Battery Technology

• For decades, automotive accessories have been powered by a 12-volt electrical system. Now, as an ever-growing list of accessories demand more power, automakers are beginning to shift to 48-volt architectures.

• Replacing 12-volt systems with 48-volt systems increases efficiency, reduces waste heat, and allows wiring harnesses to be shorter and lighter.

• The transition to 48 V applies to all vehicles, but it’s especially relevant to EVs, because increasing efficiency and reducing weight translates to longer range. Furthermore, certain accessories that are powered by belts or by waste heat in ICE vehicles are powered by electricity in EVs, so more electrical power is required.

• The transition to 48 V is proceeding in concert with a transition from centralized architectures to zonal architectures, which allow designers to reduce the number of wiring harnesses and electronic control units (ECUs) needed in a vehicle.

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Q&A with TE Connectivity’s Helio Wu and Pradeep Moorthy

A vehicle has always been more than an engine and a set of wheels. Lights, windshield wipers, heaters—these have been essential equipment since the days of hood ornaments, and over the years more and more accessories have come to be seen as indispensable. Power windows, power locks, cruise control, heated/cooled seats, and now infotainment systems and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems—the list grows longer every year. And of course, accessories include not only gadgets for the driver’s comfort, but also systems essential to the operation of the vehicle (e.g. in the old days, alternators and water pumps, nowadays battery management systems).

For decades, electrically-operated accessories have been powered by a 12-volt electrical system, and components, connectors and wiring have all been designed to operate on 12 volts. In recent years, as power demands have increased, automakers have been moving towards 48-volt systems. This is a trend that applies to all types of vehicles, but as TE Connectivity’s Product Manager Helio Wu and Senior Manager of Product Management Pradeep Moorthy explained to Charged, there are several reasons why the transition to EVs is accelerating the transition to 48 volts.

Charged: Why are automotive manufacturers shifting to 48-volt architectures? What are the advantages?

Helio Wu: The major driver is that power requirements keep increasing, and because of the higher power requirement, the current level keeps increasing as well. The higher current level requires wires with larger diameters, and that is creating a substantial challenge in wiring harness routing. Increasing voltage to 48 volts can reduce the electrical current by three quarters, assuming the same power requirement, and thus we can save a lot in both the wiring harness weight and cost.

Charged: If the power remains the same, then the wires can be smaller and lighter. But at the same time, we’re asking for more power. So, is there generally a net reduction in the size and weight of the wiring harness?

Helio Wu: Yes. The power requirement is increasing, but it doesn’t increase by four times, so overall, we still can expect a lot of weight reduction and cost savings from this transition. Meanwhile, this transition will take place along with a transition to a zonal architecture. The zonal architecture itself can optimize the overall electric architecture in the vehicle and shorten the wiring harness length, because previously automakers used a centralized star topology. Now it’s decentralized, and the power equipment is managed within the zones, so the total length is going to be reduced.

Increasing voltage to 48 volts can reduce the electrical current by three quarters. Power requirements are increasing, but they don’t increase by four times, so overall, we can expect a lot of weight reduction and cost savings from the transition.

Charged: In a recent video from Rivian, their engineers explained that they were able to reduce the number of controllers and the vehicle weight significantly, mainly because of the move to a zonal architecture.

Pradeep Moorthy: I remember watching some videos recently about the things that Rivian’s doing in that space. What we are doing there is consolidating multiple controllers into one in each of the different zones of the vehicle, and we are packaging a lot more of the computing capabilities that were in multiple controllers into one—this drives up the power requirements for those controllers, which justifies the switch to 48-volt, so they definitely are correlated.

Charged: So the shift to 48-volt kind of enables the shift to the zonal architecture?

Pradeep Moorthy: Absolutely.

Charged: The transition to 48-volt is taking place across all types of vehicles, but tell us about how the rise of electric vehicles is specifically driving the move.

Pradeep Moorthy: The switch to 48-volt is not just for electric vehicles. The benefits are shared regardless of what the propulsion mechanism is. On the EV side, though, there are a couple of specific things. First, every kilogram you can shave off the weight of the vehicle is more valuable in an EV from a range standpoint, so EVs have more to gain from switching to 48-volt. Second, younger OEMs that focus on EVs are more open to step changes in their architectures. With the switch to 48-volt, you do need to make a significant change because most devices throughout the vehicle need to be updated to work on 48 V rather than on 12 V. From an implementation standpoint, the way OEMs are structured today, the EV-specific teams are better positioned to make that jump.

