Tasty Tech Eye Candy Of The Week (July 12)
Alternative energy is revving up without any emissions.
Airbus E-Fan becomes first electric plane to cross Channel [VIDEO]
Airbus Group's E-Fan technology demonstrator today became the world's first twin-engine, battery-powered electric plane to successfully cross the English Channel—more than 100 years after Louis Blériot became the first pilot to make the journey.
Powered by lithium-ion batteries, the E-Fan took off from Lydd, England, and completed the 74-kilometer (46-mile) flight to Calais, France in 37 minutes.
"The E-Fan project and today's historic Channel crossing show that the pioneering spirit and ingenuity demonstrated by Louis Blériot and the other early aviators is still alive today," Airbus CTO Jean Botti said in a statement. "The 10th of July 2015 will now join the list of famous days in aviation history, and I'm sure Blériot would be proud of this achievement."
Since April 2014, the E-Fan has made more than 100 flights, and was put on display during last month's Paris Air Show.
Already, the Airbus team is working on the E-Fan 2.0—an electric two-seater aimed at pilot training—which will be followed by the E-Fan 4.0—a four-seat aircraft for full pilot licensing and the general aviation market.
The all-electric plane aims to reduce noise, emissions, and vibration caused by conventionally powered engines. Plus, its two battery packs provide 60 kilowatts of power, suitable for 45 minutes to one hour of flight.
Electric Planes Make History By Flying Over English Channel
Two French pilots have flown electric planes over the English Channel. Continue reading →
Video Review: BMW i8 Is a Futuristic Hybrid That Drives Like a Rocket
This plug-in has an all-electric range of 22 miles, but it also has a turbocharged 1.5-liter gasoline engine, which helps propel the car to 60 m.p.h. in 4 seconds. Electric truck takes up delivery duties for BMW in Munich
100% electric trucks from the BMW Group and the SCHERM group will be in service from today in Munich. This means the BMW Group will be the first automobile manufacturer in Europe to use a 40-ton electric truck for material transport on public roads. It was launched at the BMW Group Plant in Munich by Bavaria’s Minister of Economic Affairs, Ilse Aigner.
The electric 40-ton truck – a model from the Dutch manufacturer Terberg – has successfully completed its first test drives. On 7 July, the car will go into regular operation and travel eight times a day between the SCHERM group logistics centre and the BMW Group plant in Munich. It will transport different vehicle components, such as shock absorbers, springs and steering systems.
The electric truck by the BMW Group and the SCHERM group will be exclusively charged with electricity from renewable sources. The combination of this and the alternative driveline means the 40-ton truck helps the environment while it is on the road – it’s CO2-free, quiet and generates almost no fine particle pollution. Compared to a diesel engine truck, the electric truck will save 11.8 tons of CO2 annually. This is equivalent to the distance a BMW 320d Efficient Dynamics would travel when going around the world almost three times.
The truck battery takes three to four hours to charge. When fully charged, the vehicle has a range of up to 100 kilometres. Thus, the electric truck can theoretically complete a full production day without any additional recharging.
Bavaria’s Minister for Economic Affairs, Ilse Aigner: “Bavaria is a leading industrial and research location. It is crucial that the Bavarian economy is also at the forefront in electric mobility. BMW is making an important contribution to this and is showing that you can succeed on the global market with sustainable products made by innovative companies.”
Hermann Bohrer, Head of the BMW Group Plant in Munich: “With our electric truck, we are sending another strong signal for sustainable urban mobility. We are contributing to reducing emissions in the city and are proud to be the first automotive manufacturer in Europe to use an electric truck of this size to transport materials on public roads.” Thus, the innovative truck is another valuable contribution to sustainable production.
Jürgen Maidl, Head of Logistics at BMW Group, emphasised the potential of the electric truck. “With this project we will gain valuable information on what will be possible with electric trucks in the future for city logistics. The BMW Group, along with our partner the SCHERM Group, is once again bravely embarking on a new journey and delivering pioneering work.”
Kurt J. F. Scherm, CEO of the SCHERM group underlined: “As a supplier of transport solutions, it is especially important to us to offer sustainable transport. The electric truck is the first step towards CO2-reduced transport logistics. In addition, this innovative truck is charged with 100% green energy.“
Urban mobility – and for the BMW Group this also includes urban logistics and transport — is a topic with great future potential. Since the end of 2013, the BMW i brand has been on the market. In addition, the company has launched its successful car-sharing programme DriveNow and established it in international cities. The BMW i3 vehicles are currently being introduced into the DriveNow fleets step by step.
London’s Iconic Double-Decker Buses to go Electric
One of the world's most recognized transportation systems, TFL (Transportation for London), known for their iconic red, double-decker buses, has contracted for the manufacture of a brand new, battery electric replacement. The company selected to build the next generation London Bus double-deckers is global electric vehicle leader, BYD Company Ltd.
The announcement took place at this week's C40: Clean Bus Summit held at London City Hall. Breaking the news was the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.
"Many believed that a pure electric double-decker bus would not be possible due to the size of the battery packs required to power it," said Mayor Johnson. "However by working with BYD and utilizing the latest cutting edge technology London has been able to secure another world first. The new electric double-decker trial will see the zero emission double-decker buses manufactured by BYD enter service on Route 16 from October."
Also addressing the Clean Bus Summit was BYD's Managing Director of European Operations, Isbrand Ho.
"We are delighted to be chosen by London as its partner for the world debut of our new pure electric double-decker. As the Mayor has said, this is genuinely world beating new technology," said Ho. "Since BYD is by far the world's largest maker of zero emission pure electric buses and as such is keen to promote their take up and use as quickly as possible we are also pleased to have today supported the Declaration and pledged BYD to helping promote zero – not just ultra low – emission vehicles on the streets of the world's major cities."
