe's position as a world leader in innovative automotive power electronic systems for both conventional and electric cars.

One of the 16kWh drive battery packs used in the i-MiEV (lithium-ion battery) overheated in the battery inspection room at the EV assembly factory at the Mizushima Plant. Mitsubishi Motors report their findings.

"A battery can deliver far more power than anybody ever thought. In recent decades, electronics have gotten small. The thinking parts of computers have gotten small. And the battery has lagged far behind. This is a microtechnology that could change all of that. Now the power source is as high-performance as the rest of it."

The Oceanvolt SD propulsion system has been chosen by SAIL Magazine as the winner of the 2013 Pittman Innovation Award in the systems category.

Buyers considering an electric car must bear in mind that using battery-powered heating and air conditioning can decrease the car's range by a third or more. A heating and cooling system being developed by researchers at MIT almost eliminates the drain on the battery.