Helio Wu: There’s also another reason why we see EVs leading this transition. An internal combustion engine not only drives the vehicle, but also provides power to many auxiliary applications. If we talk about EVs, all those applications traditionally driven by belts now become electric-driven, and they are power-hungry devices. And the more power-hungry it is, the more benefit we can expect if that application can be converted to 48-volt.

An ICE not only drives the vehicle, but also provides power to many auxiliary applications. In an EV all those applications traditionally driven by belts now become electric-driven, and they are power-hungry devices.

Charged: Obviously, OEMs that are more innovative, more forward-looking, are moving faster with electrification. Are those also the ones that are more interested in 48-volt?

Pradeep Moorthy: Apart from an innovative mindset, organizational will to implement disruptive changes is necessary. A few OEMs leading the way on electrification are better structured in that regard. But that’s not to say that the other OEMs are not interested—they are looking at ways to switch to 48-volt as well. The steps taken to switch and the timing will likely be different, though.

Charged: What are some specific components we find in EVs that are driving the move to 48-volt systems?

Helio Wu: I can give you an example. Earlier this year I had a conversation with a customer engineer and he told me that for him, the biggest advantage from 48-volt is thermal management. In his next-generation vehicle, we have so many electronic components running at high power that if we do not increase the voltage level, the heat generation and the temperature would rise to a level that is unmanageable.

Switching to 48-volt reduces the energy dissipation and the heat dissipation, so it can help reduce the temperature of those modules within the system. And it helps a lot in guaranteeing the longevity of those devices, making sure they can work properly through the vehicle life. We talk a lot about the wiring harness weight and cost savings, but reduced heat generation is another major benefit that the OEMs can get from this transition.

Charged: Tell us more about how a 48-volt system can improve energy efficiency, something very important for EVs.

Helio Wu: It’s simple physics. When we talk about the energy loss dissipation in the wires, it’s W = I² * R, right? Suppose we use the same wire, same wiring resistance. If we reduce the current level to 1/4 of the previous value, that means the energy dissipation can be reduced to 1/16. That’s a lot of reduction, and therefore we improve the energy efficiency and the power delivery efficiency in the vehicle system. This is a direct benefit. Indirect benefits include weight reduction, so we can have a longer range.

Charged: Both 12 V and 48 V systems can coexist within the same vehicle, but will 12 V eventually be phased out?

Helio Wu: I believe that 12-volt and 48-volt will coexist for a period, maybe three years, maybe five years. Not everybody will be ready for 48-volt. That’s just a reality. Going forward, gradually suppliers’ readiness will be improved, and then eventually, I believe 12 V will be eliminated from the current low-voltage system, and 48 V will be the norm.

Charged: That sounds like a pretty quick transition. Within five years, you say, everything’s going to be 48-volt?

Helio Wu: That’s my hope, because we believe it will not only benefit the OEMs, but also provide more advanced functions to the end consumer so we can have more exciting vehicles.

We believe that 12-volt and 48-volt will coexist for a period, maybe five years. Gradually suppliers’ readiness will be improved, and then 48 V will be the norm.

Charged: Your company is all about the connectors, so tell us more about the role that connectors play in enabling the 48-volt architecture.

Pradeep Moorthy: From a connectivity standpoint, it’s primarily about safety, when you go from 12 V up to 48 V. With the higher voltage, we want to make sure that there is sufficient insulation between circuits and there are safety mechanisms in the vehicle architecture to ensure that people working on their vehicles are protected as well. What we are doing today is looking at our existing portfolio to see which products are already safe to be used in 48-volt applications. We are also building a whole new portfolio of connectors that are designed specifically for use in 48-volt applications.

Charged: Will this eventually mean redesigning your product lineup?

