Category: EV Technology

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GKN to use F1 technology to improve fuel efficiency of London buses

GKN plc and The Go-Ahead Group have agreed a deal that will help reduce emissions in cities with the supply of electric flywheel systems to 500 buses over the next two years.

The innovative GKN system is based on Formula One race technology developed in the UK. It will help increase the efficiency of every bus to which it is fitted by using less fuel and therefore reducing carbon emissions. This same technology helped Audi’s R18 e-tron win at Le Mans last month.

Go-Ahead has placed an order for GKN Hybrid Power to supply 500 of its Gyrodrive systems to the transport operator. The Gyrodrive system uses a high speed flywheel made of carbon fibre to store the energy generated by a bus as it slows down to stop. It then uses the stored energy to power an electric motor which helps accelerate the bus back up to speed, generating fuel savings of more than 20% at a significantly lower cost than battery hybrid alternatives.

The agreement covers the supply of the complete Gyrodrive system, including the innovative GKN Hybrid Power flywheel as well as GKN’s advanced EVO electric motor, a GKN designed and manufactured gearbox, and installation. The system is designed to last for the life of the bus eliminating the need for any battery changes.

Following successful trials on buses in London, Go-Ahead intends to utilise the technology in cities it serves across the UK, initially in London and Oxford.

Philip Swash, CEO GKN Land Systems, said: ‘This is an important milestone for GKN Hybrid Power. We’ve worked in close partnership with Go-Ahead throughout the development of this innovative technology and it’s very exciting to move into the production phase.

The fact that we are using the same groundbreaking technology that helped Audi win at Le Mans for the past three years to improve fuel efficiency in the public transport sector also shows what great innovation there is in the UK’s engineering sector.’ CEO of Go-Ahead, David Brown, added: ’Our collaboration with GKN has been a most constructive one. We have a strong record in continually reducing our carbon emissions and flywheel technology will help us make buses an even more environmentally responsible choice and encourage more people to travel by public transport.

The flywheel technology helps us to reduce our fuel consumption and C02 emissions so improving air quality for all those living, working and visiting the city.’

GKN Hybrid Power is based in Oxfordshire, with final assembly taking place in a new facility at GKN’s site in Telford. The Gyrodrive technology is being further developed for other mass transit markets including trams, construction and agricultural equipment. Earlier this year GKN announced the acquisition of Williams Hybrid Power from Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited to form GKN Hybrid Power, which is focused on delivering complete hybrid solutions across multiple vehicle, power and industrial markets.

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Continental introduce tire optimized for hybrids [VIDEO]

Continental has taken the Conti.eContact that was originally launched in 2011 with electric vehicles in mind and refined it to meet the needs of hybrid models. Thanks to the introduction of numerous new technologies and processes, this new and extensively hand-crafted summer tire is the first from Continental to obtain the top A rating on the EU Tire Label for both wet grip and rolling resistance, while making no significant compromises in terms of the many other performance parameters.

With immediate effect Continental is offering the Conti.eContact in six sizes for 17 and 18-inch rims, specially designed for models such as the Opel Ampera, BMW 5 ActiveHybrid, Lexus LS 600h and Porsche Cayenne S Hybrid, as well as other cars and SUVs with hybrid drive. Given that this is a new vehicle segment that also involves highly complex production processes, Continental is kicking off with low-volume production at its French tire plant in Sarreguemines.

The rolling resistance of the new Conti.eContact for hybrid vehicles is some 20 percent lower than in a conventional tire, while delivering a wet braking performance similar to that of a normal car tire. This is made possible by a combination of advanced technologies in the development, compounding and production sectors. In terms of handling and braking on dry roads, the tire performs at the same high level as a Continental sedan tire of comparable size. As a member of the Continental tire family for hybrid and electric vehicles, the Conti.eContact bears the “BlueEco” logo on the sidewall. Continental’s in-house studies point to incremental growth in the proportion of hybrid vehicles in the passenger car segment, which could account for as much as eight percent by 2020.

Green Chili compound
Featuring the newly developed Green Chili compound, the silica compound of the new Conti.eContact for hybrid vehicles is made up in such a way that the internal friction of the filler particles and the polymers is lower than in conventional rubber compounds. The use of special additives provides an additional boost in terms of handling properties. With this new compound, the chemists at Continental have achieved a marked reduction in rolling resistance, while maintaining a high level of handling and braking performance on dry roads.

Hydro-sipes

On wet roads the specially configured twin sipes in the tread blocks generate a ‘windshield wiper’ effect that breaks up the film of water under the contact patch. This smart thinking by the tread designers at Continental enables the water between the surface of the tread blocks and the road to be rapidly dispersed, making for very short stopping distances in the wet. The fast dispersion of the water also benefits the tire’s wet handling – even at higher speeds. The tread design makes a valuable contribution to the short stopping distances in the wet that led to the Conti.eContact’s A rating for wet grip on the EU Tire Label.

AeroFlex technologyAlong with the new technologies adopted for the compound and tread design, the sidewalls of the new Conti.eContact have also been redesigned. In this case the tire designers focused on minimizing aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance. This they achieved through the aerodynamically modified sidewall and its flexible, lightweight design. As a result, in the new Conti.eContact less energy is lost when the tire deflects and rebounds than in a conventional tire. In addition, the drop in turbulence has led to a further reduction in the tire’s contribution to fuel consumption.

