CHARGED Electric Vehicles Magazine - Issue 53 JAN/FEB 2021

ELECTRIC VEHICLES MAGAZINE

ISSUE 53 | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 | CHARGEDEVS.COM

VOLVO XC40 RECHARGE AND POLESTAR 2 EV cousins offer different takes on “premium” p. 50

p. 30

Is aviation the best application yet for hydrogen fuel cells?

Q&A with ZeroAvia CEO

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p. 22

High-voltage EV battery packs: benefits and challenges

p. 68

The electric truck stop of the future

2/14/21 9:43 PM

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THE TECH CONTENTS

22

22

High-voltage EV battery packs: benefits and challenges

30

Is aviation the best application yet for hydrogen fuel cells?

current events

30

10 Tesla’s Advanced Battery Research group gets new leadership 11 Brazilian beverage maker orders 1,000 electric trucks 12 New magnetic material could improve EV motor efficiency New cobalt-free cathodes could enhance energy density of Li-ion batteries

13 Versinetic launches Charging Blox modular EVSE solution Freudenberg’s new quick-release valves for EV batteries

14 AAM and Inovance to collaborate on integrated EV drivetrains PREMO offers new inductive couplers for EVs and smart grid applications

15 Sila Nanotechnologies raises $590 million for North American battery plant 16 Hong Kong researchers propose novel cathode design for Li-S batteries

12

Group14 secures funding to scale battery materials production in US

17 New heating concept increases EV range and enhances passenger comfort FREYR and 24M to collaborate on battery cell production

18 OXIS Energy to power luxury yacht with Li-S batteries Bel Power Solutions announces bidirectional on-board charger

19 European Commission approves €2.9 billion for comprehensive battery project 20 Passenger EV battery capacity reached 134.5 GWh in 2020 Nexperia releases 80 V resistor-equipped transistor for 48 V automotive circuits

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21 LG and Magna enter agreement to expand powertrain electrification Compact EV-specific transmission supports niche OEMs as they shift to electric

2/14/21 9:44 PM

THE VEHICLES CONTENTS

50 Volvo XC40 Recharge and Polestar 2

50

EV cousins offer different takes on “premium”

current events 40 41

GM announces new business venture to produce electric delivery vans Proterra to go public through merger with ArcLight Clean Transition President Biden announces plan to update federal fleet with US-made EVs

42 43

42

Model S and X refresh interior, powertrain updates and more Tesla to ditch lead-acid for Li-ion 12 V battery in S and X New report highlights the need to electrify ride-hailing fleets

44

Motiv Power Systems secures $20 million in new financing Connecticut DOT orders up to 75 New Flyer Xcelsior CHARGE electric buses

45

BNSF Railway and Wabtec begin battery-electric locomotive pilot in California Volkswagen brand triples deliveries of pure EVs in 2020

46

Global plug-in vehicle sales surpassed 3.2 million in 2020

47

Bogotá orders 596 e-buses—fleet of 1,485 will be largest outside China

47

Proterra and Komatsu to develop all-electric construction equipment Extreme E off-road racer inspired by GMC Hummer EV

49

2022 Bolt EUV model that Chevy calls an SUV joins an updated Bolt EV

IDENTIFICATION STATEMENT CHARGED Electric Vehicles Magazine (ISSN: 24742341) January/February 2021, Issue #53 is published bi-monthly by Electric Vehicles Magazine LLC, 2260 5th Ave S, STE 10, Saint Petersburg, FL 33712-1259. 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 2260 5th Ave S, STE 10, Saint Petersburg, FL 33712-1259.

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49 2/14/21 9:45 PM

THE INFRASTRUCTURE 68

CONTENTS

68 Daimler and PGE develop the electric truck stop of the future current events

62 62

Volta Charging raises $125 million in Series D financing Ideanomics acquires wireless charging specialist WAVE

63

Volkswagen plans to install 300 kW DC charging stations at German sites LA reaches 10,000 public chargers, two years earlier than planned

64

KAUST team assesses deployment of dynamic wireless charging in cities ABB establishes new global R&D center for e-mobility

64

65

Spanish city of Valencia pilots public chargers in lampposts EnergyHub and Enel X to make EV charging available as a grid resource

66

BYD’s new 150 kW DC fast charger earns UL certification Irish charging provider to convert 180 telephone boxes to charge points

67

Volkswagen Group Components previews mobile charging robot Tritium’s new scalable charging platform adds more power as needed

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Publisher Christian Ruoff Associate Publisher Laurel Zimmer Senior Editor Charles Morris Account Executives Jeremy Ewald

Contributing Writers Jeffrey Jenkins Michael Kent Tom Lombardo Charles Morris John Voelcker

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

Contributing Photographers Nicolas Raymond Christian Ruoff

Technology Editor Jeffrey Jenkins Cover Images Courtesy of Volvo, Polestar, ZeroAvia Graphic Designers Deon Rexroat Kelly Quigley Tomislav 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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2/14/21 9:55 PM

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02.02.2021 09:13:03

There’s so much EV-related news coming out these days—new models, investments, tech innovations, infrastructure expansion—that it’s hard to keep up.

Three recent announcements stand out, because they point the way to some new trends that promise to have positive multiplier effects on the growth of e-mobility.

First, America has a new president, who has promised to make a 180-degree turn vis-à-vis environmental policy. The US will now make electrification a major policy goal. As Charged has been arguing for years, a comprehensive federal EV policy is critical if we don’t wish to cede the future auto industry to Europe and China. President Biden has just begun the process of formulating his EV-friendly plans and, as is always the case with government policies, some measures will probably not be as well-targeted as industry insiders would like. As we go to press, Congress has introduced a bill that would extend the federal EV tax credit. Although a tax credit, which mainly benefits higher-income taxpayers, isn’t the most efficient way to stimulate demand (a “cash on the hood” rebate, with a portion earmarked for sales staff, would be much better) this is a welcome development, especially because it extends credits to buyers of used vehicles and commercial vehicles.

Biden’s plan to electrify the federal fleet is an excellent idea, and so is his support for the deployment of half a million new public chargers. We’re waiting to hear more details of this plan, but we’re hopeful that it will follow industry best practices.

Two other momentous announcements came from America’s top two auto manufacturers. GM’s ambitious electrification goal garnered loads of headlines, and rightly so, but it isn’t the blanket renunciation of fossil vehicles that most of the media made it sound like. GM described its new policy as “an aspiration to eliminate tailpipe emissions from new light-duty vehicles by 2035.”

This is clearly an aspiration, not a binding commitment, and it’s not clear if it covers trucks. However, there was meat in GM’s announcement—the company substantially increased its planned investment in EVs, and announced plans to invest in infrastructure.

Not to be outdone, Ford soon announced a major increase in its electrification budget. This may be the start of an industry-wide PR push to build green cred—Kia was the next brand to turn up the voltage, announcing plans to launch its first EV this year, and to develop 11 new EVs by 2026.

Words are wind, they say, but wind is a powerful force, after all. Announcements like this from political and industry leaders reinforce each other in a virtuous cycle and inspire confidence in private companies to continue to invest. The current wave of EV optimism is building on a backdrop of truly impressive technological progress—EVs are rapidly getting better and cheaper, and that will make it easier for politicians of both parties to implement meaningful policies, and for automakers to turn their aspirations into sales.

While the roadmap to electrifying passenger cars is now pretty clear, there are other important pieces of the e-mobility puzzle to be solved. One of these is how to design charging infrastructure for heavy-duty trucks, and Daimler and Portland General Electric are cooperating to find some answers (see page 68). Another is how to decarbonize aviation, and that’s the mission of ZeroAvia founder Val Miftakov—see our interview with him on page 30.

Christian Ruoff | Publisher

EVs are here. Try to keep up.

2/14/21 9:59 PM

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THE TECH

Image courtesy of Novonix

Professor Jeff Dahn is a star researcher in the battery field—he has co-authored 730 papers and holds some 73 patents. Professor Dahn and his research group at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia have had an exclusive research partnership with Tesla since 2016.

Now Professor Dahn is stepping down from his leadership role at Tesla’s Advanced Battery Research group, and taking on the position of Chief Scientific Advisor at Novonix Battery Technology Solutions, a company that was spun out of Dahn’s research group in 2013 by Dr. Chris Burns (who is now Chief Executive of Novonix).

Professor Dahn and his research team will continue to work alongside Tesla.

“We are extremely excited to have Professor Dahn join the Novonix team and become involved in our initiatives to develop and supply world-leading materials to the lithium-ion battery sector,” said Dr. Burns. “I am personally pleased to have the opportunity to work together with Professor Dahn again as his insights, industry contacts and experience will be a huge asset for our business.”

Novonix recently filed patent applications for dry particle microgranulation (DPMG) technology, which is expected to lower the cost and increase the efficiency of manufacturing of anode and cathode materials.

Novonix is scaling development of this material at a pilot cathode processing facility. In addition to its Canadian operations, Novonix operates the PUREgraphite anode material plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which

Image courtesy of Tesla

Tesla’s Advanced Battery Research group gets new leadership, Jeff Dahn to become advisor for Novonix Tesla’s JB Straubel and Jeff Dahn in 2015

is ramping up capacity to 2,000 tons/year of synthetic graphite.

