IDTechEx

Energy harvesting comes alive

Next week the annual IDTechEx Energy Harvesting & Storage event will open in Munich to attendees from 20 countries.

Electric bicycles and ebikes - the next ten years

IDTechEx has issued another report in its series on the various types of electric vehicle - hybrid and pure electric - and their future entitled Light Electric Vehicle (LEV) Industry Worldwide 2011-2021 (www.IDTecHEx.com/LEV). Electric vehicles by land, water and air will be a market of over $210 billion in ten years from now. The segments of this market are very different in certain respects yet they increasingly share some technical challenges and vehicle and component suppliers. This report concerns electric bicycles, ebikes and other Light Electric Vehicles (LEVs) that constitute an important part of the overall EV business. Other reports in the series cover aircraft, marine, buses/taxis, military/police/security and cars.

Penetrating the fog surrounding lithium-ion traction batteries

To penetrate the fog surrounding lithium-ion traction batteries we should use the term generically for all rechargeable batteries involving lithium ions. For example, it is false to talk of lithium polymer as an alternative to lithium-ion because the term lithium polymer simply refers to a form of electrolyte involving solid polymer electrolyte usually with gel.

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.

Electric bicycles and ebikes - the next ten years

IDTechEx has issued another report in its series on the various types of electric vehicle - hybrid and pure electric - and their future entitled Light Electric Vehicle (LEV) Industry Worldwide 2011-2021 .

Electric vehicle infrastructure surprises

Electric vehicle charging infrastructure will see a frenzy of change over the next ten years. That will involve how it is made and installed, how it operates and even whether it is needed at all. For example, the 1.3 million electric vehicles for the disabled, obese and elderly being sold this year will rise to over three million in 2021 and none of them will have a charging station - you simply plug them into a regular socket. Registering that the most convenient and affordable charging station is none at all, the e-bike manufacturers have at last started to move in the same direction. Adoption of the new lithium-ion batteries releases a huge amount of weight and space and a charger can now be fitted into the e-bike. That will become more affordable as the years go by. Here are some more of the surprises revealed during the research for the new IDTechEx report, "Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure 2011-2021".

Perpetuum unveil key customers

Perpetuum, a maker of electromagnetic energy harvesters, showed at Sensors Expo this week five customers that have integrated their energy harvester solutions with their products.

Interview with Jason Wortham, scientist at Maxim Integrated Products

IDTechEx analyst Dr. Harry Zervos interviewed Jason Wortham, Senior Scientist with Maxim and got some more insight into the company's involvement in the energy harvesting space.

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.

Thinfilm opens Japan office

Prof. Jiro Kasahara, former executive technical director at Sony, will represent Thinfilm in Japan

Students develop alternative energy storage

Students at Stevens Institute of Technology are working on a supercapacitor that will allow us to harness more renewable energy through biochar electrodes for supercapacitors.

New e-mobility event is better for component suppliers

Those making subsystems, components and materials for electric vehicles gain little from meeting only the high profile electric car companies at e-mobility events. The queue is very long to supply these companies and the pricing is often extremely challenging. By contrast, a look at the big picture of electric vehicles by land, water and air reveals a huge number of often highly profitable niche applications.

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.

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.

Off-road electric vehicles see rapid change

The highly successful manufacturer of conventional off-road vehicles, $2 billion Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) has recently launched a pure electric Neighbourhood Electric Vehicle NEV. Now it has added the leader in that sector encompassing closed communities rather than open highways. Global Electric Motorcars LLC (GEM), a wholly owned Fargo, N.D. based subsidiary of Chrysler Group LLC. GEM is a leader within the low-speed vehicle market, with approximately $30 million in sales during the 2010 calendar year. Since the company was established in 1998, it has placed more than 45,000 electric-powered NEVs on the road worldwide.

Metrology for energy harvesting

IDTechEx technology analyst Harry Zervos recently interviewed Dr Markys Cain, from the National Physical Laboratory in the UK.

Profiles of military electric vehicle suppliers

Suppliers and developers of electric vehicles for the US Military.

BAE Systems exceeds 3500 hybrid bus drive trains

BAE Systems says it has cumulatively delivered more than 3,500 units of its hybrid electric propulsion system called the HybriDrive series, netting it over $350 million and making it one of the most successful suppliers of subsystems in the history of the electric vehicle.

Global benchmarking for e-mobility at last

Best practice in e-mobility first occurs in very different countries and with very different vehicles. The most useful events on the subject therefore need an international speaker lineup.