Electric Vehicle News

Charged is hosting a virtual conference on EV engineering that’s free to attend, and it starts today. The conference includes live webinar sessions with interactive Q&As and on-demand webinars. View the daily session schedule online here.

All of the live sessions will be recorded and available to view after the broadcasts. You can access the recorded videos on each session’s registration page.

Monday, April 15th Session Topics:

9:15 am EDT
Power Electronics For Battery Testing
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9:30 am EDT
Powering Tomorrow: Enhancing EV Efficiency Through Advanced Passive Technologies
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11:00 am EDT
High Power Charging: Enabled By DC Contactors
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11:45 am EDT
Converting To NACS: More Than Just a Coupler
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11:45 am EDT
E-Fuse based on Microchip’s mSiC Technology
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12:30 pm EDT
Mitigating EV Battery Thermal Runaway Risks With Simulation Technology
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1:00 pm EDT
Power Factor Correction Design For DC Fast Charging Systems
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1:15 pm EDT
Charge Times of NACS vs J1772: What Charging Interfaces Will Look Like In 3 Years
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Source: Electric Vehicles Magazine

UK-based laser manufacturer Luxinar is launching CO₂ laser sources and femtosecond lasers that can shape battery cells and refine electronic components.

Luxinar’s battery cell applications include cutting separator foils and cutting and notching electrodes. Its battery module and power train applications comprise EV battery casing ablation and busbar isolation stripping and trimming, in addition to electric motor hairpin coating removal.

Automotive prismatic cells are frequently wrapped in a self-adhesive PET heat shrink film, which may need selective removal to add heat management components or complete removal to rework non-conforming cells in the production cycle. The film also needs to be removed when the battery is recycled. Using non-contact laser processing allows partial or full automation of the process and handling cells of different shapes and sizes in large volumes. Luxinar’s OEM 45iX CO₂ laser process removes the need for harsh solvents and intensive mechanical effort to remove residue, according to the company.

“The versatility and precision of our laser technology makes various battery production tasks economically viable,” said Christian Dini, Luxinar’s Commercial Manager for Central and Northern Europe.

Source: Luxinar

Source: Electric Vehicles Magazine

California-based eVTOL aircraft developer Archer Aviation recently performed successful battery pack drop tests at a National Institute for Aviation Research lab in advance of similar upcoming for-credit certification tests with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 

The tests were part of the development program for the electric propulsion system of Archer’s Midnight, a piloted, four-passenger aircraft designed for back-to-back air taxi flights.

The battery packs were dropped from 50 feet at 100%, 30% and 0% states of charge to validate the safety and durability of their design under extreme impact conditions. They functioned properly after each drop. Archer credits its design choice of cylindrical cells in the battery as a crucial factor in the success of the tests, which are considered among the most challenging hurdles to FAA certification.

“This accomplishment highlights our dedication to not just meeting but exceeding safety standards,” said Alex Clarabut, Archer’s Battery Lead. “It is a critical step toward our goal of ensuring that Midnight will be among the safest aircraft in the skies.”

Source: Archer

Source: Electric Vehicles Magazine

Competition is good, but standardization is good too. As Tesla’s North American Charging Standard gradually becomes a true standard, drivers of Teslas and other EVs have more and more options for charging their NACS-capable EVs.

The latest alternative to a Tesla-branded charger comes from EV charger manufacturer Emporia. The company’s new NACS Level 2 EV Charger “combines power, design, and functionality comparable to a Tesla charger at a more affordable price.”

The Emporia NACS Level 2 Charger is compatible with the Tesla charge port door, so users can conveniently open the door via a button on the connector. The charger comes with a wall-mounted holster for cable storage.

Emporia chargers are designed to be durable, and are suitable for both indoor and outdoor installations. Users can manage charging using Emporia’s mobile app, which enables them to customize charging settings, monitor progress, and manage schedules remotely.

The Emporia NACS Level 2 Charger seamlessly integrates with the Emporia energy management ecosystem, which enables users to automate energy usage, charge during optimal off-peak hours, and prioritize the use of excess solar power for charging.

Emporia’s recently-launched installation marketplace offers free estimates based on the client’s location, partnerships with vetted installers and special pricing.

“This is a very exciting time in the EV charging industry,” said Emporia CEO Shawn McLaughlin. “As one of the first manufacturers to market with an NACS charger since Tesla published the specification, Emporia is at the forefront of providing cutting-edge solutions. Most car manufacturers have announced they will adopt this standard within the next 2-3 years.”

Source: Emporia Energy

Source: Electric Vehicles Magazine

With Tesla’s “Full Self Driving (Supervised)” package working much better and more naturally, our goal is to do a weekly video using it and trying to document how it is progressing (or not — whatever the case may be this time around). I may switch to doing live videos for … [continued]

The post Tesla FSD 12.3.3 Drive Without Intervention … Almost appeared first on CleanTechnica.