Dalhousie University has extended its contract with Tesla for the Advanced Battery Research group to 2026 and announced two new chairs.

Dr. Chongyin Yang is an energy conversion and storage specialist formerly of the University of Maryland.

His research group will focus on developing materials for Li-ion batteries, including sustainable electrode materials that contain no transition metals.

Dr. Michael Metzger, a graduate of the Technical University of Munich, developed methods to study the lifetime and aging of lithium-ion batteries in collaboration with BASF and BMW, and also worked as a research engineer for Tier 1 supplier Robert Bosch. Dr. Metzger’s research group will focus on developing novel methods to study the performance and lifetime of lithium-ion batteries, lithium metal batteries and desalination batteries, with the goal of developing new electrode materials and electrolytes.

Professor Dahn, who will be working closely with Yang and Metzger, called the two “outstanding scientists and charismatic leaders, who bring new ideas, new methods, and new expertise as well as a full commitment to electric transportation and renewable energy to the partnership.”

“Our goal is to continue to help Tesla develop better advanced batteries for its products,” said Professor Dahn.

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Brazilian beverage maker Ambev has ordered 1,000 electric delivery trucks from manufacturer FNM (Fábrica Nacional de Mobilidades). The trucks, which FNM developed in collaboration with vehicle manufacturer Agrale, will use battery packs from California-based Octillion Power Systems and electric drivetrains from Danfoss Editron.

Ambev expects to deploy the 1,000 electric delivery vehicles by the end of 2021.

FNM has opened an EV factory inside Agrale’s manufacturing facility in Caxias do Sul in southeast Brazil. The joint effort uses Agrale’s existing production line for commercial vehicles, which has a capacity of 150 to 200 trucks per day. The collaborative effort will produce the FNM model 832, a Class 6 truck with up to 14-ton capacity, and the FNM model 833, a Class 8 truck with an 18-ton capacity.

Ambev’s order is for the FNM 833 electric truck, which has a range of up to 700 km. It features Octillion’s 650-volt modular, liquid-cooled battery pack and Danfoss Editron’s drivetrains. FNM’s trucks use niobium in the chassis, brakes, suspension, wheels and other parts to reduce the vehicle’s weight.

Pre-series vehicles have already entered operation in Rio de Janeiro.

Danfoss Editron’s drivetrain system includes a 250 kW motor with total power of 355 hp, an Eaton multi-speed transmission, an Octillion 650-volt battery pack, and a digital avionics controller and inverter.

“Our unique battery solution allows for a scalable design that can be configured in various models using a single technology platform,” said Octillion President Paul Beach.

Ambev operates over 7,000 trucks in its Brazilian fleet, and says it wants at least half of these to operate on clean energy by 2023.

“In order to deliver this service, we prepared a preliminary study to define the needs of Ambev, always allying performance for better productivity with reduced costs,” said Ricardo Machado, CEO of FNM. “The FNM trucks are 100% connected to Ambev’s IT systems, which deliver full control for the company’s monitoring area and real-time information on traffic and routes.

The vehicles are also equipped with new technologies that are focused on safety, including anti-collision systems with artificial intelligence and integrated cameras.”

Image courtesy of Danfoss Editron

Brazilian beverage maker orders 1,000 electric trucks, with Octillion batteries and Danfoss Editron drivetrains

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THE TECH

New class of cobalt-free cathodes could enhance energy density of Li-ion batteries

New magnetic material could improve EV motor efficiency Toshiba has developed a new magnetic material with characteristics that could improve motor efficiency at low cost.

Motors account for approximately half of the world’s electric power consumption. Toshiba says its new material boosts energy conversion efficiency when used as the wedges in motors, particularly in medium-to-large induction motors. The material can be installed at minimal cost with no need for design changes.

Wedges in motors prevent motor coils from falling out of their slots. They are normally made of non-magnetic material, but magnetic material has been found to guide magnetic flux toward the wedges, improving efficiency.

However, the conventional magnetic material used for the wedges consists of spherical magnetic metal particles that provide insufficient control of the magnetic flux, causing leaks to unwanted directions. The magnetic wedge material itself has high magnetic loss and low heat resistance, making it unsuitable for applications that require high heat resistance.

Through testing in an induction motor in railway rolling stock drive systems, Toshiba observed an efficiency increase of 0.9 percent, an improvement approaching the efficiency of permanent magnet synchronous motors.

The material also offers additional heat resistance, making it suitable for applications such as automobiles, robots and industrial and medical equipment.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) researchers have developed a new family of cathodes with the potential to replace the costly cobalt-based cathodes typically found in today’s lithium-ion batteries.

The new class, called NFA (nickel, iron, aluminum), is a derivative of lithium nickelate that’s used as a cathode material. These novel cathodes are designed to be fastcharging, energy-dense, cost-effective and longer-lasting.

Cobalt, which makes up a significant portion of the cost of current lithium-ion batteries, is largely mined overseas, often in controversial conditions. Finding an alternative material to cobalt that can be manufactured cost-effectively has become a priority of battery researchers.

ORNL scientists tested the performance of the NFA class of cathodes and determined that they are promising substitutes for cobalt-based cathodes, as described in Advanced Materials and the Journal of Power Sources.

Researchers used neutron diffraction, Mossbauer spectroscopy and other advanced characterization techniques to investigate NFA’s atomic and micro-structures as well as electrochemical properties.

“Our investigations into the charging and discharging behavior of NFA showed that these cathodes undergo similar electrochemical reactions as cobalt-based cathodes and deliver high enough specific capacities to meet the battery energy density demands,” said Belharouak, adding that not only does NFA perform as well as cobalt-based cathodes, but the process to manufacture the NFA cathodes can be integrated into existing global cathode manufacturing processes.

“Lithium nickelate has long been researched as the material of choice for making cathodes, but it suffers from intrinsic structural and electrochemical instabilities,” he said. “In our research, we replaced some of the nickel with iron and aluminum to enhance the cathode’s stability. Iron and aluminum are cost-effective, sustainable and environmentally friendly materials.”

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Versinetic has introduced a new suite of EV charging solutions for the UK and EU markets.

The suite includes product and service modules that allow manufacturers to build custom EV charging solutions to meet their own specifications:

Image courtesy of Versinetic

Versinetic launches Charging Blox modular EVSE solution

• MantaRay Smart Charge Point Communications Controller lets manufacturers manage AC and DC charge points with OCPP 1.6 or 2.0 and their own back-office solutions.

• LINKRAY Passive Local Controller sits between the charge station management system and charge points, allowing onsite local control of charge points without interfering with back-office control and billing.

• EEL EV AC Charge Controller is the real-time interface for manufacturers’ charge points, delivering energy directly to an EV’s battery. A charging station can have multiple individual charging points, depending on the intended volume of EVs or the size of the fleet. EEL delivers energy to the EV and includes a thermometer, accelerometer, IR movement detector, RFID reader (for contactless payment), speaker, LEDs, LCD and lock pin control for the charger connection.

• Versinetic offers several options, including OCPP 2.0 and 1.6 software, along with an application solution to communicate with back-office cloud servers.

Versinetic Director Dunstan Power commented, “To accelerate time to market, manufacturers need reliable and effective solutions, from OCPP software stacks and local controllers to smart charge communication controllers and a number of other EV charging system essentials, all of which Versinetic can now deliver quickly.”

Freudenberg Sealing Technologies has introduced a new generation of DIAvent valves, which allow reaction gases to escape from damaged lithium-ion batteries.

The valves also maintain the continuous pressure compensation required for normal battery operation.

If a battery gets damaged, liquid electrolytes can escape into the battery housing as hot gases. These must then be released into the environment very rapidly and in a controlled process through a pressure relief valve.

At the same time, every battery housing needs controlled venting to compensate for fluctuating air pressure during normal operation. This is necessary not only when driving uphill and downhill, but also because the air in the housing heats up during power input and output. If rupture disks are used for emergency venting, a separate valve may be needed to compensate for the pressure during regular operation.

Freudenberg launched series production of its new DIAvent product in early 2020, to offer a ventilation valve that combines regular housing venting and rapid emergency degassing in a single component. The company says its latest-generation valve makes the emergency degassing four times faster.

The basic design of the valve is the same: a centrally positioned, water-repellent nonwoven element ensures effective air exchange during normal operation. If water hits the valve at high pressure, the outer layer is temporarily pressed onto a media-tight interior layer, preventing any water from penetrating the housing. Emergency degassing is enabled by a ring-shaped umbrella valve surrounding the nonwoven membrane. It opens as soon as the pressure inside the housing exceeds the atmospheric air pressure by more than 40 millibars. After the pressure is equalized, the reversible umbrella membrane closes again and restores the watertight seal.

Freudenberg is preparing a rapid series launch of the new DIAvent Highflow valve generation.

JAN/FEB 2021

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Image courtesy of Freudenberg

Freudenberg’s new quickrelease valves for EV batteries

13 2/14/21 10:02 PM

THE TECH

AAM and Inovance to collaborate on integrated EV drivetrains American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM) and Suzhou Inovance Automotive have announced a technology development agreement that will accelerate the development and delivery of scalable, next-generation 3-in-1 electric drive systems, which integrate an inverter, electric motor and gearbox.

