CHARGED Electric Vehicles Magazine - Issue 30 MAR/APR 2017

ELECTRIC VEHICLES MAGAZINE

IONIQ

ISSUE 30 | MARCH/APRIL 2017 | CHARGEDEVS.COM

Hyundai launches Ioniq

with three distinct powertrain choices:

hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric p. 58

Q&A WITH TESLA’S CHIEF MOTOR ENGINEER

LORD DEVELOPS LOW POWER LOCK-AND-HOLD TECH

CARPENTER’S NEW SOFT MAGNETIC ALLOY

NEW EAGLE CONVERTS THE FLEET MARKET

p. 24

p. 34

p. 38

p. 50

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THE TECH CONTENTS

24 | Q&A with Tesla’s chief motor engineer

Tesla’s Konstantinos Laskaris on the potential of nextgeneration motor technologies

24

34 | Low power lock-and-hold LORD is developing a rotary band brake aimed at advanced automotive thermal management systems

38 | New motor materials

Carpenter Technology develops a new soft magnetic alloy with key benefits for EV motors

34

current events 12

Rheinmetall expects electrification to account for half of sales in 2020

13 14 15 16

38

Battery management system maker Dukosi lands £2 million in funding

POSCO begins lithium production in Korea UQM and Meritor to develop new electric axle systems for commercial vehicles Protocol reduces battery formation time by a factor of six Hitachi and Honda establish joint venture for EV motors Thermoelectric generators convert waste heat from an ICE to electricity

17 Report: $3.8 billion in advanced batteries shipped in first 3 quarters of 2016 18 Kokam introduces XPAND battery pack for commercial EVs and buses

15

Computational design strategy extends battery life

19 CATL and Valmet partner to supply battery packs to Europe 20 MIT researchers investigate mechanics of sulfide electrolyte 22 NSK demonstrates wheel hub motor with integrated transmission

AKASOL says its battery modules aced long-term endurance tests

THE VEHICLES 50

CONTENTS

50 | Converting the fleet market New Eagle teams up with Inventev to offer electric Ford Transit vans

58 | 2017 Ioniq

Hyundai launches Ioniq with three distinct powertrain choices

58

current events 44 $10 million in funding for e-school buses available from California ARB

Workhorse’s electric truck claims six times better fuel efficiency

45 Billionaire Carlos Slim to launch a made-in-Mexico EV 46 Volvo Buses receives order for 90 electric buses from Belgium

44

smart to drop gas-powered cars, sell only EVs in North American market

47 Mercedes-Benz heavy-duty eTruck in customer trials 48 New wave of state legislation aims to penalize EV drivers 49 Volvo to introduce 3-cylinder PHEV in 2018, BEVs in 2019

IDENTIFICATION STATEMENT CHARGED Electric Vehicles Magazine (ISSN: 24742341) March/April 2017, Issue #30 is published bi-monthly by Electric Vehicles Magazine LLC, 4121 52nd Ave S, Saint Petersburg, FL 33711-4735. Periodicals Postage Paid at Saint Petersburg, FL and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to CHARGED Electric Vehicles Magazine, Electric Vehicles Magazine LLC at 4121 52nd Ave S, Saint Petersburg, FL 33711-4735.

47

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80 | Fast charging in transition

Phoenix Contact discusses the upcoming transition phase for DC fast charging - from 50 to 150 to 300 kW and beyond

68 WAVE demonstrates 250 kW wireless en route charging for e-buses

71

CLEVER and E.ON partner to deploy 150 kW chargers in Norway

69 Efacec to begin installing chargers with up to 350 kW of power

Shell to install EV charging at gas stations

71 ChargePoint raises $82 million for European expansion

Luxembourg deploys 150 kW ABB fast chargers for plug-in hybrid buses

73 European fast charging networks work together to promote seamless travel

PG&E launches $500 rebate for EV-driving customers

73

Join us at EV ROADMAP 10 EV Roadmap brings together the top experts to share best practices and explore emerging trends.

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How much range is enough?

The EV industry has been obsessed with crossing the “200 miles of range for under $30,000” threshold for a few years. Once we get there, with a variety of make and model options (and without tax credits), will range become less important to buyers?

When we analyze all the data - driving habits, EV range, recharge times - it’s easy to shape an equation for an optimized electric future. Perhaps counterintuitively, it makes sense to say that EVs should be engineered with the lowest practical range. This would minimize the size of the expensive and heavy battery pack, lowering the purchase price of the car and increasing its energy efficiency. Today, with fast charging and a 120- to 150-mile EV, you could easily take a trip for about 3 to 4 hours at highway speeds and only stop once to recharge for 20 to 30 minutes (even faster in the near future). That covers the occasional weekend getaway, and makes the EV perfectly sufficient for most every American.

Companies that design and build commercial EVs like electric buses and delivery vans often talk about “right-sizing” battery packs. Their number-crunching fleet manager customer wants to see an ROI ASAP, and optimizing the battery size is the best way to deliver that. The problem is that it’s not reasonable to assume that the average car buyer will do even simple calculations to determine what’s optimal for their needs.

We emotional humans rarely buy cars based on utility. Carlos Ghosn, the Chairman of Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi, recently hit the nail on the head when he described buying a car as “midway between buying a refrigerator and buying a dog. You buy a dog because you like the dog...a refrigerator is much more rational.”

It turns out that nearly everybody overestimates how far they drive on a regular basis. That’s a problem, because the EV conversation usually starts with, “How far can it go?” If EV builders can effectively recalibrate that mindset, it wouldn’t be so necessary to oversize the battery.

It’s possible, but it may take a while - perhaps with faster DC charging in more high visibility locations, or as drivers start buying their second and third EVs. And, of course, full vehicle autonomy will likely change everything about the auto buying experience - including our EV range obsession.

In the short term, Hyundai is about to take a stab at changing minds when it starts selling the very affordable Ioniq Electric, with 124 miles of range (see page 58).

Also, the next-generation LEAF (which Nissan said it will officially reveal in September!) is rumored to include a range of battery pack options. Unlike Tesla’s battery choices, the LEAF could have an entry-level model with a sub200-mile range. Watching how those sales breakdown next year could give us a good apples-to-apples indication of how low EV buyers are willing to go.

Christian Ruoff | Publisher

EVs are here. Try to keep up.

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Publisher Christian Ruoff Associate Publisher Laurel Zimmer Senior Editor Charles Morris Associate Editor Markkus Rovito Account Executive Jeremy Ewald

Contributing Writers Michael Kent Charles Morris Christian Ruoff

For Letters to the Editor, Article Submissions, & Advertising Inquiries Contact: Info@ChargedEVs.com

Contributing Photographers Jan-Erik Finnberg Charles Morris Mike Mozart Windell Oskay Christian Ruoff Nicolas Raymond

Technology Editor Jeffrey Jenkins Cover Image Courtesy of Hyundai Motor America Illustrator & Designer Nick Sirotich Graphic Designer Tome Vrdoljak

Special Thanks to Kelly Ruoff Sebastien Bourgeois

ETHICS STATEMENT AND COVERAGE POLICY AS THE LEADING EV INDUSTRY PUBLICATION, CHARGED ELECTRIC VEHICLES MAGAZINE OFTEN COVERS, AND ACCEPTS CONTRIBUTIONS FROM, COMPANIES THAT ADVERTISE IN OUR MEDIA PORTFOLIO. HOWEVER, THE CONTENT WE CHOOSE TO PUBLISH PASSES ONLY TWO TESTS: (1) TO THE BEST OF OUR KNOWLEDGE THE INFORMATION IS ACCURATE, AND (2) IT MEETS THE INTERESTS OF OUR READERSHIP. WE DO NOT ACCEPT PAYMENT FOR EDITORIAL CONTENT, AND THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED BY OUR EDITORS AND WRITERS ARE IN NO WAY AFFECTED BY A COMPANY’S PAST, CURRENT, OR POTENTIAL ADVERTISEMENTS. FURTHERMORE, WE OFTEN ACCEPT ARTICLES AUTHORED BY “INDUSTRY INSIDERS,” IN WHICH CASE THE AUTHOR’S CURRENT EMPLOYMENT, OR RELATIONSHIP TO THE EV INDUSTRY, IS CLEARLY CITED. IF YOU DISAGREE WITH ANY OPINION EXPRESSED IN THE CHARGED MEDIA PORTFOLIO AND/OR WISH TO WRITE ABOUT YOUR PARTICULAR VIEW OF THE INDUSTRY, PLEASE CONTACT US AT CONTENT@CHARGEDEVS. COM. REPRINTING IN WHOLE OR PART IS FORBIDDEN EXPECT BY PERMISSION OF CHARGED ELECTRIC VEHICLES MAGAZINE.

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Photo courtesy of Dukosi

Photo courtesy of Rheinmetall

Rheinmetall expects electrification to account for Battery management system half of sales in 2020 maker Dukosi lands £2 million in funding

Scottish battery management systems innovator Dukosi has secured £2 million in new investment funding, led by IP Group.

Dukosi has developed a battery management system (BMS) that collects, processes and stores data directly at the cell. Using wireless technology, the system transmits real-time information on cell performance to support master-level control of the battery pack. Dukosi’s technology is designed to reduce battery complexity, remove almost all data wiring, improve measurement accuracy and provide a history of each cell.

Following several years of R&D, Dukosi is readying for production of its chip-based solution. The company will use the new funding for the final development of its product, including multi-industry certification, and to expand its team in Edinburgh with new roles in electronics design, software, cell modeling and electrochemistry.

“We’ve had incredible feedback from our demonstrations to the industry,” said Dukosi Chairman Clive Scrivener. “Our technology resonates with stakeholders throughout the battery supply chain and with the users of battery packs. With this funding, we’re taking the next step to make our vision a reality and bring a new level of intelligence to batteries.”

12

Germany’s Rheinmetall Automotive is known as a supplier of hard parts (pistons, blocks, cylinder heads, etc.) and mechatronics. However, CEO Horst Binnig says that “products with a cable” already constitute 40% of total sales. “We really see pure e-mobility more as an opportunity than a risk. The percentage of purely e-driven cars in the market today is very, very low. But the content per car in sales is comparatively high. As an example, those beautiful London cabs – the next series will be purely e-driven.”

The new electric London cabs Herr Binnig is referring to are manufactured by Chinese automaker Geely, and each includes four pumps made by Rheinmetall, representing about €200 in sales for the company for each car.

Another example is the cast aluminum drive unit block for an EV that the company currently has in development for an unnamed customer. “For us, it makes no difference to cast a four-cylinder engine block for a combustion engine or to cast a block for a medium-size e-machine,” said Binnig. “There is also thermal management; you need the radiator, you need a couple of valves, you need pumps, you need power for that. You have a second thermal management circuit for the battery.”

“If I look at the products we currently supply for the purpose of optimizing the drivetrain on an internal combustion engine, and compare these with what we currently have in our development pipeline for future types of drive systems, I arrive at a substantial growth in value.

As early as 2020, electrification will account for over one half of our sales.”

THE TECH

POSCO begins lithium production in Korea Korea-based steel-maker POSCO has begun commercial production of lithium in South Korea for the first time.

In February, POSCO completed a lithium extraction plant with an annual capacity of 2,500 tons. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Jong-joo Kim, the Director of the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, noted that Korea, a major battery producer, currently imports all lithium carbonate for batteries. “Today’s completion of the plant will empower POSCO to produce lithium carbonate for batteries on its own, relieving secondary battery makers of worries about securing quality raw materials,” said Kim. The PosLX Plant will supply lithium carbonate to POSCO ESM, which produces cathodes, and to battery-makers LG Chem and Samsung SDI. POSCO has pioneered the recycling of used second-

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POSCO has developed a proprietary lithium extraction technology that it says is much faster than conventional extraction methods – it requires less than one month instead of the usual 12 to 18 months. It’s also more efficient – the recovery rate of lithium has been increased from 30-40% to more than 80%. Lithium can be delivered at a purity of 99.9% or more.

POSCO plans to increase its annual production capacity to 40,000 tons of lithium worldwide.

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Motor maker UQM Technologies (NYSE MKT: UQM) and Michigan-based Meritor have signed a 30-month development agreement for E-axle technology. Meritor will develop integrated axle components, which will be combined with UQM’s motor and inverter technology and hardware to create a new product called the Meritor and UQM Electric Axle System for the medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicle markets.

“This [agreement] allows UQM to focus on design and development and in turn approach the market as a Tier 2 supplier with a proven Tier 1 OEM,” said Joe Mitchell, CEO of UQM. “We believe this relationship gives Meritor the opportunity to become a leading supplier of E-axles using UQM’s technology, allowing customers to benefit from integrated solutions that drive cost savings in the long term.”

Photo courtesy of UQM

UQM and Meritor to develop new electric axle systems for commercial vehicles

The companies expect prototypes to be ready by early fall of 2017.

THE TECH

A new process developed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory could alleviate a bottleneck in battery manufacturing and deliver higher capacity batteries. It also conserves lithium, which improves battery capacity.

In “Fast formation cycling for lithium ion batteries,” published in the Journal of Power Sources, Seong Jin An and colleagues explain that the formation process, in which batteries undergo repeated cycling to stabilize and activate them for use, typically takes several days.

The time-consuming process is necessary for providing a stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on the anode.

“The largest contributor to processing cost during battery production is the electrolyte interphase formation step,” write the ORNL researchers. “Besides material cost…the electrolyte wetting and SEI formation steps are the most expensive processes ($2.2/kWh for electrode processing and $7.5/kWh for wetting/formation cycling). This process may take up to 3 weeks, requiring a

tremendous number of charge/discharge cycles, large floor space, and intense energy for the cyclers and environmental chambers.”

The proposed formation protocol shortened formation time by 6 times or more without compromising cell performance. Results from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy showed the new protocol reduced surface film (electrolyte interphase) resistances, and 1,300 aging cycles showed an improvement in capacity retention.

