Electric vehicles

RethinkX and Barclays Research have issued carefully prepared research concluding that the global peak for cars will be in only a few years. Analysts IDTechEx say around 2030. Most experts see it as inevitable.

It is now becoming clear that the appalling emissions from ships that cause global warming and local injuries can be virtually eliminated.

BorgWarner announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Sevcon Inc a global player in electrification technologies.

IDTechEx forecasts no let up in the growth of the global lithium-ion battery market even in 2027. These batteries are now steadily replacing lead acid in its last strongholds such as mobility vehicles for the disabled, fork lift trucks, golf carts and cars though there is a long way to go in each case.

Balyo is a French company providing autonomous industrial trucks for use in warehouses. Its key innovation is in its autonomous navigation technology: it has a laser-based systems that operates by teaching the environment to the robot.

Embark is a CA-based start-up focused on autonomous truck driving. It has raised an undisclosed amount of early-stage funding. It wants to develop a hybrid system. For this, the right HMI, as well as level 4 autonomous, will be required.

Marathon Technologies is an Australian mobile robotics company. In 2011, they landed a contract to supply the military with moving targets for training. They recently teamed up with Domino's to develop an autonomous pizza delivery vehicle.

RoboCV is a Russian start-up focused on mobile robotics for the warehouse/logistics industry. It seeks to convert existing forklifts into fully autonomous ones using existing senor technologies and proprietary algorithms

Swisslog is an automation specialist. It has installed automated materials transport and automated drug management systems in over 3000 hospitals worldwide.

TwinWheel is a privately funded French company with 12 people. It has developed an autonomous last mile delivery robot that can travel at 30km/hr and carry a 40Kg

OPVs can be integrated directly into construction materials whilst they are manufactured, and are therefore installed together with these materials. By developing self-adhesive OPVIUS products, an additional solution can now be provided that will be of interest when retrofitting existing surfaces, as well as for use on non-transparent carrier materials.

The objective of making flying possible for everyone has drawn closer: In July 2017 the aviation start-up Volocopter agreed a finance deal over 25 million Euros with the automobile firm Daimler from Stuttgart, the technology investor Lukasz Gadowski from Berlin and further investors.

Dr Richard Collins & Dr David Pugh discuss the latest EV developments on this weeks IDTechEx #TechRoundUp

The world's first underwater vehicle designed specifically to collect both biological and chemical samples from the ocean water column successfully completed sea trials.

Sono Motors in Germany has officially launched its solar electric car Sion in Munich with first deliveries expected in 2019.

Aero Electric Aircraft Corp (AEAC) has announced plans for a four-place airplane, Sun Flyer 4, the next addition to the Sun Flyer family of aircraft. In addition, Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology is the first flight school to hold a deposit for a Sun Flyer 4.

In its first year of trading, EO Charging sold over 1,500 charging units and is expecting to turnover £1million in 2017.

In this article Dr Peter Harrop examines the ongoing growth of the electric bus market.

IDTechEx is hosting a free webinar on Tuesday 15 August.

CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Sergio Marchionne plans for more than half of its Maserati lineup to be electrified by 2022, but the detail is, as yet, unclear.