Pradeep Moorthy: Not necessarily all of it. I think it will be more of an evolution. The key things here are what we call creepage and clearance, which refers to the distance between adjacent circuits to provide sufficient insulation and preventing any kind of arcing or current creepage. Because of how they were designed, higher-power connectors for 12 V happen to be safe for 48 V already, so there is a significant part of our portfolio that can be used in 48-volt applications without any changes. In the smaller end of our portfolio, where we have very low-power and signal applications today, those connectors tend to be optimized for 12 V applications, so they’re not ready to be used in 48 V applications. In those spaces we are developing new products to fill out the portfolio.

Charged: Some of these connectors are just powering devices, some of them are sending data, and some are doing both, right?

Pradeep Moorthy: Yes, that’s right. Helio and I are both part of the Signal and Power Connectivity Group within TE’s automotive business, and that covers all our products up to 48 volts as an upper limit. The products within this portfolio historically were tailored specifically for low-voltage power and signal connections, and then we have a whole other group of products that are specifically designed for high-speed data. More recently, with innovations in the market and the switch to zonal architectures, the lines between these different categories have started blurring. We have controllers now that are power-hungry, so they need high-power connections. They bring in information from multiple sensors—it’s simple signals, but they also need to be able to communicate with other controllers and devices like cameras, so there’s high-speed data connections in there as well. We are working on a portfolio of what we call mixed and hybrid connections, which have signal, power, and high-speed data connections, all in a single connector.

Charged: What about wireless data? I’ve heard about wireless battery management systems. Is that a trend?

Pradeep Moorthy: We have seen them in specific instances, but they’re not broadly adopted yet. Even in the battery example, the wireless connections are inside the battery pack, but there are still wired connections from the pack to the rest of the vehicle. If there are routing challenges, packaging space-related concerns, then it might make sense, and we’ll probably start seeing more wireless connections. But purely from a cost standpoint and from a security standpoint, implementing those will be hindered for some time to come.

Helio Wu: I also think the functional safety is another point to consider. Because the battery is such a critical module, we need some kind of redundancy. I think for wireless communication, maybe we need two connections—one wireless and the other using actual wire as a backup.

Charged: As auto manufacturers and suppliers move towards 48-volt architectures, what are the biggest challenges they are going to face?

Pradeep Moorthy: As I said, an overall switch to 48-volt is still a monumental exercise to take on. There are so many things, not just the connectors, but the devices within the vehicle, that have to be modified to accept 48 volts. Simply from a resource standpoint, there needs to be significant investment in making that switch. And there’s the classic chicken-and-egg problem—the OEMs are not willing to switch unless the suppliers are ready to support that switch to 48-volt with their devices, but the suppliers may not be willing to make that investment until the OEMs are ready to bring 48-volt vehicles to market.

A good first step to overcome this challenge is the coexistence of both 12 V and 48 V in the short term. This will enable OEMs to use 48-volt for specific applications which are particularly power-hungry, where they can get a significant benefit from copper reduction, thermal management and the different advantages that we spoke about, without necessarily changing every single device within the vehicle.

Charged: I’m sure you work closely with auto OEMs, and you’re probably advising them on how to make the transition. What’s an important piece of advice that you would give to an automaker to help them more easily transition to 48-volt?

Pradeep Moorthy: I’d say the most important thing is to keep the system-level benefits in mind, and to communicate that effectively to all levels. The switch from 12 V to 48 V does mean redesigning and replacing familiar devices and components. This could lead to higher costs at a component level, but we cannot lose track of the big-picture net savings.

The switch from 12 V to 48 V does mean redesigning and replacing familiar devices and components. This could lead to higher costs at a component level, but we cannot lose track of the big-picture net savings.

Charged: There’s also talk of a transition in the overall vehicle architecture from 400 volts to 800 volts. Does that have any relation to the 12 V/48 V transition, or are these two separate areas?

Pradeep Moorthy: They’re definitely separate areas. The 400 and 800 V architectures are for EV powertrains. Helio and I are in the Signal and Power Connectivity Group, working with low-voltage applications that are non-powertrain-related, but TE Connectivity does offer connectivity solutions for both 400 and 800 V applications.

Charged: Some people find it hard to understand why an EV still has an ordinary lead-acid battery. I try to explain to them that all the accessories are designed to run on 12 volts. Does the shift to 48-volt bring us closer to the day when that lead-acid battery can go away?

