Charged Magazine

This is big: big event, big truck, big battery…and big implications for the trucking industry, the global economy and the future of humans in the workforce.
The media (not only the EV press, but also outlets focusing on business and the trucking industry) has been in full speculation mode about the …read more

The BMW Brilliance Automotive joint venture has opened a new battery factory in Shenyang, China. The High-Voltage Battery Center will supply the nearby Dadong plant, which will produce the BMW 5 Series Plug-in Hybrid for the local market.
BMW produces electrified vehicles at ten locations worldwide. The high-voltage batteries needed for …read more

Maryland-based Miltec UV has introduced a new system to coat Li-ion battery anodes with a ceramic coating designed to improve performance and safety while reducing cost.
The advance is enabled by the use of binders that cure instantly upon exposure to UV light, in combination with an application technique that coats …read more

NEVS, former owner or the Saab brand, has formed a strategic partnership with mobility service provider DiDi Chuxing to develop an EV that’s optimized for a self-driving, on-demand mobility service. The first vehicle used in the cooperation will be the NEVS 9-3.
DiDi Chuxing, which acquired Uber China in August 2016, …read more

Tesla has announced plans to acquire Minnesota-based Perbix, which builds some of the equipment used at Tesla’s factories.
Perbix, founded as a maker of machining equipment 41 years ago, has provided Tesla with automated tools, including a system that makes drive-unit rotors. Tesla also has Perbix equipment in its Nevada Gigafactory.
“Perbix, …read more

Reborn automaker Fisker has filed patents for a new type of solid-state battery technology that it says could lead to much greater energy density and faster charging times.
According to Fisker, current limitations of solid-state technology include low electrode current density, limited temperature ranges and non-scalable manufacturing processes. Other drawbacks include: …read more

A new analysis from the nonprofit organization Ceres and M.J. Bradley & Associates finds that the benefits of increased investment in EV charging infrastructure outweigh the costs by more than 3 to 1.
“Accelerating Investment in Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure” evaluates the need for charging infrastructure – including both private and …read more

Lamborghini’s Terzo Millennio concept car, unveiled at the recent EmTech conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is the first product of a partnership between the automaker and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The “third millennium” supercar is just the beginning for the Lamborghini/MIT team – their future plans include the development of supercapacitors …read more

Tesla isn’t the only company demonstrating pent-up demand for EVs. Workhorse Group (NASDAQ: WKHS) says it has received $300 million worth of pre-orders for its W-15 plug-in hybrid pickup truck.
CEO Stephen Burns told Autoblog that soliciting advance orders was part of the company’s strategy. “We couldn’t build it and hope …read more

Oerlikon Fairfield will present a new electric drive system for off-highway vehicles at this month’s Agritechnica show in Hanover, Germany. The system integrates an Oerlikon Fairfield Torque Hub planetary drive with an Interior Permanent Magnet Motor produced by Ashwoods Electrical Motors.
The new drive system delivers 4,000 Nm of drive torque …read more