Category: E-Mobility Engineering

As the EV industry grows, the logistics of moving major components – particularly batteries – between facilities has to be closely considered, argues Olivier Saada, business development manager for containers at battery transport packaging specialist Corplex (writes Peter Donaldson). EV batteries are considered dangerous goods and fragile items, and the company makes cases that are […] More…

Andy Daga, founder, president and CEO of Momentum Dynamics, wants to make charging EVs easier than refuelling IC-engine vehicles while enabling practically unlimited range in day-to-day driving, at least in urban and suburban environments (writes Peter Donaldson). The company is now rolling out its wireless charging system based on magnetic induction technology for large vehicles […] More…

Switching is at the heart of the electrical systems for e-mobility platforms. The performance of the switching devices – the transistors – determines the power levels, the efficiency and even the size of the systems. Switching at higher frequencies reduces the size of the magnetics and allows more integration, lower weights and longer range More…

Researchers at the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have been working with heavy-duty equipment maker John Deere on a new thermal management system for SiC inverters (writes Nick Flaherty). Equipment such as trucks and construction machines account for 39% of greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector, so there has been a focus on […] More…

With many European cities now insisting that machinery such as excavators used on construction sites must not produce harmful emissions, the pressure on the industry to electrify them is growing (writes Peter Donaldson). In 2020, Staad, the Dutch importer of Doosan machinery, formed its Electric Construction Equipment (ECE) division to convert excavators and now offers […] More…

AutoFlight’s Prosperity I, a Chinese-designed e-VTOL air taxi sized to accommodate a pilot and three passengers, is intended to meet the rigorous safety standards that apply to transport-category aircraft including the largest airliners, and the company is aiming for certification and service entry in 2025 (writes Peter Donaldson). Invited by electric aviation pioneer and AutoFlight’s […] More…

Containing thermal runaway, protecting EV occupants from fire and saving weight are all drivers for the application of new materials to batteries, and the battery case is a prime target for replacing aluminium alloy with plastics (writes Peter Donaldson). Multi-industry plastics specialist SABIC has recently re-engineered existing EV battery cases in two proof-of-concept exercises that […] More…

Sprint Power is leading the development of an 800 V fast-charging system for BMW (writes Nick Flaherty).   The Celeritas project is a £9.7 million effort to develop fast-charging cells and battery packs for battery EVs and fuel cell hybrid EVs. As well as BMW, its members include the UK’s Advanced Propulsion Centre, BP, AMTE […] More…

Premo has developed an 11 kW power converter using its patented technology that integrates multiple magnetic components (writes Nick Flaherty). The 3DP-11KWHVHV combines a full-bridge 150 µH LLC resonant transformer and 25 µH resonant choke in a single unit. This cuts the volume of the converter by up to half, and can reduce the amount of […] More…

With a specific energy of 400 Wh/kg and an energy density of between 700 and 810 Wh/litre, Sion Power’s Licerion-EV rechargeable lithium-metal cells are attracting great interest from EV developers, and the company is in discussion with multiple OEMs to further the development of the technology (writes Peter Donaldson).    The company’s senior applications engineer […] More…

Koenigsegg has unveiled its first e-motor, the Quark, which uses a torque/power-rich balance between radial (power-dense) and axial (torque-dense) flux topology it calls Raxial Flux. The company has also integrated two of them with one of its David inverters, plus planetary gearsets, to create a torque-vectoring EV drive unit it calls the Terrier. The company says a key […] More…

Texas Instruments has integrated a transformer into a gate driver to enable distributed switch architectures for inverters (writes Nick Flaherty). The UCC14240-Q1 isolated DC-DC bias supply module integrates the transformer and components with 3.5 mm-high planar magnetics to reduce the size, height and weight of a distributed power system in an inverter. The integration of […] More…

Potential difference Moving to power distribution networks running on 48 V looks set to confer a range of benefits to battery-electric vehicles. Nick Flaherty reports Technology based on 48 V has been adopted for electric motors and battery packs to reduce emissions in mild hybrid vehicles, but changing regulations are seeing even those being banned […] More…

Switching large direct currents safely and responsively is a critical task in EV drive systems, requiring electromagnetically controlled contactors that extinguish the unwanted arcs that inevitably form between the main contacts when they open (writes Peter Donaldson). Drawing on almost a century’s experience in the railway industry, German company Schaltbau is addressing this issue by […] More…

BYD has introduced its Type A battery-electric vehicle, a zero-emissions school bus. It features vehicle-to-grid technology, seats up to 30 and can be equipped with a liftgate capable of lifting 800 lb. It has a range of up to 140 miles on a single charge. Standard safety features include a high-strength steel body, electronic stability […] More…

As currents produced by EV batteries get higher, the demands placed on the contacts in the systems used to check cell, module and general battery performance in testing and production are also increasing. High-performance contact probes are therefore growing in importance (writes Peter Donaldson). To that end, contacts manufacturer Feinmetall has launched a family of […] More…