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One thing I keep seeing in the online EV FUD machine lately is how terrible EVs are on tires. Because they’re heavy and they produce so much torque, they say, EVs go through tires way faster than ICE vehicles. The estimated tire life keeps shrinking as the story spreads, with … [continued]

The post A Tale Of Two Tires Proves That EVs Aren’t Rubber Eaters appeared first on CleanTechnica.

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Japanese electric systems manufacturer Nidec has begun production at its newly upgraded facility in Cleveland, Ohio.

The expansion includes new manufacturing lines for Nidec’s DC fast EV chargers and power conversion systems for battery energy storage systems. Nidec aims to expand its battery storage installed base and EV charger deployments that support energy distributors, companies, and municipalities throughout Europe into the US market, having received third-party certification to meet US safety standards.

The company expects to add more skilled positions at the Cleveland facility as it expands its local supplier base to meet growing domestic EV charging and energy storage demand over the coming years.

“The advanced technology Nidec manufactures here in Cleveland keeps the US on the leading front of the global energy transition because we can support new energy installments within the US, for the US,” said Ali Karvar, President and General Manager of Nidec Conversion, Americas.

Source: Nidec

Source: Electric Vehicles Magazine

Austrian technology firm Easelink and Dutch manufacturer NXP Semiconductors have jointly developed a positioning system for automated EV charging based on ultra-wide band (UWB) technology.

The system integrates UWB—a wireless technology that securely, precisely, and efficiently estimates the relative positions of two electronic devices—to help bring a vehicle into the optimal position for fully automated charging using Easelink’s Matrix Charging.

During automated Matrix Charging, the connector is lowered from the vehicle underbody near the front axle onto the charging pad in the parking space, enabling the built-in UWB modules to measure the distance between the two in real time using time of flight measurements. The exact charging position is shown to the driver on a display inside the vehicle, and the charging process starts immediately after confirmation by clicking on the charging symbol.

As part of the eTaxi Austria automated charging project, Matrix Charging pads were installed directly at taxi stands in late 2023. These charge the EVs automatically, without the need for taxi drivers to leave their vehicles or make extra trips to charging points. The project will eventually see 60 Hyundai Ioniq 5 and VW ID.4 e-taxi models equipped with Matrix Charging, with access to 60 charging pads across eight locations in Vienna and two locations in Graz.

“We are working together to seamlessly integrate our UWB technology into intelligent, precise, and efficient mobility applications. The extensive application portfolio ranges from digital car keys to position detection for intelligent and automated charging of electric cars,” said Michael Leitner, GM of Smart Car Access at NXP Semiconductors Austria.

Source: Easelink

Source: Electric Vehicles Magazine

In collaboration with the Electric School Bus (ESB) program of Dominion Energy, a regional utility headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, Daimler Truck North America subsidiary Thomas Built Buses (TBB) has announced that the state has now surpassed 1.5 million electric school bus miles driven. 

Also partnering in the program is Virginia bus dealer Sonny Merryman. The dealer aims to have a total of 224 TBB Jouley units delivered by the end of the school year. Dominion’s ESB program, launched in 2019, is the largest utility-led initiative of its kind in the US. It has a current fleet of more than 135 buses operating in 25 Virginia districts.

The program has helped school districts overcome technical and financial hurdles of electric school bus adoption. The company has supported a number of districts in applying for the 2023 EPA Clean School Bus Program and is also planning to soft-launch the deployment of school bus V2G technology this summer.

The ESB program “goes beyond providing financial support; it forges partnerships in training, utility engagement, service and maintenance, and other program components,” according to Whitney Kopanko, Director of Marketing and School Bus Sales, at Sonny Merryman. 

Source: Thomas Built Buses

Source: Electric Vehicles Magazine

Automotive company Sumitomo Rubber has developed a new simulation technique called Tire Aerodynamic Simulation, which is used in the process of tire development to visualize the airflow around the tire of a running vehicle

This simulation will help to develop a tire shape that optimizes aerodynamic performance and contributes to lowering the electricity consumption in a next-generation EV tire to be launched in 2027. In EVs, which cause almost no energy loss due to heat, around 34% to 37% of the energy loss is attributed to the tires, if rolling resistance is included with air resistance. 

Also, the company claims to have developed a new simulation technique that changes the shapes of the lettering and fine texture on the sidewall while they are rotating with the pattern. In comparison with the results of a wind tunnel experiment, which was conducted with an actual vehicle to confirm the accuracy of the simulation, the EV tire with a decreased airflow trend behind the tire and less unevenness on the sidewall showed lower air resistance values than a standard tire. 

“Adopting this technique yields improved tire performance with maximized aerodynamic characteristics, leading to reduced aerodynamic drag and electricity consumption for an EV,” the company stated.

Source: Sumitomo Rubber

Source: Electric Vehicles Magazine