ContiSilent

When hybrid vehicles run in electric mode they are virtually silent. As tire noise is no longer drowned out by other sources of noise such as a conventional engine, it is all the more noticeable. Consequently, the new Conti.eContact is designed to generate minimum audible noise in the vehicle interior. This is achieved with the aid of ContiSilent technology. A thin layer of polyurethane foam attached to the inside of the tread reduces the vibrations that are generated as the tire rolls along the road. This means that less vibration is communicated to the chassis, leading to a lower level of noise in the cabin.

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Toyota Improve hybrid fuel efficiency by 10% with SiC Inverter

Toyota in collaboration with Denso has developed a silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor for use in automotive power control units. Toyota will begin test driving vehicles fitted with the new PCUs on public roads in Japan within a year.

Through use of SiC power semiconductors, Toyota aims to improve hybrid vehicle fuel efficiency by 10 percent under the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's JC08 test cycle and reduce PCU size by 80 percent compared to current PCUs with silicon-only power semiconductors. SiC power semiconductors have low power loss when switching on and off, allowing for efficient current flow even at higher frequencies. This enables the coil and capacitor, which account for approximately 40 percent of the size of the PCU, to be reduced in size.

PCUs play an important role in hybrids and other vehicles with an electrified powertrain: they supply electrical power from the battery to the motor to control vehicle speed, and also send electricity generated during deceleration to the battery for storage. However, PCUs account for approximately 25 percent of the total electrical power loss in HVs, with an estimated 20 percent of the total loss associated with the power semiconductors alone. Therefore, a key way to improve fuel efficiency is to improve power semiconductor efficiency, specifically by reducing resistance experienced by the passing current. Since launching the “Prius” gasoline-electric HV in 1997, Toyota has been working on in-house development of power semiconductors and on improving HV fuel efficiency.

As SiC enables higher efficiency than silicon alone, Toyota CRDL and Denso began basic research in the 1980s, with Toyota participating from 2007 to jointly develop SiC semiconductors for practical use. Toyota has installed the jointly developed SiC power semiconductors in PCUs for prototype HVs, and test driving on test courses has confirmed a fuel efficiency increase exceeding 5 percent under the JC08 test cycle.

In December last year, Toyota established a clean room for dedicated development of SiC semiconductors at its Hirose Plant, which is a facility for research, development and production of devices such as electronic controllers and semiconductors.

In addition to improved engine and aerodynamic performance, Toyota is positioning high efficiency power semiconductors as a key technology for improving fuel efficiency for HVs and other vehicles with electrified powertrains. Going forward, Toyota will continue to boost development activities aimed at early implementation of SiC power semiconductors.

Toyota will exhibit the technology at the 2014 Automotive Engineering Exposition, to be held from May 21 to May 23 at the Pacifico Yokohama convention center in Yokohama.

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BMW to launch Carbon Fiber wheels

BMW could offer entire wheels in carbon fiber reinforced plastic, are close to production and available in one or two years. According to BMW the full-CFRP wheel is 35-percent lighter than a forged alloy wheel, and the one using a CFRP rim and alloy spokes will be 25-percent lighter.

Innovative use of materials in the BMW i3 and BMW i8.
Systematic lightweight design is particularly important on electrically powered vehicles, given that vehicle weight is one of two main constraints on vehicle range, along with battery capacity. For EVs, too, reduced weight means reduced energy consumption and improved driving dynamics. In order to offset the weight penalty of the electric components, the BMW Group came up with a rigorous lightweight design strategy for the BMW i brand in the form of the LifeDrive concept, an innovative vehicle architecture which for the first time combines an aluminium chassis and a CFRP passenger cell.

CFRP: high-tech material of the future.
Carbon-fibre-reinforced plastic (CFRP) boasts a particularly favourable strength-to-weight ratio and is therefore an ideal material for use in the vehicle body. For the same functionality, CFRP is around 30 per cent lighter than aluminium and 50 per cent lighter than steel. Used in the right places, this material therefore reduces weight, optimises the vehicle’s centre of gravity and improves body strength. This material is currently being used not only in the new BMW i3 and BMW i8 models: the sporty BMW M3/M4 and BMW M6 models have likewise been utilising the benefits of this high-tech material for some time. Components such as their roof and bumper supports are made of CFRP. The BMW Group is currently working on further potential applications, including the use of this material in rotating-mass components. Examples include hybrid aluminium/CFRP wheel rims, while CFRP’s high rigidity and low weight allow the CFRP propeller shaft on the BMW M3/M4 to be produced as a single-piece component, without a centre bearing. This results in 40 per cent weight savings over the previous model and reduced rotating masses, leading to further improved response.

In future, other BMW and MINI models will also benefit from this lightweight material in various ways. For example, production offcuts can be reprocessed into “secondary” (recycled-content) CFRP, which can be used to reduce the weight of components such as seat frames, instrument panel frames and spare wheels by up to 30 per cent, with simultaneous improvements in terms of cost-efficient, environmentally friendly manufacturing.

