Charged Magazine

In the bad old days when the only batteries suitable for traction applications were flooded lead-acid and Ni-Cd types, the battery was the least efficient component of an EV powertrain, routinely delivering back only 50-70% of the amp-hours that went into charging it (aka the Coulometric efficiency). When you knew …read more

Spanish bus manufacturer Irizar introduced its new Irizar ie electric truck at the recent Sustainable Urban Mobility Congress in Bilbao, Spain. The showcased model is 8 meters long (26 feet) and has a carrying capacity of 18 tons.
Irizar designed the ie truck for industrial use in urban and inter-urban settings. …read more

Semiconductor provider Transphorm has announced that its third-generation high-voltage gallium nitride (GaN) field-effect transistor (FET) has passed AEC-Q101 stress tests for automotive-grade discrete semiconductors. The transistor targets EV applications including on-board chargers, DC-DC converters, and DC-AC inverter systems.
Transphorm’s new FET, the TP65H035WSQA, performed at 175° C during AEC-Q101 qualification testing, …read more

Battery manufacturer OXIS Energy will establish a plant in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, for the mass production of its lithium-sulfur (Li-S) cells to be used for aviation, defense, and EV applications. The construction of the plant was funded by Codemge Participacoes, a public company in Belo Horizonte, for $60 million.
The plant …read more

Volvo Cars has introduced a range of new electrified powertrain options, which it plans to make available across its entire model range.
The company has upgraded its existing T8 and T6 Twin Engine plug-in hybrid powertrains, and confirmed that plug-in options will now be available on every model it produces.
Volvo also …read more

Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has introduced several specially-designed test stands to measure frictional torque in shaft seals used in electric motors. The stands, which are located in its Weinheim test facility, can measure at rotational speeds up to 36,000 rpm.
Freudenberg says that seals used between electric motors and downstream transmissions must …read more

BMW is seeking new solutions for EV battery cooling that can provide improved cooling capacity during fast charging as well as a reduction in noise and vibration emissions. BMW will consider both early-stage and mature solutions, and will work to evaluate and develop solutions that meet its criteria.
BMW’s key criteria …read more

Springtime is at hand, and two long-awaited EVs have finally sprung forth – first the $35,000 Tesla Model 3, and now the 200,000-mile Nissan LEAF.
Nissan has announced that the new LEAF PLUS will go on sale at retailers across the US this month. The LEAF PLUS sports a new 62 …read more

Elon Musk has some good news, and he has some bad news, plus some news that you may find good or bad, depending on your perspective. One thing’s for sure, there’s a lot of news – Tesla has announced a wide-ranging package of changes to its lineup, pricing and sales …read more

In 2020, Volkswagen Group Components, an independent business unit of Volkswagen AG, will start production of a fast charging station capable of charging four vehicles simultaneously and providing energy storage when not in use. The charging stations will be manufactured at a components plant in Hanover, replacing the plant’s current …read more