ZF has secured a significant contract to supply chassis components to a global vehicle manufacturer, including brake-by-wire technology and advanced steering systems. The agreement marks a milestone for ZF’s Chassis […]
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The EV battery industry is evolving rapidly, pushing the need for advanced materials that are thinner, lighter and safer. Engineers are increasingly turning to mica as a material solution that helps improve vehicle reliability and safety by containing thermal runaway. Pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) tapes, meanwhile, have emerged as a preferred solution for bonding mica materials in a battery pack.
Our new white paper explores common challenges associated with using mica. Referencing laboratory data, this report provides guidance to engineers and others involved in the design and assembly of these materials. It offers insight into how PSA tapes offer many advantages when combined with mica for EV battery packs including, but not limited to:
The white paper outlines the properties to consider for Muscovite and Phlogopite mica as well as the effect of adhesive pattern coating, tape constructions, and the peel angle on the materials. This study was developed in conjunction with the Asheville Mica Energy Solutions.
South Korean automotive supplier Hyundai Mobis has developed a new battery cell cooling material to prevent EV battery overheating during ultra-fast charging.
This material, referred to as the Pulsating Heat Pipe, comprises aluminum alloy and refrigerant and is placed between battery cells to limit internal battery temperature spikes during rapid charging. Even when battery heat generation increases during ultra-fast charging, the material is expected to reduce EV charging time by implementing a stable thermal management system that can withstand the heat.
Pulsating heat pipes are metal-tube-shaped thermal conductors used for cooling electronic devices such as computer CPUs and smartphones, diffusing heat through the vibration and circulation of refrigerant internally. They rapidly move the heat from overheated battery cells to the exterior.
Battery systems are typically constructed by adding battery management systems (BMS), cooling fans and various electronic devices to multiple battery modules. Placing PHPs between each battery cell quickly transfers the heat generated in each cell to cooling blocks, stably controlling the internal temperature at the module level.
Hyundai Mobis has developed a press process that enables large-scale continuous production in the manufacturing stage, simplifying the PHP production process and reducing costs. To facilitate mounting on vehicle batteries, it has developed PHPs with a thickness of 0.8 mm, which is thinner and has a larger area than standard heat pipes, which are approximately 6 mm.
Source: Hyundai Mobis
Construction vehicles and equipment are rapidly going electric, and Volvo Construction Equipment is a major purveyor of electric equipment—so it’s not surprising to find that a construction site in Stockholm is a testing ground for sustainable construction technologies.
A construction site in Slakthusområdet, a former meat-packing district in central Stockholm that has recently been rejuvenated as a trendy nightlife destination, has reached a milestone: 50% of its operations are now performed by electric equipment.
Volvo CE electric machines in use on the project include two EC230 Electric crawler excavators and an L120H Electric Conversion wheel loader. These are supported by two Volvo electric trailer trucks.
“The first phase [of the project] showed the effectiveness of electric machines in performing tasks while significantly reducing CO₂ emissions,” said Fredrik Tjernström, Head of Electromobility Solutions Sales at Volvo CE. In the next phase of the project, which is scheduled for completion in 2025, Volvo aims to reduce emissions even further, reaching target of 3.5 tonnes of CO₂ per SEK 1 million in turnover. “This is a dramatic decrease on the 11 to 29 tons typically emitted in similar projects.”
The city of Stockholm has set a goal of becoming climate-positive by 2030.
“This proactive approach creates a ripple effect throughout the entire value chain, pushing all stakeholders to explore new possibilities and expand the boundaries of what can be achieved in sustainable construction,” said Anna Göransdotter, Project Manager at construction company Skanska.
Source: VolvoCE
Elaphe Propulsion Technologies unveiled its new front-wheel in-wheel motor, Sonic.1, at CES 2025, featuring integration with high-performance brakes in what the company calls an industry first. The direct-drive motor system […]
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Aptera Motors unveiled its production-ready solar electric vehicle at CES 2025, marking the company’s transition from prototype development to manufacturing validation. The vehicle features an integrated solar array that enables […]
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Bus manufacturer Solaris has won a tender for 45 Urbino 24 electric buses to be integrated into the transport network of the city of Liège.
An initial order of 18 units, 5 of which are to be delivered in 2025 and the remainder in 2026, was secured by Opérateur de transport de Wallonie-TEC, which manages transport in Liège.
Powered by two electric axles, the buses are equipped with Solaris High Energy batteries with a total capacity of approximately 800 kWh. The 24-meter-long double-articulated vehicles offer 50 passenger seats and feature MetroStyle design.
“We are especially delighted to deliver Urbino 24 electric buses in the unique MetroStyle design to Liège,” said Olivier Michard, Chief Commercial Officer at Solaris. “These zero-emission buses will support sustainable and convenient public transport in the city.”