Technology leader in mass production of CFRP components.
After more than ten years of intensive research, resulting in improvements to processes, materials, production machinery and tools, the BMW Group has today become the first and only car manufacturer in the world with the necessary know-how to use CFRP in mass production. The processing technology used is unique and cycle times for even the more complex CFRP components are unusually short. The same is true of the specially developed bonding process used in the fully automated assembly of body parts.

As well as setting standards in the production of CFRP finished components, the BMW Group also attaches utmost importance to the use of environmentally friendly, resource-efficient and largely CO2-free processes in the manufacture and processing of the raw materials themselves. From fibre production right through to recycling of fibres and composites, the company is involved in all the various process steps in a state-of-the-art CFRP production chain that begins in Moses Lake in the USA and moves through Wackersdorf and Landshut to final assembly in Leipzig.

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DENSO to Test Wireless Charging System

Global automotive supplier DENSO Corporation will begin a ten-month field test of its wireless battery charging system in Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The field test is intended to identify any potential operational issues and also look at ways to enhance the convenience of wireless charging. The field test will begin on Feb. 24 and end in December 2014.

How it works:

When there are two coils apart, electric current can flow through one coil by applying electricity to the other coil. The wireless charging system uses this mechanism to wirelessly transmit power from a power transmission pad on the ground to a power-receiving pad equipped on a vehicle.

For the test, DENSO has equipped a Yamato Transport delivery truck with a power receiver that will wirelessly receive the energy from a power transmission pad located on the pavement of a 7-Eleven convenience store parking lot. The electricity charged in the truck’s battery is then used to power the refrigeration system while the engine is stopped during pickups and deliveries. Not only will the system improve convenience, but it will also help reduce emissions of refrigeration trucks since the battery will continue to power the refrigeration system even when the engine is off.

DENSO has been developing the wireless charging system with the goal to commercialize by 2020. DENSO is working to reduce the size, weight, and cost of the system while also looking to enhance convenience.

In Japan, Toyota City is designated as an experimental city for next-generation energy sources and social systems, a program which has been promoted by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry since April 2010.

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Mitsubishi Develops EV Motor Drive with Built-in Silicon Carbide Inverter

Mitsubishi Electric today announced it has developed a prototype electric vehicle (EV) motor drive system with a built-in silicon-carbide inverter. The EV motor drive system, the smallest of its kind, will enable manufacturers to develop EVs offering more passenger space and greater energy efficiency.

Mitsubishi Electric plans to commercialize its new EV motor system after finalizing technologies for motor/inverter cooling, further downsizing and additional efficiency.

Features

1)Downsized motor drive system with integrated all silicon-carbide inverter
-Achieves further system downsizing (14.1L, 60kW) with smaller motor resulting from improved thermal resistance between motor drive system and cooling system.
-Equal to existing EV motors in power and volume, enabling replacement.
2)Improved motor cooling performance
-Integrates cooling system for motor and inverter thanks to cylindrical shape of power module accommodating parallel cooling ducts for motor and inverter.
-Ensures stable cooling with even a low-power pump.

Global demand for EVs and hybrid EVs (HEVs) has been growing in recent years, reflecting increasingly strict regulations for fuel efficiency and growing public interest in saving energy resources and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. As EVs and HEVs require relatively large spaces to accommodate their robust battery systems, there is a strong need to reduce the size and weight of motor systems and other equipment to ensure sufficient passenger space.

Patents
Pending patents for the technology announced in this news release number 94 in Japan and 29 abroad.

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Maxwell & SK to Develop Integrated Lithium Ion Battery-Ultracapacitor

Maxwell Technologies announced today that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with SK Innovation, a subsidiary of SK Holdings and Korea's leading energy provider, to develop next generation energy storage solutions leveraging the complementary characteristics of SK's lithium ion batteries and Maxwell's ultracapacitors.

The two companies will explore and identify global commercial opportunities for products that enable enhanced functionality and improve energy efficiency in industrial, transportation and other markets. Lithium ion batteries are characterized by their high energy density, while ultracapacitors offer rapid charge and discharge capabilities, reliable performance in extreme temperature conditions and long operational life.

"As our name implies, we are seeking to move beyond the limitations of existing technologies to develop and deliver products that better meet the requirements of the most demanding energy storage and power delivery applications," said Stephen J. Kim of SK Innovation's battery division. "Our goal is to develop truly differentiated products that will create large new opportunities for both companies."

"While our respective products currently meet the needs of many applications as stand-alone solutions, Maxwell has always believed that ultracapacitors and batteries can be integrated to provide optimized products that offer the best of both worlds in terms of energy and power," said David Schramm, Maxwell's president and chief executive officer. "We are very pleased to have found a major lithium-ion battery producer in SK Innovation that is willing to invest in joint product and market exploration."

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MIT researchers find a way to boost lithium-air battery performance [VIDEO]

Lithium-air batteries have become a hot research area in recent years: They hold the promise of drastically increasing power per battery weight, which could lead, for example, to electric cars with a much greater driving range. But bringing that promise to reality has faced a number of challenges, including the need to develop better, more durable materials for the batteries’ electrodes and improving the number of charging-discharging cycles the batteries can withstand.

Now, MIT researchers have found that adding genetically modified viruses to the production of nanowires — wires that are about the width of a red blood cell, and which can serve as one of a battery’s electrodes — could help solve some of these problems.

