Research Articles

Buses are the most common form of public transport worldwide and are an integral part of billions of daily commutes. From Mumbai to Amsterdam, buses offer cheap and accessible transportation for people to get to work, leisure, and a whole host of other destinations. Buses have been the workhorses of urban transport for almost a hundred years, and for most of that time, they have run on diesel engines.

Electric vehicle (EV) related news has been somewhat bleak in the first part of 2024; you will have heard a lot about the downturn in the EV market and OEMs scaling back plans. This might make one think that EVs are beyond their hype and that they will not be the solution of the future, but is that really the message we should be taking away? In this article, IDTechEx discusses the current statistics, the state of the market, and the outlook for the future.

eVTOL air-taxis could be the new efficient means of intercity travel with zero-emissions short flights. Whilst they may resemble helicopters, they could be far more cost effective and more environmentally friendly in the long run and are similar to aeroplanes in their rotor-enabled forward flight. With their electric propellors powered by batteries, new designs and innovations are broadening the market.

Automotive heads-up displays (HUDs) are awaited with great expectations and are set to revolutionize the automotive display industry. There are many reasons why this technology is anticipated with enthusiasm, namely its potential to positively impact driver behavior on the road, allowing for further vehicle customization and enhancing communication between the front seat passenger and the vehicle.

Thursday 13 June 2024 - Chemical Recycling: Navigating the Landscape of Innovative Technologies and Scaling Challenges; An overview of chemical recycling of plastic technologies; Challenges to adoption and scaling; The challenges faced by enzymatic depolymerization; Chain of custody approaches; IDTechEx's outlook and conclusions

Quantum computers could solve new sets of problems that might otherwise take super computers thousands of years with the advanced technology of quantum bits.

Metamaterials use regular engineered patterns of subwavelength structures to interact with waves. Electromagnetic metamaterials promise to have transformative effects within the fields of optics and telecommunications. They could make biometric recognition cheaper and more accurate, make virtual reality more immersive and comfortable, and facilitate high-speed mobile internet with zero signal blackspots, yet adoption is in its infancy.

I materiali di interfaccia termica (TIM) sono sempre più adottati e si prevede che le dimensioni del mercato supereranno gli 8 miliardi di dollari entro il 2034. I riempitivi termici svolgono un ruolo cruciale nei TIM, in quanto influenzano direttamente proprietà come la conduttività termica, la viscosità, il costo, l'abrasività e molti altri fattori. I riempitivi per TIM sono in genere l'ingrediente più costoso nelle formulazioni di TIM; pertanto, la selezione dei riempitivi per TIM deve trovare un equilibrio tra una buona conduttività termica, proprietà meccaniche decenti e un prezzo accettabile.

Heating and cooling accounts for approximately 50% of global energy consumption, with 30% of this consumption represented by heating demand from industry. Given that the great majority of industrial heating processes use fossil fuels to generate heat, this has caused industrial heating processes to be responsible for ~25% of global emissions.

According to IEA's 2023 update to its net zero roadmap, carbon capture technologies, more efficient space cooling equipment, and clean energy transitions are all cornerstones of achieving net zero by 2050 and limiting global warming to 1.5°C. Emerging technologies utilizing metal-organic framework (MOF) materials for carbon capture, refrigerant reclamation, direct lithium extraction, HVAC equipment, and various other chemical separations and purification processes can see the advent of disruptive next-generation technologies that are essential for industrial decarbonization.

