AMP’s EV charging solutions use Wolfspeed’s E-Series silicon carbide MOSFETs

Battery management specialist AMP has integrated Wolfspeed’s E-Series silicon carbide MOSFETs into its Energy Management Unit.

AMP’s market-ready energy management solution integrates DC charging, DC-DC conversion and bidirectional onboard AC charging into a single platform.

Wolfspeed’s E-Series MOSFETs are optimized for use in automotive applications such as traction inverters, onboard chargers and high-voltage DC-DC converters. AMP says using Wolfspeed’s silicon carbide technology allows it to optimize battery performance, charging and costs.

“At AMP, we understand the power that silicon carbide brings to vehicle electrification,” said Jiaqi Liang, VP of Hardware Engineering at AMP. “The use of Wolfspeed’s silicon carbide in AMP’s Energy Management Unit (EMU) unlocks higher power density and efficiency, better platform scalability, and precise charging control. All are observed by consumers through improvements in cabin space [and] charging time, and lower cost.”

“AMP’s integration of our technology signals continued growth for silicon carbide in the automotive industry,” said Jay Cameron, SVP and General Manager, Power at Wolfspeed. “The expansion of our automotive-qualified 650 V and 1,200 V E-Series silicon carbide MOSFET portfolio allows AMP to easily deploy their products for either 400 V or 800 V systems.”

Volvo Trucks provides electrification consulting for fleet customers

One of the keys to Tesla’s early success was that the company understood that winning drivers over to electric drive involves more than just selling cars. The importance of a more comprehensive customer relationship applies with even more force in the commercial vehicle market, and savvy commercial EV makers are offering “turnkey” electrification solutions, helping their fleet customers with planning, infrastructure installation, applying for government incentives and more.

Volvo Trucks North America recently put on an Electromobility Summit, bringing customers and partners to its customer center in Dublin, Virginia to show off its new Volvo VNR Class 8 electric semi-tractor, and to highlight the ancillary services it’s now offering to buyers.

“A key piece of the journey to convert fleets from largely diesel-powered to fully electric is education,” writes CleanTechnica’s Kyle Field, who attended the Summit. “To ensure its customers were set up for success, Volvo Trucks overhauled its sales process to integrate a ton of education and additional services, transforming its sales team into a full-blown electric transformation consultation and financing shop.”

Volvo Trucks is revamping its existing service networks to accommodate EVs. Today 18 of its North American service centers have been qualified to service EVs, and another 55 are in the process of being qualified.

Volvo aims to be a one-stop shop for its fleet customers, and the benefits of this arrangement flow in both directions. The company hopes that providing insurance, financing and infrastructure-related services will create new profit centers.

The Volvo VNR is now in production, and some units have already been delivered to customers. The company says that early adopters who started out with pilots of 10 or 20 trucks are now coming back with orders in the hundreds.

New study to compare lifetime costs of electric and gas vehicles

Comprehending the total cost of ownership (TCO) of an EV is an important factor in consumer decision-making. The TCO of a vehicle includes not just the initial purchase price, but also operating costs including fuel, maintenance, repairs and insurance. The inability to make clear comparisons between EVs and legacy vehicles is one factor slowing down widespread EV adoption.

The Responsible Battery Coalition (RBC), together with the University of Michigan Center for Sustainable Systems, is launching a comprehensive research project that aims to fill this information gap.

The new study will take into account regional factors that have not been thoroughly investigated before, including the impact of local climate on fuel economy, refueling patterns based on driver time valuation, and projections of future gas and electricity prices. The team will also assess the carbon reduction potential of EVs and calculate the social cost of carbon.

The first phase of the study will be completed in December 2022, and results from 14 US cities will be available to the public after peer review. The second phase will run through 2023.

RBC’s Executive Director Steve Christensen said, “This research will tell us if, in addition to emissions savings, EVs have cost parity with conventional internal combustion engine vehicles over their lifetimes, including recycling considerations for EV batteries.”

Redwood Materials to supply cathode material to Panasonic’s new US battery plant

JB Straubel’s Redwood Materials will supply remanufactured battery cathode material to Panasonic, beginning in 2025, for a new factory the Japanese battery-maker is currently building in Kansas. Panasonic’s $4-billion factory, which is said to be larger than Tesla’s Nevada Gigafactory, is expected to begin production of 2170-format cylindrical cells by March 2025.

