Bladon Jets

New EV technology starting at the heavy end

Electric vehicles larger than cars include many boats, trucks, buses and other industrial and commercial vehicles, manned and unmanned aircraft and military vehicles for the field of combat and supply lines, even tugs for aircraft. Some electric vehicles are the size of a car but pack a much bigger punch.

Latest EV trends and dead ends

Europe's largest electric vehicle show eCarTec, that has just taken place in Munich Germany, was an excellent place to see the latest trends and dead ends in electric vehicles.

DoE awards $156 million for groundbreaking energy research projects

The Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), announced 60 cutting-edge research projects aimed at dramatically improving how the U.S. produces and uses energy.

The BMW Group showcases its visions of future mobility

The BMW Group showcases its visions of future mobility in the shape of the BMW i3 Concept and BMW i8 Concept studies. Unveiled for the first time, these concept vehicles provide a glimpse of the first electrically powered production cars from the new BMW i sub-brand, due to be launched as the BMW i3 in 2013 and the BMW i8 in 2014.

Electric Vehicle Range Extenders - Rival Approaches

Led by the Japanese and with Hyundai of Korea, the Europeans and the Americans coming up fast, we are in the decade of the hybrid vehicle, with much more being spent on them than on pure electric vehicles. This is because traction batteries alone cannot affordably provide sufficient range in most of the large applications by land, sea or air.

Electric vehicle range extenders - a large new market

This article shares some of the research in the new IDTechEx report, {{Range Extenders for Electric Vehicles | http://www.idtechex.com/research/reports/range-extenders-for-electric-vehicles-2011-2021-000276.asp}}. We are in the age of the hybrid electric vehicle which is strongly outselling the pure electric vehicle in market value though not in numbers over the next decade.

Airliners become electric vehicles

Aircraft are becoming more electric even to the extent of having electric traction just like an electric car. Curiously this is starting at the light and heavy end, with medium sized feeder aircraft adopting electrification later.

Much Bigger e-mobility picture revealed

Electric vehicle parts are not evolving: they are changing completely. Sometimes, the traction battery will be replaced by a supercapacitor or supercabattery and the dumb skin of the vehicle by smart skin. Energy harvesting and range extenders are new key enabling technologies and AC motors are often replacing DC motors. This is an industry in ferment.

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 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".

Range extenders for hybrid vehicles - second vs third generation

We are in the decade of the hybrid electric vehicle despite the fact that most off road and underwater vehicles are pure electric.

Electric Vehicles - But Not As We Know Them

Today's electric family cars are useless in telling us anything about the future. The design and adoption of electric vehicles is subject to sudden change driven by surprising factors. The unique event "Electric Vehicles - Land Sea Air" in Stuttgart, Germany is alone in looking at the big picture in order to clarify what is really going on.

More on 2nd vs 3rd Generation Range Extenders

There is no doubt that hybrid electric vehicles by land sea and air are transitioning from having small traction batteries and near useless all electric range of about 15 miles to something nearer to market needs. In prospect is all-electric plug-in range as good or better than today's affordable pure electric land, sea and air vehicles at 100 miles or so (162 km) and use of on-board range extenders that give a total plug-in powered plus on-board energy range that even exceeds that of most of today's conventional vehicles.

New GS Yuasa traction battery orders

GS Yuasa Corp has just announced that it has reached a broad agreement to supply lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles now under joint development by PSA Peugeot Citroen and Mitsubishi Motors Corp.

Range extenders for hybrid vehicles -2nd vs. 3rd generation

We are in the decade of the hybrid electric vehicle despite the fact that most off road and underwater vehicles are pure electric.

Case Western fuel cell breakthrough

Leaders in practicable fuel cells in electric vehicles by land sea and air include Intelligent Energy of the UK while DLR German Aerospace Center, EADS in Germany and France, ENFICA-FC in Italy, Mercedes in Germany and others are extending fuel cell use to manned aircraft, airport Ground Support Equipment GSE, mainstream cars and more.

Hyundai 90 kW vehicle fuel cell

Hyundai has showcased a hydrogen fuel cell concept Blue2 at Seoul Motor Show. It delivers hydrogen fuel stack power of 90kW.

Hybrids at no price penalty

IDTechEx forecasts of sales of hybrid cars presume that, as the decade progresses, more and more of them will be offered at no price premium.

Turkey to manufacture Renault's Fluence Z.E. this year

At the 2010 Paris Motor Show Renault revealed its pure electric Fluence Z.E. sedan. Now production is scheduled to begin this summer at Renault's Turkish manufacturing plant in Bursa.