The process is applicable to all lithium-ion batteries and can be tuned for other chemistries as well, said principal investigator David Wood.

Photo courtesy of ORNL

Protocol reduces battery formation time by a factor of six

Photo courtesy of Honda

Hitachi Automotive Systems and Honda have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a joint venture, with a capitalization of around 5 billion yen ($45 million), to develop and manufacture EV motors.

Hitachi first started selling motors for electrified vehicles in 1999, and has since delivered “a high volume” of these motors to vehicle manufacturers in Japan and other countries.

Honda’s first hybrid, the Insight, was launched in 1999, but the company’s hybrids have had limited success compared to those of rival Toyota. Honda has so far shown minimal interest in plug-in vehicles, but it now says that, “with environmental conservation measures and regulations increasing on a global scale, the market for electric vehicles is expected to continue to grow.”

The new Japan-based joint venture plans subsidiary operations in the US and China, each with manufacturing and sales functions. Hitachi will continue to sell motors to other vehicle manufacturers, and Honda will continue to use motors it currently manufactures itself in Japan.

16

The Institute of Vehicle Concepts at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) is working with Yamaha to develop thermoelectric generator modules for on-road and rail vehicles.

In “Development of a Thermoelectric Module Suitable for Vehicles and Based on CoSb3 Manufactured Close to Production,” published in the Journal of Electronic Materials, Mirko Klein Altstedde and colleagues explain that ICEs in vehicles typically use only about a third of the potential energy in the fuel for propulsion – the remaining two thirds is lost as waste heat. Thermoelectric generators convert this heat into electricity, which can be used for control units or accessories. In hybrid and plugin vehicles, the power can be fed directly to the battery.

The goal of the DLR scientists is to reduce fuel consumption by 3-5% percent.

The Stuttgart-based Institute of Vehicle Concepts has already developed and successfully tested systems based on thermoelectric generators, but they had to use modules that were not specifically designed for use in vehicles. DLR and Yamaha are now developing vehicle-compatible modules for the next generation of thermoelectric generators.

“With regards to shape, thermal and electrical properties, maximum application temperatures and cycle stability, these have been specially developed to meet our requirements,” said Altstedde. “At the same time, our partner [is developing] the production technology, so that, in future, the modules can be produced as efficiently and economically as possible for the automotive industry.”

Photo courtesy of DLR

Thermoelectric generators convert waste heat from an Hitachi and Honda establish ICE to electricity joint venture for EV motors

THE TECH

Navigant says $3.8 billion worth of advanced batteries shipped in the first 3 quarters of 2016 A new report from Navigant Research examines the current market for advanced batteries (defined as mass-produced products aimed at the automotive or stationary energy storage sectors). In the first three quarters of 2016, Navigant says, over 323 million individual battery cells were shipped, representing 16.1 GWh of energy capacity and $3.8 billion in sales.

The majority of these batteries were manufactured in the Asia Pacific region.

Lithium-ion remains the dominant chemistry for automotive applications, but the stationary storage sector uses a more diverse range of chemistries, including sodium sulfur, flow batteries, advanced lead-acid and hybrid chemistries.

Demand for batteries showed steady growth over the three quarters, and continues to rise globally, thanks to

the growing market for EVs and grid-tied energy storage systems. Navigant expects the introduction of second-gen EVs with ranges over 200 miles to have significant implications for the market.

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THE TECH

Computational design strategy extends battery life

Photo courtesy of Kokam

Kokam introduces XPAND battery pack for commercial EVs and buses

Battery-maker Kokam’s new XPAND battery pack is aimed at heavy vehicles such as electric buses, trams, trucks and other commercial and industrial EVs. The XPAND battery pack will be offered in two versions: the 7.1 kWh XMP71P and the 11.4 kWh XMP114E. Both are scalable to support EV applications from 7.1 kWh to 1.5 MWh of capacity, in a wide variety of voltages. Energy density is up to 150 Wh/kg.

Kokam promises that the battery cells’ ceramic separator and other battery pack thermal containment technologies prevent thermal runaway propagation. The battery pack has secured an IP67 rating, certifying that it is fully protected from dust and can be submerged in one meter of water for up to 30 minutes.

The XPAND’s liquid cooling system offers direct cooling to the battery cells’ face, maximizing volumetric efficiency by reducing the mass of the system by up to 75 percent compared to air-cooled systems.

Kokam claims the XMP71P’s 40 Ah lithium NMC oxide cells will last for over 6,000 cycles. XPAND’s modular design, with all external connections on the front panel, is designed to make it easy to engineer the pack into a wide variety of EV applications and service in the field.

XPAND’s BMS features diagnostics, battery state estimate and a flexible system architecture designed to provide accurate State of Charge and State of Health data.

The system has been tested to meet the strict electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements of international marine and transportation customers in North America, Europe, and Asia.

18

With every charge and discharge cycle, a battery’s capacity is reduced, until eventually it becomes inadequate for its application.

“Why does this degradation occur?” muses Northwestern University’s Christopher Wolverton. “In many cases, something probably happened to the cathode.”

Wolverton has developed a new computational design strategy that can pinpoint optimal materials with which to coat the cathode of a lithium-ion battery, protecting it from degradation and extending the battery’s life.

In “High-throughput computational design of cathode coatings for Li-ion batteries,” published in Nature Communications, Wolverton, Muratahan Aykol and colleagues explain that a cathode is typically composed of a compound containing lithium and oxygen. When the battery’s electrolyte decomposes, it can release hydrofluoric acid, a highly reactive substance that can attack the cathode. This could be one reason why the battery loses capacity over time.

“A coating could serve multiple functions: it could provide a barrier around the cathode, preventing attack from hydrofluoric acid,” Wolverton said. “Or a coating could preferentially react with the hydrofluoric acid, so there’s none left to react with the cathode.”

Earlier in his career, Wolverton developed the Open Quantum Materials Database, which contains information on more than 470,000 compounds. Wolverton’s group scoured the database in search of materials that could be potential barriers to or scavengers of hydrofluoric acid, and ultimately identified 30 top candidates.

“Having a massive database at hand allowed us to find the products of very complex, previously unexplored chemical reactions that determine the coating’s effectiveness,” said Aykol. “Not only can we unveil a list of promising functional coatings, but we are helping our experimental colleagues target their resources to the best candidates.”

“Computationally, we can quickly screen the vast landscape of possible material combinations to pinpoint 25 compounds that are potentially very promising. Now, 25 is a more manageable number that you could test experimentally,” Wolverton said.

CATL and Valmet partner to supply battery packs to Europe Chinese battery builder Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL) and Finnish contract manufacturer Valmet Automotive have formed a strategic partnership to develop electric automotive solutions.

As part of the deal, CATL has taken a 22% ownership position in Valmet.

CATL currently offers NCM and LFP Li-ion chemistries in cells, modules and packs. The companies’ strategy is to engineer EV drivetrain solutions and supply battery packs to European automotive manufacturers.

“The electrical vehicle market is in a fundamental transformation and the growth expectations are significant,” said Valmet’s Chairman of the Board, Jarkko Sairanen. “CATL brings new resources and capabilities for Valmet Automotive to invest into this interesting market at the right moment.

China is globally the largest and most important electric vehicle market today and CATL is recognized there as the top battery provider.”

THE TECH

MIT researchers investigate mechanics of sulfide electrolyte A team at MIT has probed the mechanical properties of a sulfide-based solid electrolyte material, to determine its mechanical performance when incorporated into batteries. The new findings from the group – led by Frank McGrogan, Tushar Swamy, Krystyn Van Vliet, and Ming Chiang – were published in the journal Advanced Energy Materials.

“The liquid electrolytes tend to be chemically unstable, and can even be flammable,” said Van Vliet. “So if the electrolyte was solid, it could be safer, as well as smaller and lighter.” Solid electrolytes may also virtually eliminate the risk of tiny, fingerlike metallic projections called dendrites that can grow through the electrolyte layer and lead to short-circuits.

The big question is what kinds of mechanical stresses might occur within the electrolyte material as the electrodes charge and discharge repeatedly. Lithium-conducting sulfide is considered a promising candidate

for electrolytes in all-solid-state batteries. However, the sulfide’s extreme sensitivity to normal lab air has posed a challenge to measuring mechanical properties, including its fracture toughness. To circumvent this problem, members of the research team conducted the mechanical testing in a bath of mineral oil, protecting the sample from any chemical interactions with air or moisture, and were able to obtain detailed measurements of the mechanical properties of the sulfide.

The researchers found that the material has a combination of properties somewhat similar to silly putty or salt-water taffy: When subjected to stress, it can deform easily, but at sufficiently high stress it can crack like a brittle piece of glass. The team concluded that the material is more brittle than would be ideal for battery use, but as long as its properties are known and systems designed accordingly, it could still have potential for such uses, McGrogan says. “You have to design around that knowledge.”

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THE TECH

AKASOL says its battery modules aced long-term endurance tests German battery builder AKASOL subjected the latest generation of its battery modules, AKAMODULE 46Ah and 53Ah, to an eightmonth endurance test featuring a range of brutally extreme conditions. The test showed service life to be even longer than expected. At 50 to 55 degrees, the battery components worked for 1.5 years in full cycles at a constant load of 100 A. “The AKAMODULE 46Ah and 53Ah models go far beyond the service life specified by the manufacturer of the battery cells, exceeding them by up to 50 percent,” said Dr. Björn Eberleh, Head of Project Management, Testing and Service. “This is due to the liquid-cooled module developed in-house and the homogeneous integration of the cells. In a typical application, such as a fully electric city bus, the battery would still be in service after it reaches the million-kilometer mark.”

Over the life of a battery pack, disparities in the production of the cells and various operating conditions lead to the cell charges within a particular energy storage unit becoming uneven, so the battery management system must bring the individual cells to the same charge level.

“Our 46Ah battery module only had to be rebalanced once during the entire test period, which consisted of 8,000 full load cycles,” said Dr. Eberleh. “Usually, battery management systems have to perform the same balance control over ten times more often to ensure that the cells deteriorate evenly and guarantee that full capacity continues to be available.”

“Even after over 8,000 full load cycles for the 46Ah and 3,000 full load cycles for the 53Ah, the modules were able to retain around 80 percent of their original capacity,” explains Dr. Eberleh. “They were even able to continue to run on a residual capacity of 30 percent, thereby enabling a total of 15,000 cycles to be completed.”

Photo courtesy of NSK

Photo courtesy of AKASOL

NSK demonstrates wheel hub motor with integrated transmission

Japanese automotive supplier NSK has demonstrated what it says is the first transmission-equipped wheel hub motor.

In-wheel motors have several advantages – they can reduce the weight of the vehicle, control the drive force of each wheel for improved torque vectoring, and possibly free up room for more passenger and cargo space.

However, achieving both the torque necessary for acceleration and hill climbing and a sufficient maximum speed requires a larger motor, which mitigates some of the advantages. In order to make in-wheel motors more compact, NSK developed its transmission-equipped wheel hub motor.

The module is equipped with two motors and a transmission composed of two planetary gears, which can achieve both high drive torque and a sufficient maximum speed with a small motor. The transmission also has a feature that enables smooth gear changing during acceleration by controlling the speed and torque of the two motors.

The company has demonstrated the technology using an experimental vehicle equipped with a prototype wheel hub motor, and now aims to commercialize components such as the hub unit bearing with built-in speed reducer, the one-way clutch unit, the miniature cage and roller bearing, and the anti-corrosion bearing.

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Tesla’s chief motor engineer discusses the potential of nextgeneration motor technologies

By Christian Ruoff

T

esla spends a considerable amount of resources on basic research into EV systems - as well it should. EV technology is very young compared to that of ICE vehicles, so it’s safe to assume that, in a few short years, the aggregate of many incremental technology advances could lead to significantly better EVs. Of course, battery technology gets the most media attention, and Tesla is constantly hustling to stay up with the state of the art. Last year Elon Musk said the company

24

was monitoring about 60 research efforts to develop and improve batteries around the world. Tesla rates each on its long-term promise, from 1 to 5, “where 5 is ‘we should be doing business with them,’ and 1 is complete B.S.,” explained Musk. In June 2015, Tesla also signed a 5-year exclusive partnership with one of the world’s preeminent experts in Li-ion battery R&D, Professor Jeff Dahn of Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

So, it should come as no surprise that Tesla also has a world-class team dedicated to developing better trac-

THE TECH

Image courtesy of Tesla

Tesla has a unique way of combining opera singers with a rock band, because it really understands the gravity of having research people.

tion motors. Among that team is Konstantinos Laskaris, Tesla’s Chief Motor Design Engineer, who is responsible for the geometry optimization and technology selection of traction motors.

Laskaris earned a PhD from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece while studying the geometry optimization of variable speed drives. After leaving aca-

demia, he immediately joined Tesla. “Sometimes I feel like I am in my 9th year of PhD work,” Laskaris told Charged, “which is a good thing. [After joining Tesla] I was not constrained on what I would research. Of course the objective becomes different, and now you need to deliver on a company level and in a more competitive environment, but I would say that the transition was quite smooth.”

Laskaris compares research at a university to being an opera singer, relative to working at a company which is more like being in a rock band. “Tesla has a unique way of combining opera singers with a rock band,” he explained, “because it really understands the gravity of having research people.”

MAR/APR 2017

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Image courtesy of Tesla

“Seeing your design going to production in a car like Model S, what could be more rewarding for a motor design engineer?” he added. “Of course the environment sometimes is very competitive. There are so many good engineers that are very involved with what you are doing.

It makes sense that it is a bit stressful, but the reward is huge, because the objectives of the company are big. It makes you feel really good about your design work that your work is being appreciated.”

