Electric vehicles

Intelligent swarms of aerial drones are a universally useful tool for police, crisis managers and urban planners. Special 3D sensors developed by Fraunhofer researchers ensure flawless aerobatics and prevent collisions.

PolyPlus was awarded a $9 million grant from the Department of Energy's Innovative Manufacturing Initiative for "Innovative manufacturing of protected lithium electrodes for ultra high energy density batteries."

Car manufacturer Saab has been bought by National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS), an international consortium formed by Japanese, Swedish and Chinese stakeholders. The new company will establish a new automobile venture in Trollhättan, solely dedicated to the development and manufacture of electric vehicles (EVs).

Sumitomo Chemical Company is filing patents this year on its advances in sodium ion rechargeable batteries that could find their way into vehicles.

The World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer's (IARC) recent announcement upgrading its grim classification of Diesel Exhaust fumes from possibly carcinogenic (2A) to definitively carcinogenic to humans.

A new lithium ion battery technology capable of operating at extreme temperatures without requiring thermal management was unveiled by A123 Systems this week.

Lithium-ion batteries involve lithium ions being intercalated and de-intercalated at electrodes during cycling. Other batteries involve lithium ions but are not called lithium-ion because they work in another way. There are single use versions but now there are rechargeable versions arriving earlier than most pundits thought possible.

Toyota Motorsport GmbH (TMG) will demonstrate its high-performance electric powertrain technology on one of North America's most demanding motorsport events; the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado on 8 July.

The border-to-border vision of the West Coast Electric Highway moves closer to becoming a reality with the opening of new EV charging sites, extending the highway to the Canadian border and opening it to electric vehicle (EV) drivers from both countries.

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes riddled with defects and impurities on the outside could eventually replace some of the expensive platinum catalysts used in fuel cells and metal-air batteries.

G&K Services has launched a pilot program to test hybrid electric trucks in its fleet of delivery vehicles.

New Flyer Industries Inc a manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses in Canada and the United States, unveiled its prototype all-electric 40-foot Xcelsior heavy-duty transit bus.

Owners of the Nissan LEAF will be able to use their vehicles to supply electricity to their homes with a new power supply system developed by Nichicon.

Fisker has greatly delayed the launch of its hybrid sports car and its battery supplier A123 Systems has had quality problems necessitating an expensive recall. There has therefore been speculation in the investment community as to whether either would be long in this world.

The Jockey Club, the largest commercial group in British horseracing, and Chargemaster Plc, Europe's leading provider of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, unveiled a world-first for the horseracing industry by confirming electric vehicle charge points will be installed at all of its 14 racecourses and the historic Jockey Club Rooms by the end of 2012.

PostBus Switzerland has launched the first Swiss hydrogen filling station in Brugg (Aargau). It supplies fuel for the vehicles that PostBus has been using since December 2011 to test fuel cell technology for public transport.

ECOtality, Inc. filed legal documents with the state's First District Court of Appeal seeking to halt implementation of an agreement between the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and New Jersey-based company NRG Energy, Inc.

IDTechEx believes that the market action now lies with supercabatteries based on lithium-ion technology and commonly referred to as lithium capacitors because lithium-ion capacitors now have the largest market value.

Intertek has constructed an on-site e-mobility test laboratory in Kaufbeuren, Bavaria in Germany. As of now, the laboratory also offers abuse tests and lifetime tests for batteries and battery packs for electric vehicles as well as hybrid vehicles.

Tesla Motors will begin delivering Model S, the world's first premium electric sedan, to customers on June 22nd.