Spurred by the Inflation Reduction Act, battery-makers are scrambling to develop North American sources of key battery materials, including nickel, cobalt and lithium. Part of the demand is expected to be met by recycling, which could reduce the need for new mines.

“The IRA just accelerated this entire transition” of the battery supply chain, Redwood Materials Chief Executive JB Straubel told Reuters.

Redwood Materials already has a partnership with Panasonic. Redwood recycles scrap from Panasonic’s battery production line at Tesla’s Gigafactory, and supplies materials such as cobalt, nickel and lithium back to Panasonic. Soon, Redwood will also begin supplying Panasonic with copper foil produced from recycled materials.

Redwood also recycles batteries from consumer electronics. Annual volume has reached 10 GWh of battery material, a figure that Straubel says is “increasing daily.”

Initially, the cathode materials supplied to Panasonic at the Kansas factory will contain about 30% recycled lithium and nickel and 100% recycled cobalt, Redwood founder and CEO JB Straubel told TechCrunch. That percentage will increase as more used batteries enter the recycling chain.

Redwood has major expansion plans—the company is investing “several billion dollars” in its own new factory, where it aims to be producing 100 GWh worth of cathode material per year—enough for 1 million EVs—by 2025.

Straubel believes that recycling will someday provide almost all the materials needed to produce batteries, bringing the percentage of virgin material required down almost to zero. “It will take a while for the industry as a whole to have enough material in circulation to do that,” he told TechCrunch. “We’re a long way away from that for every element. But it can happen much sooner with things like cobalt.”

New York City orders 71 more EV ARC solar charging systems from Beam Global

New York City has placed an order for an additional 71 of Beam Global’s EV ARC solar-powered EV charging systems. This is the city’s seventh order, and it brings its fleet of EV ARC EV charging systems to 160. The new units are flood-proof to 9.5 feet, wind-rated to 125 mph, and feature an emergency power panel for use by fleet operators and first responders during grid failures and extreme weather events.

New York City recently announced that it has met its 2025 goal of 4,000 EVs in its fleet three years early. Beam Global CEO Desmond Wheatley recently told Charged that, in the Big Apple, it can take up to two years to install a fixed, grid-tied charger, once all the environmental reviews, permitting, trenching and utility connections are done. That would seem to explain why the City government is keen on the EV ARC, which generates and stores its own energy, and requires no construction, permitting or electrical work.

Each of NYC’s EV ARC systems is equipped with a Beam factory-installed dual-plug EV charger from ChargePoint, to power the city’s fleet EVs.

“New York City is our largest municipal customer and they continue to lead in sustainable and resilient EV charging infrastructure” said Desmond Wheatley. “Their EV ARC systems are rapidly deployed without digging up city streets and parking areas, without expensive upgrades to city electrical circuitry, and without concern for high utility costs. Resiliency is very important to New York City, and the EV ARC’s ability to provide EV charging during grid outages and emergency power when needed by first responders is another great benefit for the city and their taxpayers—two birds with one stone.”

Tesla issues another ‘recall’ that is fixed with software update

Tesla issued another “safety recall,” a term the company doesn’t like because the recall didn’t require a physical recall of the 30,000 vehicles affected. An over-the-air software update was the fix.

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Source: Charge Forward

Why Fiat is bringing back the 500e EV it once asked Americans not to buy

New Fiat 500eThe reborn 2024 Fiat 500e is coming to the U.S., Stellantis confirmed this week, although not until the first quarter of 2024. This won’t be the first time Fiat has sold the 500e in the U.S. The previous generation of this model was sold exclusively in California and Oregon—although it became a favorite among EV enthusiasts (and enthusiasts…
Source: Hybrid and Electric Car News and Reviews

Is an ‘ID Golf’ in the works? VW leader says Golf brand will be carried into EV era

Fans of the VW Golf can rejoice as new reports suggest the brand will be carried into the EV era. Although earlier information suggested the current VW Golf could be the last, according to Volkswagen’s CEO of passenger cars, the iconic brand will live on, likely alongside its ID series.

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Source: Charge Forward

VinFast’s energy division breaks ground on 5 GWh/year battery factory

Energy solutions division VinES – a member of Vingroup alongside VinFast – and Gotion Inc have broken ground on a 34.5 acre LFP battery factory designed with an annual capacity of 5 GWh. That equates to roughly 30 million battery cells per year to support future VinFast EVs.

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Source: Charge Forward