I had the chance to interview Laskaris for the keynote at the Coil Winding, Insulation & Electrical Manufacturing Exhibition (CWIEME) in Berlin. It was clear that Laskaris wasn’t at liberty to talk about the specifics of Tesla’s motor technology - often the case when interviewing engineers from major automakers - so I didn’t bother asking. Instead, since Laskaris sits at the forefront of determining what new motor technologies are ready for commercialization, I asked him for his general thoughts on some interesting new research areas and their nearterm potential for the EV industry.

The following is a transcript of our on-stage conversation edited slightly for clarity.

Q Charged: We hear a lot of discussion about battery

costs - historical trends and projections. Can you talk a little about the trends in motor costs?

A Konstantinos Laskaris: When we’re talking about

permanent-magnet motors, the magnet price in the past has fluctuated so much that maybe this is not very representative of a general discussion about motor cost.

But motor cost is going lower the more we are optimizing, and as we’re getting more power-dense motors, they get smaller. And if you don’t compromise efficiency with smaller motors and more power density, motor costs will

26

Understanding the electric powertrain as a system is a very important thing that will drive the cost lower also. be gradually dropping. The materials in the motors, apart from magnets, again, have a stable price.

So, we’re seeing a trend that motors are gradually becoming cheaper because of the technology improvements that we are making through the years. Also better manufacturing methods. We’re making manufacturing cheaper. If we had attempted to make the motors that we are using today twenty years ago, the cost would be much higher, obviously. There are many types of technologies that are coming to play a role here to make motor cost lower.

It’s a combined material technology and design technology evolution. For example, getting higher slot fill at the windings will effectively make the motor smaller and cheaper. Having thinner steel, which allows you to go to higher frequency, will make the motor smaller and cheaper as well.

Understanding the electric powertrain as a system is a very important thing that will drive the cost lower also.

And not only the cost - it will make a better product, because knowing which operating conditions you want to optimize for, or understanding the system thermally and designing a system that takes advantage of the material capabilities but is not over-designed, is something that comes

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Photo courtesy of Windell Oskay – CC BY 2.0

An induction machine is a gift of nature in the way that it works. Because of the way that you induce eddy currents that beautifully skew the field and create the torque. with experience and more advanced simulation techniques.

Optimization is a huge part of making an affordable car that also has amazing performance and range and all of the specifications of interest.

Q Charged: Where do you see growth in the field of

optimization - is it in the software’s capabilities?

A KL: It’s a combination of software capabilities - like

modeling motors in an accurate way - and having more advanced modeling tools to represent motors that you don’t want to manufacture, so that you don’t make design mistakes. And then understanding what you want to optimize for, which comes from experience, how a car is driven, what a customer would like. This all leads to

28

understanding what motor to design, and finally the simulation to show you that you have designed the right motor in the end.

Q Charged: Is there a technology (or set of param-

eters) that could be considered the Holy Grail of motor design - similar to the way that something like lithium-air battery technology is discussed (low cost, long life, high energy density)? What would that look like in the motor world?

A KL: It’s motor technology and motor materials, the

two components that would make the ultimate traction

THE TECH

motor. On the materials side, I would say a core that is plastic - doesn’t have conductivity - and has got huge permeability that you can excite with very low current.

[Maybe] it’s not achievable but companies are trying to get towards that direction. Then you have limits of conductivity on the materials that you can use. So these materials would get us to better performance, and we know where the ideal is from a material perspective.

But, from the design perspective, I would say that I can give an example, but don’t stick to it too much. Like a synchronous separately excited machine that has full flux regulation capability, for example, is sort of an ideal motor for controlling and performance. But it has big manufacturing challenges.

So, motor designers understand that there are kinds of motors that are designed for manufacturability and feasibility. Then there are also motors that are uncompromised but difficult to manufacture. This is why you see so many motors around.

An induction machine, for example, is a gift of nature in the way that it works. Because of the way that you

induce eddy currents that beautifully skew the field and create the torque. It’s something unique. You don’t have brushes, don’t have conductors, and the motor has very good characteristics. It has been around for over a century, and the fundamentals have not changed. Of course the methodology that we use has changed a lot because of computers. It’s a smooth motor. It’s a torque-dense motor.

Q Charged: We have put together a list of motor

technologies that we’ve heard discussed as possible next-gen solutions for EVs. Could you briefly give me your thoughts on each? (i.e. do you think the technology is promising, too challenging to implement, too expensive for your desired product roadmap for the foreseeable future, solves a problem that doesn’t need to be solved, etc.)

First, advances in nanomaterials have shown the potential for improvement in the electrical and thermal properties of metallic conductors, reducing stator and rotor I2R losses. What are your thoughts on high-performance thermal and electrical conductor manufacturing?

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THE TECH

If we get higher conductivity that is beyond what copper can do, it will be groundbreaking and significant, not only for Tesla, but for everyone that is manufacturing motors.

A KL: Reducing the copper losses of windings is

something that practically everyone is trying. It’s so dominant and obvious, and if we get higher conductivity that is beyond what copper can do, it will be groundbreaking and significant, not only for Tesla, but for everyone that is manufacturing motors.

If it happens, we will know it very soon and it will be adopted. So far there are very few materials, though.

Silver is the most conductive material you can find, but it’s way more expensive than copper. This is why copper is dominating in most cases. But I will be excited to see evolution there.

I am seeing some companies doing work, but they’re also trying to improve the mechanical characteristics at the same time. I have not seen something yet that will be directly implementable in the foreseeable future.

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Q Charged: Electrical steel with 6.5% added silicon has

been shown to reduce core losses without sacrificing saturation magnetization level. What are your thoughts on silicon steel manufacturing?

A KL: Getting lower-loss steel gradually allows you to

change your design considerations and go to higher frequencies and get the motors smaller. For example, if you have an 8-pole machine at a certain frequency, if you had lower-loss steel you could go for a 10-pole machine and then you get more torque density. So, effectively, you can trade iron loses with torque density. So there are all these design tweaks you can do and redesign a motor to give you a better product in the end.

There are companies that are doing higher silicon contents. It requires a lot of energy and it’s difficult to drop the cost, because energy has a given cost. But we will see, we are interested to see the evolution for sure.

Q Charged: Breakthroughs in high-temperature

superconductors make it possible to eliminate rotor resistance losses and enable higher flux densities.

What are your thoughts on superconducting wire manufacturing?

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If you look in the catalogs of bearing manufacturers you can see that there are high-speed and efficient bearings, but the cost is high, and they’re trying to get it lower.

A KL: That is a bit further away for the vehicle industry,

low-loss and high-speed bearing technology?

and saturation level as well. For radial flux machines, that might be the direction.

SMC allows the field variation to mitigate iron losses when you have a 3D field variation in the core, like when you have transverse flux machines or axial flux machines. But again, there might be a bigger compromise between saturation and iron loss there. So I think that silicon steel evolution is something that the automotive industry is looking forward to.

A KL: Higher speed is one of the two ways to increase

Q Charged: What are your thoughts about new

because the cost of cooling has to outperform the cost of the efficiency benefit or the compaction benefit that you’re getting. So maybe the traction application for electric cars is, at least for now, not the right application. It’s better for applications that require more continuous power density.

Q Charged: What do you think about the state of

power density. One is torque density, and one is speed.

And high speed is limited by mechanics - like structural, bearing and gears. So bearings are sometimes one of the limiting factors to go to as high a speed as we’d like. And getting cheap bearings that can withstand higher speeds is definitely something that we are looking forward to. I think this is applicable for traction applications.

If you look in the catalogs of bearing manufacturers you can see that there are high-speed and efficient bearings, but the cost is high, and they’re trying to get it lower.

We’re excited to look at the results and to assess if some better bearings are attractive solutions for drive units.

techniques for active torque ripple minimization?

Q Charged: What are your thoughts on using soft

tance machines (SRMs) as a possible next-generation EV traction motor. Do you have any thoughts on SRMs?

magnetic materials to make motor cores - such as amorphous, nanocrystalline and soft magnetic composites (SMC)?

A KL: Amorphous provides a very good tradeoff

between saturation and losses, but it has limitations in manufacturing. We’re not there yet to see a wide range of commercial motors, although I know some companies that have done prototypes with amorphous steel.

Silicon steel is a very good deal for now, between losses

32

A KL: I prefer optimizing the geometry to not have torque

ripple in the first place, rather than trying to mitigate that with controls. I think there is a lot that can be done optimizing your geometry not to have torque ripple. It’s something that you can capture pretty easily with finite elements. And if you need to do active mitigation, then you have a bandwidth limitation, because the frequency gets high. So I believe that torque ripple should be addressed by hardware tweaks that will mitigate the torque ripple.

Q Charged: There is a lot of talk about switched reluc-

A KL: An SRM is a very particular machine. It’s very

simple to manufacture, but it’s difficult to control. It’s got some acoustic noise and vibration challenges. With design you can make it a lot better, and you can control it in a way that you mitigate all these problems.

It is not too bad in torque density, but the constant power is a bit of a challenge to build up, and you need constant power in traction applications. So, again, I’m

I prefer optimizing the geometry to not have torque ripple in the first place, rather than trying to mitigate that with controls. always hoping to see new ideas and definitely it’s attractive to have something that is so robust because it’s a very simple rotor construction. It could potentially work for this class of problems.

Q Charged: For young engineers who want to make an impact on the

EV industry, what specific areas of technology do you think they should focus on? What do you think are the most impactful technological challenges that get the least amount of attention?

A KL: I would say, don’t underestimate the classic sciences first - a good

math background, good physics background. It’s always a trend. You will always make good use of your understanding. If you learn how to use commercial tools for design you will be more ready for the industry, but it’s much better to have a good theoretical background.

After that, motor controls is a topic that has a bright future. But I would say that someone who will design good motor controls in the future also needs to understand motors very well. There are people who want to do motor controls before studying electric motors in the first place, and that’s something that I would not recommend.

Electrical energy storage systems are also exciting. It’s a field that has a lot of research opportunities.

And of course, software engineering and writing code. You will do great if you know how to put your thoughts as an engineer into code.

Once you start having your own imagination and ideas it’s a huge advantage. I would say that having some programming skills is definitely very important.

LOW POWER LOCK-AND-HOLD LORD is developing a rotary band brake aimed at advanced automotive thermal management systems

By Michael Kent

“

Any product that uses less power and has high torque in a small package could be of interest to the EV space,” LORD’s Edward Conner told Charged. We were discussing the company’s electromagnetically actuated rotary band brake technology, and we naturally asked a lot of questions about its potential applications for EVs. The core of the product line, which LORD calls Magnelok, is a flexible steel band wrapped around a coil.

When the coil is energized, the band is pulled around the core electromagnetically. The band is stimulated by a pulse width modulation (PWM) driver and can react in a millisecond with near instantaneous movement and locking, allowing for high repeatability and accuracy.

LORD also touts the technology’s low power consumption, potential to downsize applications where it fits, and zero off-state resistance, which allows for a fail-safe return to default position.

Finding the right applications LORD originally developed Magnelok for the manufacturing and automation industry. The company saw

34

Most cars today still use a valve technology that was developed decades ago. industrial potential to replace large-capacity motors that are often sized for applications that include a lock and hold position. The idea was that a motor enabled with the Magnelok rotary band brake could be significantly reduced in size, while achieving equal hold-position behavior using much less power. In other words, instead of using the typical motor control techniques to maintain a certain rotor position, Magnelok could mechanically lock and hold it using friction.

More recently, LORD began to explore automotive applications for its rotary band brake. The company is currently developing Magnelok for automotive-grade liquid cooling circuit valves.

THE TECH Images courtesy of LORD

Band Stator

Rotor

LORD's Magnelok Rotary Brake

“Most cars today still use a valve technology that was developed decades ago,” explained Conner. “It is a paraffin wax valve that’s designed to open at a certain temperature, 85 or 95 degrees, for example.”

Conner is a business development director at LORD, with a focus on automotive electro-mechanical systems.

He explained that when a car needs a cooling system with more control, engineers typically use valves that are actuated by electric motors. Research has shown that if an ICE cooling system can maintain a higher engine temperature within a tighter band, it’s possible to reduce greenhouse gases and improve fuel economy by about 3 or 4%. You can also shorten the startup time to reach optimal temperature with more precise control, because you keep the valve closed longer.

The commonly-used paraffin valves are typically designed to hold an engine within a 10-degree variation, while more active valves can reduce that variation down to 1 to 2 degrees.

Magnelok enters the discussion as a low-power alternative to holding a valve in precise position. “It can be a butterfly valve, shutter valve, ball valve or anything you want to actuate,” said Conner. “To be clear, Magnelok doesn’t do the actuation, it is basically a strong lock and hold. So instead of using the electric motor power to hold position, they could use Magnelok to reduce the size of the motor and power requirements. It consumes

Instead of using the electric motor power to hold position, they could use Magnelok to reduce the size of the motor and power requirements.

low parasitic power with PWM control and can generate significant forces based on scalability. We think it will be a great solution for more precise control of ICE coolant flow and thereby better management of the engine temperature, which helps achieve efficiency goals.”

Interest from EV builders LORD believes there may also be significant advantages to using Magnelok in automobiles without engines. For example, many EV battery packs are also designed with liquid cooling loops to precisely control the temperatures. Maintaining ideal operating conditions is critical for many types of Li-ion cells to increase their lifespan and reliability.

“The technology has a lot of attributes that match the

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THE TECH needs of EVs,” said Conner. “Low parasitic power, high power output, heat resistance, harsh environment resistance, scalability...and it’s fail-safe.”

Because Magnelok will release its lock when it’s de-energized, Conner says it could be used in a system that is designed to flood a battery pack in the event of a problem. So, if there is a total system power loss, the natural state of the valve is open - which helps keep the battery temperature down. “When it’s in an off state there is close to zero friction, so it will create marginal drag on the system,” said Conner.

