In-hub wheel motors are among the most tantalizing and yet elusive of electric-vehicle technologies. And now, after decades of failures and near-misses, a donut-shaped electric hub motor was among the sweetest offerings at the recent CES show in Las Vegas. The motors come from Donut Lab, a spin-off of Finland’s Verge Motorcycles, which uses Donut’s… Continue reading Donut Lab’s New Motor Brings Power to the Wheel Hub
Author: IEEE_Spectrum
A Hybrid Car That’s Also a Supercar
Aside from having four wheels, it’s hard to see what a US $30,000 Toyota Camry has in common with a $3 million Ferrari F80. But these market bookends are examples of an under-the-radar tech revolution. From budget transportation to hypercars, every category of internal-combustion car is now harnessing hybrid tech. In “As EV Sales Stall,… Continue reading A Hybrid Car That’s Also a Supercar
As EV Sales Stall, Plug-In Hybrids Get a Reboot
Automakers got one thing right: Electrified cars are the future. What they got wrong was assuming that all of those vehicles would run on battery power alone, with gasoline-electric hybrid technology bound for the technological scrap heap. Now the automaking giants are scrambling to course correct. They’re delaying their EV plans, rejiggering factories, and acknowledging… Continue reading As EV Sales Stall, Plug-In Hybrids Get a Reboot
9 Intriguing Engineering Feats for 2025
This story is part of our Top Tech 2025 special report. Methane Measurements for the Masses All Illustrations: Greg Mably From high above us, satellites track devastating emissions of the greenhouse gases that will alter our climate. So far, their data has been private, shared only with companies or governments. MethaneSAT is changing that. Launched… Continue reading 9 Intriguing Engineering Feats for 2025
The Top 10 Transportation Stories of 2024
IEEE Spectrum‘s transportation coverage drew just under half a million visitors in 2024. Readers came to learn the latest news about advances in electric vehicles and battery technology, sustainable energy alternatives, transit infrastructure and logistics, and AI and emerging risks. One of our more popular articles reported on an issue at the intersection of technology… Continue reading The Top 10 Transportation Stories of 2024
The Man Behind Hydrail
IEEE Life Senior Member H. Stan Thompson has lived a couple of professional lives. For decades, he was a planning engineer and futurist at Bellsouth Telecommunications, which was formed from the merger of two Regional Bell Operating Companies around the time AT&T (“Ma Bell”) was forced to break up in 1984. When he retired in… Continue reading The Man Behind Hydrail
Enthusiasm Grows for Curbside EV Charging
For city denizens who’d love to buy an electric vehicle—but live in buildings with no driveway or garage—the lack of practical charging options remains a daunting barrier. For charging companies, pricey urban real estate and prohibitive installation costs can make DC chargers a non-starter. Voltpost is among companies who see curbside charging as the solution… Continue reading Enthusiasm Grows for Curbside EV Charging
Why It’s Time to Get Optimistic About Self-Driving Cars
Editor’s note: A version of this article originally appeared in the author’s newsletter, Exponential View. When people ask me to describe my work, I say I take a critical look at exponential technologies—which I define as technologies that follow an exponential growth curve. I’m the founder of the research group Exponential View, and my mission… Continue reading Why It’s Time to Get Optimistic About Self-Driving Cars
Sionic Energy Unveils 100-Percent Silicon Anode Battery
While the world is waiting—and waiting—for the giant leap to solid-state batteries, a nimble step to silicon anode cells is well underway. That transitional stage includes a key ingredient made in the U.S., not China. Sionic Energy today announced a robust battery that replaces graphite entirely, with a 100 percent silicon anode—versus the roughly five… Continue reading Sionic Energy Unveils 100-Percent Silicon Anode Battery
Ultra-Wideband Wireless Simplifies EV Batteries
A new ultra-wideband wireless system that collects data from batteries could help boost the range of electric vehicles and simplify their development and assembly. Electric vehicles collect a lot of data from their batteries, such as information about their voltage and temperature, in order “to ensure the proper operation of the battery pack and prevent… Continue reading Ultra-Wideband Wireless Simplifies EV Batteries