The new work is described in a paper published in the journal Nature Communications, co-authored by graduate student Dahyun Oh, professors Angela Belcher and Yang Shao-Horn, and three others. The key to their work was to increase the surface area of the wire, thus increasing the area where electrochemical activity takes place during charging or discharging of the battery.

The researchers produced an array of nanowires, each about 80 nanometers across, using a genetically modified virus called M13, which can capture molecules of metals from water and bind them into structural shapes. In this case, wires of manganese oxide — a “favorite material” for a lithium-air battery’s cathode, Belcher says — were actually made by the viruses. But unlike wires “grown” through conventional chemical methods, these virus-built nanowires have a rough, spiky surface, which dramatically increases their surface area.

Belcher, the W.M. Keck Professor of Energy and a member of MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, explains that this process of biosynthesis is “really similar to how an abalone grows its shell” — in that case, by collecting calcium from seawater and depositing it into a solid, linked structure.

The increase in surface area produced by this method can provide “a big advantage,” Belcher says, in lithium-air batteries’ rate of charging and discharging. But the process also has other potential advantages, she says: Unlike conventional fabrication methods, which involve energy-intensive high temperatures and hazardous chemicals, this process can be carried out at room temperature using a water-based process.

Also, rather than isolated wires, the viruses naturally produce a three-dimensional structure of cross-linked wires, which provides greater stability for an electrode.

A final part of the process is the addition of a small amount of a metal, such as palladium, which greatly increases the electrical conductivity of the nanowires and allows them to catalyze reactions that take place during charging and discharging. Other groups have tried to produce such batteries using pure or highly concentrated metals as the electrodes, but this new process drastically lowers how much of the expensive material is needed.

Altogether, these modifications have the potential to produce a battery that could provide two to three times greater energy density — the amount of energy that can be stored for a given weight — than today’s best lithium-ion batteries, a closely related technology that is today's top contender, the researchers say.

Belcher emphasizes that this is early-stage research, and much more work is needed to produce a lithium-air battery that’s viable for commercial production. This work only looked at the production of one component, the cathode; other essential parts, including the electrolyte — the ion conductor that lithium ions traverse from one of the battery’s electrodes to the other — require further research to find reliable, durable materials. Also, while this material was successfully tested through 50 cycles of charging and discharging, for practical use a battery must be capable of withstanding thousands of these cycles.

While these experiments used viruses for the molecular assembly, Belcher says that once the best materials for such batteries are found and tested, actual manufacturing might be done in a different way. This has happened with past materials developed in her lab, she says: The chemistry was initially developed using biological methods, but then alternative means that were more easily scalable for industrial-scale production were substituted in the actual manufacturing.

Jie Xiao, a research scientist at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory who was not involved in this work, calls it “a great contribution to guide the research on how to effectively manipulate” catalysis in lithium-air batteries. She says this “novel approach … not only provides new insights for lithium-air batteries,” but also “the template introduced in this work is also readily adaptable for other catalytic systems.”

In addition to Oh, Belcher, and Shao-Horn, the work was carried out by MIT research scientists Jifa Qi and Yong Zhang and postdoc Yi-Chun Lu. The work was supported by the U.S. Army Research Office and the National Science Foundation.

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Graphene Supercapacitors Ready For Electric Vehicles

Automakers are always searching for ways to improve the efficiency, and therefore the range, of electric vehicles. One way to do this is to regenerate and reuse the energy that would normally be wasted when the brakes slow a vehicle down.

There is a problem doing this with conventional batteries, however. Braking occurs over timescales measured in seconds but that’s much too fast for batteries which generally take many hours to charge. So car makers have to find other ways to store this energy.

One of the more promising is to use supercapacitors because they can charge quickly and then discharge the energy just as fast.

Researchers at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology in Korea say they have developed a high-performance graphene supercapacitors that stores almost as much energy as a lithium-ion battery, can charge and discharge in seconds and maintain all this over many tens of thousands of charging cycles.

The Koreans say they have perfected a highly porous form of graphene that has a huge internal surface area. This is created by reducing graphene oxide particles with hydrazine in water agitated with ultrasound.

The graphene powder is then packed into a coin-shaped cell, and dried at 140 degrees C and at a pressure of 300/kg/cm for five hours.

The resulting graphene electrode is highly porous. A single gram has a surface area bigger than a basketball court. That’s important because it allows the electrode to accomodate much more electrolyte (an ionic liquid called EBIMF 1 M). And this ultimately determines the amount of charge the supercapacitor can hold.

Santhakumar Kannappan at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology have measured the performance of their supercapacitor at a specific capacitance of over 150 Farrads per gram that can store energy at a density of more than 64 Watt hours per kilogram at a current density of 5 Amps per gram.

That’s almost comparable with lithium-ion batteries which have an energy density of between 100 and 200 Watt hours per kilogram.

These supercapacitors have other advantages too. Kannappan and co say they can fully charge them in just 16 seconds and have repeated this some ten thousand times without a significant reduction in capacitance. “These values are the highest so far reported in the literature,” they say.

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Volvo Developing Wireless Charging for Electric Vehicles

The Swedish car manufacturer has announced the development of an energy transfer technology that uses electromagnetic fields. Long term, Volvo sees the technology leading to cordless charging solutions for its hybrid and all-electric vehicles.

