IDTechEx estimates total demand for Li-ion batteries to have been over 200 GWh in 2019 and forecast Li-ion demand for plug-in electric cars alone to be nearly 350 GWh by 2025, but can supply meet this demand? Automotive manufacturers the world over are now pledging to electrify their fleets. However, many traditional automotive manufacturers were…
How Nano One and Tesla are advancing battery systems
Canadian tech company, Nano One, has acquired a patented technology for the low-cost production of high-performance lithium-ion battery cathode materials used in electric vehicles, energy storage, and consumer electronics. The processing technology allows lower-cost feedstocks, simplifies the creation, and improves performance for a wide range of cathode elements. In particular, the patented coated nanocrystal promises…
Saft launches new battery for low-current, continuous cycling applications
Saft recently launched a new product in the Xcelion line, the Xcelion 56V-LEV battery, designed as a more economical option for low-current, 48V continuous cycling applications, particularly in the defense industry. This development represents the growth of the Xcelion product line, aimed at offering lower weight, longer life, and greater overall capability and intelligence compared to traditional…
Battery-management IC extends driving range, reliability, and safety of EVs
STMicroelectronics has revealed new battery-management technology that increases reliability, safety, driving range, and cost-effectiveness of electric vehicles (EVs). EVs are predicted to reach cost parity with conventional combustion-engine vehicles before the end of this decade and overtake in sales volume by 2038. ST, leveraging its technical capabilities to help carmakers achieve these goals, has announced an […]
ASIL-D-compliant battery management IC supports multiple cell module configurations
Designers can now achieve ASIL-D compliance for automotive applications using just a single chip for a safer, more cost-effective battery management system with the MAX17853 battery monitor IC from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. Targeting mid-to-large cell count configurations for automotive applications, such as battery packs for electric and hybrid vehicles, MAX17853’s unique flexible architecture called […]
Gridtential, Crown Battery partner on silicon+lead battery
Using technology similar to a solar cell, Gridtential Energy’s breakthrough Silicon Joule technology allows batteries to deliver up to five-times the power density with up to a 40% weight reduction — and it can be manufactured in current lead battery plants. Silicon Joule technology replaces the lead-grid and cell connecting lead-strap material inside a traditional…
Range of rechargeable Li-ion batteries powers up wearables and hearables
The task of opening or starting a modern car is now the task of miniature computers, which are designed by car manufacturers to perform an increasing number of functions. These smart keys can do quite a lot more. For example, they provide information about the oil level, the distance that can still be traveled, the […]
Charging electric vehicles, Part 1: The numbers
It’s nice to envision that recharging an electric vehicle is as straightforward as filling up an internal combustion vehicle, but it’s not: there are multiple charging, power, and connector options as well as limitations. You’re driving your internal-combustion (IC) car, and the gauge indicates it’s time to get “gas” (of course, it’s actually gasoline). So […]
Saft releases 56-V LFP battery to compete with rugged lead-acid systems
Saft has recently launched a new product in the Xcelion line, the Xcelion 56V lithium-ion battery, offering customers a variant on the proven technology behind the Xcelion 6T for applications requiring higher voltage. As the third Xcelion product, the Xcelion 56V builds upon the existing technology behind the Xcelion 6T, launched in 2015, and the Xcelion…
Washable, Wearable Battery-Like Devices Could Be Woven Directly into Clothes
Wearable electronic components incorporated directly into fabrics have been developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge. The devices could be used for flexible circuits, healthcare monitoring, energy conversion, and other applications. The Cambridge researchers, working in collaboration with colleagues at Jiangnan University in China, have shown how graphene – a two-dimensional form of carbon […]