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Fiat Chrysler Automobiles says it has fix for Jeep 'Death Wobble'

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US government quietly kills autonomous vehicle committee

Sponsored Links AkaratPhasura via Getty Images The Department of Transportation’s Advisory Committee on Automation in Transportation (ACAT) hasn’t been active since it was formed in 2017. And it won’t be active anytime in the future, because according to The Verge, the administration has quietly killed it without even telling its members. Under President Obama, the… Continue reading US government quietly kills autonomous vehicle committee

Commission kicks off debate on ‘driving road decarbonisation forwards’

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Commission kicks off debate on 'driving road decarbonisation forwards'

18/06/2015Commissioners Miguel Arias Cañete, Elżbieta Bieńkowska and Violeta Bulc, responsible respectively for climate action and energy, internal market and industry, and transport, are today hosting a conference in Brussels on the next steps towards decarbonising road transport.
Road transport accounts for nearly 30% of EU energy consumption and is responsible for a fifth of EU's greenhouse gas emissions. The Commissioners will be listening to views from experts, manufacturers and other stakeholders as part of the Commission's work to promote emissions reduction and energy efficiency in transport.

This is part and parcel of the Juncker Commission's Energy Union priority project which takes a comprehensive view on technologically-neutral solutions for decarbonising road transport as well as addressing electricity and other renewable energy so..

Tesla Battery Guru Jeff Dahn Claims New Lithium-Ion Cell Outperforms Solid-State Batteries

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Batteries

Published on August 9th, 2019 |

by Steve Hanley

Tesla Battery Guru Jeff Dahn Claims New Lithium-Ion Cell Outperforms Solid-State Batteries

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August 9th, 2019 by Steve Hanley

Tesla watchers know that Jeff Dahn and his team at Dalhousie University near Halifax, Nova Scotia, are world leaders in lithium-ion battery research. For years, Dahn worked exclusively for 3M, but when that arrangement ended, Tesla swooped in and signed a contract for Dahn to work for the Silicon Valley car/tech/energy company.

Credit: Jeff Dahn, et al./Nature Energy

For years, the Holy Grail of battery research has been making solid-state battery cells that replace the liquid electrolyte in conventional cells with solid materials. Solid-state batteries are believed to be cheaper to produce, have higher energy density, and have a longer lifespan than conventional lithium-ion batteries. Well, if someone can crack the final code for commercially viable cells.

In addition, solid-state batteries are less like to catch fire or explode if they get too hot. That in turn means electric car manufacturers can make simpler, less costly cooling systems for their battery packs, driving down the cost of EVs. It also reassures the public their shiny new electric cars aren’t going to explode in the garage, as recently happened to the owner of a Hyundai Kona EV in Canada.

Research published by Dahn and his team in the journal Nature Energy on July 15 reveals they have created new lithium-ion pouch cells that may outperform solid-state technology battery. Here’s the abstract of that research report:

“Cells with lithium-metal anodes are viewed as the most viable future technology, with higher energy density than existing lithium-ion batteries. Many researchers believe that for lithium-metal cells, the typical liquid electrolyte used in lithium-ion batteries must be replaced with a solid-state electrolyte to maintain the flat, dendrite-free lithium morphologies necessary for long-term stable cycling.

“Here, we show that anode-free lithium-metal pouch cells with a dual-salt LiDFOB/LiBF4 liquid electrolyte have 80% capacity remaining after 90 charge–discharge cycles, which is the longest life demonstrated to date for cells with zero excess lithium. The liquid electrolyte enables smooth dendrite-free lithium morphology comprised of densely packed columns even after 50 charge — discharge cycles. NMR measurements reveal that the electrolyte salts responsible for the excellent lithium morphology are slowly consumed during cycling.”

Those pesky dendrites are the bane of lithium-ion batteries. They are little projections like stalagmites in caves that can poke through the insulating layer inside individual cells, leading to short circuits and potential fires. Eliminating them would be a big step forward, particularly for use in electric vehicles.

Is Tesla on the verge of replacing the cylindrical cells in its battery packs with Jeff Dahn’s pouch cells? Not just yet. There is a lot of research and testing left to do before they becomes suitable for commercial production, but they may signal an important step forward for energy storage in the years ahead.

Below is a video of Dahn when he won the prestigious National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada award in 2017. Here is a fellow who knows what he is talking about. If he says pouch cells can outperform solid state cells, we should pay heed.

About the Author

Steve Hanley Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his home in Rhode Island and anywhere else the Singularity may lead him. His motto is, “Life is not measured by how many breaths we take but by the number of moments that take our breath away!” You can follow him on Google + and on Twitter.

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Drako Motors Teases Drako GTE Electric Supercar

Drako GTE to combine performance, beautiful design and luxury with seating for four. Californian start-up Drako Motors has announced the unveiling of its first electric supercar Drako GTE on August 16th, 2019 at the prestigious Quail Motorsports Gathering during Monterey Car Week 2019. The company says that the car “embodies iconic Italian design and luxuriously… Continue reading Drako Motors Teases Drako GTE Electric Supercar

Exclusive: PSA, Dongfeng to drop two China auto plants, halve workforce – document

BEIJING/PARIS (Reuters) – Peugeot maker PSA Group (PEUP.PA) and partner Dongfeng Group (0489.HK) have agreed to cut thousands of jobs in China and drop two of their four shared assembly plants, according to a document seen by Reuters, in a last-ditch bid to curb mounting losses as the world’s largest auto market loses steam. FILE… Continue reading Exclusive: PSA, Dongfeng to drop two China auto plants, halve workforce – document

Car2go hikes hourly rental rates by as much as a third

By-the-minute car rental service Car2go is raising its rates for short trips under the guise of variable pricing, the company announced to its users today. As we’ve seen with other variably priced services like delivery and ride hailing, in practice this means you never really know what it will cost but will have little choice… Continue reading Car2go hikes hourly rental rates by as much as a third

Proterra, the Tesla of electric buses, closes in on $1 billion valuation

Proterra has authorized shares to raise $75 million, a new round of funding that would push the electric bus maker’s valuation past $1 billion, TechCrunch has learned. The company authorized the sale of 10,857,762 shares at a price of $6.91 in a Series 8 round, according to a securities filing that was obtained by the… Continue reading Proterra, the Tesla of electric buses, closes in on $1 billion valuation

BMW to recall over 22,000 vehicles in Russia due to wiring problems, says watchdog

MOSCOW, August 9. /TASS/. BMW Russland Trading, Russian’s official dealer of BMW, will recall 22,286 cars in Russia of 5 and 6 series sold in the period between June 2003 and August 2010, the Federal Agency on Technical Regulating and Metrology said in a statement on Friday.
The risk of corrosion in threaded joints of the positive wire of battery is the reason of the recall. “That may lead to increased contact resistance in the joints, as well as various malfunctions, including start failure,” the statement said.
Moreover, in certain cases corrosion may lead to wiring melting, the agency warned.
Faulty attachments will be checked and updated in vehicles subjected to recall. All repair works will be carried out free of charge for vehicle owners.

Mazda recalls 22,000 cars, says rearview mirrors can fall off

Mazda is recalling more than 22,000 of its 2019 Mazda3s, saying the rearview mirror glass could fall off.The recall affects 22,571 vehicles.Drivers can check to see if a car has been recalled by visiting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website.