Toyota Motor

WiTricity and IHI to develop wireless charging system for EVs

IHI Corporation and WiTricity Corporation of Watertown, MA have agreed to collaborate on the development of wireless charging systems for electric vehicles.

Electric vehicles - land, sea, air Europe 2011 awards

The judges noted very innovative and impressive features with real benefits for electric vehicles.

Electric vehicle value chain is changing

Currently the key enabling technologies in electric vehicles are motors, batteries and control systems. For the next ten years, add to that energy harvesting, supercapacitors (ultracapacitors) and range extenders that replace internal combustion engines in hybrids, notably fuel cells and mini turbines.

Boxster E prototypes

The Boxster E, with one electric motor apiece on front and rear axle, runs on purely electric power with four-wheel drive and is equivalent to a Boxster S in terms of driving dynamics. Together with two other Boxster Es, in which an electric motor drives the rear wheels, the prototype is being used to explore the everyday practicality of all-electric vehicles and how they are used, especially in terms of driving and battery charging. What the researchers are after is an understanding of the requirements facing future products, where to go next with Porsche Intelligent Performance and how to integrate electric vehicles into the infrastructure.

BASF and Dow move further into EV technology

The world's largest chemical company is either BASF of Germany or Dow Chemical of the USA, depending on how you make the measurement. Both have been belatedly but strongly entering the electric vehicle business with materials and participation in device manufacturing joint ventures.

Can Sony Li-ion batteries recover market share?

Sony was once the leader in the lithium-ion "Li-ion" battery market. In 1991, it was the first in the world to commercialize them. It has focused mainly on compact batteries for PCs and mobile phones. The lithium-ion battery market continues to expand, driven by strong demand for mobile phones, PCs and now electric vehicles. For example, such batteries are seen in an increasing minority of pure electric forklift trucks and boats, in most off-road electric vehicles and in virtually all Autonomous Underwater Vehicles AUVs, electric aircraft and electric airships, not just in on-road electric vehicles from buses to trucks, cars and some e-bikes. Sony is noticeably absent from all this vehicle activity, despite Sony CEO Howard Stringer announced plans, in 2009, to enter the automotive battery business.

Report on advanced energy storage highlights big changes in five years

A report covering the analysis of over 40,000 patents granted in the last five years in the field of energy storage technologies for electric vehicles - meaning e-mobility - shows that two Japanese players - Panasonic and Toyota now dominate the scene closely followed by two Korean firms - Samsung SDI and LG Chemical.

Report on advanced energy storage technology highlights big changes

A report covering the analysis of over 40,000 patents granted in the last five years in the field of energy storage technologies for electric vehicles - meaning e-mobility - shows that two Japanese players - Panasonic and Toyota now dominate the scene closely followed by two Korean firms - Samsung SDI and LG Chemical.

Electric vehicles become electronic

About 80% of the value of a military jet aircraft lies in the circuitry, up from almost nothing a century ago. Civil airliners are about 50% electric and electronic, whereas the family car is around 30% so far, all these percentages steadily rising. The point is that an aircraft has far more than the radar, communications and other instruments accessed by the pilot: it is a sea of sensors, fuel controls and servo systems in the engines, wings and elsewhere. Even the family car adds much more than the satnav, phone, proximity sensors and other electronics directly assisting the driver, the MEMS accelerometer controlling the air bags being just one of an increasingly huge number of out-of-sight safety and other measures controlled by circuitry.

Range extenders for hybrid vehicles - second vs third generation

We are in the decade of the hybrid electric vehicle despite the fact that most off road and underwater vehicles are pure electric.

New report on advanced energy storage technologies

A report covering the analysis of over 40,000 patents granted in the last five years in the field of energy storage technologies for electric vehicles - meaning e-mobility - shows that two Japanese players - Panasonic and Toyota now dominate the scene closely followed by two Korean firms - Samsung SDI and LG Chemical.

Can foreign EV makers prosper in China?

To understand the burgeoning electric vehicle EV industry, it is important to look at all forms of electric vehicle, land, sea and air. China has ambitions across all of them but none of the EV leaders are currently in China. It is bargaining access to its potentially large internal EV market in exchange for the intellectual property of aspiring foreign participants.

Heavy VC Funding of EVs

A new analysis by Ernst & Young reveals where US venture capital for green projects is now being directed. In the first quarter of this year, venture capital investment into clean technology companies by US firms has increased by about two-thirds since the economic dip of early 2009.

New GS Yuasa traction battery orders

GS Yuasa Corp has just announced that it has reached a broad agreement to supply lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles now under joint development by PSA Peugeot Citroen and Mitsubishi Motors Corp.

Hyundai 90 kW vehicle fuel cell

Hyundai has showcased a hydrogen fuel cell concept Blue2 at Seoul Motor Show. It delivers hydrogen fuel stack power of 90kW.

Range extenders for hybrid vehicles -2nd vs. 3rd generation

We are in the decade of the hybrid electric vehicle despite the fact that most off road and underwater vehicles are pure electric.

Heavy funding of photovoltaics and EVs

A new analysis by Ernst & Young reveals where US venture capital for green projects is now being directed.

Hybrids at no price penalty

IDTechEx forecasts of sales of hybrid cars presume that, as the decade progresses, more and more of them will be offered at no price premium.

Electric vehicle battle moves beyond cars

By a big margin, Toyota is number one in hybrid car sales and indeed in sales of electric vehicles overall thanks to such things as sales of its electric forklifts, where it is in the top three in most countries.

Electric vehicles lead Mitsubishi's lineup

Mitsubishi Motors Corp., maker of the i-MiEV electric car, plans to introduce eight hybrid and battery-powered models by 2015 as demand for fuel-efficient automobiles grows.