In an official press release, Volvo's Vice President for Electric Propulsion Systems, Lennart Stegland, announced that “inductive charging has great potential” and is “a comfortable and effective way to conveniently transfer energy.” Volvo's tests also indicated that the method is safe, although there are currently no common standards for charging vehicles using induction, a fact that makes it difficult to bring it to mainstream consumers in the near future. Nonetheless, Volvo will continue researching the concept and will soon evaluate the feasibility of integrating it into future hybrid and all-electric cars.

Inductive charging uses electromagnetic fields to transfer energy from one source to another. One induction coil, located in the power source, creates an alternating electromagnetic field, while a second coil draws the energy from the first to recharge the vehicle's battery. Charging begins automatically as soon as the vehicle is positioned over the charging apparatus, without requiring the use of cables or plugs. Volvo claims that the technology is already used today in a number of home appliances, such as electric toothbrushes.

The research project was carried out in partnership with Flanders' Drive, an automotive industry think tank in Belgium. The study showed that it is possible to recharge the Volvo C30 Electric without the use of cables in 2 hours and 30 minutes.

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WiTricity Secures Additional $25 Million in Funding

WiTricity announced today it has secured $25 million in Series E financing from new and existing investors, including Intel Capital and Hon Hai/Foxconn, one of the world’s largest consumer electronics manufacturers. The funding will support the company’s growth strategy as it further develops designs and products for wireless charging in the consumer electronics, electric vehicles, defense and medical device industries, as well as allowing WiTricity to pursue other strategic growth opportunities in the wireless power field.

“WiTricity’s vision is to usher in a world where wireless power is so ubiquitous, you never have to think about plugging in again,” said WiTricity CEO Eric Giler. “In securing this funding from our investors we are even more effectively positioned to fulfill that vision and deliver game-changing wireless technology to partners and customers around the globe.”

The announcement marks the next phase in WiTricity’s continued growth as a leader in the wireless power space. According to analyst firm IMS Research, the global market for wireless power will grow 86.5 percent annually to be worth $4.5 billion in 20161. As the inventor of Highly Resonant Wireless Power Transfer, WiTricity is poised to capture that market through existing and new partnerships with major manufacturers including Audi, Mitsubishi, Delphi, Haier, IHI, MediaTek and Thoratec.

With this infusion of $25 million, WiTricity’s investment funding now totals $45 million. In addition, the company recently secured its 50th patent, positioning it even more strongly for growth and success in the global market.

WiTricity have previously announced wireless electric vehicle charging partnerships with Audi, Toyota, Delphi, Mitsubishi and IHI.

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San Diego Gets First Public SAE Fast-Charging Station for EVs

The SAE International DC “Combo” Fast Charge station installation at the Fashion Valley Mall in San Diego is a milestone for plug-in electric vehicles – the first public installation in the U.S. of an industry-coordinated standard for fast charging of plug-in electric vehicles.

The Chevrolet Spark EV, available in California and Oregon, will be the first EV in the U.S. to offer the SAE International fast-charge connector as a vehicle option starting in late December.

“The launch of these new charge stations will help improve the convenience and adoption of electric vehicles because they dramatically reduce the charge time,” said Pamela Fletcher, executive chief engineer of electrified vehicles at General Motors. “The SAE Combo DC fast charge stations are the result of EV industry collaboration to help customers benefit from available public infrastructure.”

The new combined AC and DC charging, or combo, connector is accessible via a single charge port on the vehicle and allows electricity to flow at a faster rate, making EVs more convenient for longer trips and for EV owners who may lack convenient access to overnight home charging.

“San Diego Gas & Electric applauds the collaborative efforts it took to make San Diego home to the world’s first retail SAE DC fast charge station,” said Lee Krevat, director of smart grid and clean transportation for the utility. “Our local drivers that have vehicles equipped with this charging system connector will be the true beneficiaries of this technology.”

Many major automakers including GM, Ford, Chrysler, BMW, Daimler, Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche have announced they will adopt the SAE combo fast charge connector standard. Earlier, many of the world’s major automakers had adopted the SAE’s 120V/240V AC connector standard to assure plug-in vehicles could access all charging infrastructure regardless of vehicle make or model.

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Molten-air battery offers up to 45x higher storage capacity than Li-ion

Researchers at George Washington University have demonstrated a new class of high-energy battery, called a "molten-air battery," that has one of the highest storage capacities of any battery type to date. Unlike some other high-energy batteries, the molten-air battery has the advantage of being rechargeable.

Although the molten electrolyte currently requires high-temperature operation, the battery is so new that the researchers hope that experimenting with different molten compositions and other characteristics will make molten-air batteries strong competitors in electric vehicles and for storing energy for the electric grid.

This ability to store multiple electrons in a single molecule is one of the biggest advantages of the molten-air battery. By their nature, multiple-electron-per-molecule batteries usually have higher storage capacities compared to single-electron-per-molecule batteries, such as Li-ion batteries. The battery with the highest energy capacity to date, the vanadium boride (VB2)-air battery, can store 11 electrons per molecule. However, the VB2-air battery and many other high-capacity batteries have a serious drawback: they are not rechargeable.