Helio Wu: Yes. If in the future 48-volt becomes the single power source in the low-voltage system, then that 12-volt battery will go away. The 48-volt battery would be a new technology, maybe a lithium-ion battery.

Pradeep Moorthy: Right. But it’s important to remember that you’ll still have a second battery for 48-volt. You’re not going to drive all the devices on the vehicle from the main traction battery, because there are still going to be applications in the vehicle that need to be running when the vehicle is turned off, and you do not want to be drawing power from the main battery all the time.

Charged: I know when a new technology is developing, the role of standards is very important. What’s the state of industry standards when it comes to the 48-volt transition?

Helio Wu: Because this is a new transition, standardization is important because it helps everybody to scale up faster. And the earlier we can scale up, reach the higher operational scale, the better we can realize those economy gains for everybody. That’s why TE has developed a standard interface for a 48-volt connection system, and we are actively working with different OEMs as well as device makers, to try to help everybody to connect the dots. That’s what we do, connectivity.

From my perspective, I think the standards have been well established, looking back several years, roughly from 2016 or 2017. At that time, 48-volt was also a hot topic, but in a different context. At that time, people were talking a lot about 48-volt in mild hybrid vehicles because that is a low-cost entry point for vehicle electrification. Still today we can see a lot of 48-volt mild hybrid vehicles in the European market or in Asia. Now the interest in 48-volt is being driven by the low-voltage architecture for powering accessories. However, due to the activity several years ago, we already have a lot of established standards and technical requirements from organizations such as SAE, ISO, etc.

Charged: What are some exciting innovations coming up in the near future?

Pradeep Moorthy: For TE as a company, harness connectors and terminals are our core business, but we also have several other solutions that enable the switch to 48-volt. We are working on data/signal hybrid connectors on both harness and device sides that will package better as our customers switch to zonal architectures. We also have heat-shrink tubing, relays, EMI filtering products, etc, and we are making sure to have all of them 48-volt-ready as well. When an OEM is ready to make that switch, TE can be a one-stop shop.

German chemical manufacturer BASF has expanded its manufacturing capabilities in the US to include the production of Licity anode binders for EV batteries.

With this new production capability, BASF now offers its Licity portfolio across all regions. The company said it anticipates access to local supply of raw materials as well as global availability to remain top issues of concern for battery manufacturers and OEMs in the coming years.

The Licity portfolio complements BASF’s existing styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) manufacturing footprint. BASF currently produces SBR binders for EV batteries at production sites in Jiangsu and Guangdong, China, as well as Ludwigshafen, Germany, and Hamina, Finland. BASF has now added manufacturing capabilities at Monaca, Pennsylvania, and Chattanooga, Tennessee.  

BASF’s water-based anode binders deliver high colloidal stability, processability and coatings performance, and are compatible with co-binders such as carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). They increase battery capacity, improve cycle stability and reduce battery charging time, according to the company.

Licity binders can be customized to meet various requirements, such as different technical focuses for pure graphite or silicon-containing anodes and in a variety of applications such as EVs, energy storage systems and consumer electronics.

Source: BASF

Proterra unveiled its new H2-23 battery pack, part of its Onyx Strata series. The new battery pack, the company said, sets “new performance standards for heavy-duty electric vehicles,” and is designed for demanding commercial use cases as well as for Class 8 trucks. The H2-23 features the company’s highest-density battery—176 Wh/kg and 270 Wh/L—which supports systems up to 2 MWh.

“The new H2-23 battery pack represents more than just a technological advancement — it embodies our renewed focus on powering the shift to a sustainable future,” said Claire McConnell, Chief Business Officer at Proterra. “We’ve created a solution that delivers unparalleled performance even in the most challenging conditions. Every mile driven with our technology helps bring our customers closer to their zero-emission goals.”

Proterra also unveiled the Proterra Onyx Series, including its H- and S-Series platforms. The Onyx Slate features single-layer battery configurations optimized for longer, larger commercial vehicles, offering flexible installation below or within frame rails, as well as roof-mounted options. The Onyx Strata includes compact battery configurations designed to maximize energy storage in tight spaces, seamlessly integrating into both on- and off-highway applications.