The companies will focus on enhancing the power density, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of integrated EV drivetrains.

AAM and Inovance are launching 3-in-1 electric drive units supporting four customer programs from AAM’s Changshu Manufacturing Complex, beginning with a 135 kW model for a Chinese OEM in the first quarter of 2021.

“Our cooperation with Inovance Automotive will add an exciting new offering to AAM’s fast-growing portfolio of scalable 3-in-1 electric drive systems and accelerate our ability to bring new cost-competitive technologies to market,” said AAM CEO David C Dauch.

PREMO, a manufacturer of inductive components, announces its new MICU family that covers a wide frequency range for power line communications (PLC) in smart grid and EV charging applications.

PREMO says the inductive couplers provide these benefits:

Image courtesy of PREMO

Image courtesy of AAM

PREMO offers new inductive couplers for EVs and smart grid applications

• Non-intrusive (no need to disconnect cables, terminals, etc.)

• Easy to use and install. Clamp, click and connect in under 5 seconds.

• Can wrap cables up to 45 mm in diameter (current capability up to 300 amps RMS) • High insulation voltage • Narrowband (NB) operation (30-600 kHz) for long-distance communications • Broadband (BB) operation (1-40 MHz) for shortand medium-distance communication • NB and BB combined (NB for long-distance and BB for short-distance) PLC is a global technology that is gaining interest due to the wide availability of power distribution lines. Smart grids require bidirectional communication links that interconnect the nodes of the grid. PLC is able to do that, potentially reducing investment costs by exploiting the existing grid infrastructure.

PREMO uses two different magnetic core materials, depending on the frequency band and magnetic saturation: high-permeability ferrite for broadband communication and amorphous material for narrowband communication.

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2/14/21 10:02 PM

Sila Nanotechnologies raises $590 million in funding for North American battery plant Sila Nanotechnologies, a maker of battery materials, has raised $590 million in Series F funding at a $3.3 billion post-money valuation. The new funding comes as the first Sila Nano-powered batteries prepare to ship in consumer devices and the company scales up production.

Sila Nano will use the funds to develop a new 100 GWh North American plant to produce its silicon-based anode material for smartphone and automotive customers. The company, which currently has partnerships with BMW, Daimler and ATL, aims to start production at the new plant in 2024, and be powering EVs by 2025.

“It took eight years and 35,000 iterations to create a new battery chemistry, but that was just step one,” said CEO Gene Berdichevsky. “For any new technology to

make an impact in the real world, it has to scale, which will cost billions of dollars. We know from our experience building our production lines in Alameda that investing in our next plant today will keep us on track to be powering cars and hundreds of millions of consumer devices by 2025.”

Sila Nano’s material was designed as a drop-in replacement for graphite in existing lithium-ion factories, enabling battery makers to improve the energy density of their products without needing to change the manufacturing process or equipment.

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2/14/21 10:02 PM

Image courtesy of Group14 Technologies

THE TECH

Hong Kong researchers propose novel cathode design for Li-S batteries A team led by Professor Zhao Tianshou of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has proposed a novel cathode design concept for lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries.

Li-S batteries are regarded as an attractive alternative to Li-ion batteries. They are known for their high energy density, while their major component, sulfur, is abundant, light, cheap and environmentally benign.

Li-S batteries can potentially offer an energy density of over 500 Wh/kg, higher than Li-ion batteries, which currently max out around 300 Wh/kg.

While exciting results on Li-S batteries have been achieved by researchers worldwide, there is still a big gap between lab research and commercialization of the technology on an industrial scale. One key issue is the polysulfide shuttle effect of Li-S batteries, which causes progressive leakage of active material from the cathode and lithium corrosion, resulting in a short life cycle for the battery. Other challenges include reducing the amount of electrolyte in the battery while maintaining stable performance.

To address these issues, Zhao’s team collaborated with international researchers to propose a cathode design concept that could achieve good Li-S battery performance.

The highly oriented macroporous host can uniformly accommodate the sulfur while abundant active sites are embedded inside the host to tightly absorb the polysulfide, eliminating the shuttle effect and lithium metal corrosion.

“We are still in the middle of basic research in this field,” Zhao said. “However, our novel electrode design concept and the associated breakthrough in performance represent a big step towards the practical use of a next-generation battery that is even more powerful and longer-lasting than today’s lithium-ion batteries.”

The new research was recently published in Nature Nanotechnology.

Group14 secures funding to scale battery materials production in US Group14 Technologies, a global provider of silicon-carbon composite materials for lithium-ion markets, has secured $17 million in a Series B funding round led by SK materials, a manufacturer of special gases and industrial gases. Group14 will leverage this operating capital to scale production to meet the increasing demand for its flagship product, SCC55, which it hopes will provide up to 50% more energy density than conventional graphite for lithium-ion batteries.

“In our role as one of the world’s largest global manufacturers, we are constantly searching for promising companies with patented breakthrough technologies to stay ahead of the demand,” said Lee Young Wook, CEO of SK. “Group14’s innovative battery material chemistry maximizes high-quality production at cost.”

Group14 recently announced plans to break ground on its new hydroelectric-powered production facility in Moses Lake, Washington. The facility highlights the company’s first steps to build out a domestic lithium-ion battery supply chain to meet growing demand from the EV market. Group14 has begun ramping up its pilot production, and plans to supply its first commercial customers in consumer electronics in Q1 2021.

“The investment by industry leaders such as SK materials, a long-time strategic manufacturing giant, is strong validation that Group14’s next-generation lithium-silicon battery material technology has the potential to redefine the capabilities of battery technology,” said Group14 CEO Rick Luebbe.

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2/14/21 10:03 PM

Image courtesy of 24M

New heating concept increases EV range and enhances passenger comfort Image courtesy of IAV

Heating an EV passenger compartment consumes substantial amounts of energy, which can reduces the vehicle’s range.

Engineering specialist IAV teamed up with Louisenthal, a manufacturer of banknote substrates, security papers and security foils, to develop an energy-efficient heating concept that requires considerably less energy while increasing comfort for drivers and passengers.

At the heart of the heating concept is a thin, cost-effective and easy-to-process foil from Louisenthal. The SmartMesh foil has a mesh of conductive tracks on its surface. The foil is integrated into the doors, center console and roof lining. On applying the operating voltage, it warms up and radiates heat into the passenger compartment. The heating foil is transparent, which means it can be combined with ambient lighting or LED design elements. The foils are integrated into the vehicle alongside the standard heating system.

Louisenthal Director of Business Development Daniel Lenssen said, “We can produce the SmartMesh foils on an industrial scale in large quantities, providing an energy-saving and more convenient addition to conventional heating systems for future EV concepts.”

IAV has simulated the use of the foil in vehicle trims with 3D CFD software and, using a demonstrator, has shown how it works on a car door interior trim. Simulation results demonstrate that a comfortable climate in the passenger compartment can be achieved for the driver and passengers in less time at low outside temperatures, thanks to the additional integrated heating foils. After the heating-up phase, the total amount of energy required for heating the passenger compartment can be reduced by up to 20 percent as a result of the foil’s radiant heat.

This can increase the vehicle’s range by up to 6 percent.

FREYR and 24M to collaborate on battery cell production FREYR and 24M have signed an agreement to use 24M’s SemiSolid lithium-ion battery platform technology in FREYR’s planned facilities in Norway.

FREYR is targeting a production capacity of over 40 GWh of scalable, modular battery cells via partnership-based strategies in both grid and electric mobility markets.

“24M has fundamentally redesigned the traditional LIB cell technology and production platform, delivering higher energy density per battery while enabling a substantial reduction in Capex, operating costs, CO2 emissions and physical footprint of the manufacturing facility as compared to conventional solutions,” said FREYR CEO Tom Jensen. “By combining the 24M platform with access to clean, low-cost renewable energy and Norway’s highly skilled engineering-based workforce, we will deliver on our goal of delivering safe, high-quality batteries with the lowest cost and carbon content. We are now in the process of accelerating and increasing our ambitions to scale up production for all relevant market segments.”

24M says it has reduced the number of steps required to manufacture battery cells, while still using conventional lithium-ion raw materials, decreasing capital expenditures and operational costs while increasing production throughput. The company claims its production platform is flexible, works across all chemistries and can be retooled for various-sized batteries and cathode and anode chemistries.

FREYR says it’s experiencing strong interest in its production plans, and has announced several orders for battery cells in marine and stationary segments and for long-term supply of battery materials and production equipment.

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Image courtesy of OXIS Energy

Image courtesy of Bel Power

THE TECH

OXIS Energy to power luxury yacht with Li-S batteries Yachts de Luxe (YdL) of Singapore has signed a ten-year contract with Oxis Energy valued at $5 million to build the world’s first luxury boat to be powered by Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) batteries. The objective is to achieve a range of 70 to 100 nautical miles at cruising speed.

Oxis will work with YdL to design the 40-foot luxury day boat, which will carry a 400 kWh battery system.

