Liberty Access Technologies

Sun Joe’s $101 cordless blower/vacuum/mulcher makes leaf cleanup easy, more in New Green Deals

Now that we’re well into fall, it’s time to prepare to pick up leaves as they begin to clutter our yards. Well, Sun Joe has you covered with its cordless blower/vacuum/mulcher kit that easily tackles large lawns for $101. Plus, you’ll find discounts on electric lawn mowers and much more below, as well. We also have a wide selection of Tesla, Greenworks, and other e-bike discounts in today’s New Green Deals, so you won’t want to miss that either.

Head below for other New Green Deals that we’ve found today, more on why going electric for your yard tools like the mower on sale is important, and of course Electrek’s best EV buying and leasing deals. Also, check out the new Electrek Tesla Shop for the best deals on Tesla accessories.

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The post Sun Joe’s $101 cordless blower/vacuum/mulcher makes leaf cleanup easy, more in New Green Deals appeared first on Electrek.


Source: Charge Forward

Tesla is being sued by police officers injured after drunk Model X driver crashed into them on Autopilot

Tesla is named as a defendant in a lawsuit by five police officers who suffered injuries after a Model X on Autopilot crashed into them during a traffic stop.

While Autopilot is being blamed, the officers are also suing a restaurant that reportedly overserved the driver.

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The post Tesla is being sued by police officers injured after drunk Model X driver crashed into them on Autopilot appeared first on Electrek.


Source: Charge Forward

Breakthrough technologies in capacitor solutions for power electronics in EVs

Power capacitor technologies affect every vehicle and charger in the electromobility industry.

Join this session at the Charged Virtual Conference on EV Engineering, presented by TDK Electronics, where we will discuss the latest breakthrough technologies in film, aluminum and ceramic capacitors solutions and show real-world case studies for power capacitor use in on- and off-board chargers, traction converters, DC/DC conversion, and EMI and Power Filtering. We will discuss miniaturization, thermal management, and solutions to common problems, including special mechanical designs and improvements in reliability.

Register here—it’s free!

Masterflux releases new battery thermal management system

Michigan compressor supplier Masterflux has released the Masterflux eBTMS, a Battery Thermal Management System platform for EV applications.

Masterflux’s parent company Tecumseh makes reciprocating compressors that are powered by AC and used in stationary applications. Masterflux compressors are hermetically sealed, variable-speed rotary compressors powered by DC and designed for mobile applications. 

The Masterflux eBTMS is offered in three capacity ranges, which cover most EVs, from small 3-wheel passenger vehicles to long-haul trucks and mass-transit buses. Air-cooled and liquid-cooled configurations with up to 350 W of cooling capacity are available for small vehicle applications, and a liquid-cooled configuration with up to 7 kW of cooling capacity supports larger vehicles. 

Masterflux General Manager Robert Terry said, “Direct DC compressors eliminate the need to convert DC power to the AC power that is required to operate traditional compressors. This reduces the complexity of the power electronics, improves the coefficient of performance, and reduces size and weight when compared to using traditional inverter/compressor technology.”

Ford and Redwood Materials to collaborate on battery recycling

Redwood Materials, the battery materials firm founded by Tesla cofounder JB Straubel, has announced a partnership with Ford. The two companies will work together to “create a closed loop for battery recycling and a domestic supply chain for critical battery materials.”

Ford also made a strategic investment of $50 million in Redwood.

“Excited to work with Ford who shares our vision of making EVs sustainable & affordable, by localizing the existing complex supply chain, creating pathways for their end-of-life EVs, recycling batteries & increasing battery production, right here in the US,” Redwood tweeted.

“The Ford and Redwood vision begins with incorporating battery recycling into Ford’s American battery production strategy, integrating recycled battery materials, both scrap from battery production and batteries at the end of their useful life, into the battery supply chain to drive down costs, environmental footprint and secure a critical battery material supply that Ford will need to continue to ramp their electric vehicle production,” said the automaker.

Ford is (hopefully) going to need plenty of batteries once its F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck goes on sale, and Redwood’s recycled battery materials could come in mighty handy.

“Our partnership with Redwood Materials will be critical to our plan to build electric vehicles at scale in America, at the lowest possible cost and with a zero-waste approach,” said Ford CEO Jim Farley. “As part of this relationship, we’re discussing how Redwood could supply Ford’s American battery facilities to ensure a steady, domestic source of sustainable battery materials to fuel the production of Ford electric vehicles.”

“Increasing our nation’s production of batteries and their materials through domestic recycling can serve as a key enabler to improve the environmental footprint of US manufacturing of lithium-ion batteries, decrease cost and, in turn, drive up domestic adoption of electric vehicles,” said JB Straubel. “Redwood and Ford share an understanding that to truly make electric vehicles sustainable and affordable, we need to localize the existing complex and expensive supply chain network, create pathways for end-of-life vehicles, ramp lithium-ion recycling and increase battery production, all here in America.”

Redwood says it can recover up to 95% of materials including nickel, cobalt, lithium and copper, and recently announced plans to manufacture anode copper foil and cathode materials.

Ford also recently announced a joint venture with SK Innovation, BlueOvalSK, which will supply batteries for Ford vehicles.

Ford isn’t the only automaker working to “close the loop.” Volkswagen recently opened a pilot battery-recycling plant in Germany. GM recently reached an agreement with Canada-based Li-Cycle to recycle battery manufacturing scrap.