LORD also thinks that Magnelok could help simplify systems with multiple liquid cooling loops, particularly in hybrids or PHEVs. In some cases there are three different liquid circuits - high-temperature for the engine, mid-range for the power electronics, and low for the battery pack. Magnelok could offer creative engineers more options. For example, it’s possible to replace many valves with a single 3- or 4-way valve that can actively change position.

For some electric motor applications that require a lock and hold, incorporating Magnelok can reduce the required motor size by as much as 50% Open to ideas Development of new applications for Magnelok is still in the early stages, and the company says it’s actively seeking partners in the auto industry.

“We know that for some electric motor applications that require a lock and hold, incorporating Magnelok can reduce the required motor size by as much as 50%,” said Conner, “which also translates to energy savings. So, we’re interested in partnering with anyone who thinks this technology might provide a good solution to a problem that they haven’t been able to solve.”

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MATERIALS Carpenter Technology develops a new soft magnetic alloy with key benefits for EV motors

By Christian Ruoff

38

E

lectrical steels are soft magnetic materials found at the heart of electric motors. They’re typically manufactured in cold-rolled strips, cut into shapes to make laminations and then stacked together to form the stator and rotor of a motor.

These specialty steels are tailored to produce certain magnetic properties, and have a magnetic flux density (key to the torque of an electric motor) that is many times higher than air when an external magnetic field is applied.

Recently Carpenter Technology Corporation announced that it is ready to commercialize a new soft magnetic alloy that it claims is significantly better for electric motors than other steel alloys currently on the market.

The company says its new CARTECH HYPOCORE alloy exhibits a unique combination of low coercivity, high permeability and high electrical resistivity. The result is lower core loss compared to Carpenter’s current family of alloys,

THE TECH Photo courtesy of Carpenter Technology

In simple terms, using Hypocore in an electric motor allows you to reduce the weight and increase the efficiency - both key areas of interest for EVs.

and higher induction compared to silicon steels, even at a low applied magnetic field. The alloy can also be used at higher frequencies with less heat generation.

That all translates into smaller motors and generators that operate more efficiently.

Charged recently chatted with Carpenter Technology’s Chris Arendoski, Vice President of Global Transportation Market, and John Zarynow, Magnetics Product Manager, to learn more about the new alloy.

Q Charged: How do the properties of Hypocore help to

build better EVs?

A John Zarynow: In simple terms, using Hypocore in an

electric motor allows you to reduce the weight and increase the efficiency - both key areas of interest for EVs. It also shrinks the motor’s volume, which means that the auto manufacturer has the option to increase the size of other critical systems, like battery packs.

MAR/APR 2017

39

Photo courtesy of Carpenter Technology

The higher resistivity retards the formation of eddy currents.

And the eddy currents are what generates the heat.

This is achieved by reducing a motor’s core loss, which contributes to heat buildup and reduces the energy efficiency of the system.

Essentially, Hypocore’s new patented chemistry formulation increases the alloy’s resistivity. The higher resistivity retards the formation of eddy currents. And the eddy currents are what generate the heat. So, increasing the alloy resistivity manifests itself as a core loss reduction.

The other potential benefit, although it’s tougher to quantify at this stage, is that reducing the core loss and operating temperature should, in theory, increase the life

40

and reliability of a motor. Because the number-one cause of motor failure is heat buildup.

A Chris Arendoski: Overall, our early studies indicated

that the reduction in weight is approaching 30% when using Hypocore in place of the current standard magnetic steels. I would say that is the big selling point of the Hypocore material. That is a substantial advantage when you’re talking about transportation applications like long-range EVs. Q Charged: Was there some fundamental breakthrough

that allowed you to develop the Hypocore alloy, or is it more of a natural iteration of your normal R&D work?

A John Zarynow: There were fundamental break-

throughs, and they were deliberate. The breakthroughs came in the areas of the underlying chemistry and manufacturing processes, which, unfortunately, are proprietary trade secrets, so we can’t talk too much about the details.

We sat down five years ago to analyze our core compe-

THE TECH tency from an engineering and R&D perspective, and ideas surfaced on how we could make a next-generation alloy. We also got input from a lot of our leading customers about what this alloy should be able to do. We were very methodical.

The fact that no one else has a product like this on the market shows you that it takes quite a bit of effort and R&D to develop.

A Chris Arendoski: Carpenter has been around for 127

years, and we’re truly an innovator, with a very strong R&D base. We’re a fully integrated mill, which is different from a lot of other steel producers. We will develop the fundamental chemistry and manufacturing technology around an alloy. In a nutshell, our core competency is the

Our early studies indicated that the reduction in weight is approaching 30% when using Hypocore in place of the current standard magnetic steels. optimization of magnetic and other properties through material processing.

Q Charged: What stage of the development process are

you in with the automakers?

A Chris Arendoski: We’re in the sampling stages with a

few select global OEMs. We’re going through that process right now and getting feedback from them and it’s very positive. However, it’s going to take a while to sort out the full vehicle capabilities and performance of the material.

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The testing and validation process in the auto industry is quite exhaustive.

Carpenter already has a substantial global automotive segment with a lot of content in IC engines, so we’re familiar with the processes. We produce materials for things like intake and exhaust valves, injectors, pistons, skirt rings, special barriers, powder metal coatings for pistons, etc. We work with a lot of different partners, including several major Tier 1 suppliers.

At this moment we’re developing Hypocore with three major automakers, and they were eager to analyze and test the material as soon as we publicly launched it.

A John Zarynow: We think EVs are a great market for

Hypocore because it can definitely help to build more low-cost and long-range EVs, which is the goal of many of these OEMs. Q Charged: How does the cost of the Hypocore alloy

compare to the electrical steels that automakers are currently using in traction motors?

A Chris Arendoski: The value is seen at the OEM level,

because you can’t get a new material through their initial approval process without having the cost structure evaluated. I would say that the cost is competitive in the marketplace to provide an engineered solution that the light-duty market is looking for.

Q Charged: Other than EVs, what industries do you

think Hypocore will thrive in?

A John Zarynow: Hypocore’s properties can help solve

problems in a lot of different industries. Drones, both military and consumer, traction transformers like those in electric trains, speakers, wireless charging - which is growing quickly. It can help make smaller light medical devices - like a portable dialysis machine for example.

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Also, when you feel your laptop or phone getting hot, part of that is related to the core loss of the charging electronics. So, when you have a material that has lower core loss, in theory, depending on the design of the device, you should be able to mitigate or reduce the amount of temperature rise.

A Chris Arendoski: Carpenter participates in all these

market segments already. We have advanced materials going into the medical industry, and partner directly with a lot of consumer electronics companies on next-gen material development. So, we have seen a lot of demand and interest from all types of customers.

Q Charged: Is Hypocore a standard off-the-shelf

product, or is it something you will customize for a customer’s specifications?

A John Zarynow: We do work with our customers to

customize alloys to obtain the optimal magnetic properties for an application. We also routinely provide a thickness or gauge that the rest of the industry won’t, along with a width and a configuration. If you want a bar, strip, or a coil, we customize routinely.

Optimized magnetic properties is more of a developmental project, but we have done that in the past and continue to do that today.

A Chris Arendoski: We are a specialty solutions provider,

so we do have a base group of alloys in the Hypocore family, and we can deliver it in multiple product forms and packaging sizes. As needs evolve, and as large OEMs and other players look at this technology, we can make

THE TECH

The value is seen at the OEM level, because you can’t get a new material through their initial approval process without having the cost structure evaluated. changes to the chemistry in order to fine-tune or tweak something for them.

Q Charged: What are the other product lines that

Carpenter developed for the auto industry?

A John Zarynow: Our two main families of product for

automotive are CARTECH CHROME CORE and CARTECH HIPERCO alloys.

Our Chrome Core family of alloys has been used in fuel

injector solenoid applications in automobiles for many years. They offer superior corrosion resistance over other competing solenoid-grade steels on the market, and can be used in PHEV and hybrid vehicles. With fuel injector solenoids, the alcohol and the gasoline can corrode the solenoids if the alloy that’s being used is not specified correctly. So, it’s a magnetic alloy but it offers superior corrosion resistive properties.

Our Hiperco family are iron-cobalt alloys. They offer very high magnetic saturation, which means that more force can be generated using less volume and mass of material. It has applications in other many segments, but it’s predominantly used in aerospace. If you have a tight space constraint, like on an airplane, and you need a motor to be a certain weight with a certain power output, that’s where this alloy has great application. The benefit to the auto industry is that this alloy family can enable the design of smaller traction and auxiliary motors (AC compressor, fuel pump, alternator, etc.). So Hiperco is currently used commercially, and it’s the predecessor to the new Hypocore alloy.

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$10 million in funding for low-emission school buses available from California ARB

A new program funded by proceeds from California’s cap-and-trade program aims to encourage the transition of California’s school bus fleet to zero-emission and low-emission buses.

The Rural School Bus Pilot Project offers funding for the purchase of new fuel cell and battery-electric school buses and associated charging equipment. Plug-in hybrid buses, or new buses that operate on fossil fuels, including “renewable” diesel, natural gas and propane, are also eligible.

The project could fund as many as 60 new school buses statewide, eliminating roughly 10,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions and reducing fine particle pollution.

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Workhorse Group (NASDAQ: WKHS) has announced that its electric delivery trucks are achieving 30+ miles per gallon equivalent (MPGe) during stop-and-go parcel, bakery, and uniform delivery routes - up to six times better than the typical 5-8 mpg achieved by gas- or diesel-powered medium-duty trucks.

The company estimates that total savings on fuel and maintenance will amount to as much as $165,000 over the life of the vehicle.

Customers include UPS, FedEx, DHL, FritoLay, Cintas and Aramark.

Workhorse offers a proprietary telematics system called METRON that allows fleet managers to monitor the performance of vehicles in near-real time via a 4G cellular connection.

The METRON system collects over 500 points of data, including battery cell voltage, state-of-charge, and total miles. It also permits Workhorse to send software updates to vehicles over the air.

“By achieving 30 MPGe with over 125 medium-duty trucks on the road, Workhorse is setting a new standard,” said Steve Burns, Workhorse CEO. “Medium-duty local delivery trucks are the backbone of the Last Mile delivery system, and a six-fold fuel economy increase as well as reduced maintenance and zero or near-zero emissions are a major change.”

“Fleets today are watching the efficiency of their vehicles very closely,” Burns continued. “METRON telematics allows fleet managers to monitor and manage all Workhorse EVs in their fleet with near-real-time insight.

This ensures that our customers are obtaining the full cost-of-ownership savings.”

Photo courtesy of Workhorse

Workhorse’s electric truck claims six times better fuel efficiency than ICE trucks

THE VEHICLES

Photo courtesy of Nicolas Raymond (CC BY 2.0)

Billionaire Carlos Slim to launch a made-in-Mexico EV Giant Motors, part of the business empire of Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim Helu, is developing a made-in-Mexico EV, and plans to launch it commercially next year, Forbes Mexico reported.

Giant Motors will design the new vehicle, and will manufacture it in a joint venture with Moldex, a subsidiary of giant Mexican bread maker Grupo Bimbo. The company plans to seek government funding and collaboration for the project.

Giant expects to reveal a working prototype late this year, and bring the new EV to market in 2018, initially introducing it as a taxi in Mexico City. The company recently announced a $215-million alliance with Chinese automaker JAC Motors to manufacture vehicles in Mexico’s state of Hidalgo.

“We are developing a new Mexican electric vehicle that will not only be assembled [in Mexico], but also designed

and modeled to meet the needs of Mexican consumers,” Elías Massri, Giant Motors’ CEO for Latin America, told Forbes Mexico.

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Volvo Buses receives order for 90 electric buses from Belgium

Public transport operator the TEC Group, which serves the Belgian cities of Charleroi and Namur, has ordered 90 Volvo 7900 Electric Hybrid buses as well as 12 ABB charging stations. Delivery and installation will get underway this fall.

TEC brought 11 Volvo 7900s into service in Namur in January. Once the new buses take to the roads, 90% of Namur’s public transport will be electrified.

The Volvo 7900 Electric Hybrid is equipped with a small diesel engine, but is designed to be propelled by electricity for 70% of its route. Energy consumption is about 60% lower, and CO2 emissions are 75-90% lower, compared to a legacy diesel bus.

“The hybrid technology is the best compromise between operational constraints and energy efficiency for urban buses today,” said Vincent Peremans, CEO of the TEC Group.

Volvo’s plug-in hybrid buses and ABB’s fast charging systems use a common interface known as OppCharge, which allows the charging stations to be used by e-buses from various manufacturers. OppCharge is now in use in over 12 countries.

“The common interface for fast charging of buses and trucks, OppCharge, is gaining ground,” said Volvo Buses President Håkan Agnevall. “The use by many suppliers of a common interface will facilitate the transition to electromobility in the world’s cities.”

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Photo courtesy of Daimler

smart to drop gas-powered cars and sell only EVs in North American market

The cute little smart fortwo never had a chance in the Land of the Monster Truck. After a decade of dismal sales, Daimler has announced that it will stop selling gas-powered smarts in the US and Canada. The smart fortwo electric drive will continue to be sold, making smart one of two companies that sell only EVs in North America.

The smart, whose inventor, Swatch founder Nicolas Hayek, originally conceived it as an EV, has been quite popular outside of the US - 2016 global sales were over 144,000. Here in the US, it sold only 6,211.

The smart’s main selling point seems to be its small size, which makes parking easier in cramped cities. As a gas saver, it’s a bust. Its combined fuel-economy rating of 35 mpg is equivalent to that of the midsize Honda Civic, and pales beside the score of the much larger Toyota Prius hybrid (52-56 mpg). It also lacks the hot-rod appeal of the MINI, which offers only slightly lower fuel economy (32 mpg).

