Liberty Access Technologies

The F-150 Lightning’s instant torque is incredibly impressive, making this race much closer than you might expect.
Source: Electric Vehicle News

The Family Cargo e-bike is the perfect way to take you and your kids around town.
Source: Electric Vehicle News

Not do be outdone by the United States Postal Service testing out electric bikes as a viable alternative to mail trucks, UPS is doing its own US-based testing of e-bikes for package delivery.

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The post UPS begins US testing of its cute mini electric vans based on four-wheeled e-bikes appeared first on Electrek.

Source: Charge Forward

Jackson, Michigan-based Sesame Solar is today unveiling what it claims is the world’s first fully renewable mobile nanogrid – that’s a small microgrid – that runs on solar and green hydrogen.

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The post Check out this solar + green hydrogen mobile nanogrid with a level 2 EV charger appeared first on Electrek.

Source: Charge Forward

Lunaz Applied Technologies, a British EV startup known for electrifying classic cars, has revealed a garbage truck with a number of driver-friendly features and a swappable battery pack that’s designed to be replaced in 10 minutes.

Lunaz says its upcycled truck, which is based on the Mercedes-Benz Econic platform, will soon be operating in several London boroughs and other areas of the UK.

The Lunaz refuse truck can be fitted with battery packs ranging in size from 275 to 400 kWh, and generates over 5,000 lb-ft of torque.

Lunaz consulted with refuse truck drivers during the design phase and incorporated several of their suggestions for interior ergonomics. The seats are designed for comfort—they use the same padding Lunaz uses in its electrified Bentleys and Rolls-Royces. The truck features cup holders, USB charging a 12-inch high-definition display and two 10-inch displays that offer a 360-degree bird’s-eye view of the truck and its surroundings. Another 14-inch screen replaces the traditional rear-view mirrors. Object detection technology highlights cyclists, pedestrians and other hazards.

Lunaz has not yet announced pricing, but says its truck will be cheaper than a newly-built electric alternative.

“In upcycling these end-of-life internal combustion engine commercial and industrial vehicles with our electric powertrain, [our upcycled electric vehicles] are cleaner, less expensive and better equipped than their all-new equivalents,” said David Lorenz, founder of Lunaz. “In addition, they are far quieter than their ICE counterparts.”

Sponsored by TDK

There is little doubt that the automobile has changed society over the past century. Cars have increased personal mobility, changed the way purchased goods are transported and revolutionized mass manufacturing. For many, driving an automobile is a rite of passage. To them, the feel of a car on the open road is an experience like none other.  

Like a well-fitted glove, the controls within a car should feel intuitive and responsive. Feedback from these controls should incorporate touch, sight and sound to stimulate the senses and add to the driving experience. Haptics can significantly add to this experience and much more.  

Haptics Defined

Haptics refers to the use of technology to stimulate the senses of touch and motion – in other words, use of the technology simulates the ways things feel, react, move or change when force is applied. Haptic feedback is created by electronically moving a mass – either electromagnetically or through a piezoelectric effect. 

In the case of electromagnetic movement, devices can either shift a mass in a linear direction (referred to as linear resonant actuator or LRA), or spin an unbalanced mass to create motion (called eccentric rotating mass or ERM). On the other hand, a piezo haptic actuator sends an electrical signal across material to distort it and create movement. The force generated is caused by the physical displacement of the material. 

Piezo haptic actuators can create complex waveforms to simulate a variety of motions and effects by independently controlling both the frequency of vibration and amount of displacement. This is not possible with LRA or ERM devices. In addition, piezo actuators offer a faster response time, consume less power and come in smaller sizes than other devices. 

Automotive Haptics

When properly employed, haptic feedback ensures a positive user experience while minimizing user error and adding emphasis of action taken. Haptic actuators are typically used to either simulate the feel of an electromechanical switch or to augment the artificially produced feedback and interaction with an electronic interface. This feedback is crucial to the control, safety and comfort of the driving experience. 

For example, when a mechanical button is pushed to turn-on the radio or a volume knob is turned, the user immediately feels resistance and knows the device has completed the intended action. One trend is to replace mechanical buttons with electric buttons or small displays. Haptic actuators are needed to give the tactile feedback that a button was pushed, or a knob turned. In this case, the haptic device responds to pressure in a way that provides immediate feedback that satisfies the senses of the user. 

Haptic technology in pedals, seatbelts, steering wheel and seats can provide the driver feedback for a myriad of actions, and are incorporated into lane-assist, safe-distance warnings and other features. 

Design engineers are increasingly implementing haptic feedback into the various control panels of the vehicle. Doing so reduces the need for vehicle operators to look away form the road and increases the overall safety of the driving experience. 

In addition to enhancing safety features, haptic technology allows for increased personalization of the driving experience. Haptic feedback can be defined, modified and controlled by software. As a result, it offers designers potentially endless configurations and a flexible, customized experience. 

Designing Haptics

Numerous studies show that consumers prefer haptic feedback on surface and display technologies. Virtual or “soft” buttons and sliders on a screen almost feel like physical devices to the human touch, even though they are not. This allows for new innovations and adaptive user interfaces with haptic technology.  

To illustrate this, design engineers may use software to change the context or function of soft buttons in a vehicle by providing tactile feedback to let the driver know that an exterior mirror has reached the maximum limit of movement or that a window is fully closed. 

In implementing haptics, design engineers should be careful not to complicate a task or confuse the user by providing too much haptic feedback, especially when it is not expected. They should use haptic technology to simplify the user experience, minimize distractions and communicate important concepts. 