The researchers experimented with using iron, carbon, and VB2 as the molten electrolyte, demonstrating very high capacities of 10,000, 19,000, and 27,000 Wh/l, respectively. The capacities are influenced by the number of electrons that each type of molecule can store: 3 electrons for iron, 4 electrons for carbon, and 11 electrons for VB2. In comparison, the Li-air battery has an energy capacity of 6,200 Wh/l, due to its single-electron-per-molecule transfer and lower density than the other compositions while a typical Li-Ion battery has a capacity of approx 600 Wh/l.

Source: Phys.org

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Japan tests 581 km/h Maglev train [VIDEO]

Japan resumes tests on magnetic levitation train intended to travel at speeds up to 581 kilomeres per hour.

Central Japan Railway Co. (JR Tokai) has began full-scale tests of the world's fastest train, the L0 series Maglev.

After completing test drives at 500 kph on the 42.8-kilometer-long Yama-nashi maglev test line stretching from Uenohara to Fuefuki in Yamanashi Prefecture to check such factors as durability, JR Tokai plans to start commercial operations between Tokyo and Nagoya in 2027.

Following a departure ceremony, Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Akihiro Ota and JR Tokai chairman Yoshiyuki Kasai went for a 505 kph ride on the train.

“We were able to speak normally inside the maglev train [thanks to reduced noise levels]. I’m convinced this is world-class technology,” Ota said.

Testing will take place until fiscal 2016, during which time JR Tokai plans to switch to testing a 12-car train, which will be used on the commercial run.

The link is to be stretched west to Osaka by 2045.

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200,000 Fast-Charging Stations for Electric Vehicles by 2020

Total fast-charging stations for EVs are set to reach 199,000 locations globally in 2020, up from just 1,800 in 2012. The number of these stations, meanwhile, is anticipated to rise more than threefold in 2013 to 5,900 and then nearly triple to 15,200 in 2014. Overall growth will continue at a rapid pace through 2020.

Hard charging

"The length of time it takes to recharge an EV continues to be one of the major stumbling blocks inhibiting the widespread adoption of electric vehicles," said Alastair Hayfield, associate research director at IHS Automotive. "Compared to the time it takes to refuel an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle, the recharge time for EVs is incredibly slow-at about four hours to charge a 24 kilowatt-hour (kWh)-capacity battery using a 6.6 kW on-board charger. If EV auto manufacturers could overcome this obstacle, it could lead to a high rate of adoption from environmentally minded consumers as well as those seeking to cut gasoline expenses. That's where fast charging comes in."

Hooked up to a fast-charging system, which offers a high-voltage DC charge instead of a slower AC charge, a vehicle can be fully charged in as little as 20 minutes. This could be a major step toward EVs becoming generally equivalent to ICE vehicles when it comes to refueling.

"IHS believes fast charging is a necessary step to promote higher adoption of EVs, but there will need to also be better consumer education regarding behavioral changes that may need to happen when owning an electric vehicle-such as charging overnight or at work," Hayfield said.

Japanese standard charges ahead

One fast-charging standard designed for electric vehicles is dubbed CHAdeMO, a primarily Japanese-backed technology. The major proponents of the technology are Japanese automotive OEMs-including Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi; and Japanese industrial giants-including Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., Tokyo Electric Power Co. and more.

CHAdeMO, roughly translated as "charge for moving," began deployment in 2009 in order to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles in Japan, where EVs have found positive reception. Today there are as many as 2,445 CHAdeMO fast chargers in operation and more than 57,000 CHAdeMO-compatible EVs around the world. This accounts for as much as 80 percent of all electric vehicles on the road, especially given the high concentration of EVs coming from Japan in the form of the Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi i-MiEv, Hondo Fit EV and more.

One size charges all

A competing solution to CHAdeMO, aptly named the combined charging system (CCS), offers electric vehicle owners the option of having a single charging inlet that can be used for all available charging methods. That includes 1-phase charging at an AC power source, high-speed AC charging with a 3-phase current connector at home or at public charging stations, DC charging at conventional household installation and DC fast charging at power-charging stations globally.

CCS, which was submitted for international standardization in January of 2011, has garnered the support of Audi, BMW, Daimler, Chrysler, Ford, GM, Porsche and Volkswagen. Already BMW, GM and Volkswagen have announced they will introduce fast-charging EVs based on the CCS standard sometime this year.

Tesla vies to electrify the market

Tesla Motors, the California company most notable for the all-electric Tesla Model S, is driving a third method for fast charging. Tesla is developing its own proprietary network of fast chargers in the U.S. Dubbed "Superchargers," the chargers operate at a higher power rating than current CHAdeMO or CCS chargers, and also have a proprietary plug interface, which means that only Tesla vehicles can use them.

"In addition to the proprietary technology, the charging stations are free to use for Tesla owners, and there are plans to power all stations using photovoltaics," Hayfield said. "These Superchargers represent a powerful proposition for Tesla-drivers can charge faster, have U.S.-wide coverage by 2015 and will charge for free for life. This triple threat will aim to lock drivers into the Tesla experience, and also will give Tesla a perceived advantage over other original equipment manufacturers competing in the same market.

Future charge

Looking ahead to the future of EVs, it's clear that DC charging is becoming the favored means for supporting rapid, range-extension electric vehicles. But it is less clear as to whether CHAdeMO or CCS will win the battle for the consumer.