As for the electric version, it has also struggled in the US market. It sold only 657 units in 2016, placing it at #21 among plug-in vehicles. The ED was actually one of the top-selling EVs in Germany for a few years, but sales seem to have collapsed there as well.

“Developments within the micro-car segment present some challenges for the current smart product portfolio,” wrote head of Mercedes-Benz USA Dietmar Exler in a letter to dealers announcing the new strategy. “A dedicated focus on the electric drive in the US and Canada provides a logical step to support a sustainable, zero-emissions future.”

THE VEHICLES

Photo courtesy of Daimler Trucks

Mercedes-Benz heavy-duty eTruck in customer trials Mercedes-Benz Trucks is bringing an electric heavy-duty truck to market in a small series. The Urban eTruck has 25 tons gross vehicle weight, a payload of 12.8 tons, and a range of up to 200 km.

“A low two-figure number of units” will be delivered to customers in Germany this year. They will be used in real transportation applications for a period of twelve months, and Mercedes will work with the customers to further optimize the vehicle concept and system configurations.

Several versions of the e-truck will be tested: 18- and 25-ton models, equipped with a refrigerated body, a dry box body and a platform body.

The Urban eTruck is part of a comprehensive electric initiative from Daimler Trucks. The light-duty Fuso eCanter electric truck will also be tested in 2017 - around 150 vehicles will be given to selected customers in Europe, Japan and the US.

“Following the world premiere in September 2016 at the International Commercial Vehicle Show the customer reaction was outstanding,” said Stefan Buchner, Head of Mercedes-Benz Trucks. “We are currently talking to around 20 potential customers from the disposal, foodstuffs and logistics sectors.”

Module and pack level testing CAN, I2C SMBus capable Drive cycle simulation Import drive cycle from table of values Battery power is recycled to AC grid in discharge Utilizes Maccor’s standard battery test software suite No system power limit, up to 900 KW

New wave of state legislation aims to penalize EV drivers Several US states impose a yearly fee on owners of electrified vehicles, and the state-level anti-EV movement is now shifting into high gear, with financial backing from oil industry groups.

As Gina Coplon-Newfield, Director of the Sierra Club’s Electric Vehicles Initiative and co-author Maggie Newshan write in a recent article, Wyoming, Colorado, Virginia, Nebraska, Missouri, Washington, North Carolina, Idaho, Georgia, and Michigan have all implemented yearly fees on electric and hybrid vehicles, ranging from $50 to $300 per year. Since the start of 2017, Indiana, South Carolina, Kansas, Tennessee, New Hampshire, and Montana have all introduced legislation that would implement similar fees. State DOTs in Arizona and Arkansas have also recommended new fees for EV ownership.

The experience of Georgia clearly illustrates the impact of state incentives (and/or disincentives) on EV sales and the local jobs they support. The Peach State used to offer a tax credit of up to $5,000 for EV purchases, and was second only to California in EV sales. In 2015, the state eliminated the incentive, and imposed a $200 yearly fee.

EV sales have since fallen by 80 percent.

It’s no secret that the oil industry is mobilizing against electrification. In February 2016, the Huffington Post reported that a consortium that includes Koch Industries and other fossil fuel interests formed an advocacy group with a budget of $10 million per year to promote legacy fuels and attack government subsidies for EVs. Boosters of EV fees argue that electrification is causing revenue from gas taxes, which is used to fund state road maintenance, to fall. However, this is a dubious argument for a couple of reasons.

First, EVs currently account for less than one percent of total US auto sales, so it’s likely that the increasing

48

fuel efficiency of ICE vehicles accounts for most of the decrease in gas tax collections.

Second, as Ms. Coplon-Newfield writes, the federal gas tax was created in 1957, and hasn’t risen with inflation since 1993. Revenue currently covers only around 40 percent of maintenance costs - one reason for the widely-reported parlous state of the nation’s road infrastructure.

States are casting about for ways to make up the lost revenue. The options of going back to the gas-guzzling days of the 1950s or raising gas tax rates (!) are both obvious non-starters, so the gas tax, as currently implemented, is looking more and more like an outdated way to fund transportation infrastructure.

Some states have proposed more effective funding sources. Oregon has created OReGo, a road use fee based on miles traveled. Massachusetts and Illinois have also considered mileage-based tax programs, while Washington State has implemented a fee based on vehicle weight.

If you live in one of the states that are considering new EV fees, be sure to contact the Sierra Club for information and materials to help fight back.

THE VEHICLES

Photo courtesy of Volvo Group

Volvo to introduce 3-cylinder PHEV in 2018, BEVs in 2019 Volvo will introduce a new variant of its Twin Engine plug-in hybrid system in 2018, featuring front-wheel drive and a 3-cylinder engine. In 2019 it will launch its first production battery-electric vehicles and a new 48 V mild hybrid system. This news comes from Mats Anderson, Senior Director of Electric Propulsion Systems, who spoke to reporters at the recent SAE Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Technologies Symposium, via Green Car Congress.

The new FWD Twin Engine system will feature a 9.7 kWh Li-ion battery located in the tunnel, an electric AC compressor, and a 7-speed transmission with an integrated 55 kW electric motor. Anderson estimated the electric range at about 31 miles.

The 48 V mild hybrid system for gas or diesel engines will use a 10 kW motor, a 0.25 kWh 48 V Li-ion battery, and a separate 12 V AGM battery.

In 2019, Volvo plans to introduce its first battery-elec-

tric vehicles, based on a new Modular Electrification Platform, which will allow Volvo to deliver vehicles ranging between 100 and 450 kW of power, with battery packs of up to 100 kWh in size.

Volvo’s BEVs will support AC charging at rates of up to 20 kW, as well as both CCS and CHAdeMO high-speed DC charging.

Anderson said Volvo hopes to have one million electrified Volvos on the road by 2025, and is prepared to support the phase-out of diesels by introducing more electrified powertrains. “We are committed [to electrification]. There is no way back,” he said.

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THE VEHICLES

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By Charles Morris

New Eagle teams up with Inventev to offer electric Ford Transit vans

T

he business case for electrifying commercial vans would seem to be a no-brainer - the savings on fuel and maintenance are substantial and demonstrable. In the real world however, pilot projects are plentiful, but substantial orders have been slow to materialize. More than one promising startup has gone under while waiting for fleet customers to take the plunge.

Meanwhile, Michigan-based New Eagle has quietly thrived, making control software and systems for a variety of applications, including traditional ICE powertrains and hydraulic equipment. It has been involved with EVs and hybrid vehicles for over 10 years, supplying control systems and other components to vehicle manufacturers.

With battery costs trending ever lower and public awareness of EVs edging higher, the fleet market seems likely to start plugging in in a big way soon. New Eagle is well positioned to take advantage of the coming wave of electrification.

Charged recently sat down with New Eagle’s Director of Key Accounts and Vendor Relationships Dwayne McKenzie and Engineer Justin Goeglein to talk about the company’s EV control software and its modular Powertrain Kit. New Eagle was originally founded as a software company. It was purchased by Mercury Marine, a division of Brunswick, which used New Eagle’s motor controls for gas engines. Brunswick eventually rolled New Eagle’s software into its MotoTron line of electronic controls, which was later sold to Woodward, a key supplier to New Eagle.

In 2006, founder Richard Swortzel decided to start up New Eagle again, and the company has been steadily growing ever since. When the EV market began to emerge, New Eagle became a supplier to some of the early players, helping them build control systems for their vehicles.

“Our primary core is control system solutions using model-based development software and production hardware,” Justin Goeglein told Charged. “Our software tool makes it really easy to write software, and we leverage production hardware that’s already been validated.

That’s our business model. We’ve been focused on EVs because those solutions work well as different companies are entering this technology.”

MAR/APR 2017

51

Software, supervisors and solutions “The core of what we offer is a supervisor software package that we’ve built up as a template over years of different projects,” says Justin. “This is the software that controls the torque path and manages the various components on the vehicle. With EVs, we enable customers to safely control motors, while considering the battery and inverter limits.”

However, New Eagle is more than just a seller of software. The company works closely with customers to help them develop control systems tailored to their specific requirements. “We like to teach people how to use our software and tools and send them on their way,” says Justin. “We can only do so many projects a year, but if we teach them how to use our tools appropriately then they can go out and do more projects and help us to spread the offerings we have.”

“Many times we have customers that have already invested in the MATLAB and Simulink software suite.

New Eagle brings the software platform that links that up to hardware components that they can build a control system off of, so they don’t have to develop their own from scratch. It costs about one tenth of what it would cost to use other products.”

New Eagle also acts as something of a matchmaker, helping small and medium-size companies get hooked up with component suppliers. “New Eagle has relationships with most of the major OEM players in the EV market BorgWarner, UQM, Parker, YASA, SEVCON, Rinehart Motion Systems, Engineered Machine Products, Mitsubishi, Climate Control Systems, EDN Group, Current Ways, and many others,” says Dwayne. “That’s one of the unique capabilities you get when you work with New Eagle. We’re a central place where you can get access to all of these vendors easily.”

“The major component OEMs may not have the bandwidth to support a company that’s going to place sub1,000-unit orders, but they have experience working with New Eagle. So we help companies get through some of the engineering challenges.”

Electrifying the Transit New Eagle made an impression at the recent Detroit auto show with an electric Ford Transit that it developed with partner Inventev. The two companies plan to begin production of the vehicle in early 2018. New Eagle will provide the core propulsion systems and controls, and Inventev will handle upfitting and distribution.

“We’re great at system integration, so we decided to

52

This is the software that controls the torque path and manages the various components on the vehicle. With EVs, we enable customers to safely control motors, while considering the battery and inverter limits. leverage that by partnering with a production house in order to supply a truly marketable system to fleets,” says Dwayne. “Inventev has the capabilities and the background to actually productionize things and get them out there to the market. We combined our technology and their ability to manufacture, and that’s where we think the big win is going to be.”

“The objective is to have Inventev go out and sell to upfitters and/or become an upfitter itself,” Dwayne continues. “Ford has very specific programs that they set up with upfitters, which is another reason we chose the Transit.

New Eagle and Inventev will join that program.”

THE VEHICLES Photo courtesy of Ford

Photo courtesy of New Eagle

The major component OEMs may not have the bandwidth to support a company that’s going to place sub-1,000-unit orders, but they have experience working with New Eagle.

“We like the Transit because it’s an American-made, rear-wheel-drive platform that expands across a pretty broad payload,” adds Justin. “It really worked well because of the rear-wheel drive and the size of the vehicle, and we’re continuing to expand our relationship with Ford they’ve been really supportive.”

Photo courtesy of New Eagle

One kit fits all The electric Transit was developed using New Eagle’s customizable Powertrain Kit, which is designed to allow fleets and manufacturers to quickly and affordably convert light- and medium-duty commercial vehicles to electric drive.

“As we’ve gained experience in the EV market, we’ve been able to develop a kit where we’ve pulled together a

MAR/APR 2017

53

THE VEHICLES

Photo courtesy of Ford

complete powertrain,” says Justin. “It leverages our vendor relationships and our experience with those different products so that we can offer a package that has everything needed to convert a vehicle from ICE to electric powertrain.”

“The Powertrain Kit is a complete replacement package. It includes the brains or vehicle controller (which is our focus), an inverter, motor, DC/DC converter, charger, electro-hydraulic power steering pump, and vacuum pump. Climate control is achieved through a high-voltage heater and a high-voltage AC compressor, all of which interfaces with the Ford OEM system.”

“The beauty of what we put together is that we could swap out any of the components in the kit depending on the needs of the customer,” said Dwayne. “The control system can easily adapt. So we can design a system based on different duty cycles and use cases.”

“We have a detailed powertrain design where we have all the low-voltage and high-voltage electrical schematics, and we’ve made it very modular,” says Justin. “And we own this validated software set that works with all these different components.”

“That’s why we can have a very similar powertrain kit that stretches from a small to mid-size vehicle all the way to the heavy-duty. In the same powertrain package that’s in the Transit, those components can handle light-duty or medium-duty vehicles, depending on the duty cycle,

54

In the same powertrain package that’s in the Transit, those components can handle lightduty or medium-duty vehicles, depending on the duty cycle, and they can pretty easily be adapted for different applications. and they can pretty easily be adapted for different applications.”

To give one example, different customers might require different charging times, and New Eagle can easily meet their needs. “We have relationships with different charging vendors, including BRUSA, EDN, and Current Ways, and they all have different power levels available,” says Justin.

“So we can offer different charging times from roughly 8 hours down to one hour, depending on the size of the pack and which charger you select.”

The same applies to the battery pack - whatever range a customer needs, New Eagle can choose the perfect pack from a variety of vendors. More range is usually a good

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thing, but right-sizing a battery pack, so that a vehicle has just enough range for its intended use case, can help maximize cargo space and keep costs down.

“As far as maximum range, there is a pretty big cargo area in that van, so we could put a lot of batteries in it,” Justin explains. “Some of those guys are putting 150 miles per day on their vehicles, but I think most of our highestinterest customers have a need for a range well below that.

The commercial market has a little bit less range anxiety, because it’s really driven by data, and fleet managers really understand the use cases of those vehicles.”

New Eagle sometimes buys complete battery packs from vendors, and sometimes assembles a custom pack from modules. “We try to maintain high flexibility with the batteries, because different customers have different ideas on how they want to do it,” says Justin. “We’ve worked with some of the big battery suppliers that give you a complete pack, and we interface with their battery management system (BMS). They handle the packaging and cooling as one big pack. We’ve also done it at the module level - we offer a CAN interface in case you want to meet a generic standard that we’ve defined to work with our supervision software.

In case a customer wants to build their own battery pack, we have a BMS that we can help them configure to make sure that we’re monitoring the correct things and that it works with our supervisor.”

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Today it’s a different story - the market really seems to be much more ready to adopt this technology. People are starting to understand it. We don’t have to explain things as much.