Wednesday 5 June 2024 - Carbon Credit Markets: The Rise of Durable, Engineered Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies; Importance of carbon dioxide removal in reaching global net-zero emissions targets; Overview of all negative emission technologies (NETs): Direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS), Biomass with carbon removal and storage (BiCRS), Nature-based CDR methods, Mineralization NETs, and ocean-based CDR approaches; Contextualization of CDR within carbon markets and how voluntary carbon credits are accelerating NETs in the short-term; Identifying the key factors driving the market pivot from nature-based solutions such as afforestation/reforestation to durable, engineered, CDR approaches; Discussion of environmental, technical, and economic drivers/barriers for DACCS and BECCS

Le tecnologie che si stanno diffondendo nell'industria automobilistica si stanno diffondendo anche nel settore off-highway, in particolare nei veicoli da miniera. In particolare, la ricerca di mercato di IDTechEx, "Veicoli elettrici nel settore minerario 2024-2044: tecnologie, attori e previsioni", mette in evidenza il ruolo delle batterie EV di grandi dimensioni e degli innovativi metodi di ricarica rapida nel guidare l'adozione dei veicoli elettrici da miniera, nonché l'ascesa dei veicoli autonomi da miniera. IDTechEx prevede che il settore dei veicoli elettrici da miniera avrà un valore di quasi 23 miliardi di dollari entro il 2044.

The sourcing of materials and components is becoming an increasingly discussed topic across multiple industries. One huge growth sector is the electric vehicle (EV) market, with IDTechEx predicting 4 fold growth in electric car sales over the next 10 years. Much of the conversation is focused on battery materials, but the rare earths used in the magnets in electric motors are another key concern.

The risk of missing out on the competitive advantage quantum computing offers is rising. Governments and private investors worldwide are placing multi-billion-dollar bets that the industry will produce huge long-term returns. Yet, for this to be realized, the theoretical advantage of quantum computers must be translated into real-world commercial value. In this article, IDTechEx explores which applications are being developed today across the materials, chemical, automotive, finance, and healthcare industries.

Thursday 6 June 2024 - Construction, Agriculture and Mining: Specialised Machines Require Specialised Batteries; Machine electrification in different CAM markets; Battery sizing and performance requirements across electric CAM machines; Cycle life requirements across different CAM machines; Upcoming battery technologies and how they fit in with the needs of electric CAM machines

Antenna packaging methodologies have evolved significantly to counter the escalating signal attenuation in high-frequency communications like 5G mmWave and anticipated 6G networks. Previously, antennas were positioned on PCBs; now, there's a shift towards integrating antennas directly onto the same package as the RF chip.

Maximizing energy density has been one key area of focus in electric vehicle battery development. Optimizations in cell and battery pack designs, alongside the use of higher nickel NMC and NCA cathodes, have led to steady improvement in battery energy density over the past 10-15 years.

IDTechEx, a trusted provider of independent market intelligence, have released a new market report, "Thermal Interface Materials 2024-2034: Technologies, Markets, and Forecasts". The report forecasts the global TIM market size will reach around US$7bn by 2034.

In a world where fossil fuels are increasingly being avoided, and the mounting problem of plastic waste management intensifies, a new approach to plastic waste has attracted much attention. Advanced recycling technologies such as chemical recycling and the dissolution of plastic waste aim to increase the circularity of the plastics economy.

As the hunger for high-speed internet and constant connection increases, so too does the developments of 5G and 6G networks. The technology that makes this possible is happening right down in the small area of the antenna within the device, and low-loss materials and alternative substrates can offer ways of maintaining a strong connection.

Green hydrogen production utilizes four main electrolyzer technologies: alkaline water electrolysis (AWE), proton exchange membrane (PEM), anion exchange membrane (AEM), and solid oxide electrolyzers (SOEC). Each technology has its own operational principles, performance characteristics, and commercial maturity.

The global plastics industry converged in Orlando, Florida, in the first week of May for NPE 2024, the first edition of the largest plastics trade show in the Americas in six years. With over 50,000 attendees and 2,000 exhibitors, many sectors and types of companies were represented, from plastic resin manufacturers to injection molding equipment suppliers to plastics distributors and much more.

The impact of machine learning and data science techniques on the materials industry has grown exponentially since IDTechEx started covering the field of materials informatics in 2020, impacting the real world from lightweight alloys to new battery chemistries.