The design, manufacture and installation of the battery and BMS will be carried out by subcontractor Williams Advanced Engineering. Oxis says its Li-S technology does not use any toxic or rare earth material. At the end of life, the materials used in the Li-S cells can be disposed of without environmental damage.

Oxis CEO Huw Hampson-Jones said, “In August 2020, Oxis successfully powered the first US-built electric aircraft with a flight time of just under 2 hours. The flight was approved by both NASA and the FAA. Our intention is to achieve the same level of success in maritime applications. The collaboration allows us to achieve this, and provides a level of safety to our seafaring clients, far beyond existing lithium-ion battery systems.”

Jean Jacques, Director of YdL, said, “With the highly promising Li-S technology developed by Oxis Energy, we have the perfect match between high power, safety and eco-friendliness. This is the starting point of numerous projects, including service boats and our Mega Yachts.”

The electrified Luxury Day Boat will be on display at the Monaco Boat Show in September 2021.

Bel Power Solutions announces bidirectional onboard charger Bel Power Solutions has introduced the BCL25-700-8, a 22/25 kW bidirectional liquid-cooled on-board inverter battery charger with export functionality. Up to 4 BCL25-700-8 charging units can be connected in parallel, with efficiency near 94%.

Bel Power says it’s possible to connect this charger to a charging station or directly to the grid (190-264 VAC single-phase or 330-528 VAC three-phase) to charge EV batteries. The output voltage covers a wide variety of batteries from 240 VDC to 800 VDC, with a constant 60-amp output current. When running on battery power, the system can export up to 25 kW (400 VAC @ 50 Hz or 480 VAC @ 60 Hz) to power three-phase AC equipment.

Additional features include active HVDC interlock monitoring, with overtemperature, output overvoltage and overcurrent protection. It can deliver full power at operating coolant temperatures between -40° C and +60° C, and up to 50% power at +75° C at an operating ambient temperature of +80° C. The BCL25-700-8 meets international standards, including IEC 61851-21-1 (EMC requirements), e-Mark certification (ECE R10.6), SAE J1455 (environmental), IP67 and IP6K9K (protection), SAE J1939 CAN bus interface for control and monitoring, supporting the connection with the EVSE with connector Type 1 and Type 2 according to IEC 62196 and communication with the EVSE according to IEC61851-1 Mode 2 and Mode 3. The BCL25-700-8 including the connector kit will be available from Digi-Key.

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European Commission approves €2.9 billion in funding for comprehensive battery project The European Commission has approved a second Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) to support innovation throughout the battery value chain. The European Battery Innovation project calls for 12 member states—Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden—to provide up to €2.9 billion in funding in the coming years. XLPO Revolutionary The project complements an earlier battery-related IPCEI that the Commission approved in December 2019. The public funding is expected to unlock an additional €9 billion in private investments.

The project will cover the entire battery value chain, from extraction of raw materials to the manufacturing of battery cells and packs to recycling and disposal in a circular economy. It is expected to catalyze a set of new technological breakthroughs, including different cell chemistries and novel production processes.

The project will involve 42 direct participants, including small and medium-size enterprises and startups. Some of the more familiar names include BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Tesla, Rimac, Northvolt, Enel X, Valmet, Fortum and Hydrometal. The direct participants will cooperate with over 150 external partners such as universities and research organizations. The overall project is expected to be completed by 2028 (with differing timelines for each sub-project).

“For those massive innovation challenges for the European economy, the risks can be too big for just one member state or one company to take alone, so it makes sense for European governments to come together to support industry in developing more innovative and sustainable batteries,” said Executive VP Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy. “Today’s project is an example of how competition policy works hand in hand with innovation and competitiveness by enabling breakthrough innovation while ensuring that limited public resources are used to crowd in private investment. The public has to benefit from its investment, which is why companies receiving aid have to generate positive spillover effects across the EU.” “Thanks to its focus on a next generation of batteries, this strong pan-European project will help revolutionize the battery market,” said VP Maroš Šefčovič, in charge of the European Battery Alliance. “It will also boost our strategic autonomy in a sector vital for Europe’s green transition and long-term resilience. Three years ago, the EU battery industry was hardly on the map.

Today, Europe is a global battery hotspot. And by 2025, our actions under the European Battery Alliance will result in an industry robust [enough] to power at least six million electric cars each year.”

Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton said, “By establishing a complete, decarbonized and digital battery value chain in Europe, we can give our industry a competitive edge, create much-needed jobs and reduce our unwanted dependencies on third countries.”

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Image courtesy of Nexperia

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Passenger EV battery capacity reached 134.5 GWh in 2020 In 2020, a total of 134.5 GWh of passenger EV battery capacity was deployed globally in newly sold passenger EVs, an increase of 39.6% over the prior year, according to an analysis by Adamas Intelligence. This figure excludes an additional 15 to 20 GWh of installed passenger EV battery capacity idling in sales channels and another 15 to 20 GWh in assembly lines.

LG Energy Solution took the top spot in 2020 by passenger EV battery capacity deployed onto roads, thanks in part to its supply agreement with Tesla in China, coupled with its European clients, including VW, Renault and Mercedes.

CATL claimed a distant second place, propped up by its presence in China and entry into the European market in the second half of the year, courtesy of Tesla and Groupe PSA, among others.

Trailing CATL by a thin margin was last year’s leader, Panasonic, which posted virtually no growth in deployment year-over-year, while LG Energy Solution, CATL, Samsung SDI, SK Innovation and numerous others posted significant gains.

Nexperia releases 80 V resistor-equipped transistor for 48 V automotive circuits Nexperia has introduced its 80 V RET (resistor-equipped transistor) family. The company says the new RETs, or “digital transistors,” provide enough headroom for use in 48 V automotive circuits.

RETs save space and reduce manufacturing costs by combining the bias resistor and bias-emitter resistor in the same SOT23 (250 mW Ptot) or SOT323 (235 mW Ptot) package as the transistor. Double RETs (two transistors and two matching bias resistors and bias-emitter resistors) are also available in the SOT363 package with a Ptot of 350 mW. The new series (NHDTx and NHUMx) includes 42 parts with PNP/NPN combinations. These come with the same bias resistor combinations as Nexperia’s 50 V parts.

The devices have a 100 mA current capability and are AEC-Q101-approved.

Product Group Manager Frank Matschullat commented, “Design engineers working on new EV applications can future-proof their systems with confidence by using Nexperia’s new RETs to simplify circuit design, save PCB space, reduce pick and place time and increase reliability.

As well as 48 V automotive circuit driver applications, general-purpose switching and amplification and other digital systems will benefit from these new high-voltage devices.”

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Image courtesy of Swindon Powertrain

Image courtesy of GM

LG and Magna enter agreement to expand powertrain electrification LG and Magna have announced a joint venture to manufacture e-motors, inverters, onboard chargers and related e-drive systems. The new company, tentatively called LG Magna e-Powertrain, combines Magna’s experience in automotive manufacturing with LG’s expertise in component development for e-motors and inverters.

LG has plenty of experience in developing electric vehicle components, most notably for the Chevrolet Bolt EV and Jaguar I-PACE. LG will help accelerate Magna’s time to market and scale of manufacturing for electrification components, and Magna will bring its skills in software and systems integration to the joint venture.

“By combining our strengths, we expect to gain investment efficiency and speed to market with synergies to achieve more, all while continuing to capitalize on the acceleration of the electrified powertrain market,” said Magna President Swamy Kotagiri.

“Manufacturers need to be disruptive to maintain leadership positions in electrification and, through this deal, LG is entering a new phase in its automotive components business, a growth opportunity with enormous potential,” said LG President Dr. Kim Jin-yong. “We believe that the combination of our in-house prowess and the experience and extensive history of Magna will transform the EV powertrain space faster than if we proceed alone.”

Compact EV-specific transmission supports niche OEMs as they shift to electric Following the recent release of its HPD E crate motors and associated kit to electrify the classic Mini, Swindon Powertrain is now extending its electrification range with a new standalone E-Transmission for EVs. Swindon says the single-speed gearbox is an affordable plug-and-play solution to purchasing a transmission to work with existing electric motors.

With two ratio options and multiple mounting points for ease of installation, the E-Transmission is designed for a range of vehicles, from kit and classic cars to light commercial vehicles. As a derivative of its HPD crate motor, Swindon offers retail pricing of £2,500. Trade customers seeking volume quantities can contact Swindon for pricing.

Designers specified a flanged e-motor adapter plate design, facilitating the mounting to a wide range of electric motors, not just Swindon’s. Standard automotive driveshaft joint flanges facilitate external drive integration.

Swindon says the OE-specification helical gears offer low levels of noise, vibration and harshness. A passive lubrication system minimizes complexity, cost and power losses and will perform without needing an oil pump.

The E-Transmission weighs 17.9 kg and measures 250 x 384 x 228 mm.

“Adding the E-Transmission to our expanding range of electrification products provides our customers with the ultimate flexibility when it comes to converting or building their EVs. They can buy an entire system or select just the parts they need,” said Swindon Director Gérry Hughes.

