Electric vehicles

Electric powered aircraft SportStar EPOS, made its first flight from the Kunovice airport in Czech Republic last month. After a short, ten-minute flight, it landed successfully and a second flight followed immediately afterwards. The total time when the aircraft was powered by an electric motor reached about 30 minutes reported light aircraft manufacturer Evektor in a recent announcement.

Expansion into state of the art power component manufacture, notably supercapacitors targeted for energy density greater than that of lead acid and NiCd batteries but with much longer life, greater reliability and much greater power density together with wider temperature range.

Panasonic Corporation has announced that it will supply nickel metal hydride battery systems for Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd's first-ever hybrid electric vehicle.

Japanese startup Terra Motors has officially shown its three-wheeled electric tricycle prototype in Tokyo. It is designed to be affordable for emerging markets in large quantities.

Tesla Motors announced that sales of its Model S vehicle exceeded the target provided in the mid-February shareholder letter.

Following a slight modification of the old adage "If you can't beat them join them," a Simon Fraser University researcher says that if you marry plug-in electric vehicles with green technology, you have a winner.

Energy Innovation Group Ltd. (EIG) a South Korean manufacturer of large format lithium ion battery cell technology has developed an LTO cell targeting and enabling applications requiring high charge/discharge rates, long cycle life, and broad operating temperature range.

A federal class action lawsuit has been filed against Maxwell Technologies. The Briscoe Law Firm and the securities litigation firm of Powers Taylor are investigating additional legal claims against the officers and Board of Directors of Maxwell Technologies during the period of April 28, 2011 to March 7, 2013.

Scientists at the German Aerospace Center, DLR have developed an entirely new kind of drive concept to extend the range of electrically powered vehicles. The free-piston linear generator is a combustion engine that generates electricity.

Looking toward improved batteries for charging electric cars and storing energy from renewable but intermittent solar and wind, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed the first high-performance, nanostructured solid electrolyte for more energy-dense lithium ion batteries.

As a harbinger for the Paramount film "Star Trek - Into Darkness", starting in May in Europe's cinemas, last night a swarm of 30 mini-helicopters equipped with the LED lights drew the Star Trek logo in the skies over London.

A new National Research Council report finds that by the year 2050, the U.S. may be able to reduce petroleum consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent for light-duty vehicles, cars and small trucks via a combination of more efficient vehicles; the use of alternative fuels like biofuels, electricity, and hydrogen; and strong government policies to overcome high costs and influence consumer choices.

Supercapacitors replace lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-ion batteries replace nickel metal hydride and lead acid batteries. There are side stories of course. Some supercapacitors replace electrolytic capacitors and others create new applications. However, in this article, we concentrate on replacing lithium-ion batteries.

As we make the transition from fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy sources, one fact that becomes clear is that while fossil fuels provided both an energy source and a storage medium in one, in the new world of renewables, these two functions will have to be provided separately.

Beginning this month, the city of Rio de Janeiro enters the zero-emission mobility era with the launch of the electric taxi program, a partnership between the Rio de Janeiro City Government, NBA and Petrobras Distribuidora.

Scania and Siemens have entered into a partnership which involves the integration of Siemens technology to power vehicles with Scania's expertise in the electrification of powertrains in trucks and buses. The partnership means that Sweden may become the world's first country with electrically powered trucks and electrified roads for commercial use.

Boeing announced that a comprehensive set of improvements that will add several layers of additional safety features to the lithium-ion batteries on 787 commercial jetliners are in production and could be ready for initial installation within the next few weeks.

Applus+ IDIADA, a Spanish company specialising in engineering for the international automotive industry, has successfully completed a high performance, innovative electric prototype sports car that is comparable to or even better than other conventionally-powered sports cars.

Siemens has stepped up its involvement in electric vehicle (EV) technologies by buying Semikron International's VePoint subsidiary, which develops power electronic components and systems for the hybrid and electric vehicle market