Thursday 30 May 2024 - Photonic Integrated Circuits: Materials, Forecasts, and How AI Accelerator Demand Is Affecting the PIC Market - What is a photonic integrated circuit? What are current and future applications for PICs? An insight into IDTechEx's Total PIC Market Forecasts; How AI accelerator demand is affecting the PIC Transceivers market; The roadmap for the future of Datacom Transceivers; PIC Material Benchmarks and Forecasts

The modern world depends heavily on GPS satellites to navigate, but too often, access to them is lost or even jammed. This creates a significant risk to safety in multiple industries — especially aerospace, but also automotive and consumer electronics. Following the world's first successful flight demonstration of quantum navigation technology in May 2024 by BAE, QinetiQ, and Infleqtion, this article outlines the power of quantum sensors.

Construction, agriculture, and mining (CAM) machine OEMs have recently started their electrification journey. Over the next 10 years, IDTechEx predicts strong growth in this market, driven by the falling price of batteries and the total cost of ownership benefits that electric machines provide. As such, a new battery market will be created, one that IDTechEx's new "Battery Markets in Construction, Agriculture & Mining Machines 2024-2034" report finds will grow to a value of US$7.8 billion at a 10-year CAGR of 27.1% and with an annual demand of more than 50GWh in 2034.

IDTechEx have released a brand new episode of the 'Tomorrow's Tech by IDTechEx' podcast, 'Quantum Computing: Is It the Space Race of the Modern Age?'. Host Shazan Siddiqi and industry expert Dr Tess Skyrme will be discussing the up-and-coming trends in the upcoming quantum landscape.

The inception of Urban Air Mobility (UAM) dates back to 2016 when Uber introduced their Elevate conference. The company that changed ground transportation triggered a huge wave of investment by supporting the future of Advanced Air Mobility. More than 300 new electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft manufacturing start-ups were established over the course of the following few years, each grabbing a piece of the US$8.5 billion in funding that has been poured into the industry as of the end of 2023.

IDTechEx, a trusted provider of independent market intelligence, have released a new market report, "Optical & Radio Frequency Metamaterials 2024-2034: Markets, Players, Technologies". The report forecasts the electromagnetic metamaterials market to approach US$15 Billion by 2034.

Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) will be needed to reach any international net zero emission targets and avoid global warming beyond 1.5-2°C. Negative emissions technologies (NETs), especially those that go beyond nature-based approaches to provide long-lasting scalable CO2 removals, have therefore been receiving increased support through government policy and voluntary carbon credit purchases from corporations with ambitious climate goals.

Electrification, autonomy, and vehicle ownership saturation are causing a technological revolution in the automotive sector. These automotive meta-trends are driving drastic changes in electronic component requirements and present a high-volume opportunity for printed electronics to capitalize on.

Sodium-ion batteries are beginning to become increasingly relevant in 2024 after many mass production announcements were made in 2023. OEMs may look to alternative chemistries to reduce reliance on critical minerals with potentially volatile supply chains. NMC(A) batteries are currently the leading battery chemistry in Europe and the UK, while LFP dominates in China.

Thursday 23 May 2024 - An overview of metal-organic frameworks and their emerging applications; Scaling MOF production for industrial applications; Considerations of production cost and selling price of MOFs; Examples of MOF-based point source carbon capture and direct air capture solutions and comparisons with incumbent technology; Outlook for MOFs in carbon capture including opportunities and challenges

In the rapidly evolving landscape of Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving, sensor technologies have emerged as a pivotal force driving innovations in the automotive industry. Among these, three-dimensional (3D) Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) stands out, offering precise mapping capabilities through laser-based remote sensing.

Could video games and online shopping be possible while the car is on the move? Automotive displays, a market set to be worth US$27 billion by 2034, are a large feature within a vehicle and can act as a hub point for controls and information.

The Silicon Photonics and PICs market is experiencing robust growth, driven by the surge in AI and datacom transceiver demand. Key players in the industry, such as Intel, Coherent, and Infinera, are actively using PICs within their transceivers.