Control freak New Eagle’s EV Supervisor Control Module is the heart of the Powertrain Kit, providing several critical functions. “It starts with torque security,” Justin explains. “That includes a dual-band pedal with arbitration so you can make sure you’re properly reading the driver’s request, and that includes torque security feedback from the motor. And most importantly, it takes into account the limits of the battery pack, so you don’t overuse the available power from the pack and you stay within its limits, as well as the limits of the inverter.”

“We also handle the proper startup and shutdown of the high-voltage system, which includes making sure the components wake up in the right order, the high-voltage system is pre-charged properly, and you only transition into drive mode with the proper interlocks.”

“We have interfaces for component control, which is necessary to make sure you’re operating the different components at their correct operating points, including HVAC and other accessories. We also offer charging controls so we make sure we charge the pack with the available power from the grid, taking into account what the charger can do and what the pack can handle.”

Is the fleet market ready?

Fleet electrification has seemed to be just around the

THE VEHICLES corner for several years now, and several companies that focused exclusively on converting fleets to EVs have crashed and burned. New Eagle, which has always served a broader range of markets, has been able to steadily build relationships with suppliers and constantly improve its software package, while learning from others’ failures.

Dwayne and Justin are convinced that the market is ready to take off soon: “It makes sense in terms of a payback period, and there are a lot of other advantages.”

Understandably, many are skeptical. In 2010, a company called Azure Dynamics set out to offer an electric version of the Transit, and it didn’t end well.

“I saw one internet comment on an article about our Transit project that said, ‘Yeah, we’ve seen this before. Can anyone say Azure Dynamics and bankruptcy?’” Dwayne relates. “And I thought that was funny, because it’s not wrong - unfortunately there have been many people that failed at similar projects in the past. But the technology wasn’t there - the pricing of the components has really come down.

That was a long time ago relative to where this industry is now.”

“We’ve been around for a while, and have helped many startup companies in the past that have had challenges communicating with the end users on the value of the technology - they’ve had trouble with components not being ready and financing not being ready,” says Justin. “Today it’s a different story - the market really seems to be much more ready to adopt this technology. People are starting to understand it. We don’t have to explain things as much.”

The components have also gotten better. “Today we’re able to leverage products that have been out in the market for years,” says Dwayne. “For example, UQM mo-

tors and BorgWarner/Remy motors have been around for a long time, and it’s now proven technology. Companies like Azure and Bright Automotive were breaking totally new ground trying to bring something to market, and having to spend millions of dollars to do it. We don’t have to do that. Other people have already validated these motors, inverters, and everything else.”

IONIQ 2017 HYUNDAI LAUNCHES IONIQ WITH THREE DISTINCT POWERTRAIN CHOICES

With 124 miles of range, Ioniq Electric hopes that EV buyers are ready to switch focus from maximum range to best bang-for-the-buck.

By Christian Ruoff

58

THE VEHICLES

Photos courtesy of Hyundai Motor America

MAR/APR 2017

59

2017 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid Photos courtesy of Hyundai Motor America

n the short history of the modern EV industry, it’s been common for automakers to launch plug-in cars under a new brand or model - particularly those companies who are serious about selling EVs at scale. Or, at least the ones that want to appear serious about selling a lot of EVs. Even though Hyundai is a few years late to the EV party, its new Ioniq can claim a few milestones. It’s the first vehicle to offer three distinct drivetrain options - hybrid, plug-in hybrid and all-electric. Also, the Ioniq Hybrid and Ioniq Electric are the most fuel-efficient vehicles in their class, no small feat of engineering (the Ioniq Plug-in Hybrid has not yet been given an official EPA rating).

The Ioniq Hybrid Blue is EPA-rated at 58 MPG combined, beating the Prius Eco’s 56 MPG. The Ioniq Electric is EPA-rated at 136 MPGe, making it the most efficient EV on the market. The next best efficiency ratings are held by the Prius Prime (133 MPGe in electric mode) and the BMW i3 (124 MPGe).

While it’s clear that traditional hybrid shoppers are largely driven by overall fuel efficiency ratings, the conversation about plug-in vehicles usually starts and ends with electric range. In that category, the Ioniq Electric is

I

60

far from the top of the list, offering 124 miles of range.

Hyundai is hoping that as more and more EV models become available, buyers will start shopping based on a vehicle’s overall value and efficiency and not solely its maximum range.

Just weeks after GM started deliveries of the Bolt EV with its 238-mile range and 119 MPGe, starting at $36,620, will the Ioniq Electric turn the heads of any EV buyers? Its 124-mile range is a lot shorter, but its 136 MPGe efficiency rating can’t be beat, and its $29,500 MSRP is more than $7,000 lower.

Efficiency mandate At the Ioniq launch event, Hyundai executives explained that this development project started about 12 years ago.

Back in 2005, as Toyota was making a lot of headlines one year into deliveries of its second-generation Prius, Hyundai’s top brass handed the company’s product development team a new directive.

Glenn Kim, leader of Hyundai’s eco-technology system performance development team described the company’s goals.

2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric

Glenn Kim: For this project, Ioniq, we didn’t have numbers as a target. I got the wording from my boss, there is just one target: The world’s best fuel economy.

Even though we didn’t know our competitors future numbers of new cars. So, if competitors achieve some such number, you have to overcome that. [If they achieve] 52 mpg, we need more than 52. [If they achieve] 55, more than 55.

To engineer what they called “mission impossible,” Hyundai says it changed or enhanced many of its typical vehicle systems. The hardest part about upping efficiency is doing so without making the vehicle drive like a slug.

To maintain drivability, engineers designed a dedicated version of the engine for the hybrid and PHEV models, and used a dual-clutch transmission for the first time with an electric motor. Of course, Hyundai also invested heavily in battery development.

Lead-acid-less One of the most interesting engineering choices for all three Ioniq vehicles was the decision to use lithium-ion cells for the 12 V system in the Ioniq Hybrid. The com-

I GOT THE WORDING FROM MY BOSS, THERE IS JUST ONE TARGET: THE WORLD’S BEST FUEL ECONOMY.

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Interior of 2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric

pany calls it the consolidated 12 V battery, and it’s the first time we’ve seen a production vehicle of any type that doesn’t use a traditional lead-acid battery to power the low-voltage circuits. Even cars with the largest and most advanced Li-ion battery packs - including the latest versions of Model S, Prius and Bolt EV - still use lead-acid batteries. These ancient battery chemistries are dirt cheap, and pretty good at what they do. All the existing auxiliary 12 V systems have been designed to work well with leadacid, so electrification engineers have opted to continue using them. In fact, Hyundai only decided to use Li-ion cells for the Ioniq Hybrid, and continues to use lead-acid in the Ioniq PHEV and Ioniq Electric.

For the hybrid, the math worked out differently. When you have a directive to be the best in efficiency for a gasoline hybrid, shedding those extra pounds of lead proved to make the most sense. Hyundai says that by using Li-ion cells for the 12 V loads, it could eliminate a 50 Ah

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AGM battery, remove 26 pounds from the vehicle, and improve cargo capacity by 2.4%.

The low-voltage Li-ion pack sits directly adjacent to the high-voltage traction battery, although the two are electrically isolated. The vehicle also has a 12 V Battery Reset button to the left of the steering wheel that the designers describe as a self-jump start function. When the car is turned off, the high-voltage battery is disconnected, and it’s possible to fully discharge the 12 V battery - by leaving the headlamps on, for example. The self-jump start button will use a tiny amount of energy to open a relay and allow the traction battery to recharge the 12 V system so the car can start again.

Changing the EV range conversation With the world’s leading gas mileage, the Ioniq Hybrid makes a straightforward sales pitch to efficiencyconscious car buyers. However, given the Ioniq Elec-

THE VEHICLES IONIQ 2017 ENGINE Engine type Materials Displacement Horsepower Torque Valves per cylinder

IONIQ HYBRID

IONIQ PLUG-IN HYBRID

1.6L GDI Atkinson Cycle 4-cylinder

1.6L GDI Atkinson Cycle 4-cylinder

Aluminum block and head

Aluminum block and head

1.6L

1.6L

104 hp @ 5,700 rpm

104 hp @ 5,700 rpm

109 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm

109 lb-ft @ 4,000 rpm

4

4

IONIQ ELECTRIC

N/A

ELECTRIC MOTOR Motor type Output Horsepower Torque

Interior-Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor 32 kW Electric Motor

44.5 kW Electric Motor

88 kW Electric Motor

43 hp

60 hp

118 hp

125 lb-ft

125 lb-ft

215 lb-ft

TOTAL SYSTEM Net horsepower

139 hp

139 hp

118 hp

BATTERY Type

Lithium-ion polymer

Voltage

240 V

Capacity

1.56 kWh

360 V

360 V

8.9 kWh

28.0 kWh

6-speed EcoShift dual clutch

Single-speed reduction gear

TRANSMISSION Type

6-speed EcoShift dual clutch

WEIGHT Curb

2,996 lbs – 3,172

TBD

3,164 lbs

GVWR

3,935 lbs – 4,079

TBD

4,189 lbs

INTERIOR VOLUME Passenger

96.2 cu ft

96.2 cu ft

96.2 cu ft

Cargo (trunk) space

26.5 cu ft

23.8 cu ft

23.8 cu ft

FUEL ECONOMY MPG (City/Highway/ Combined) Electric Range

57/59/58 (Blue) 55/54/55 (SEL/Limited)

TBD

136 MPGe

N/A

Greater than 27 miles

124 miles

CHARGING TIMES 220/240V (Level 2) DC fast charging

N/A

2 hours 30 minutes

4 hours 25 minutes

N/A

80% in 23 minutes (100 kW) 80% in 30 minutes (50 kW)

Photos courtesy of Hyundai Motor America

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tric’s specifications - with just 124 miles of range - it’s no surprise that the company is making the hard sell based on value for the money and efficiency (although company reps did tell us that Hyundai also has higherrange EVs in the pipeline).

“We actually intend to have a longer-range EV,” said Michael O’Brien, Hyundai’s Vice President of Product Planning. “We have one planned. The big problem is it will not be as efficient.”

O’Brien argued that it is relatively easy to engineer more. “It’s easy to put a bigger engine in, it’s easier to put more space in. It’s really, really difficult to make more efficiency,” he said. “That’s the biggest challenge of engineers. How do you make things more efficient and still do everything customers want?”

The potential problem for the Ioniq Electric is that EV customers might want more range, in spite of the fact that very few need it. Regular Charged readers are familiar with the statistics about how far the average person drives each day, and it’s a lot less than the Ioniq Electric’s 124-mile range.

However, with the launch of the Chevrolet Bolt EV and Tesla Model 3 this year, the auto industry has framed success for EVs as a race towards 200 miles or more for $30,000 or less. O’Brien says it’s time for automakers, the press and EV enthusiasts to change the conversation.

2017 Hyundai Ioniq Electric

Michael O’Brien: I believe vehicle manufacturers have to do a much better job at representing efficiency in the EV area. Of course, because of the early limitations of EVs, everybody focused on range. Now that we’re solving the range problem, we’re still focused on range.

98% [of people] drive less than 100 miles [per day], and that’s intended driving, that’s not the actual driving. The actual driving is actually much less than that.

So we’re talking about what people think they might do and their intentions. Our job is to help inform people that there are choices, and to make efficiency a bigger part of their informed decision.

Photos courtesy of Hyundai Motor America

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Hyundai suggests a few different metrics to convey to customers that efficiency is important, including operating costs, upfront purchase price, and, of course, greenhouse gas reduction.

Explaining exactly how MPGe affects your wallet might be the best pitch to sway shoppers, and the Ioniq Electric has the numbers on its side. Because it uses the

THE VEHICLES

BECAUSE OF THE EARLY LIMITATIONS OF EVS, EVERYBODY FOCUSED ON RANGE. NOW THAT WE’RE SOLVING THE RANGE PROBLEM, WE’RE STILL FOCUSED ON RANGE. energy stored in the battery pack so efficiently, the Ioniq Electric has the lowest operating cost of any vehicle in the world - its EPA-estimated cost to drive 25 miles is just $0.81. The average new car costs about $2.24 to drive 25 miles, hybrids like the Prius and Ioniq Hybrid cost about $1.00, and the Chevy Bolt costs $0.92.

The Bolt has over 100 miles more range than the Ioniq Electric because it carries a lot more expensive batteries around, which decreases overall efficiency and accounts for the $7,000 price differential. John Shon, Hyundai’s

Senior Manager for Product Planning, attempted to put that price premium in perspective.

John Shon: Value for the money is a space that Hyundai really owns, and customers have come to expect a very strong value proposition from us. Ioniq certainly doesn’t disappoint.

If you look at Ioniq Hybrid’s starting MSRP of $22,200, that’s more than 10% less than the starting price of a Prius. Even when you get all the bells and whistles, it comes out to $30,500, and that has more content than what’s available on the Prius.

For the Ionic Electric, with a starting MSRP of $29,500, when you factor in the $7,500 federal tax credit - and in the state of California you get a $2,500 clean vehicle rebate - the effective price is $19,500.

Much like horsepower, or the number of cylinders, or even towing capacity, some people do require a higher [range] figure. The question is how much are customers willing to pay for that convenience?

Chevrolet Bolt is a great car, but if you look at just the

Faster DC charging Every Ioniq Electric will come equipped with DC fast charging hardware, and it’s the first EV in the US capable of charging at power levels up to 100 kW with the CCS standard. At the moment, essentially every CCScapable fast charger that’s installed in North America

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EVERY IONIQ ELECTRIC WILL COME EQUIPPED WITH DC FAST CHARGING HARDWARE, AND IT’S THE FIRST EV IN THE US CAPABLE OF CHARGING AT POWER LEVELS UP TO 100 KW WITH THE CCS STANDARD. tops out at 50 kW or lower, but Hyundai, ChargePoint, and other networks and equipment manufacturers ensure us that higher power chargers will start to roll out “very soon.”