Sources: Proterra

The term “tabula rasa,” or “blank slate,” is taking on new meaning in the battery-electric truck segment with the introduction of the Slate Truck. The sleek yet somewhat bare-bones truck is, however, a highly customizable blank canvas that comes with a lengthy accessory list including one that converts the pick-up into an SUV. 

To paraphrase what an early automotive pioneer said about color availability for his mass-produced automobile, the Slate Truck comes in any color so long as it is, of course, slate gray. Indeed, the single color is one of the factors used to keep the manufacturing cost low, but buyers will also be able to use wraps Slate will produce to add color and flair.

The automaker’s CEO, Chris Barman, has said in interviews that the truck’s means of production as well as the truck itself have been designed from the start to keep down the vehicle’s per-unit cost. The decision to make one model in one color is saving Slate Auto hundreds of millions of dollars by eliminating a need for metal stamping presses and paint shop, just to cite two examples.

Slate Auto chose the name Blank Slate for its entry-level pickup, which will be equipped with a 52.7 kWh battery pack for an estimated 150 miles (241 km) of range and will be delivered in a slate gray color molded into the truck’s composite body panels. The battery cells use a nickel-manganese-cobalt chemistry sourced from Korean maker SK-On, albeit from a US production plant, the company said.

Standard features include manual roll-up windows, steel wheels, manually-adjustable non-electric cloth seats, and real knobs for the vehicle’s HVAC controls. The jury is still out on whether the use of hand-cranked windows is economic virtue signaling through anachronistic technology or not.

The Slate Truck has only one option: a larger 84.3 kWh battery that offers 240 miles (386 km) of driving range.

It’s the Slate Truck’s modularity that could make it a versatile player in the OHEV market. Just like adding Lego blocks, one can snap on an SUV kit that includes a roll cage, rear seat and airbags when a truck is being used for one specific job or function, and later revert it to the basic pickup with a full 60-inch truck bed. The Slate’s front trunk offers 7 cubic feet (0.2 cubic meter) of storage in addition to 37 cubic feet (1.05 cubic meter) in the cargo bed, or 34 cubic feet (one cubic meter) in the SUV’s load bay.

Slate Auto says it will sell directly to consumers (which will please buyers while angering dealers) and offer a nationwide service network, although it has not provided much detail on its plans. The automaker is paying strict attention to keeping costs down. The lone display screen is located behind the steering wheel, and the primary purpose of the tiny 4-inch display is to satisfy federal requirements for having a backup camera display. Automatic emergency braking is standard. A dashboard-mounted smartphone holder is included so that a driver and passengers can bring their own phones along. The truck charges using a Tesla-style NACS port. An onboard 11 kW charger is said to take the battery from 20% to 100% in 11 hours on a Level 1 charger and under 5 hours on a Level 2 charger. DC fast charging will accomplish the same in under 30 minutes.

The truck is almost infinitely customizable for the battery and powertrain, which remain generally inaccessible, and drivers don’t pay for any functionality they don’t want because they simply don’t add it.  For example, there is a lift kit and wheels with all-terrain tires and zip-on seat covers that add heated seats for cold weather operations. In other words, buyers could equip their Slate Trucks with whatever hardware is needed to hold equipment or goods to get the job done, be it in construction, mining or terminal operations.

A bare-bones, customize-it-yourself electric truck will be very appealing to certain buyers (it’s reminiscent of the rugged work trucks offered by Bollinger Motors, a startup that became a subsidiary of Mullen Automotive). But what’s really been grabbing the headlines is Slate’s projected price for its new EV: as little as $20,000 after various government incentives are applied. Here we feel we must inject a note of skepticism. The road from design studio to deliveries is invariably longer, more complex and more expensive than visionaries anticipate, and the future of government EV subsidies is far from certain.

Slate Truck is only the latest in a long line of new entrants to the EV industry to promise an innovative EV at an eye-popping price. Over the past decade, at least 30 EV startups (yes, including some with deep-pocketed backers) have suspended their operations, been through bankruptcy, or simply gone quiet. Few of their vehicles ever made it to customers, and pretty much none were sold at the “game-changing” prices originally advertised. Alpha, Canoo, Faraday Future, Fisker and Lordstown are just a few of the once-proud brands that come to mind. Only time will tell if EV buyers will buy into the blank-slate approach for their EV purchases.