Source: Solaris
One of the beloved bugaboos bruited by EV boo-birds is that EV batteries will quickly wear out. Now that there are significant numbers of high-mileage EVs on the road, this deceitful dirge has been definitively debunked. Car and Driver (among many other sources) estimates that a typical EV battery should last between 10 and 20 years (the average new car in the US is expected to last 12.5 years). A recent study by scientists at the SLAC-Stanford Battery Center found that most EV batteries are likely to last even longer than researchers had previously forecast. Real-world accounts of long-serving batteries, for example in Tesla taxis, abound.
Scientific studies and individual anecdotes give us two perspectives on battery longevity—a standardized test that measures the health of an individual EV’s battery gives us yet another. German testing organization DEKRA has developed just such a test, and has now completed more than 25,000 state-of-health tests using its patented procedure. Based on the data collected, DEKRA reports (via Electrive) that “the batteries of electric cars are more durable than consumers sometimes fear.”
DEKRA’s rapid battery test, which was introduced in 2022, is currently available for around 130 different vehicle models and is offered in several European countries. The procedure takes 15 minutes, and includes a static test and a short acceleration drive of around 50 to 100 meters.
The real-world results of an individual test are compared to the “parameterization” of the individual vehicle models, which includes data gathered from complex test drives under a wide variety of conditions. “This creates a kind of coordinate structure that our system uses to analyze and evaluate the actual measured values during the test,” explains Christoph Nolte, Executive Vice President of DEKRA. “The bottom line is a statement on the battery condition that no other method on the market can offer as quickly and at the same time as precisely.”
The growing data pool enables the DEKRA experts to make more general statements about battery aging, and they say that “even with higher mileages, the vast majority of traction batteries are still in good condition.” As one example, DEKRA cites a fleet of Jaguar I-Pace electric taxis that went into service in Munich in 2018. DEKRA tested six of the vehicles in 2024, and found that, with mileages between 180,000 and 260,000 kilometers, the state of health of the traction batteries was between 95 and 97 percent.
“On average, we charged the vehicles about one and a half times a day, and not particularly gently, but always fully charged to give the drivers the appropriate level of safety in terms of range,” said Gregor Beiner, Managing Director of the Munich Taxi Centre (MTZ). “The batteries are very, very durable and, especially with the safety buffers that the manufacturers install, they retain their capacity for a very long time.”
Source: Electrive
Daimler Truck brand FUSO, headquartered in Japan, has delivered 22 of its eCanter trucks to Spain-based logistics provider Planway Logística. The vehicles are operating in the fleet of Spain’s postal service provider, Correos.
The 8.55-tonne trucks are produced for the European market at the Mitsubishi Fuso Truck Europe plant in Tramagal, Portugal. They are designed for such applications as urban distribution and postal deliveries. Each features a 4,450 mm wheelbase, a 129 kW electric motor and an L-size battery pack that delivers a range of up to 200 km.
“The all-electric light-duty truck is ideal for inner-city distribution traffic,” said Florian Schulz, Head of Sales, Marketing and Customer Services at FUSO Europe. “The eCanter’s charging flexibility as well as its comparatively high payload and the load volume of 15 euro-pallets makes this transition quite easy.”
Source: Daimler Truck
Global commerce platform WEX has formed a partnership with EV charger installation provider Qmerit to streamline the installation of chargers at the homes of commercial fleet drivers.
Qmerit will provide end-to-end home EV charging installation and integration services from its national network of more than 23,000 electricians.
WEX EV At-Home provides access to WEX’s fleet management software portal using a single WEX credit line and unified billing and now also includes Qmerit’s charger installation functionality.
Fleets can minimize expenses by accessing the most cost-effective EV charging and residential electricity rates. WEX EV At-Home calculates what each driver should be reimbursed by using their live utility rate and distributes funds to a reimbursement account. Fleet managers can approve reimbursement for charging sessions with manual, bulk or automatic options.
Florida-based construction company Dallas 1 has estimated cost savings of around over 60% per vehicle for fuel and maintenance costs as the result of fleet drivers charging their vehicles at home.
WEX EV At-Home is the latest advancement from WEX in the commercial fleet mobility space following an announcement that its fleet mobile payments app now processes EV charging payments for a mixed-energy fleet, its acquisition of Sawatch Labs and its fleet electrification analytics software, as well as partnerships with EV charging providers.
“We’re seeing considerable cost savings in the unleaded vehicles we have swapped out for EVs thanks to at-home EV charging with WEX,” said BJ Azzarelli, President of Dallas 1. “Employees simply bring their work trucks home after their shift—and WEX’s detailed reporting and automated employee reimbursement is not only fully automated, it also seamlessly integrates into our existing bill and fleet management software portal.”
Source: WEX