For DC fast chargers, the terms 100 kW and 50 kW represent the peak charging power - not sustained or average power. During a charging session, the batteries can only safely accept the peak recharge power for a short amount of time without being damaged. So, doubling the peak power does not cut the charge time in half.

Hyundai says the Ioniq Electric will add 99 miles of range, or 80% of the battery pack’s capacity, in 30 minutes using a 50 kW charger, and in 23 minutes using 100 kW hardware.

Photo courtesy of Hyundai Motor America

MSRP of the Ioniq Electric versus the Chevy Bolt, you’re looking at a $7,000 price difference. That’s critical, because if you look at the average transaction price for a compact car, it’s in the high teens to low twenties. The Bolt, at $7,000 more, is outside the affordability of a lot of compact car buyers. So, what we’re hoping to do with Ionic Electric is make it more accessible to a majority of compact car buyers.

Just to give you a little bit of reference about what $7,000 means, if you look at the Hyundai sedan models from Accent to Sonata, that’s a two-class jump, and that price jump is less than $7,000. That’s just something we hope [the press] is cognizant of and we hope customers are cognizant of when they’re shopping EVs. For the instances where you do have to travel extended distances, we offer standard DC fast charging on Ioniq Electric. And you see a proliferation of fast charging, especially DC fast charging networks, along the coasts of the US.

THE VEHICLES Vision of an electric future of this year. The Ioniq Electric will start retail sales in The combination of 124 miles of range and 100 kW April, initially in California, then in the nine other states charging in an affordable sedan is clearly a great EV that follow its zero-emission vehicle rules. Hyundai said value that fits the needs of most every commuter. Howthat every one of its dealers will have the ability to order ever, it’s quite likely that Hyundai will have a tough time the EV at a customer’s request. But without vehicles on convincing the current car buying population to get over the lot and a sales staff actively promoting them, it’s safe its natural inclinations and max EV-range obsessions. to assume that Ioniq Electric sales outside of the ten ZEV The good news for fans of electrification is that there states will be rare. is a coming shift among consumers with buying power, and it’s trending towards EVs. Hyundai’s research shows that by 2020, millennials will pass the baby boomer generation and become the largest single buyers of new light vehicles in the US. When you survey the attributes that millennial buyers are looking for, you’ll see that manufacturers that offer EVs elicit significantly more interest.

In general, the younger generation has a more favorable view of hybrids, PHEVs and EVs, and they like urbanization - which Hyundai thinks “will support the sale of more electric vehicles moving forward.” 62% of millennials prefer to live in an urban environment, a much higher proportion Safety for vehicles than the previous few generations.

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www.bender.org

CLEVER and E.ON partner to deploy 150 kW chargers in Norway

Photo courtesy of WAVE

Photo courtesy of CLEVER

WAVE demonstrates 250 kW wireless en route charging for e-buses

WAVE (Wireless Advanced Vehicle Electrification) has demonstrated a 250 kW Wireless Power Transfer System prototype. The company will deliver the new charging system to the Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA) in California later this year.

WAVE’s technology transfers power from a charging pad embedded in the pavement to a receiving pad mounted on the vehicle’s undercarriage seven to eight inches above. The system allows AVTA’s electric buses to charge during layovers as passengers board and disembark. This “top-off ” charge capability extends the effective range of an e-bus, or it can allow a bus to operate with a smaller battery pack.

“This is yet another important step in AVTA’s push to go completely zero-emission by 2018,” said AVTA Board Chairman Marvin Crist. “The acquisition of these chargers strengthens the infrastructural foundations that will allow our fleet to seamlessly complete any route within our service area. The example that AVTA is setting will form a blueprint that any transit agency looking to go completely zero-emission can follow.”

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Denmark-based network operator CLEVER and electric utility E.ON have partnered with gas station chain YX to install ultra-fast charging stations at 20 service stations across Norway.

The chargers’ 150 kW power level enables recharging of a 400 km-range battery in 20-30 minutes. They feature a modular design, and can be upgraded to 350 kW in the future.

The new chargers, which will be installed from 2018 to 2020, will be located along Norway’s main transport corridors, connecting Oslo with Kristiansand, Stavanger, Bergen and Trondheim, as well as neighboring countries.

“We wish to create an ultra-fast charging network that enables EV driving from Rome in Italy to Trondheim in Norway - connecting the main motorways in Europe,” said CLEVER CEO Casper Kirketerp-Møller. “Our presence in Norway will give all the EV drivers in Norway access to ultra-fast charging locally and in connection with the rest of Europe as we expand the network. Teaming up with YX secures some of the best locations along the main transport corridors in Norway.”

“In parallel with an increasing share of biofuels, we believe our future portfolio consists of several different zero-emission alternatives,” says Thor Kristian Korsvold, CEO of YX Norge. “The electric car is an important part of the future. CLEVER operates a professional and well-established charging network in Denmark and Sweden, and together with E.ON they have the ambition to establish the fastest charging network in Europe.”

THE INFRASTRUCTURE

Efacec to begin installing chargers with up to 350 kW of power

Portuguese EVSE manufacturer Efacec is building and installing chargers aimed at the new generation of longrange EVs, with output power of up to 350 kW. Efacec had sold 44 High Power units of its HV range as of December. The HV range includes models with different power levels, including 50, 160, 175 and 350 kW, aimed at different charging needs.

The HV175 is a high-power charging solution, able to supply up to 920 V nominal and 1,000 V maximum.

Combining two HV175 units, together with a user interface unit, forms the HV350, which can provide 350 kW of power.

“It is undeniable that long-range EVs provide a new step in electric mobility, and Efacec is already working on the leading edge of this solution,” said Pedro Silva, Managing Director of Efacec Electric Mobility.

Are even oil companies starting to hop on the EV bandwagon? Giant multinational Shell has confirmed plans to add EV charging points to some of its gas stations in the UK and the Netherlands. The first EV chargers may be installed before the end of 2017.

“We have a number of countries where we’re looking at having battery charging facilities,” Shell’s Business Director John Abbott told the Financial Times. “If you are sitting charging your vehicle, you will want to have a coffee or something to eat.”

The new offering could actually fit in well with gas stations’ modern business model - these days they make little or no profit on selling fuel, but earn most of their money from food and convenience store items. It would also be an efficient use of existing infrastructure that is already in place. There are some 25,000 Shell-branded gas stations in the world, most of them conveniently located in busy urban areas.

Abbott didn’t reveal what kind of EVSE the company plans to use, but said that most EVs will be able to charge to 80% in 30 minutes, which implies that the units will be DC fast chargers.

“If we want to be a part of that future system, we’ve got to listen to [customers’] needs and expectations,” Abbott continued. “What form of transport will people choose in the future? How will they power it? Where will they go to find their fuel of choice?”

Shell is not the only company exploring the idea of EV chargers at gas stations. Italy’s Eni already has charging facilities at some of its outlets, and France’s Total said it was “studying the viability” of installing charging points.

Tesla has been talking with several chains about installing Superchargers at their gas stations.

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Photo courtesy of Mike Mozart BY CC 2.0

Shell to install EV charging at gas stations

M I LW

AU K E E

THE INFRASTRUCTURE

ChargePoint raises $82 million for European expansion

Photo courtesy of ChargePoint

ChargePoint, which operates a network of more than 33,000 independently owned charging spots, has secured $82 million in funding, the first part of a larger fundraising round led by Daimler. The new investment will support the expansion of the company’s charging network into Europe.

BMW i Ventures and other existing investors also participated in the round. To date, ChargePoint has raised more than $255 million.

ChargePoint also appointed Daimler executive Axel Harries to the company’s Board of Directors.

Europe has quickly grown into the world’s second-largest EV market, and is in dire need of a comprehensive charging network. Currently, there are dozens of providers of hardware, software and networks in a fragmented market. They often require drivers to sign up for separate accounts, creating a confusing and cumbersome charging experience. ChargePoint hopes to be the first company to introduce a complete Europe-wide charging solution.

“The automobile industry is at an inflection point, with more vehicles coming onto the market offering highly advanced electric powertrains than any other time in the world’s history,” said Pasquale Romano, CEO of ChargePoint. “The significant investment by our lead investor Daimler and others not only underscores a collective commitment to e-mobility around the world, but lays the groundwork for Europe’s most comprehensive charging network.”

Photo courtesy of ABB

Luxembourg deploys 150 kW ABB fast chargers for plugin hybrid buses

ABB has installed two fast chargers at Luxembourg City’s central station, to support 5 Volvo plug-in hybrid buses.

Each vehicle will be charged with 150 kW of power in three to six minutes, during the turnaround times at the end point of the bus route.

The new fast chargers are connected to the cloud for remote diagnostics and management, and can receive over-the-air software upgrades. They are based on OppCharge, an open interface that supports charging of e-buses from any manufacturer. ABB’s chargers and substations feature a modular design, so charging power can be increased to 300 kW or 450 kW to accommodate future needs.

Luxembourg City has set a goal of cutting CO2 emissions by 20% by 2020.

“This is a growing market and we expect to see more commissions for our fast chargers in future,” said Urs Waelchli, Product Group Manager for EV Charging at ABB. “These installations are required to be functional for many years, so it’s important to consider their longevity and ensure they are future-proof. ABB’s fast chargers’ modular design allows charging power upgrades, they are cloud-connected for software updates, and we closely follow the global standardization initiatives around electric hybrid and full electric buses.”

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IEEE Transportation Electrification Conference & Expo Chicago, IL, USA June 22-24, 2017

ITEC is aimed at helping the industry in the transition from conventional vehicles to advanced electrified vehicles. The conference is focused on components, systems, standards, and grid interface technologies, related to efficient power conversion for all types of electrified transportation, including electric vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (EVs, HEVs, and PHEVs) as well as heavy-duty, rail, and off-road vehicles and airplanes and ships.

Early Registration Deadline April 7th, 2017

Keynote Speakers Michael Tamor

Steve Tarnowsky

Executive Technical Leader, Henry Ford Technical Fellow on Energy and Sustainability Ford Motor Company

Director, Global Transmission & Electrification, Advanced & New Product Engineering General Motors

Mengyang Zhang

ITEC 2017 will be hosted at the historic Navy Pier. A prime tourist location jutting out into beautiful Lake Michigan, Navy Pier is walking distance from Downtown Chicago. Register for the conference and bring your whole family to enjoy Chicago in the summer!

Conference General Chair: Dr. Omer Onar Oak Ridge National Laboratory Questions?

Email ITEC2017@rna-associates.com Conference Website: www.itec-conf.com

Nicholas Nagel

VP of Engineering, Skysource Nanjing Powertrain Technology CTO Najing Golden Bus

John Nairus

Director of R&D, Triumph Aerospace

Silva Hiti

Chief Engineer, Power & Control Division The Airforce Research Laboratory

Professor Adel Nasiri Director, Center for Sustainable Electrical Energy Systems University of Wisconsin Milwaukee

Jeffrey Casady

Business Development And Program Manager, Wolfspeed/CREE

Senior Director, Powertrain Engineering Faraday Future

Bruce Upbin Vice President, HyperloopHyperloop-One

Larry Spaziani Vice President, GaN Systems

Richard Hampo

Director, Power Electronics and Controls Lear Corporation

Kent Wanner

Technical Manager, Electronic Design John Deer Electronics Solutions

THE INFRASTRUCTURE

PG&E launches $500 rebate for EV-driving customers

Photo courtesy of Fastned

European fast charging networks work together to promote seamless electric travel

Five European fast charging networks have agreed to form the Open Fast Charging Alliance, which will enable roaming throughout a network of fast chargers all over Europe.

The founding members are Fastned (Netherlands), Sodetrel (France), Smatrics (Austria), Grønn Kontakt (Norway) and GOtthard FASTcharge (Switzerland).

Together, the alliance members own and operate more than 500 fast chargers in 6 countries. The alliance is open to other networks that adhere to its standards.

The alliance will focus on bilateral roaming agreements by implementing open standards such as OCPI. The first implementations are planned within the year.

Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), which serves some 16 million people in Northern and Central California, has launched an incentive program for residential electric customers who drive EVs. The Clean Fuel Rebate is a one-time rebate of $500 per vehicle. All PG&E residential customers who own or lease an EV or PHEV are eligible. Through California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard program, PG&E generates credits for the clean electricity it provides to customers who charge EVs at home. After selling these credits to regulated parties, PG&E returns the revenue to customers through the new program.

Customers of other electric utilities in California may be eligible for a similar rebate.

PG&E is also partnering with EV charging companies to build out charging infrastructure in its territory, with a particular focus on workplaces, multi-unit dwellings and disadvantaged communities.

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Photo courtesy of Tritium

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THE INFRASTRUCTURE

TRITIUM REACHES AROUND THE WORLD The independent company from down under opens a US office to support its stylish and capable DC fast charging products

By Charles Morris

S

uccess stories sometime spring from unlikely places, especially during times of rapid, disorienting technological change. Consider the case of Tritium, a small independent company based in Australia, half a world away from the centers of automotive power, that has grown to become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of DC fast chargers.

When asked about the progress of electromobility in his home country, Tritium’s Sales Manager Marcelo Salgado, didn’t mince words.

“Australia’s EV market is very poor,” Salgado told Charged. “We’re a good 5 years behind the rest of the world. At the moment we only have 3 plug-in vehicles, so there aren’t enough cars available, and there’s no government support.”

The lack of opportunities at home has inspired Tritium to reach out around the world, and today it’s selling in some 20 countries, including such remote markets as Sri Lanka and Kazakhstan. “We literally have product on every continent, including Antarctica, where we’re driving a telescope for a university,” says Salgado.

