Silicon Craft Technology

Report on SMMT Open Forum UK

The SMMT Open Forum at Automechanika Birmingham UK on the 7th June 2016 opened with an SMMT view of the saturated UK car market, currently in a temporary up phase.

Power electronics for electric vehicles

At first it seems ridiculous that IDTechEx forecasts a huge growth in the power electronics business for electric vehicles.

Future powertrains for electric vehicles: huge opportunities

The new IDTechEx report, Future Powertrains 2016-2031 concerns the twenty year future of powertrains for land vehicles, including reference to water and airborne vehicles as appropriate. The primary emphasis is on the most important applications by market value - cars and buses - and the most important powertrain types by value potential but most of this analysis is directly applicable to most other vehicles.

Future vehicle powertrains harvest and regenerate

The new IDTechEx report, Future Powertrains 2016-2031 concerns the twenty year future of powertrains for land vehicles, including reference to water and airborne vehicles as appropriate.

Buses facing a classical shakeout

IDTechEx's Chairman Dr Peter Harrop analyses the current state of the market for electric buses.

IDTechEx interview Nuon Solar team 3.2.16

Every year, the Bridgestone World Solar Challenge sees solar cars from all over the world race right across Australia on sunshine. The Nuon Solar Team has won six times including October last year.

Mild Hybrid 48V Vehicles: Controlled Power Technologies (CPT) Ltd

IDTechEx visited Controlled Power Technologies (CPT) Ltd UK on 18 Jan 2016. They met with CEO Nick Pascoe with Robert Palmer, investor and PR, also present.

Transphorm

Inefficient power conversion wastes tens of billions of dollars every year but now Transphorm of Goleta, California is redefining power conversion. Its work is part of the move from inefficient silicon power semiconductors needing considerable water cooling to silicon carbide or gallium nitride versions is seen as the future of power electronics in a host of IDTechEx interviews across the world. This content has been updated in June 2018 following a further recent interview.

Graphene band gap heralds new electronics

Regular graphene has no band gap - its unusually rippled valence and conduction bands actually meet in places, making it more like a metal. Nonetheless, scientists have tried to tease them apart.

CENEX LCV Event: 48V Systems, Energy Storage, SR Motors

Another major focus was 48V systems some in EVs but mainly for microhybrid (stop-start) and mild hybrid (torque assist) for managing the now huge amounts of energy in and out with new forms of harvesting and tougher duty cycles and also more power-hungry accessories. That has resulted in a large number of redesigned and new accessories in anticipation of new standards.

Four marvels promised by high power energy harvesting

Free fuel for vehicles without them stopping. Replacement of millions of diesel electricity generators with something using free energy and totally clean. Buildings disconnecting from the grid in order to reduce costs and power cuts. 1.1 billion people without electricity will get it for little or no cost. Unbelievable? They are now the focus of serious development and demonstrations and the common factor is "high power energy harvesting (HPEH)".

Future Electric Vehicle Anatomy: Complete Change

Totally different. Everything that constitutes a hybrid or pure electric vehicle will change beyond recognition, advises analyst group IDTechEx.

High-efficiency and high-stability SiC power transistor

Sumitomo Electric has developed a power transistor of an original structure consisting of silicon carbide which is seen as a next-generation power semiconductor.

Report on Electric and Hybrid Marine Amsterdam

Here is our report on the first day of the Electric and Hybrid Marine World Expo in Amsterdam 23 June.

Electric vehicle power electronics: divergent approaches

The power electronics business as applied to electric vehicles is becoming so huge that very divergent approaches become viable.

Orbital Composites

Orbital Composites are a start-up developing three tools for integration into 3D printers to allow injection moulding into hollow parts, pressure to remove voids and printing of carbon fibre and copper wiring into the part.

Crossover motorcycles in new multi-billion dollar market

The new IDTechEx report, "Electric Motorcycles and Three Wheel Electric Vehicles 2015-2025" reveals gaps in the market as e-motorcycles and their three wheel derivatives become a multi-billion dollar market. One gap is the crossover between bikes and motorcycles created as a premium-priced product.

Different electric vehicles pioneer best technology first

To benchmark new technology for electric vehicles it is vital to look at all of the off-road, on-road, water and airborne e-vehicles.

Electric buses: Here comes China

In the new report, "Electric Buses 2015-2025" analysts IDTechEx examine how Chinese hybrid buses are in some respects more advanced as the Government only supports plug-in versions with long pure electric range.