2027 Slate Truck Specifications
BASE PRICE	$27,000 (est.)
LAYOUT	Rear-motor, RWD, 2-pass, 2-door truck
MOTOR	201 hp/195 lb-ft permanent-magnet electric
TRANSMISSION	1-speed auto
CURB WEIGHT	3,600 pounds (mfr)
WHEELBASE	108.9”
L x W x H	174.6” x 70.6” x 69.3”
0-60 MPH	8.0 sec (mfr. est.)
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON	95 mpg-e (mfr. est.)
EPA RANGE, COMB	150 miles (mfr. est.)

Source: Slate Auto

A public charging or fleet charging site—or pretty much any installation larger than one or two Level 2 chargers—consists of more than just the chargers that drivers interact with. There’s going to be a transformer, a cabinet full of switchgear, and increasingly, microgrid elements such as battery storage and/or PV panels.

ABB makes all kinds of switchgear and other commercial electrical gadgets. At the recent Daytona 500 race, Charged spoke with Amber Putignano, Market Development Leader for ABB E-mobility, and we asked her how the interaction among the various electrical components might affect reliability. She shared some insights on how to make a charging site more reliable and more future-proof, and also outlined a developing trend in the industry—controlling functions, now often performed within a charging station or in the cloud, are increasingly migrating to the switchgear level. 

Today, at most sites, there’s not really any software integration between the charger and the electrical equipment behind it.

“The reliability problems, at least that I hear about, tend to be more specific to chargers,” Ms. Putignano told me. “In general it seems to be the connection between either the charger and the vehicle or the charger and the back-end payment system. But the electrical gear that is behind all of that is often not connected in any way other than by power. Today, at most sites, there’s not really any software integration between the charger and the electrical equipment behind it.”

For various reasons (obsolescence, newer technology, companies going belly-up), chargers themselves tend to be replaced fairly often, but that’s not necessarily the case for the switchgear and other ancillary equipment. “The equipment that goes behind the charger is designed to last 20 or 30 years, whereas chargers are designed to last 10 years, and over time technology is changing, companies are moving in and out,” Putignano explained. “As the segment evolves, I think we’ll start to see some of the functionality that today happens at the charger level, move to that equipment level behind the chargers. For example, if you are using an energy management system that’s based on a cloud system [tied to] the charger, and down the road you need to change the charger or that company doesn’t exist, you have a system that may not work for the next generation of chargers. So I think there are opportunities for companies to move that functionality back to the electrical equipment, which is going to have a longer life and be more charger-agnostic, so the operator doesn’t need to be as concerned about whether their energy management system is going to work with new technology.”

So, are we going to see chargers becoming dumber, as the smarts move to the switchgear? Putignano thinks that’s a likely scenario. As microgrids become more prevalent, charging, solar generation and battery storage all need to be coordinated, and that’s not a job for an individual charging station. “All of that control should happen at a higher level in the system, such as the switchboard. People will probably learn the hard way that charger-agnostic solutions are the way to go.”

A lot of the energy management that’s available today is on the cloud level, but I think it’s going to move more on-site as you start integrating battery energy storage and solar, and also as EV batteries evolve to take more power.

Over the past few years, it’s become hip to run everything in the cloud, but there are a couple of good reasons why charging sites should be controlled by a local processor instead.

“A lot of the energy management that’s available today is on the cloud level, but I think it’s going to move more on-site as you start integrating battery energy storage and solar, and also as EV batteries evolve to take more power,” Putignano told me. “If you think of an electric truck plugging in and out, that’s a significant amount of power on and off, and you want the system to respond very quickly. Cloud-based systems have a longer response time, and they’re reliant in many cases on a broadband connection.”

Of course, it’s not unheard of for an internet connection to be a point of failure, so when you consider response time, reliability and the need to be charger-agnostic, it would seem that the best place for the controlling computing power is at the switchgear level.

“If you’re looking at a site that’s focused on electric trucking, I think they’re really going to need that on-site, very secure, very vast reaction time from a system that’s also capable of pulling in solar, battery storage or whatever other assets they might have on the site.”