Japan will continue to utilize CHAdeMO, while Germany is set on using CCS; other nations likely will also utilize CCS as well, since it supports slow-charging. But no matter which solution is used, DC-based fast charging is critical to promoting consumer approval and interest in EVs.

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ZF and Levant Partner to Develop Regenerative Suspension

Regenerative brakes are increasingly becoming a popular option on new cars as a way to save energy, and soon that technology could be joined by another engineering breakthrough: a regenerative suspension.

We have reported on Regenerative shock absorber developments including Linear tubular electric motors Here, Here and Here and hydraulic actuator based systems Here and Here.

This technology is being developed by ZF and Levant Power, in hopes of producing a suspension system that combines “the vast gains of active suspension with modest power consumption, minimal complexity and affordable cost,” the companies announced in a release. Essentially, the alliance hopes to build the world’s first fully active and regenerative suspension for automobiles, and make it affordable enough for volume production.

Forming the basis of the technology is an innovative, functional unit that is fitted to the outside of a ZF damper. In the compact unit is its own control unit, an electric motor and an electrohydraulic gear pump. That gear pump is in charge of regulating the oil flow to the damper, allowing it to adapt optimally and automatically to the driving conditions. In addition, the system is even capable of actively raising each individual wheel on the vehicle.

The innovative valve system automatically uses the swaying motion of the damper piston in order to recover energy. The system then guides the oil in the damper, driving the electric pump motor, essentially allowing it to function like a generator. The generated kinetic energy is then turned into electricity which is fed into the vehicle’s power supply.

“We look forward to working closely together with Levant Power. The objective is to develop the world’s first fully active and regenerative suspension, make it ready for volume production and introduce it to the market. Thus, we are promoting efficient innovations that are tailored to meet global requirements,” said Rolf Heinz Rüger, in charge of the Suspension Technology business unit of ZF’s Car Chassis Technology division.

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Graphene-Based Supercapacitors Improve Energy Density by 12x

Monash University (Australia) researchers have brought next generation energy storage closer with an engineering first - a graphene-based device that is compact, yet lasts as long as a conventional battery.

Published today in Science, a research team led by Professor Dan Li of the Department of Materials Engineering has developed a completely new strategy to engineer graphene-based supercapacitors (SC), making them viable for widespread use in renewable energy storage, portable electronics and electric vehicles.

SCs are generally made of highly porous carbon impregnated with a liquid electrolyte to transport the electrical charge. Known for their almost indefinite lifespan and the ability to re-charge in seconds, the drawback of existing SCs is their low energy-storage-to-volume ratio - known as energy density. Low energy density of five to eight Watt-hours per litre, means SCs are unfeasibly large or must be re-charged frequently.

Professor Li's team has created an SC with energy density of 60 Watt-hours per litre - comparable to lead-acid batteries and around 12 times higher than commercially available SCs.

"It has long been a challenge to make SCs smaller, lighter and compact to meet the increasingly demanding needs of many commercial uses," Professor Li said.

Graphene, which is formed when graphite is broken down into layers one atom thick, is very strong, chemically stable and an excellent conductor of electricity.

To make their uniquely compact electrode, Professor Li's team exploited an adaptive graphene gel film they had developed previously. They used liquid electrolytes - generally the conductor in traditional SCs - to control the spacing between graphene sheets on the sub-nanometre scale. In this way the liquid electrolyte played a dual role: maintaining the minute space between the graphene sheets and conducting electricity.

Unlike in traditional 'hard' porous carbon, where space is wasted with unnecessarily large 'pores', density is maximised without compromising porosity in Professor Li's electrode.

To create their material, the research team used a method similar to that used in traditional paper making, meaning the process could be easily and cost-effectively scaled up for industrial use.

"We have created a macroscopic graphene material that is a step beyond what has been achieved previously. It is almost at the stage of moving from the lab to commercial development," Professor Li said.

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Graphene-Based Supercapacitors Improve Energy Density by 12x

Monash University (Australia) researchers have brought next generation energy storage closer with an engineering first - a graphene-based device that is compact, yet lasts as long as a conventional battery.

Published today in Science, a research team led by Professor Dan Li of the Department of Materials Engineering has developed a completely new strategy to engineer graphene-based supercapacitors (SC), making them viable for widespread use in renewable energy storage, portable electronics and electric vehicles.

SCs are generally made of highly porous carbon impregnated with a liquid electrolyte to transport the electrical charge. Known for their almost indefinite lifespan and the ability to re-charge in seconds, the drawback of existing SCs is their low energy-storage-to-volume ratio - known as energy density. Low energy density of five to eight Watt-hours per litre, means SCs are unfeasibly large or must be re-charged frequently.

Professor Li's team has created an SC with energy density of 60 Watt-hours per litre - comparable to lead-acid batteries and around 12 times higher than commercially available SCs.

"It has long been a challenge to make SCs smaller, lighter and compact to meet the increasingly demanding needs of many commercial uses," Professor Li said.

Graphene, which is formed when graphite is broken down into layers one atom thick, is very strong, chemically stable and an excellent conductor of electricity.

To make their uniquely compact electrode, Professor Li's team exploited an adaptive graphene gel film they had developed previously. They used liquid electrolytes - generally the conductor in traditional SCs - to control the spacing between graphene sheets on the sub-nanometre scale. In this way the liquid electrolyte played a dual role: maintaining the minute space between the graphene sheets and conducting electricity.

