IDTechEx

E-Force: Heavy-Duty Truck Electrification

E-Force One AG are a Swiss engineering firm who manufacture electric heavy-duty trucks. They convert convention IVECO truck chassis to all-electric powertrains.

Titanium Alloy, Highest Strength of Any 3-D Printed Metals to Date

A world-first study has demonstrated how cutting-edge 3D-printing techniques can be used to produce an ultra strong commercial titanium alloy - a significant leap forward for the aerospace, space, defence, energy and biomedical industries.

Hertz and GM Plan Major EV Expansion

Hertz and General Motors Co announced an agreement in which Hertz plans to order up to 175,000 Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac and BrightDrop EVs over the next five years. Hertz and GM believe this plan is the largest expansion of EVs among fleet customers and the broadest because it spans a wide range of vehicle categories and price points — from compact and midsize SUVs to pickups, luxury vehicles and more.

Connection of France's First Offshore Wind Farms

Delivering near-baseload energy production, offshore wind farms are a central element of the European energy transition. Three new offshore wind farms are currently being built off the French Atlantic Sea coast at Saint-Nazaire, Fécamp and Courseulles-sur-Mer, where a total of more than 150 wind turbines are to be installed. The first wind farm near Saint-Nazaire, with 80 wind turbines and a total output of 480 MW, will be put into operation by the end of 2022.

Low Carbon Shipping: Policy Drivers

This IDTechEx premium article discusses the new policies being introduced by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the EU to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the shipping sector. The policies are expected to drive uptake of low carbon fuel use in shipping such as methane, ammonia, and hydrogen in large vessels, as well as battery solutions in smaller, coastal, or inland vessels.

Facemask Detects Viral Exposure in 10 Minutes With Infected Person

Scientists have created a face mask that can detect common respiratory viruses, including influenza and the coronavirus, in the air in droplets or aerosols. The highly sensitive mask can alert the wearers via their mobile devices within 10 minutes if targeted pathogens are present in the surrounding air.

Brains on board: Smart Microbots Walk Autonomously

A collaborative effort has installed electronic "brains" on solar-powered robots that are 100 to 250 micrometers in size - smaller than an ant's head - so that they can walk autonomously without being externally controlled.

Artificial Soft Surface Autonomously Mimics Shapes From Nature

Engineers have developed a scalable soft surface that can continuously reshape itself to mimic objects in nature. Relying on electromagnetic actuation, mechanical modeling and machine learning to form new configurations, the surface can even learn to adapt to hindrances such as broken elements, unexpected constraints or changing environments.

Metalenz

Metalenz is a market leader in the metamaterial lens (metalens) market and provides flat lenses for depth sensing and facial recognition systems. IDTechEx spoke with Metalenz CEO Rob Devlin on 6th September, 2022.

Machine Learning Gives Glimpse of How a Dog's Brain Works

Scientists have decoded visual images from a dog's brain, offering a first look at how the canine mind reconstructs what it sees. The results suggest that dogs are more attuned to actions in their environment rather than to who or what is doing the action.

Sensing Pressure Using Paper

Several industrial, automotive, and healthcare applications rely on accurate and precise measurement of pressure. Flexible and wearable pressure sensors are typically fabricated using petroleum-based polymers. The solid waste generated from using such non-biodegradable plastics is harmful for the environment. To avoid this issue, researchers have now fabricated pressure sensors that use paper as the medium.

Spectricity

Spectricity is an early-stage Belgian company that has developed low-cost, spatially resolved, spectral image sensors based on CMOS manufacturing methods. IDTechEx caught up with Jonathan Borremans, CTO at Spectricity.

IPT Technology: e-Mobility Wireless Charging

IPT Technology design, manufacture, install, and service wireless charging hardware into a wide variety of electric vehicles. In 2021, IPT acquired the company Primove from Bombardier, which, among other things, has developed solutions for wireless charging of cars and trucks. IDTechEx spoke to their marketing manager and learned about their product portfolio and deployments.

Mercedes-Benz Plans Wind Farm at Test Track in Papenburg

Mercedes-Benz plans to build a wind farm at its test track in Papenburg, northern Germany, with an output of more than 100 MW to cover more than 15 percent of the annual electricity demand of Mercedes-Benz Group AG in Germany. As part of its effort to erect a double-digit number of wind turbines by the middle of the decade, Mercedes-Benz is also planning a long-term power purchase agreement with a partner, equivalent to a triple-digit million euros amount.

Cardea Bio

Cardea Bio produces the BPU, a biosensor chip that uses graphene.

Aiways: EV Passenger Car Start-up

Aiways are an electric car start-up headquartered in Shanghai, China. Alongside the Chinese market, they are particularly focused on selling their EVs into European markets. IDTechEx spoke with Aiways' European Product Manager Uwe Likar at the 2022 Battery Show in Stuttgart, where he presented an overview of Aiways' operations in China and Europe.

Dynamic Wireless Charging

Dynamic charging is when a battery-operated electric vehicle (EV) is continuously charged as it is being driven, using electrical transmitter coils beneath the road surface. Dynamic wireless charging takes place on wireless electric road systems (wERS), with current deployments limited to small sections for pilot projects. This premium article outlines the technology, analyses early demonstrations, and identifies challenges for future deployments.

DigiLens

DigiLens is a major innovator in holographic diffractive waveguides that has attracted interest from major investors including Samsung.

Visionaries 777

Visionaries 777 (V777) is a Hong Kong-based company that builds software to link locations and objects to videos and information for purposes including training, marketing, education, and more. The company spun out of Lego — its founders were originally hired to create an AR department at the company.

Volvo Trucks Starts Series Production of Heavy Electric Trucks

Volvo Trucks is beginning series production of the electric versions of the company's heavy-duty trucks: Volvo FH, Volvo FM and Volvo FMX. These trucks can operate at a total weight of 44 tonnes and the three models represent around two thirds of the company's sales.