Ms. Putignano told me about a new standard that’s coming out: UL 3141 is going to define a type of energy management system that also provides protection against excessive current draw. “Typically, in the past, an energy management system’s main function was to control costs, provide peak shaving, level out your use of energy from the utility, perhaps with battery energy storage. In this new UL standard, they’re taking an energy management system a step further—it’s also required to protect the system.”

It’s not uncommon for a site to have a potential load greater than the amount of power available from the utility interconnect. Putignano explains: “Operators want to have as many connectors on a site as possible. Say a site has 10 megawatts worth of maximum power [draw] from the chargers, but they’re not getting 10 megawatts from the utility. Very rarely are all the vehicles plugging in at the same time with a low state of charge, so it’s unlikely that you’ll have all of those chargers running at full power at the same time. Therefore, it’s possible to have more chargers than power at the site. However, then they need to ensure that the site is protected and that they’re not exceeding the power available from the utility at any point.

“So, this new UL standard takes energy management a step further to require the system to do one additional function, which is protect the system. It’s not focused just on cost management or energy efficiency. It’s also protecting the system from overload.

“That standard’s supposed to be out this year. I think that, once this is available, this makes it even more [feasible] for these energy management and power control systems to exist in the switchboard, because there’ll be a standard that defines the function of how that system should work, and people will feel comfortable choosing it.”

Are all these functions available in a product that you can buy from ABB right now? “They’re actually two separate offerings,” Putignano explains. “We have the switchboard part, which is the breakers and the electrical distribution, and then you can complement that with a microgrid control system, which we’re working on to [comply with] that standard specification.”

Source: ABB E-Mobility

French battery manufacturer WATTALPS is offering batteries based on immersion cooling technology.

All cells and busbars in the company’s batteries are fully immersed in an electrically isolating dielectric fluid that is non-flammable, non-toxic and biodegradable. The batteries deliver passive safety thanks to technology that prevents propagation of cell thermal runaway, and active safety through the battery management system, according to the company.

The battery specifications range from 48-800 V and from 10-500 kWh or more, and incorporate native IP67 and IP69K design. Thermal management enables repeated fast charges and high current peaks—even in harsh conditions including temperatures from -20° C to +50° C as well as dust, shock, water and vibrations.

WATTALPS is an IEC 62619 and ISO 26262 up to ASIL C-certified provider and works with customers to design battery packs to meet their needs.

“The rectangular block shape modules have the smallest form factor on the market and enable compact battery packs with quick integration,” according to the company.

Source: WATTALPS

American Battery Solutions has announced a $132-million contract to provide terminal tractor manufacturer TICO with its Proliance Intelligent Battery Series 700-volt lithium-ion batteries to power TICO’s in-house fleet of Pro-Spotter Electric terminal trucks.

TICO, which manufactures the Pro-Spotter Electric terminal trucks, also uses some 2,000 of them in its port equipment rental pools.

The use of ABS’s high-voltage, off-the-shelf Proliant battery packs will give TICO’s vehicles a scalable range of onboard energy levels, including 104, 208 and 312 kWh options.

“By integrating the ABS Proliance T700-100 battery packs with multiple energy capacity solutions, TICO can offer flexibility and reliability to meet a range of operational needs,“ said Subhash Dhar, CEO of ABS.

Terminal trucks, which are also referred to as terminal tractors, as well as by several more colorful names, including yard trucks, yard dogs, yard mules and, in the United Kingdom, terminal lorries, are semi-tractor vehicles designed to move semi-trailers within a warehouse facility, cargo yard or intermodal facility.

TICO, which stands for Terminal Investment Corporation, commenced operations in 1946, first starting in bus transportation and terminal businesses in the 1950s and 1960s to port-related labor transportation in the 1960s and 1970s, at which point the current model of port equipment rental pools and trailer truck manufacturing took hold.

Source: American Battery Solutions

Kenworth introduced two new battery-electric trucks at the recent ACT Expo. The T880E, a Class 8 vocational electric truck for the North American truck market. The Next Generation T680E is designed for short and regional haul, LTL and drayage operations. Both are now available for order from Kenworth dealers in the US and Canada, and customer deliveries are scheduled to begin later this year.