Unlike in traditional 'hard' porous carbon, where space is wasted with unnecessarily large 'pores', density is maximised without compromising porosity in Professor Li's electrode.

To create their material, the research team used a method similar to that used in traditional paper making, meaning the process could be easily and cost-effectively scaled up for industrial use.

"We have created a macroscopic graphene material that is a step beyond what has been achieved previously. It is almost at the stage of moving from the lab to commercial development," Professor Li said.

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2014 Formula One exhaust energy recovery system explained

In an effort to reduce fuel consumption in Formula One by up to 35% the FIA have introduced wholesale changes to the technical regulations to significantly increased energy harvesting for the 2014 season.

In addition to doubling to power of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), first introduced in 2009, from 60 kw to 120 kw and increasing kinetic energy storage by five times from 0.4 MJ/lap to Max 2MJ/lap, a new method of heat-based Energy Recovery System has been introduced.

The regulations refer to the two devices as the ‘Motor Generator Unit – Kinetic’ (MGU-K) and ‘Motor Generator Unit – Heat’ (MGU-H). The latter uses heat energy from the turbo to generate electrical energy.

The MGU-H unit captures waste heat as it is dispelled from the exhaust turbocharger via an electric generator attached to the turbocharger shaft. This waste heat energy is stored as an electrical charge adding an additional 2MJ/lap to KERS resulting in 10x - 4MJ compared to 400 kJ - as much electric power boost per lap compared to 2013 KERS.

2014 V6 Engine Q & A with MERCEDES AMG PETRONAS

What can you tell us about the 2014 engine?

First of all, let’s mention the rules rather than the engine. For 2014, the rules specify a maximum race fuel allowance of 100 kg – compared to a typical race fuel load of around 150 kg today, although that’s not fixed by the rules.

That means we have one third less fuel to complete the same race distance with – and we want to do it at the same speed. So we need a powertrain that’s 30% more energy efficient.

And that’s where the new engine comes in?

Well, it’s not really just an engine any more. Without getting too technical, Article 1.22 of the Technical Regulations now refers to what’s called a ‘Power Unit’. This comprises an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine), an ERS (Energy Recovery System) and all the ancillaries needed to make them work.

But why a Power Unit? Well, today’s V8 essentially features a “bolt-on” KERS Hybrid system that was added during the engine’s life. The 2014 Power Unit has been designed with integrated hybrid systems from the very beginning.

Interesting. F1 loves jargon, so ICE and ERS sound just perfect. What do they mean?

The ICE is the traditional engine in the Power Unit package. 1.6 litre capacity, turbocharged, and with direct fuel injection at a pressure of up to 100 bar. Where the current engines rev to 18,000 rpm, the ICE is limited to 15,000 rpm from 2014.

As for ERS, it’s like KERS on steroids: not only can we still harvest energy from and deploy energy to the rear axle, we can now do the same from the turbocharger; the kinetic machine is called MGUK (Motor Generator Unit Kinetic) and the machine on the turbo an MGUH (‘h’ for heat).

In total, we are allowed to harvest and deploy energy at twice the power to the rear axle – so 161 hp compared to 80.5 hp today. And we are allowed to deploy ten times as much energy – 4MJ compared to 400 kJ. Simply put, that means a bigger power boost for a higher percentage of the lap.

And that’s what helps improve the efficiency?

Exactly. Part of the efficiency gain comes from the ICE, which runs at lower speeds with fewer moving parts than the V8 and the benefit of turbocharging; but the other part is to be found in the ERS.

Today, the fuel energy we combust in the engine then has one possible energy journey to improve system efficiency, via the KERS system.

In 2014, there will be up to seven possible energy journeys to keep energy within the vehicle rather than wasting it through the exhausts and brakes.

Sound pretty impressive. Will it be exciting for the fans?

We believe so. The target is to achieve the same power output of around 750 hp but to do so using around 30% less fuel.

In terms of sound, the engine note is not as loud as the current V8 because of two factors: the lower engine speed and the fact that the turbocharger sits in the exhaust flow, recovering energy from it that would otherwise be lost as heat and sound.

But because of the mechanical balance of a V6 engine, it also sounds sweeter. And we’re confident that fans will find it pretty exciting when they hear it at the track.

What impact will it have on the racing?

First of all, the engine is going to produce a lot more torque than the current V8 and over a wider power band.

That means the car is going to be grip limited on corner exit, in technical terms; in layman’s terms, they’re going to be a handful for the drivers.

The next point is that it will reward the most intelligent drivers - the fastest way to finish a race will not always be straightforward and the cleverest drivers will probably adapt fastest to the new challenges.

So will we see F1 turned into an economy run – or cars running out of fuel in the latter stages?

Unlikely. Managing fuel consumption is already a critical part of F1 and it will remain so in 2014; for example, did you know that our V8 can complete a race distance today using 11.6% less fuel than it did in 2006?

Today, teams are very good at monitoring fuel consumption: we track each injection of fuel into each cylinder so we know exactly how much fuel is being used. And there are over five million injections in an average race!

Ultimately, the smartest driver in the quickest car will be successful in 2014, which remains true to the fundamental challenge of Formula One. What we’re really doing is putting the ‘motor’ back into ‘motorsport’.