Charged Magazine

Sponsored by Fuji Electric
By: Y. Iwasaki, M. Chounabayashi, M. Nakazawa, S. Iwamoto, Y. Oonishi, M. Hori, H. Kakiki and O. Ikawa, Fuji Electric Co., Ltd.
Current market requirements are trending towards further downsizing and increased efficiency of power conversion systems. For this reason, enhanced power density of the power modules will …read more

The DOE’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Forge Nano to commercialize NREL’s patented battery materials and systems.
A feature of the technology is the encapsulation of materials with solid electrolyte coatings that can be designed to meet the needs of any battery application. …read more

Motiv Power Systems, in partnership with school bus manufacturer Trans Tech, will build 13 zero-emission school buses for two school districts in the Sacramento region. The project is supported by a $7.5-million grant from the California Air Resources Board.
The Trans Tech eSeries buses will be built on the Ford E450 …read more

Network operator ChargePoint is expanding into the European market by partnering with InstaVolt to deploy over 200 ChargePoint rapid charge systems in the UK.
ChargePoint’s Express Plus solutions will be installed by InstaVolt close to popular routes across the UK, enabling drivers to charge their vehicles during long journeys.
“InstaVolt has raised …read more

City buses are slowly but steadily going electric, and they could soon begin to go driverless as well. Electric bus maker Proterra, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Nevada Reno and the German Fraunhofer Institute, is testing autonomous buses on the streets of Reno.
The first phase of the …read more

Plainly, the growing popularity of EVs will have a substantial impact on electric utilities. A new report from nonprofit utility watchdog the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) argues that, with the right public policy, that impact could be a positive one.
“The ABCs of EVs: A Guide for Policy Makers and Consumer …read more

Success stories sometime spring from unlikely places, especially during times of rapid, disorienting technological change. Consider the case of Tritium, a small independent company based in Australia, half a world away from the centers of automotive power, that has grown to become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of DC …read more

Even the humble garbage truck is going electric. BYD introduced its Class 8 electric refuse truck at the recent ACT Expo in Long Beach.
The truck is a cab and chassis platform, which includes the batteries, high-voltage control system, electric propulsion system, and an electric power take-off (ePTO) which powers the …read more

Business is picking up for Wrightspeed, the manufacturer of plug-in powertrains for heavy-duty vehicles headed by Tesla founder Ian Wright. The company is expanding its supply chain team, bringing on experts with experience at Tesla, Ford, Cummins, and others, and scaling up operations to meet demand from customers such as …read more

Phoenix Contact discusses the upcoming transition phase for DC fast charging
We receive a lot of press releases at Charged about plans for next-generation DC fast charging. It’s easy to lose track of exactly what is currently installed, what is coming in the near future, and what is still a few …read more