The T880E Class 8 vocational electric truck

The all-new T880E is driven by the ePowertrain platform, which was developed in-house by Kenworth parent company PACCAR. The fully integrated powertrain system delivers between 365-470 hp continuous power and up to 605 hp peak with 1,850 lb-ft of torque.

The T880E offers four battery-string options, along with wheelbase and vehicle configurations to fit a variety of customer needs. The largest battery configuration offers 625 kWh of energy, boasts 250+ miles of range, and is offered in gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR) up to 82,000 lbs. The T880E uses a CCS1 DC charge port, and supports a 350 kW peak charging rate.

Joe Adams, Kenworth’s Chief Engineer, explains that the central drive eMotor allows for wheelbase flexibility and lift axle installations, and makes for a vocational-friendly BEV integration. The T880E will feature factory-installed options for high- and low-voltage ePTO ports, which can be used to power equipment, a mechanical ePTO, or body configurations in conjunction with aftermarket upfitters.

The T880E is offered in both set-back front axle and set-forward front axle configurations with the same multi-piece hood construction as the legacy diesel T880. Inside the cab, driver-focused technology includes the Kenworth SmartWheel and a new 15-inch DriverConnect digital touchscreen. Driver assistance features include DigitalVision Mirrors, Bendix Fusion and Lane Keeping Assist.

“The Kenworth T880E marks a groundbreaking milestone in Kenworth’s history as we bring to market the first Class 8 battery-electric solution built for vocational applications,” said Kevin Haygood, Assistant General Manager for Sales and Marketing. “The T880E is engineered to meet the evolving needs of operators and vocational fleets while still providing the durability, reliability and customization our customers expect.”

The Next Generation T680E electric truck for short-haul and drayage

The Next Generation T680E is designed for short- and regional-haul, LTL, and drayage operations. It is available as either a tractor or straight truck in a 6×4 axle configuration.

The T680E’s ePowertrain system delivers between 365 and 470 hp continuous power and up to 605 hp peak, with 1,850 lb-ft of torque. According to Joe Adams, the central drive eMotor and updated vehicle architecture allows for increased battery capacity, charging speeds, wheelbase flexibility, and drivability.

The T680E offers three battery-string configurations, allowing for customizable range, horsepower ratings and vehicle weight to fit customer requirements. The largest battery configuration features a 500 kWh battery pack that delivers 200+ miles of range, and is offered in GVWRs up to 82,000 lb. The T680E also supports CCS1 DC fast charging at up to 350 kWh.

“This move to a fully integrated and ground-up PACCAR design means we were able to design for enhanced serviceability, providing easier access to the Master Service Disconnects for improved safety and increased uptime and allowing the use of the DAVIE service tool for troubleshooting and diagnostics,” Adams said.

Like the T880E, the T680E features an upgraded digital interface that provides drivers with BEV-specific insights into range, regenerative braking, and performance, and the same choice of Kenworth ADAS packages.

Source: Kenworth

Battery inspection technology firm EVident Battery has closed a $3.2-million seed funding round to accelerate the development of its products.

The round was led by Ibex Investors, and included Nationwide Ventures, Automotive Ventures, Avesta Fund and angels in the EV space.

EVident Battery has developed non-destructive EV battery pack inspection systems that execute in less than two minutes. Non-cell failures have previously been undetectable without destructive teardown, according to the company.

EVident Battery has launched a pilot product, marking a step toward commercialization, enabling the company to validate performance, refine its AI models and scale deployment.

Jeff Peters, Partner and Head of Mobility VC at Ibex Investors, is joining EVident’s Board of Directors. “Most attention from automakers and startups is focused on cell-related battery state of health. However, an EV is much more than a collection of cells,” said he. “EVident has created a unique diagnostic for the structural integrity of the entire battery pack. We are excited about the opportunity this technology unlocks in manufacturing quality control, ongoing monitoring, the second-hand EV market, and ultimately end-of-life disposition.”

“This funding allows us to accelerate our roadmap, bringing to market battery inspection technology that is not only high-performing but also environmentally conscious,” said Jinqiang Ning, CEO of EVident Battery. “Our goals are to standardize EV battery service and inspection and to build a centralized EV battery database for full transparency.”

Source: EVident Battery