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HIGH-VOLTAGE EV BATTERY PACKS: BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES

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Image courtesy of Porsche

Porsche Taycan Turbo S: 800-volt system

By Jeffrey Jenkins n 2020, Porsche delivered just over 20,000 units of its luxury Taycan EV—the first vehicle from a major automaker to sport an 800 V (nominal) battery, which is more than double the voltage of its competitors (and firmly into light-rail and switchyard locomotive territory, actually). It appears that many other EVs will soon follow in the Taycan’s tracks.

I

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THE TECH Image courtesy of GM

2022 GMC HUMMER EV

Delphi Technologies recently said it will supply 800 V inverters to three out of the top four global premium automakers in the next few years. Kia and Hyundai have both released details of upcoming 800 V architectures, and GM said that its 2022 Hummer EV will have the “unique ability to switch its battery pack from its native 400 V to 800 V for charging.”

Whether this is just another case of specmanship or something more noteworthy is the subject of this article, but regardless, it also suggests that silicon carbide (SiC) technology is rapidly being adopted by the EV OEMs. This is because the only other type of semiconductor switch with sufficient VA rating for use in an EV traction inverter is the IGBT, and 1,200/1,700 V IGBTs are relatively slow devices, limiting the maximum practical PWM frequency to the single-digit kHz range if switching losses are to be kept acceptably low.

Granted, this isn’t much of an issue for the traction inverter, since high-quality sinusoidal currents can be produced with relatively low PWM frequencies, but for the charger and any other power converters that operate at pack voltage, there is considerable motivation

GM said that its 2022 Hummer EV will have the “unique ability to switch its battery pack from its native 400 V to 800 V for charging.” to push the switching frequency much higher, as that reduces the size (and cost) of both the magnetic components (transformers and inductors), as well as the energy storage capacitors (i.e. for the DC link, output filters, etc.).

As with most things in engineering, arbitrarily increasing the pack voltage isn’t unequivocally a good thing, and that’s even without invoking a reductio ad absurdum argument (e.g. if 1 kV is better than 100 V, then 10 kV is better than 1 kV, etc.). Still, there are some benefits to increasing the pack voltage, and the most obvious is that less cross-sectional area in copper will be needed to handle the same amount of power (offset by an increase in insulation thickness to withstand the higher voltage—but more on that later). Given that some DC fast chargers have actually resorted

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to liquid-cooling the charging cables to keep their temperature rise manageable, increasing the voltage to boost the power delivered rather than the current seems to be a far more reasonable solution, and even saves a percentage point or two in efficiency (from reduced I2R losses in the cable and charge port connectors).

A less obvious benefit of running a higher pack voltage, and one that is arguably more in the realm of the theoretical, is that traction motor RPM can be pushed higher without a loss of torque from field weakening.

Of course, the No Free Lunches principle applies here too, as AC losses in the motor—both copper (i.e. the windings) and iron

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THE TECH

(i.e. the magnetic circuit)—increase with RPM, and in an exponential fashion (that is, to a power higher than one). There is also a mechanical limit to just how high you can push RPM before the rotor “rapidly self-disassembles.” Though, to be fair, torque is proportional to current, and the resistive losses of the windings are also exponentially proportional to current (i.e. from I2R again), so demanding more torque to get more power from a particular motor runs into the law of diminishing returns as well. This is why you can’t extract an arbitrarily high amount of power out of a given motor, and why the benefits of increased voltage or current in the same motor are perhaps more theoretical than actual. Still, most motors can tolerate downright astonishing overloads (3x-10x, depending on the type) for brief periods of time, an attribute that happens to be ideal for EV traction applications.

Given that some DC fast chargers have actually resorted to liquid-cooling the charging cables to keep their temperature rise manageable, increasing the voltage to boost the power delivered seems to be a reasonable solution, and even saves a percentage point or two in efficiency.

It might not seem that increasing the pack voltage would have much effect on the pack itself, but there are a few issues that need to be considered, the most obvious being that a higher voltage is more likely to cause electrocution should one find oneself inadvertently part of the battery circuit. Of similar concern is that higher voltages are also more likely to start an arc, and said arcs will require more separation distance before they are extinguished. This mainly affects the construction of any fuses in the battery circuit, because at low DC (<50 VDC) to moderate AC voltages (<150

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VAC) a fuse can merely rely on the fusible link melting to open up a circuit, but at higher voltages, techniques to increase the separation distance and/or fill the gap with non-conductive materials to quench any arcs must be employed, all of which greatly increase the cost of the fuse. Another issue is that the capacity (in Ah) of a battery is only as good as its weakest cell, so the more cells in series, the greater the likely impact of the weakest one. This is less of an issue for packs comprised of many lower-capacity cells wired in parallel, first, then in series, rather than those comprised of single large format cells in series, but it’s still a consideration.

The last issue pertaining to the pack here, and perhaps the most insidious and least obvious one, is that leakage currents flowing from battery to chassis to battery again increase with pack voltage. These leakage pathways are typically from condensation, but can also occur if electrolyte has escaped from a venting or ruptured cell, an altogether more serious situation in which, arguably, the leakage current would be the least of one’s worries. Regardless of the cause, any leakage current from pack to chassis can also result in current to ground (i.e. when the charger is connected) which can trip the usually-mandatory ground-fault circuit interrupter, disconnecting the charger from the pack.

Needless to say, coming back to an EV that was plugged into a charger only to find no charging

THE TECH

had occurred is unlikely to make a positive impression.

As hinted at above, another benefit of a higher pack voltage is a reduction in the size of the wires needed for the charging cable for a given power output (i.e. charging rate). This is not as inconsequential as it might seem at first glance, because the charging cable can be surprisingly heavy once you need to deliver more than about 125 A or so (i.e. the v1 CHAdeMO spec). Using a 350 kW DC fast charger as an example, charging a 350 V (nominal) pack would require 1,000 A, while an 800 V pack would drop that down to around 440 A. To carry 1 kA with an acceptable temperature rise would require wires of at least the 750 MCM size (750,000 circular mils, or 380 mm2 in area), each weighing about 3.7 kg / m (or 2.7 # / ft).

A typical charging cable of 5 m length would end up weighing at least 37 kg (~81 #). Hence, going to the trouble of liquid-cooling the wire to get away with a smaller gauge starts to seem eminently reasonable.

However, the 440 A needed to achieve the same power level with the 800 V pack could be delivered with 4/0 wires (about 107 mm2 in area) that weigh about 1.2 kg / m (or 0.82 # / ft) each, so a 5 m cable would then weigh about 12 kg (~27 #). Even a 12 kg / 27 # cable will be on the unwieldy side—a 37 kg / 81 # would be about as manageable as a live anaconda! Now it is true that the wires for the higher pack voltage cable will need to have thicker insulation—there is actually a step change in most safety agency requirements at 600 V, in fact—but the relative impact here is minuscule, as the insulation is typically just a few mm in thickness, and the materials used—PVC, EPDM, etc.—are about 1/8th the density of copper.

Where thicker insulation does have more of a negative impact is in the magnetic components (i.e. inductors, transformers and even motors), because an increase in insulation volume requires a concomitant decrease in magnetic material volume (and/or copper volume), and therefore a decrease in power handling capacity for said component. This is usually a minor effect, however, and oftentimes multiple layers of insulating coating (or builds in the argot) are applied to magnet wire, anyway, both because it results in a more reliable component and because it can sidestep the need for multiple layers of insulating tape between windings and/or between windings and core (again, the core here can be for an

The first big change is that electrolytic capacitors might not be practical to use because 450 V is the highest working voltage that is commonly available. inductor, transformer, motor, etc.).

Little change is required for the circuits used in the traction inverter, charger, or 12 V output DC/DC converter as a result of an increase in the pack voltage, but the component selection and some of the operating parameters (e.g. switching frequency) will definitely be affected, along with the same need for more distance between components at different potentials and/or thicker insulators. The first big change is that electrolytic capacitors might not be practical to use because 450 V is the highest working voltage that is commonly available. Sure, “elkos” can be wired in series to achieve a higher voltage rating, but because they tend to have rather high leakage currents, they also need rather low-value balancing resistors across each one to ensure voltage is split evenly among them (the rule of thumb is to set the balancing resistance to pass 10x the capacitor’s worst-case leakage current). Film and ceramic dielectric capacitors will typically prove to be better choices above 400 V or so, then, because both are available in >1 kV ratings, dielectric losses are much lower (especially for polypropylene film and NP0 ceramic) and these losses tend to be flatter over temperature (especially at the cold end), leakage currents are orders of magnitude lower, and, of course, there’s no electrolyte that can leak all over or simply dry out over time (leading to higher losses, causing more electrolyte to evaporate, and so on).

