Tag: VW

GM wins US grant to develop solid-state batteries

General Motors is the latest automaker reported to be working on solid-state lithium batteries, thanks to a $2 million grant from Uncle Sam.

The money is part of a larger grant to develop more fuel-efficient powertrains, CNET reported. The company is expected to use the rest of the money to develop a lighter-weight, more efficient engine for medium duty trucks, perhaps to replace the company's 6.2-liter V-8.

Solid-state lithium batteries replace the flammable liquid organic solvents such as ethylene carbonate as an electrolyte in conventional lithium batteries with a solid, ceramic electrolyte that isn't flammable. That allows engineers to cram more lithium atoms into the battery to give it more energy without increasing volatility, which could lead to lighter, batteries for electric cars with longer ranges.

VW Battery Packs

So far, complex manufacturing challenges, cost, and power output have held the batteries back.

Other automakers, including Volkswagen, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and startup automaker Fisker are also racing to develop solid state batteries for electric cars.

GM is also working with Honda in a joint venture to develop future electric-car and fuel-cell technologies, including batteries.

Nio ES6 battery

John Goodenough, an engineering professor at the University of Texas, who co-invented the modern lithium-ion battery, announced a breakthrough in solid-state lithium batteries in 2017, but with long automotive development lead times, it has not yet seen the light of day.

Not all automakers or battery companies are optimistic about the prospects for solid-state batteries. Panasonic, Tesla's battery partner, has said it doesn't expect solid-state lithium batteries to be commercially viable for another 10 years, and Tesla recently bought ultracapacitor producer Maxwell Technologies. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said ultracapacitors have more promise for electric cars than lithium-ion batteries.

U.S. to test mirrorless, camera-based systems in autos

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration plans to test how drivers could use cameras to replace traditional rearview mirrors in automobiles, a technology already allowed in other countries, the agency said on Tuesday. FILE PHOTO: An Audi 55 e-tron is seen ahead of the company’s annual news conference at its headquarters… Continue reading U.S. to test mirrorless, camera-based systems in autos

Porsche mourns the death of Ferdinand Piëch

1. All information offered on Porsche Newsroom, including but not limited to, texts, images, audio and video documents, are subject to copyright or other legislation for the protection of intellectual property. They are intended exclusively for use by journalists as a source for their own media reporting and are not intended for commercial use, in… Continue reading Porsche mourns the death of Ferdinand Piëch

Toyota and Pony.ai

The Japanese manufacturer Toyota and the Chinese startup Pony.ai are working together. The startup Pony.ai was founded in 2016 and has had some success last year. They started the first robot taxi service in China, they test in Peking and you have your own fleet elevated. This year you got one license for the operation… Continue reading Toyota and Pony.ai

Suzuki Celerio and Baleno axed from UK sale

Suzuki has confirmed it has discontinued its two cheapest models –  the Celerio city car and Baleno supermini – in the UK in a revamp of its product line-up.  The Skoda Citigo and Honda Jazz rivals are still visible on the company’s UK site, but a spokesman said that from the end of this month, no… Continue reading Suzuki Celerio and Baleno axed from UK sale

Audi grieves for Ferdinand Piëch

The Board of Management of AUDI AG expresses its sincere condolences to the family of Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Piëch on behalf of all employees. In commemoration in all plants worldwide the flag is set to half-mast. Piëch was a member of the brand with the Four Rings for more than twenty years, most recently as… Continue reading Audi grieves for Ferdinand Piëch

EVgo and Electrify America team up to make chargers more accessible

Finding a fast charger in the U.S. just got a lot easier for a lot of electric-car drivers.

Two of America's largest fast-charging networks announced an agreement Thursday to allow each other's users to charge at their charging sites without signing up for new memberships or payment plans.

Electrify America and EVgo agreed to a roaming partnership that will allow members of either service to charge at any EVgo or Electrify America charging station.

Each of the networks already has individual agreements with the nation's other largest networks, ChargePoint and Greenlots.

Electrify America DC fast chargers in Gulfport, Mississippi

Together they make up at least 42 percent of the DC fast chargers in the U.S. and 60 percent of the total fast-charging locations, according to data from the Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Data Center. The others are split among Tesla (with 52 percent of the total fast chargers in 22 percent of locations), and six smaller networks.

That means that drivers of EVs other than Teslas are have a widespread network in many ways on par with Tesla's Superchargers that they can use to top off their batteries.

Unlike Tesla's Supercharger network, however, EVgo chargers are concentrated in and around cities—where EVgo points out that most EVs drive—rather than along highways between cities where the chargers could allow drivers to make longer trips between cities, as Tesla's Superchargers do.

Electrify America 350 kw chargers at Home Depot in Chicopee, Mass.

Electrify America, a division of Volkswagen, was founded under the settlement agreement over Volkswagen's diesel emissions cheating, and is required to install such highway charging stations. So far, however, it has only completed the first of four phases of a 10-year rollout plan.

Roaming “interoperability” agreements are becoming more common, making it easier for electric car-drivers to use a wider variety of chargers.

This has led to a spate of recent announcements—many using the “One-Step Plug & Charge” label—including between Greenlots and Electrify America and ChargePoint and Blink.

Can power napping solve electric car charging challenge?

STUTTGART, Germany (Reuters) – Automakers around the world are pushing hard for new networks that can charge electric cars fast. In Europe, some power companies and grid operators are testing whether it might be smarter and cheaper to move into the slow lane. An electric car parks next to a charging station in Ostfildern near… Continue reading Can power napping solve electric car charging challenge?