Month: June 2025

comemso electronics, which provides test solutions for EVs and charging equipment, has published its comframe 1.1 software release.

The software platform supports test engineers, developers and production teams in testing EV and EVSE components based on international charging standards.

Comframe 1.1 features extended simulation functions for targeted manipulation of timings and timeouts in messages for detailed protocol verification and a post-message function for checking the status logic in the communication flow.

It includes a man-in-the-middle gateway for real-time manipulation of messages between EV and EVSE (DIN 70121, ISO 15118-2). The software also features end-of-line test functions for AC and DC charging stations, scalable for laboratory and production using expert and production modes.

“We are providing our customers with a tool that not only reduces complexity but also opens up new test possibilities from development over validation to series production,” said Dr. Kiriakos Athanasas, CEO at comemso.

Source: comemso electronics

The demand for increased charging power continues to grow as more electric vehicles hit the roadways. Reliable and accessible charging infrastructure is needed to support long-range mileage with fast and efficient, on-demand charging solutions.

Samtec offers rugged and high-power solutions for reliable connectivity to support power conversion, thermal management, and the current or future needs of the electric vehicle. 

Japanese EV battery manufacturer AESC will build a £1-billion gigafactory in Sunderland, UK with enough capacity to power up to 100,000 electric vehicles per year.

The gigafactory represents a six-fold increase in the UK’s current EV battery production capacity, according to the company.

The National Wealth Fund and UK Export Finance will provide financial guarantees to unlock £680 million in financing from banks including Standard Chartered, HSBC, SMBC Group, Societe Generale and BBVA to cover the construction and operation of the new plant. The remaining £320 million has been secured through private financing in addition to new equity provided by AESC.

In addition to this £1-billion investment, the UK Government’s Automotive Transformation Fund is providing £150 million in grant funding.

“This investment marks a key milestone in AESC’s ongoing efforts to support the UK’s path towards decarbonization and the expansion of its EV market. Through close collaboration with strategic partners, we strive to accelerate this transition while creating high-quality local jobs and building a resilient, sustainable supply chain,” said AESC’s CEO, Shoichi Matsumoto.

Source: UK HM Treasury

EV apps—love ‘em or hate ‘em, they’re here to stay. A new study from auto market analyst J.D. Power indicates that an increasing number of EV drivers love ‘em—or at least, use ‘em regularly. (We’re talking about the apps provided by vehicle OEMs, not the far less popular apps required by public charge point operators.)

“Companion mobile apps have become a critical part of the EV ownership experience,” says J.D. “From unlocking the vehicle to remotely managing charging and climate, EV apps now serve as an extension of the vehicle itself.”

The J.D. Power 2025 U.S. OEM EV App Report, now in its fifth year, gauges EV owners’ experience with their brand’s mobile apps, based on surveys of EV owners and an assessment of apps from the top 28 brands that sell EVs in the US, plus 10 EV brands in China and 8 in Europe. J.D. Power surveyed 1,966 EV owners in the US in March-April 2025.

The report’s main conclusion: “EV app usage continues to climb, though satisfaction is still held back by connectivity issues, remote command speed and inconsistent feature performance.”

“EV owners are telling J.D. Power exactly what they need: reliable performance and connectivity to interact with their vehicles,” said Violet Allmandinger, Mobile Apps Lead at J.D. Power. “Top-performing apps deliver fast, consistent remote controls and have desired features. However, most other apps are still closing that gap.”

Drivers use their apps for EV functions such as charge monitoring, pre-conditioning and route planning. EV app usage is high, and rising: some 32% of non-Tesla users surveyed said they use their apps on every drive (up from 17% in 2024). Tesla drivers are far more app-happy: 79% of them said they consistently use the Tesla app (up from 69% in 2024).

Tesla drivers are also more satisfied with their apps’ speed and connectivity. In fact, the Tesla app ranked the highest in customer satisfaction, with a score of 864 (on a 1,000-point scale). Mercedes-Benz (839) and My BMW (833) also made the podium, followed by MyHyundai with Bluelink (820) and Kia Access (808).

Source: J.D. Power

The Implementation of Laser Drying Processes for Economical & Ecological Lithium Ion Battery Production (IDEEL) research project in Germany developed a laser-assisted roll-to-roll (R2R) drying process that could reduce the cost of lithium-ion battery manufacturing, according to German research organization Fraunhofer FFB.