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Tritium was founded 15 years ago by the 3 directors, David Finn, James Kennedy and Paul Sernia, who started out developing EV motor controllers.

About 3 years ago, Israeli startup Better Place approached Tritium to develop a charger, and that was the genesis of the company’s signature product, the Veefil. Since then, Tritium has focused on EV charging, although it continues to sell its motor controllers, mostly to solar racing teams. “We have about 90% of the solar race teams using them,” says Salgado. “We’re big supporters of the solar racing industry, so we will keep making our WaveSculptor Motor Inverter products for those markets.”

Cool in more ways than one One thing that sets Tritium apart from other EVSE manufacturers is the attention it pays to aesthetics.

Whereas many chargers are nondescript white boxes, the Veefil is slim and curvaceous, is available in a variety of bright colors, and can be fully customized with a customer’s own branding. In 2014 it won the Good Design Australia Award in the Automotive and Transport category.

However, it isn’t designed for looks alone. Its slim form factor gives it an extra-small footprint and light weight, which Tritium says will enable it to be installed in more locations than other chargers.

Salgado is convinced that the company’s great product design is the key to its sizable share of the global DC fast charger market. “The Veefil is probably the first product that was designed specifically for EV fast charging. I think a lot of our competitors got parts off the shelf and stuck them in a box. We have a marketleading product line because our products look great, they’re easy to install, and they have a very small footprint thanks to our use of liquid cooling.”

Liquid cooling delivers several advantages. “The Veefil was designed from the beginning as a liquidcooled charger, which allows us to make a slimmer, sleeker product compared to our competitors, and it also helps with a reduction in maintenance and increases reliability because we’re dealing with the heat a lot better. Our power electronics are a lot happier when the overall operating temperature is reduced.”

Veefil chargers support all the major charging standards: CHAdeMO, CCS types 1 and 2, and GBT. Products sold in the US market offer a choice of CHAdeMO, CCS, or both.

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The Veefil is probably the first product that was designed specifically for EV fast charging. I think a lot of our competitors got parts off the shelf and stuck them in a box.

Conquering Europe and America Most of Tritium’s market is in Europe and North America, with a roughly equal split between the two at the moment.

Chargepoint has been the exclusive US distributor for the Veefil, which is sold under the Chargepoint Express 200 brand. Part of Tritium’s expansion strategy for 2017 is to grow its re-seller network across the US, and it’s looking for potential partners who are interested in the opportunity.

Tritium recently opened an office in Torrance, California. “This facility will become our sales and support office to support our existing customers, and we’ll do a bit of R&D and then some local manufacturing,” said Salgado. “We will continue to expand our manufacturing capabilities in the US over the next couple of years, so this will be our second manufacturing facility. And we’ll scale it to a much larger facility in the future.”

Europe is also a major market. “We have really strong market share in Norway. We’re supplying Fortum, which is the largest network operator there, and others as well.” Tritium is also expanding into the UK, Germany and Belgium.

THE INFRASTRUCTURE

Photos courtesy of Tritium

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THE INFRASTRUCTURE

We’re currently in the prototype phase of the next-generation Veefil - that will be our 100 to 500 kW charging solution.

Tritium Veefil-WP 12 kW DC fast charger

New Veefils Tritium has recently introduced 2 new models, which will be available in the States near the end of this year.

The Veefil-WP 12 kW DC ground-mounted charger is “specifically designed for fleets and workplaces where you would have a situation with more than one charger installed in the same location, so they can communicate together.” Its price point is meant to be competitive with that of a fast AC charger.

The Veefil-UT 50 kW DC is designed to be connected directly to a power line. “It was designed with a utility, and it has what we call a backpack box where you can put the meter, switching and safety gear in the backpack and actually connect it directly to the power line.”

Higher and higher With a new generation of power-hungry long-range EVs on the horizon, charger manufacturers are developing new models with higher voltages and higher currents, and Tritium is no exception. “We’re currently in the prototype phase of the next-generation Veefil - that will be our 100 to 500 kW charging solution,” says Salgado. “Again, we’re taking a very different approach to the power electronics. We won’t be doing what the rest of the market is doing - sticking power modules in a cube and hiding them in the bushes.”

Tritium aims to have the new product certified and available to buy in the second quarter of this year. “It’s going to give customers flexibility. You’ll have multiple heads, so from the one source you can have a 350 kW head and a 100 kW head. And they will get along with load sharing and all that kind of fun stuff.”

Tritium Veefil-UT 50 kW DC faster charger

Photos courtesy of Tritium

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Fast charging

in transition Phoenix Contact discusses the upcoming transition phase for DC fast charging - from 50 to 150 to 300 kW and beyond.

By Michael Kent

W

e receive a lot of press releases at Charged about plans for next-generation DC fast charging. It’s easy to lose track of exactly what is currently installed, what is coming in the near future, and what is still a few years away.

Despite all of the recent headlines, essentially every DC fast charger that is available to the public today has a maximum power output of 50 kW or less, with the exception of Tesla’s proprietary Superchargers.

That’s just as well, because there aren’t any EVs for sale from the major automakers at the moment with a battery pack that can significantly exceed that rate of charging.

When the Hyundai Ioniq Electric starts California deliveries in April, it will be the first vehicle available that explicitly states the ability to use DC fast charging up to 100 kW, using the CCS style plug. Other EV-makers have indicated that they will increase their vehicles charging capabilities, but have yet to release official plans to do so. Hyundai says that, with a charging station capable of 100 kW, the Ioniq Electric will add 99 miles of range, or 80% of the battery pack’s capacity, in 23 minutes.

Conveniently coinciding with the launch of the

80

Ioniq Electric, EVgo recently deployed a 150 kW fast charging station in Fremont, California. The new ABB-built charger will be used for industry testing, and will be available to automakers on request. It will also provide a demonstration platform for electrical certification committees and building code officials.

EVgo says the installed system has the capability to be upgraded to 350 kW, although EVs that can utilize that much power are still years away. Some automakers, such as Porsche and Audi, have shown concept EVs that they say will be designed with higher-voltage battery packs capable of faster charging. However, we’ve yet to see any production-ready designs, which typically means that commercial sales are one to two years away, at least.

In the meantime, we’re likely to see a lot more DC fast chargers rolling out with mid-range power output.

Stepping stone “CCSplus is one of the terms the industry is using for a system that builds on the established CCS charging standard and increases the power limits up to more than 350 kW,” Vince Carioti, Phoenix Contact’s Director of E-Mobility North America, told Charged.

THE INFRASTRUCTURE Photo courtesy of EVgo

Photo courtesy of Phoenix Contact

Photo courtesy of EVgo

“This High Power Charging system (as we call it at Phoenix Contact) will reduce charge times to three to five minutes for 60 miles of range. This system makes EVs suitable for daily use and bigger market penetration.”

Compared to currently available charging stations, the CCSplus system will include a larger range of power electronics, a cooled charging cable, and a cooling unit with separate control systems. When EVs are charged with any DC voltage, the battery is directly connected to the power electronics of the charging station. Since the battery represents an EV’s most important and expensive component, it is crucial to have accurate and reliable communication and parameter settings between the infrastructure side and the vehicle. The same automotive industry standards bodies in North America, Europe and China that agreed on the CCS foundation a few years ago are currently in the process of hashing out the details of CCSplus charging.

“There is really no EV with a battery pack that can handle the power of a CCSplus system,” said Carioti.

“We’re working with some charging station suppliers that have the capability - their charging stations can

In the near future they’re rolling out systems at 150 and 200 kW simply because we’re in this transition phase. do 350 to 400 kW plus, but in the near future they’re rolling out systems at 150 and 200 kW simply because we’re in this transition phase.”

Phoenix Contact doesn’t manufacture complete charging stations - instead it manufactures the individual components used to build a charging station, including the E-Mobility-specific cable and the plug, the receptacle on the vehicle and a host of other products.

In the near future, the company plans to launch hardware for higher-power systems, including liquidcooled charging cables and plugs for its High Power Charging system that handle voltages up to 1,000 V

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THE INFRASTRUCTURE Photos courtesy of Phoenix Contact

and currents up to more than 350 A. “Increasing power creates challenges for both vehicle OEMs and EVSE manufacturers and infrastructure,” said Carioti, “so improvements have to be implemented in all areas, on the EVSE and the car side and in the infrastructure.”

The liquid-cooled cables and plugs that Phoenix Contact is developing will be a necessity for CCSplus charging. However, for charging stations in the transition range - like the 150 kW ABB station installed by EVgo - Carioti says that today’s standard hardware will suffice. “150 kW can be achieved without a cooled cable, easily. When you get closer to 300 kW, you have to start cooling the cable, or it is just too heavy, and not flexible enough for a normal consumer to work with. It would have to be a huge cable.”

Thermal stresses of the future High currents during charging cause heating in the connection systems, which puts a lot of stress on the materials of different components. The current CCS standard states that the temperature of a connection system cannot rise more than 50° Kelvin above the ambient temperature. Prolonged heating above that threshold could cause parts to degrade faster, and even melt plastic components of the handle or connector.

The power terminals in the inlet and coupler must keep their functionality over the entire lifetime of the vehicle, which becomes challenging when charging levels are increased to 400 kW. The current CCS standard defines the lifecycle as 10,000 mating cycles (i.e. plugging and unplugging), and expects the terminals to withstand the electrical, mechanical, and environ-

mental loads in a temperature range from -22° to 122° F, including humidity, dust, and splashing water.

The higher currents of CCSplus will cause bigger power losses and thermal stress due to the electrical resistance of copper material. To minimize power loss during the charging process, and reduce thermal stress, Phoenix Contact says its new charging cord and plug will use surface-plated terminals, defined contact forces, and liquid cooling. “The cable’s harness can function as a cooling unit, because most heat is transferred through the copper strands and released to the surrounding environment,” said Carioti. “Cables with bigger cross-sections could reduce thermal stress in the connection system, but the weight of those cables would increase, while the cable’s flexibility would decrease significantly.”

Adding liquid cooling systems to charging connectors allows the cable cross-section to remain at the usual size, keeping the charging cables flexible and comfortable for EV drivers. “The cooling loop goes up through the cable, around the back of the pins on the mounting, then through the connector and back down the cable to the charging station,” explained Carioti.

Phoenix Contact also thinks that innovative inlets with fast and reliable temperature monitoring systems will help to make EVs capable of charging up to 400 kW. For safety purposes, DC charging couplers will also be equipped with ultrasensitive temperature sensors and stipulated insulation monitoring systems.

The company’s liquid-cooled DC charging systems will be available soon for the established charging interfaces in North America (type 1), Europe (type 2), and eventually for China (GB/T standard).

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Analyst says Tesla

will need to invest $8 billion

to make Superchargers

like gas stations (Really!)

By Charles Morris uring the early years of any new technology, it’s understandable that members of the “mainstream” press (i.e. writers who do not focus on the new tech in question) are not quite clear on how it works, and may thus be led into error when they make predictions about its future course. Occasionally however, a pundit displays such profound ignorance of a subject that one has to wonder if he is, literally, kidding us.

USB auto analyst (and Tesla skeptic) Colin Langan recently wrote that the company needs to expand its Supercharger network. Okay, fair enough so far, but here’s his argument (via Business Insider): “To match the convenience of the US gas infrastructure, Tesla would need to add 30,000 Superchargers, costing [around] $8 billion.”

According to UBS’s estimate, the average drive time to the nearest Supercharger is 31 minutes, whereas the average drive time to the nearest gas station is only 4 minutes. Doing the math brings us to $8 billion. Yes, Mr. Langan seems to be suggesting that EV owners drive to a public charger just about every time they charge.

Regular Charged readers have instantly grasped the absurdity, and are now either guffawing with laughter or shaking their heads in frustration, but please allow us to spell it out for the benefit of those who don’t know much about EVs. There’s nothing dishonorable in such ignorance (unless, perhaps, you’re an auto analyst for a major investment house).

EVs are charged at home overnight, or at the workplace, while their owners are busy elsewhere. With rare exceptions, EV drivers do not use public chargers for their daily charging needs. Tesla’s Supercharger network is designed to be used only for long road trips and, far from encouraging customers to use it for regular charging, the company has repeatedly admonished people not to do so.

Mr. Langan’s comedic debut quickly spawned a

D

spate of scorn, sarcasm and satire. Tesla Motors Club member Bgarret penned a clever retort, predicting that the oil companies will need to spend $320 billion expanding the gas station network to compete with the convenience of home charging. Electrek’s Fred Lambert wrote a more sober explanation of the misunderstanding.

As the torch-and-pitchfork-wielding mob headed for his house, Langan clarified his position in an email to CNBC, noting that only 47 percent of Americans have dedicated parking for a charger - and even fewer in Europe and China. “For full adoption of EVs in the future, some consumers will need to rely on [public charging] networks.”

Yes, that is an issue that has yet to be addressed, but Tesla Superchargers aren’t likely to be the solution. For better or for worse, today’s Tesla buyers, at least in the US, are mostly to be found in the 47 percent. By the time EVs trickle down to the garageless masses, longer ranges, higher charging levels, vehicle autonomy and new ownership models may have changed the equation. The apartment dweller of the future may be able to charge on the go, to send her EV off to find a charger on its own, or to opt out of owning a personal vehicle at all.

One thing she almost certainly won’t be doing is driving to something like a gas station and waiting around to charge.

A good laugh is more valuable than ever these days, and Charged spotted another howler in Mr. Langan’s article: “There has been discussion that Trump’s infrastructure project may involve federal subsidies for a nationwide EV charging corridor, which could reduce the cost burden.”

Now, far be it from us to be pessimistic: we welcome any well-informed effort to promote electromobility.

However, judging by the announced policies of this administration, and its actions to date, it’s probably as likely to invest in EV infrastructure as it is to offer free health care for undocumented LGBT couples.

Raising the bar for electric vehicle charging stations.

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