The optimal type of semiconductor switches and diodes to use at the 800 V pack level is a bit less clearly delineated compared to the choice of capacitor, and the ultimate winner will depend heavily on the switching frequency, RMS current, and, to a lesser extent, the

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The optimal type of semiconductor switches and diodes to use at the 800 V pack level is a bit less clearly delineated, and the ultimate winner will depend heavily on the switching frequency, RMS current and precise application. precise application. In the inverter there is little need to push the switching frequency above the ultrasonic range because that won’t reduce the size of the “magnetics” (i.e. the motor), and there will always be

some overlap of voltage and current during the transitions (i.e. “hard switching”). Furthermore, the stray currents—including the dreaded cause of EDM-like bearing damage—go up with switching frequency and/ or pack voltage. In the other EV-related power converters—charger and DC/DC converter—there is far more flexibility in circuit topology, frequency, etc., so it is possible to employ circuit techniques that achieve soft-switching (aka “quasi-resonant”) or even fully-resonant operation, in which case the switching frequency is really only limited by the capabilities of the switches (and diodes). For SiC switches and diodes that limit is awfully high indeed, such that the dimensions of the specific package, board layout and other parasitics become the dominant factors (and complying with Electromagnetic Compatibility regulations…). All told, increasing pack voltage from 350 V to 800 V will likely prove to be more of an evolutionary step forward, rather than a revolutionary one, but it does seem like a logical progression overall.

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IS AVIATION THE BEST APPLICATION YET FOR

HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS? Q&A with ZeroAvia CEO

By Charles Morris

Images courtesy of ZeroAvia

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assenger cars are well on their way to going electric, and the path to a big market share for heavy-duty EVs such as buses and delivery trucks is becoming clearer. However, aviation remains a new frontier for zero emissions.

There are several new powertrain options, and none has yet proven itself in regular commercial service. Several startup companies are pursuing different possibilities.

Eviation, together with motor-maker MagniX, is working on battery-electric planes, Lilium is developing a kind of electric jet, and the late Zunum was betting on a plug-in hybrid system.

Val Miftakhov got into the EV game in 2010 when he founded eMotorWerks, which created an innovative smart charging solution and was acquired by the Enel Group in 2017. His new company, ZeroAvia, is developing an aircraft powertrain energized by hydrogen fuel cells. Last September, ZeroAvia successfully completed a test flight of a commercial-scale fuel cell-powered aircraft. In December, the company won a £12-million ($16.3-million) grant from the UK government, and $21.4 million in venture funding, to further develop its technology. The goal is to demonstrate a 19-seat aircraft with a 350-mile flight in early 2023.

Charged recently chatted with Mr. Miftakhov to learn about the technical and business aspects of hydrogen-electric aviation and his company’s ambitious plans for the future.

P

anything, I actually had a “Ifbattery bias coming into it,

having worked in the EV space for a good bit and worked with all these batteries.

Q Charged: What led you to aircraft after your experi-

ence with eMotorWerks?

A Val Miftakhov: I was fascinated with aircraft from my

childhood. My father worked in the oil industry, but his formal education was in aviation maintenance and mechanics back in the Soviet Union, so I got exposed to some of that early on. Then, when I came over to the US, I got my pilot’s license.

It was always a personal passion, and I was already working on green transportation, so that was a natural intersection. Right around that time, it started to be apparent that ground mobility was well on the way to cleaning up, and the power sector was already moving in that direction. The next big challenge in transportation is going to be aviation, because that’s the ultimate challenge in terms of the utilization and intensity of energy use, and there is no solution, really. The most people were

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Image courtesy of ZeroAvia

talking about was carbon offsets of various types, and there were some early talks about sustainable aviation fuels, biofuels, and all that, which are either not scalable or are super-expensive, so I felt that there is a lot of technological opportunity there. That’s when we started.

Q Charged: You’ve done some pilot programs with

battery-electric planes, but your long-term idea is to build fuel cell aircraft, correct?

A Val Miftakhov: When we did the initial demonstration flights, the very first one was with batteries, and then the other demonstrations that we did were all fuel cell-based. The idea from day one was hydrogen fuel cell-based drivetrains, but it’s hydrogen-electric, so you have to build the electric part. You have to build the battery powertrain first, and add the fuel cell system. So, that was a progression that we made.

Now we have a test flight program through two flight prototypes in two countries, the US and the UK, which is actually quite significant because the regulatory environments are very different, so we had to go through both countries’ regulatory environments to get things done. The UK is much more stringent compared to the

US in getting experimental R&D aircraft up in the air, so that was a great experience, and a good hurdle to cross.

We’ve got a lot of support from the UK government.

They funded us for the next size powertrain developments, which will go on now to 10-to-20-seat aircraft, and that’s our first commercial target. There are about 10,000 of these flying around worldwide—commuter service, island-hopping, sub-regional service. It’s already a multi-billion-dollar market, but that’s just the starting point for what we’re doing.

Shortly after that, we plan to go to aircraft of about 50 to 80 seats. And that’s kind of a mainstay of regional aviation aircraft of this size. It’s a mix right now between the turboprops and regional jets like Embraers, and that’s the second segment that we’re targeting.

Q Charged: Why do you think fuel cells are the best

strategy? Can you compare and contrast the three technologies—batteries, fuel cells, jet fuel?

A Val Miftakhov: As you can imagine, we did a lot of

this [comparison] early on as well. I have a physics background, I’m sort of a first-principles type guy, and the

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pretty clear that hydrogen“It’selectric is the answer. For two years, we were pretty much the only ones saying that.

rest of the top technical team is like that too. If anything, I actually had a battery bias coming into it, having worked in the e-space for a good bit and worked with all these batteries.

But we did the overall review—you have jet fuel, you have hydrogen-based solutions, you have battery-based solutions, you have various hybrid solutions. Well, let’s look at them from first principles and see, with the energy demands and the utilization of the vehicle that you have in aviation, what makes sense.

The short summary is that hydrogen as an energy storage medium is about three times better in terms of specific energy, kilowatt-hours per kilogram, than jet fuel, and battery is 50 times worse. When it comes to utilizing that energy, fuel cells are 50-60% efficiency. Jet fuel in a small turbine is about 25% efficiency.

So, with hydrogen you have a significant advantage over jet fuel, and with batteries you have a 50x hit right away.

Yes, you have maybe higher efficiency, maybe even 80-85%.

But that 50x drop is just not getting you where you want to be.

For small aircraft, like a trainer for example, what [George Bye] is doing with [Colorado e-aircraft manufacturer] Bye Aerospace, makes a lot sense. For training missions, you get up in the air for an hour, and going fast is not your objective—your objective is to work the procedures and airspace and radio calls and all that kind of stuff, so your energy demand is relatively low, power demands are low, endurance demands are low.

In those environments, batteries work pretty well.

Also, probably for private aircraft, which don’t have a lot of utilization, batteries might work as well, subject to range limitations. But for a commercial use case, for a regional scheduled service use case, for instance, which is what we are targeting, you will get six, eight cycles on your pack per day. If you’re going to go to, let’s say, San

Francisco-Los Angeles round trip, you’re going to make three or four round trips per day, and every trip is going to be substantially depleting your battery to the maximum capacity. If you can even squeeze that much energy into the battery in the first place. Because we’re talking about 10-to-20-seat aircraft as a minimum, and you need to have passenger and cargo capacity.

So, you’re going to have eight cycles a day, and a typical high-energy-density battery that is in production, something like Tesla, has let’s say [a life expectancy of] 1,000, 2,000 cycles. Pick your number, but 2,000 cycles over eight cycles a day, that’s about seven or eight months [of battery life]. So, then what are you going to do? And by the way, in order to pack that much battery into the aircraft, you will have to make it pretty much a structural element of your airframe, because you run out of space and weight allowance. And if you need to replace it every eight months, then it becomes problematic.

Then we looked at hybrids, and really, it’s very incremental, you maybe get 15-20% improvement [versus jet fuel], not more. Is it worth it to go through all that trouble to get that?

With biofuels, if you look at the relative efficiency of converting solar energy into biofuel versus solar energy into hydrogen, it’s not even a comparison, it’s ridiculous, it’s 500 times difference. Biological organisms are not great at converting sunlight into energy.

The only remaining things that make sense are what people call electrofuels. You can use hydrogen and CO2 capture to create liquid fuel and then burn it. That has its own problems. If you look at the climate impact of aviation, less than half of that is CO2, the rest of it is stuff like nitrogen oxide. Then you have particle emissions from combustion [which] become condensation centers and create cloud formations, and that traps heat. All of those things, they actually contribute more [air pollution] than CO2 alone. And if you go with electrofuels even with zero CO2 emissions, you’re solving less than half of the problem.

So, all of that combined, it’s pretty clear that hydrogen-electric is the answer. For two years, we were pretty much the only ones saying that, and then last year, Airbus was the first major that said, “Hydrogen is the answer, and that’s what we’re going to focus on.” And they explicitly said that hybrids are not the answer, and that batteries are not the answer.

So, that was good and validating, and of course, they are going after the larger airplanes. I don’t know how

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THE TECH active their projects are right now, but they’ve announced that that’s what they’re going to focus on, and they’ve unveiled three brand-new aircraft designs that they’re going to be working on that are dedicated to hydrogen.

Q Charged: What are your projections for cost per

mile? Is it on par with jet fuel?

A Val Miftakhov: It depends on which timeframe you

take, and which aircraft type, because it’s a complex optimization matrix. Small aircraft, for example, are less efficient, so for them hydrogen-electric is better, relatively speaking, than for the largest aircraft.