The hybrid process combines conventional, oven-based convection drying with laser drying based on high-power diode lasers. It achieves a web speed of 30 meters per minute and reduces drying times by more than 60% while maintaining the same quality of results.

The laser booster at the beginning of the process halves the required oven length, reducing the need for energy-intensive drying rooms and reducing operational costs by 20-30%.

This approach allows the new process to be used in existing plants, which can then be retrofitted with laser modules.

The IDEEL project, which was completed on December 31, 2024, after a three-year term, looked for alternative drying processes using highly efficient large-area laser irradiation.

The project was supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the Battery 2020 funding program and was carried out under the leadership of Laserline.

The Fraunhofer FFB participated with the Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM) center at RWTH Aachen University, Coatema Coating Machinery, Optris, the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT) and the Münster Electrochemical Energy Technology (MEET) Battery Research Center at the University of Münster.

The focus of the IDEEL research collaboration was initially the development and step-by-step optimization of an appropriate laser drying process. For this purpose, new materials for anode and cathode coatings were specifically designed for laser applications, and aqueous formulations based on graphite, lithium iron phosphate, and silicon-graphite were successfully tested at PEM and MEET.

A high-efficiency diode laser system with an electrical efficiency of over 50% and a new processing optics with coaxial thermography coupling and a rectangular laser spot over 0.5 meters wide supplied by Laserline was used as the heat source. Optris, Laserline and Fraunhofer ILT developed a highly integrated thermography camera with industry-PC-compatible data output for contactless, automatic process monitoring and control, ensuring a constant adherence to the target temperature at varying web speeds and coating thicknesses.

Coatema developed a modular laser drying unit with a specialized air concept and custom double-chamber wide-slot nozzles for the fast and secure application of water-based battery slurries. Within this demonstrator, the laser-based R2R drying process was scaled to industry-standard feed speeds, and Fraunhofer determined and validated the optimal process configuration.

The hybrid process developed within the IDEEL project will be integrated into the work of Fraunhofer FFB, which is to be expanded into the development center for modern battery cell production for Germany and its European partners.

Source: Fraunhofer FFB

Electrical measurement technology specialist LEM has launched a new current sensing unit for battery management in EVs.

LEM has put together shunt and open-loop Hall effect technologies in a single part, called Hybrid Supervising Unit (HSU), to meet the challenges of small footprint, low cost and high safety level requirements in EV battery management systems.

For higher safety levels, system engineers typically use two separate devices, a shunt to measure 2,000 A and a current sensor fully isolated for measurements to 2,000 A. LEM has combined the capabilities and performance of both technologies into a single unit, integrating it into the BDU. The signals from the shunt and the current sensor are then collected by the BMS.

At BDU level, the HSU allows minimal footprint, weight and cost, minimized integration effort for faster time to market and easy system upgrade, without impacting the mechanical layout while improving safety.

At the BMS level, the HSU is designed to enable system developers to easily reach the ASIL-D safety level required for EVs.

The shunt’s resistance is low at 25 µΩ, and the Hall part is galvanically isolated, demonstrating accuracy of 2% at 500 A and 5% at 2,000 A. Signal communication lines are separated—shunt signal and analogue or digital bus for the Hall part—and there is a negative temperature compensation signal for shunt temperature compensation.

The current measuring range is up to ±2,000 A at 10 s for both parts, and the operating temperature range is -40° C to 125° C.

The HSU is a plug-and-play unit, allowing easy mounting. LEM is initially offering the HSU00 part and the HSU01 will follow this month. The two are suitable for the two most common BDU busbar sizes: 84 x 36 x 3mm (HSU00) and 84 x 20 x 3mm (HSU01).

LEM plans to expand its HSU lineup by introducing new technologies, for example combining a shunt with a coreless Hall-effect part. The goal is to continue to shrink the devices’ size and cost while improving their performance.

“The HSU represents a significant innovation in sensor technology, being the first to combine shunt and Hall effect sensing into a single component. This integration simplifies system architecture, enhances safety and allows for seamless upgrades without altering the mechanical layout. Additionally, it reduces the total bill of materials and minimizes cycle time at the customer’s end,” said Jérémie Piro, Product Manager Battery Management Systems and Battery Storage at LEM.

Source: LEM