BYD's Battery Electric bus employs many advanced technologies developed in-house by a staff of more than 15,000 R&D engineers including the BYD Iron-Phosphate Battery which boasts the only 12-year-battery warranty in the industry. Combined with BYD's proprietary hub motors and regenerative braking system, the BYD battery electric bus offers the lowest life cycle cost of ownership.
The BYD electric bus delivers a host of operational and environmental benefits for public transit riders, bus operators and residents of the community – it is very quiet and ensures a comfortable ride without vibrations, jerks or the noise associated with the conventional buses and combustion engines. The bus can also drive for more than 155 miles even in heavy city traffic on a single charge. As of April 1st, 2015, BYD bus fleets have completed greater than 50 million miles "in revenue service" and have been evaluated by more than 150 cities in 36 countries around the world. To date, BYD has built over 5,000 electric buses globally, making it by far the most popular electric transit vehicle on the planet.
Nissan Leaf to get 200 km range by August
Nissan plans a midcycle update as early as August that aims to deliver a big increase in the Leaf's driving range.
The improvements will come from increasing the battery capacity from the current 24-kilowatt-hour power pack to 30 kWh. The increase will boost range to 200 km (125 miles).
CEO Carlos Ghosn outlined future EV steps at the company's annual shareholders meeting Tuesday, June 23. Nissan is developing a lighter, thinner, cheaper battery to enable driving ranges comparable with gasoline vehicles in the "near future," he said.
Next to him on stage, Nissan displayed a Leaf equipped with a prototype next-generation electric drivetrain. That technology, which is under development and being tested, achieves a range of more than 500 kilometers (310 miles).
Ghosn said the goal of the next-generation battery is to eliminate range anxiety by providing enough cushion for people to complete their daily drive and "return home with ample charge."
A video simulation showed the car charging up to a range of more than 310 miles and ending the day with a drivable range of 160 miles still in reserve.
Yet even before that next-generation battery hits the market, Nissan plans an interim upgrade for its flagship green car. "We will not wait for its completion to move forward," Ghosn said.
VW ‘close to battery breakthrough’ next-gen e-Golf to get 300km range
Volkswagen is closing in on a new battery technology that will bring “a quantum leap for the electric car”, according to the firm’s boss Martin Winterkorn.
Winterkorn told German tabloid newspaper Bild, "VW is researching a super-battery in Silicon Valley in California, that is cheaper, smaller and more powerful. An electric Volkswagen that can travel 300km (186 miles) on electricity is in sight. It will be a quantum leap for the electric car.”
As we reported back in December, VW acquired a 5% holding in QuantumScape, a San Jose-based early-stage battery startup that has been working on commercializing solid-state battery technology from Stanford University.
Volkswagen was due to decide in the first half of this year whether QuantumScape's battery technology is ready for use in its electric cars.
Mini Superleggera to have BMW i8 plug-in hybrid powertrain – reversed
The Mini Superleggera concept is getting closer to production, as new details on its powertrain have emerged.
Production Mini Superleggera concept could use a plug-in hybrid powertrain similar to that of the i8 sports car according to Autocar sources.
That arrangement will see a petrol engine mounted at the front, with an electric motor mounted at the rear axle, along the same lines as BMW's all-wheel-drive range-extender electric car powertrain. It will be based on the same UKL platform which already underpins the rest of the Mini range as well as the BMW 2-Series Active Tourer.
BMW board member with the responsibility for Mini Peter Schwarzenbauer said that Mini was still exploring the potential of plug-in hybrid and EV technology. "every new Mini model will come with a hybrid option, Plug-in hybrids are economically a little easier," he said "Full electric is extremely challenging. Finding a small space to put all the batteries in is extremely challenging. We are working on both possibilities."
Schwarzenbauer said "There is no decision at the moment, but we have a lot of people here that are fighting hard for it. One of our superheroes will be an open car. I'm not saying the Superleggera will come, but you will have an open car."
Samsung doubles lithium ion battery capacity
Samsung researchers have developed materials that double the power capacity of lithium-ion batteries.
Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) said the technology uses silicon cathode material coded with high-crystalline graphene to produce batteries with twice as much capacity as ordinary lithium-ion batteries.
The institute said the research result was published in the international science journal Nature Communication on Thursday.
The research team said the new technology is expected to enhance the performance of mobile devices and electric vehicles.
"The research has dramatically improved the capacity of lithium-ion batteries by applying a new synthesis method of high-crystalline graphene to a high-capacity silicon cathode," said Son In-hyuk, a professional researcher at SAIT. "We will continue to improve the secondary cell technology to meet the expanding demand from mobile device and electric vehicle markets."
The lithium-ion battery was introduced in 1991 and its storage capacity has been gradually improved. But the material's properties have limited improvements to capacity, failing to follow skyrocketing demand from the mobile and electric car industries.
Consequently, researchers worldwide have accelerated the development of materials for a high-capacity battery that can fundamentally overcome the limitations in graphite material.
One of them is silicon, which is expected to realize more than 10 times the power capacity compared with graphite. But the research has faced serious technological problems over drastic degradation of battery life.
SAIT said its researchers turned to graphene, a relatively new material that is physically strong and highly conductive, to solve this problem.
This material has up to four times the capacity compared with graphite and can double the energy density of ordinary lithium-ion batteries, the institute said.
Patents covering the new technology have been applied for in Korea, China, Europe and the United States.