A small turbine has 25% thermodynamic efficiency, and the largest turbines, like [the ones in a Boeing 777] are 50% efficient. So, for small aircraft, three years out, when we’re going to have [fuel cell planes] in commercial operation, we’re going to have about 20 to 30% lower cost than jet fuel, assuming jet fuel costs at pre-pandemic levels, before any kind of incentives.

In California, there is a Low Carbon Fuel Standard program. I benefited from it quite a bit in my previous company [eMotorWerks], charging cars and getting

much nothing that “Pretty was designed for automotive really works, so in order to make competitive products you have to redo all that.

credits, and it was great. And they’ve just extended it to aviation. So, I can go to the operators and say, “If we can show that our hydrogen comes from zero-emission sources, we can get the credit, pretty much offsetting the entire fuel costs in California today.”

The 20 to 30% savings is before that is taken into account. If you take into account whatever [incentives] exist already like this, and whatever comes out of the new [US presidential administration,] it gets even better, hopefully.

Q Charged: Let’s talk about the engineering challeng-

es you’re currently focusing on. Where are you exactly in terms of fuel cell development for aircraft?

A Val Miftakhov: We’re working a lot on what’s called

the fuel cell balance of plant. How do you supply the fuel cell stacks with the right inputs? You have an oxygen supply system or air supply system, you have hydrogen supply, you have humidification, you have pressure and temperature parameters that you need to hold, to extract

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you have a fuel cell that “Ifoperates at about 80-90° C,

Image courtesy of ZeroAvia

and you’re in a place like Phoenix, Arizona, on takeoff at 40-50° C air temperature, you need to dump a lot of heat with only a delta T of 40° C.

heat out of the system. All of that is actually where the bottlenecks are today in the system design.

Aviation is a very different use case compared to automotive in terms of how power is used, what kind of cooling capabilities you have, and what kind of environments you’re operating in. Pretty much nothing that was designed for automotive really works, so in order to make competitive products you have to redo all that. And you have to redo all that anyway, in order to be certifiable, so you might as well do it better. So, that’s a lot of what we do.

And then of course, you also need to run the entire system as a whole with all the power management and in-

tegration with the rest of the aircraft. So, we build our own flight computers, software integration with the airframe, and our own avionics system around the engine.

Q Charged: In a recent interview with Aviation Week, you mentioned that getting rid of heat during takeoff in hot climates is proving to be a hard problem. Can you explain more about the problem, and how you plan to solve it?

A Val Miftakhov: One of the biggest technical challenges in this 20-seat-size airframe is thermal management.

You have waste heat, much less of it than a turbine because of higher efficiency, but still you need to get rid of it. The challenge is that it’s at a low delta T [the temperature difference between a heat source and the surrounding air] so it’s harder.

If you have a fuel cell that operates at about 80-90° C, and you’re in a place like Phoenix, Arizona, on takeoff at 40-50° C air temperature, you need to dump a lot of heat with only a delta T of 40° C. Once you’re at cruise it’s relatively easy, because the air is colder and you’re not at full power, but takeoff at sea level in the desert is challenging.

We have a few solutions. One is, that part of the flight where you really have a severe problem is relatively short.

So, you can deal with some part of that through increasing thermal inertia of the system artificially. Then, since that time is so short, you also can manage the fuel cell system outside of its ideal parameters. It may be at a high-deg-

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THE TECH

radation portion of its operating zone, but because it’s so short, it does not significantly affect the average lifetime of the system.

That’s relatively common in aircraft in general, especially in helicopters. A lot of the larger helicopters have a 30-second maximum power rating on the engines, and they have computers that take the intensity of operation and then multiply the time you spent in those regions by certain factors, and then that is used to calculate the effective lifetime. Also, in aviation you replace things when they hit a certain number of hours. So, you may have this 30-second limit operation, every minute spent there costs you an effective hour, and it adds up. So, you can do things like that—for example, you’re going to operate the cell stack at a higher temperature for 30 seconds. And you could get away with this, that increases the delta T, that actually makes the operation a little bit better from other perspectives as well. But it costs you some lifetime.

You can make those trade-offs because a typical takeoff lasts 30 seconds to a minute, and then you drop your throttle back to, say, 85% of the maximum power and that’s your climb-out, and then in cruise you’re at 40-50%, and you just do it for an hour.

service, when “Foryouscheduled have a predictable “point A to point B” schedule, the infrastructure question becomes pretty trivial.

Q Charged: You can’t even use automotive-quality

stuff, the high end?

electronics modules? Are those systems similar to things used in other applications, or are you developing specific motors and power electronics for this application?

A Val Miftakhov: No. Now, some of that redesign we push to our partners, and we manage it. As part of the company, we have what’s called design organization—aviation-grade, certification-targeted management of processes, how you do design, how you capture requirements, how you flow the requirements through the design process. For example, we need controllability for materials—I need to know where that aluminum that went into that motor came from, which batch. And if I have a problem later on with engine number 1,000 or whatever, I can trace it back to the source, and with the authorities, we can analyze where the problem is, so that we can fix it.

That’s why commercial aviation is so safe, because all of that stuff is there. But that means that I can’t buy from just any supplier. Even if they know where the materials are coming from, they need to have the system tracing that is qualified for aviation. There has to be a level of control, a signatory authority, and a lot of stuff. So, in the end basically, we control the redesign of everything. A lot of that we do in-house, a few things we partner up with various folks on.

But there’s no fundamental new topologies on the motor side, and by now a lot of folks are using silicon carbide power inverters and all that. We do some interesting things on that, switching management to improve the efficiency there, but it’s not really rocket science.

A Val Miftakhov: Conceptually similar, but we’re using

Q Charged: What about your business plan? You hope

Q Charged: Is there battery storage in the system at

all, or do you operate directly from the fuel cell to the e-machine?

A Val Miftakhov: We go pretty much directly from the

fuel cell. Now, in the prototype vehicles we do have the battery storage as a failover system. So, in case we have any issues with one source of power, we have an ability to automatically switch over to the second one.

Q Charged: What about your motors and your power

our own power electronics. Pretty much everything that goes into the complete power plant we can’t take off the shelf. That’s not going to be certifiable—you will not be able to push it through and fly people, or even cargo, or any commercial operation with it. So, you basically have to redesign things, generally speaking.

to become the powertrain provider and the infrastructure provider for these systems?

A Val Miftakhov: Our primary customers are the

airlines and cargo operators. For scheduled service, when you have a predictable “point A to point B” schedule, the

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infrastructure question becomes pretty trivial. And that’s why, by the way, aviation is a much better use case for hydrogen than ground mobility, especially personal vehicles. Personal vehicles are the worst possible transportation use case for hydrogen. Unfortunately, that’s where it started, or people try to push it. I think it should have been started in aviation.

So, our main customer is airlines, and then we together work with the aircraft manufacturers to make sure that our engines are adapted to the aircraft. We need support from the aircraft manufacturers, but we work with them, we don’t design our own aircraft, because I don’t want to compete with everybody, I want to partner with these folks.

And then we sell our power plants, our engines, to the operators on what’s called a power-by-the-hour model, which is actually relatively common in the industry. The operator would pay on an hourly basis for the operation of the engine, effectively leasing the engine on an hourly basis. Our tweak to that is that we add the fuel price into it. And there are two reasons for that. One is that hydrogen is not a commodity, it doesn’t exist at the airport, so

Iss 53 pg 30-49.indd 37

we feel that in order to have any kind of market penetration, we have to lead that side of the equation.

And the second reason is that [the fuel] is actually where a lot of the money is in aviation. If you look at the overall markets, worldwide aviation is about one and a half trillion dollars today, out of which 100 billion is engine, 200 billion is aircraft, 200 billion is fuel, and the rest is operations. Fuel is as big as the aircraft-making market, and probably more profitable.

So, as part of our initial demonstrations in the UK last year, we built out the hydrogen production facility, making our own fuel from electrolysis [using] renewable energy.

We have a refueling truck on the field at Cranfield in the UK that refuels our plane, so we have a very small version of how we see the blueprint of aviation of the future.

Q Charged: What do you see as the future of the

hydrogen infrastructure? Localized production?

A Val Miftakhov: Yeah. Look at the concentration

levels. In the US, you have 50 airports that concentrate

2/14/21 10:11 PM

THE TECH Image courtesy of ZeroAvia

85% of all traffic by passenger counts, 150 airports [account for] 97%, and 500 airports is the whole thing.

Aviation uses a lot of fuel, and that fuel use is concentrated in these 500 locations, so every location is a huge location relative to what you’re used to [with ground transportation]—even truck depots are no comparison.

So, that creates an opportunity for decentralized production, because you’re clear into the positive economics at pretty much every one of those locations.

It makes a lot of sense. Also, hydrogen is a very tricky fuel to transport just because of the volumes. So, until you build pipelines, which is a significant exercise, transportation is almost a prohibitive factor. Distributed production allows you to avoid all that and reduce the price of the commodity at fueling points, which is important for the economics of operation.

Q Charged: Do you have a separate development

project going on currently with production and distribution of hydrogen, or are you just focusing on the powertrain now?