Some vehicle manufacturers have already begun replacing the center console with a single haptic, touch-sensitive display in vehicles that provides crucial controls for both the driver and the front passenger. With a single, simplified haptic display panel that controls everything from climate settings to infotainment, vehicle operators and passengers have less distractions and can better concentrate on the road. 

While such innovations have begun to roll out over the past few years, it will take time to become commonplace. TDK has worked with Boréas Technologies and Immersion to create a platform for next-generation of automotive console that provides all of the features normally found in a vehicle’s console. This platform can be used to springboard new innovation. 

Haptic Considerations

When selecting haptic devices, design engineers have several items to consider. 

First, there are currently no industry-wide haptic technology standards. As a result, supply chains, system integrations and designs are fragmented around a few manufacturers. Ensuring that the best-suited partner ecosystem is selected is crucial to the success of a haptic-centric design. 

Second, a system-level approach is required, which includes selecting an actuator, driver, microcontroller and middleware. Drivers may be required to detect and communicate this data back to a host controller while producing voltages as high as 150V to operate properly. In most cases, an inter-integrated circuit (iC2) or serial peripheral interface (SPI) would provide interface between the driver and the host controller. 

The third consideration is space. Electromagnetic haptic devices require a larger footprint than a piezo solution. It is also more limited in the types of haptic feedback it provides. However, smaller piezo devices may be more expensive than larger LRA or ERM devices. 

Finally, determining what feedback is required in the design is critical. For example, a seat that vibrates to warn a driver of a lane change may be accomplished with a larger, low-mass ERM or LRA object, whereas a touchscreen on a center console may require a miniaturized piezo actuator that produces several distinctive types of feedback.  

Miniature piezo haptic devices like TDK’s PowerHap are less than 1.5mm thick but can accelerate a mass of 100 grams at over 6 g. Actuators that are larger can accelerate a mass of 1200 grams at 12g. These devices are scalable and programmable to optimize acceleration and displacement based on mass and size of end product, making them ideal solutions for a wide variety of automotive applications. 

Future Feedback

In the future, growing numbers of vehicle systems will employ haptic feedback to provide the feel of tomorrow’s automobiles. With its unique product range of piezo haptic actuators in collaboration with its joint-venture partners, TDK can offer solutions suitable for all automotive haptic applications that allow users to anticipate and feel feedback from surfaces and displays designed for interaction. 

Through the use of piezo haptic actuators, drivers will have a better user experience and be able to intuitively feel of the controls of the car like a well-fitted glove for an experience like none other.

The first EV born from this collaboration will debut in 2025 along with a mobility service.
Source: Electric Vehicle News

Research and Markets has released a pair of reports that examine the two segments of the commercial EV market.

The company’s “U.S. Electric Truck Market Research Report” analyzes the current e-truck market, offers profiles of key players, and makes some forecasts for the future.

R and M expects revenue from the US electric truck market to grow at an eye-popping compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 54%, and to exceed $15 billion by 2030.

The report finds that federal, state, and local initiatives are encouraging truck manufacturers to phase out legacy vehicles and replace them with zero-emission alternatives. Another key driver is the declining cost of batteries—R and M expects battery prices to drop to $100 per kWh by 2024.

The reports predicts that, while light-duty trucks made up over 90% of commercial vehicle sales in the US in 2021, the heavy-duty category is set to witness the fastest growth in the coming years. Trucks with a battery capacity of more than 300 kWh and range of over 500 miles will see the fastest rise in demand.

Major OEMs launching electric trucks include Chanje Energy,  Orange EV, Mitsubishi Fuso, Nikola, Tesla, Ford, GM, Workhorse Group, BYD and  Stellantis.

Another report from Research and Markets looks at the off-road market. “Off-highway Electric Vehicle Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report” predicts that the global off-highway EV market will reach $43 billion by 2030—a CAGR of 32%.

Companies in this space include Caterpillar, Volvo, Deere, Komatsu, Sandvik, Hitachi, Epiroc and Doosan.

“Stringent emission regulations by government agencies are driving the demand for off-highway EVs worldwide,” says R and M. “Factors such as lower noise levels and vibrations, lower overhaul cost, and improved efficiency of these vehicles are further contributing to their demand.”

Electrically-propelled equipment also offers advantages such as enhanced efficiency and accuracy and high maneuverability during operations. In the mining sector, EVs decrease exhaust emission inside mines. In agriculture, EVs can be integrated with artificial intelligence in order to analyze crop data during operation in the field.

EvoCharge, a provider of EVSE and cable management solutions, has entered into a resale agreement with Uni-Select Canada to sell its Level 2 charging equipment. Uni-Select distributes products to over 16,000 automotive repair shops, 1,000 independent customer locations and 80 company-operated stores.

“We have a long-standing relationship with Uni-Select, and extending it to include EvoCharge means that customers across Canada can easily access our EV charging products that are designed for the Canadian winters and include materials and mobile application in French,” said Manish Virmani, VP of Sales and Marketing for Phillips and Temro, EvoCharge’s parent company.

“The addition of these products to our offering ensures customers throughout Canada can now easily access EvoCharge’s quality charging solutions,” said Sean Williams, VP of Merchandising & Supply Chain for Uni-Select’s Canadian Automotive Group.

Germany’s Eichrecht standard is designed to ensure transparent measurement and billing of energy dispensed from EV charging stations. To meet the standard’s requirements, charging stations must have a certified energy meter that correctly measures the amount of energy delivered in kWh, and physically displays this value to consumers.

Slovenian electronics manufacturer has earned the Module D certificate for its WM3M4C energy meters, which signifies full compliance with the German Eichrecht standard.

Iskra’s WM3M4C is a smart energy meter intended for energy measurement in EV charging stations. It’s designed to be physically compact, supports both three-phase and single-phase chargers, and features digital signing for the charging event.