A Val Miftakhov: We work with folks who have electrol-

ysis technology. We’re not building that much of a technology on the fueling side, but every program that we launch—the 6-seat program, the 20-seat program—has an infrastructure component. Shell joined us as an investor

last December, and of course they know a thing or two— they’re actually the largest aviation fuel supplier, and probably the largest hydrogen manufacturer, worldwide. They’re pretty experienced in green hydrogen production—they have the largest electrolysis-based green hydrogen plant today.

So, every program already has the fueling components.

Because without that, they don’t know what to do with these [hydrogen aircraft]. And part of this is the fuel standards. Again, you’re going to put it in the aircraft, so it has to be approved, there is aviation-grade hydrogen fuel. From a practical standpoint, it could be the same grade fuel as in automotive, but the way you control it, the way you measure it, the way you build these safety systems around it, is going to be completely different.

You have to kind of push into that as well, and there’s protected space that you’re building by being the first, and that’s what we intend to do.

Q Charged: In the aircraft industry there’s an enor-

mous body of safety regulations. Is that going to be an issue for you? Are you actively involved in discussions with the regulatory bodies to talk about service life, redundancy concerns? Are there standards that carry over from jet fuel engines, or are these new things that are going to have to be redefined?

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A Val Miftakhov: Some things carry over, but a lot of stuff needs to be defined. We’ve been working with the regulators since inception, especially for the last two years. The regulator in the UK is actually formally a part of the project that we just kicked off for the first commercial entry system. We’re going to fly the 20-seaters this year. From the technology standpoint, the timeline for commercial introduction is all about the certification timeline. That’s why it’s three years out, and not this year or next year. Because we can actually build the thing and have it flying in the next 12 months.

Q Charged: Can you give us a general idea of what the

range would be for a 20-seater in five years?

A Val Miftakhov: For a 20-seater at the point of

introduction—three years out or so—about 500 miles.

Maximum range for those things, if you fill it up with fuel to the top, would be about 1,000 miles. But at least 95% of all missions for that aircraft are sub-500 miles.

They tend to be used on regional rounds like the San Francisco-Los Angeles example I mentioned. And they’re relatively slow aircraft, so you’re not going 1,000 miles in those. There are some missions like that, like surveillance, government reconnaissance and all that, but we’re not targeting those, we’re targeting these one-hour hops.

And for those, 500 miles is more than sufficient, and with hydrogen, you have refueling times that are comparable with jet fuel. So, from the operation standpoint, like turnaround times and schedules, there’s relatively little impact.

Q Charged: What is your opinion of these verti-

cal-takeoff sort of flying Ubers that people are talking about? Do you see any feasibility in those?

A Val Miftakhov: Technical feasibility, sure. Market

feasibility is a big question, especially for human transportation in dense environments. That will take a lot of time, from many perspectives. Now, we are already seeing some applications of that at a small scale for unmanned cargo transport in non-dense environments.

UPS is running drone delivery operations, Google is running some operations. That’s where I think most of the action will be for a while. But San Francisco to San Jose in an autonomous drone, I don’t know...

Assuming you handle [the technology challenges],

real driver for our “Ifuelthinkcellthesystems is going to

be operating cost advantages.

you’re going to have other things that are problematic.

When you start doing the math, for example, on what kind of aircraft per cubic kilometer of air density you will have in order to have any kind of market, just do that with two- or three-seater aircraft, and see what kind of density you have and then ask, what kind of air traffic control would not break under those assumptions, especially if everybody wants to land in San Francisco?

And where people want to go is to population centers, so it becomes very difficult. But not impossible. It will happen at some point. I think a lot of people have an overly optimistic timeline, and it’s not about technology necessarily.

Q Charged: What do you think are going to be the

initial and long-term drivers of adoption for your systems? Do you think it’s going to be performance, cost, regulations, or a mixture of the three?

A Val Miftakhov: I think the real driver for our fuel cell systems is going to be operating cost advantages.

The maintenance cost is going to be dramatically lower, because you don’t have extreme high-temperature, high-pressure operation that drives material stress. It may be not as maintenance-free as a battery aircraft would be, but it’s going to be much better than a standard fossil fuel engine. The fuel cost we talked about—you’re going to have lower costs of operation, which is very significant for the airlines, so that’s going to be a primary factor.

Initially, perhaps the regulatory side will be quite important, and we’ll see what happens there. But the way we build these solutions and look at the economics of them, they do not require subsidies. That’s the whole idea, because without that approach you’re building a very risky business that depends on the government—if the government decides to do something different, then you’re screwed.

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THE VEHICLES

Over the past few months, GM has gotten a lot more serious about electrification, unveiling a new EV platform, plans for more investment and more electrified models, a new EV-centric marketing campaign, and even a well-intentioned (if vague) plan to go all-electric someday. However, some have been pointing out the gap between the automaker’s high-wattage future plans and its flickering present (only one EV in the current lineup and two low-volume halo vehicles in the pipeline).

Now GM has turned up the voltage in the commercial realm, announcing not just a new EV, but an entire new “ecosystem of electric first-to-last-mile products, software and services to empower delivery and logistics companies to move goods more efficiently.”

GM says its new business venture, BrightDrop, will produce multiple vehicles. The first on-road EV will be the EV600, a light commercial delivery van built on the Ultium platform. The new e-van will have an estimated range of up to 250 miles, and a charging rate of up to 170 miles per hour via a 120 kW DC fast charging station.

The EV600 will have a capacity of over 600 cubic feet, an automated rear door, a 13.4-inch infotainment display and a full suite of driver assistance and safety features.

BrightDrop plans to deliver 500 EV600 vehicles to FedEx Express by the end of 2021, and to start delivering vans to other customers in North America in early 2022.

Before that, we’ll see a new motorized pallet called the EP1, which Car and Driver described as “an oversize library cart with doors.” The first of these will be delivered to FedEx early this year. The EP1 is designed to streamline the process of delivering packages from a vehicle to a customer. It uses electric hub motors, rolls at up to 3 mph, directed by a courier, and can carry up to 200 pounds. Trials conducted with partner FedEx Express found that the EP1 enabled drivers to handle 25 percent more packages per day, to say nothing of reducing strain on human backs. The EP1 can work with any van, and with a standard cargo lift gate.

BrightDrop also plans to offer an integrated, cloudbased software platform to provide customers with detailed route efficiency and asset utilization data, as well as a range of fleet management services.

Images courtesy of GM

GM announces new business venture to produce electric delivery vans

Targeting the delivery market looks like a timely move for GM, considering the growing boom in home delivery—the company estimates that by 2025, the market for parcel, food delivery and reverse logistics in the US alone will be over $850 billion. The World Economic Forum expects demand for urban last-mile delivery to grow by 78 percent by 2030.

“Although it’s an ambitious goal to launch its own commercial delivery platform, it’s fortuitous timing for GM to do so considering the e-commerce boom that the industry has seen over the last 10 months,” Edmunds Auto Industry Analyst Jessica Caldwell told CNN. “BrightDrop offers a smarter way to deliver goods and services,” said GM CEO Mary Barra. “We are building on our significant expertise in electrification, mobility applications, telematics and fleet management, with a new one-stop-shop solution for commercial customers to move goods in a better, more sustainable way.”

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Proterra is best known as an electric transit bus OEM, but it has branched out into providing electric powertrain solutions to other vehicle manufacturers and turnkey charging and energy management solutions to fleets.

The company has long been considered a likely candidate for a public share offering, and now it has announced that it will go public through a transaction with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) called ArcLight Clean Transition (Nasdaq: ACTC). Upon closing, Proterra’s common stock is expected to trade on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol PTRA. The transaction, which is expected to close in the first half of 2021, represents an enterprise value of $1.6 billion for Proterra. Jack Allen, Proterra’s Chairman and CEO, will continue to lead the company, and Jake Erhard, CEO of ArcLight, will join Proterra’s board.

Proterra is expected to report around $193 million in revenue for 2020, and says it has $750 million worth of orders on its books. Upon completion of the transaction, the company expects to have up to $825 million in cash to fund various growth initiatives.

The announcement caught many in the stock-market chatterverse by surprise. The word on the street was that Proterra would go public through a deal with a SPAC called Qell. Former Proterra CEO Ryan Popple is a member of Qell’s board, and Qell’s CEO, Barry Engle, is a former President of GM North America who has expressed a strong interest in e-mobility.

“After delivering our first electric transit bus a decade ago, Proterra has transformed into a diversified provider of electric vehicle technology solutions to help commercial vehicle manufacturers electrify their fleets,” said Proterra CEO Jack Allen. “This transaction enables Proterra to take the next step towards our mission of advancing EV technology to deliver the world’s best-performing commercial vehicles. In addition, it introduces a partner in ArcLight that has a shared focus on sustainability and renewable energy.”

Biden Image courtesy of Michael Stokes

Proterra to go public through merger with ArcLight Clean Transition

President Biden announces plan to update federal vehicle fleet with US-made EVs

President Joe Biden has announced that he will replace the entire US federal fleet with US-made electric vehicles. The administration has not announced a timeline for replacement, or any other details. It seems likely that EVs will be gradually phased in for some applications—there are some specialty vehicles for which few or no viable electric options exist. But even the prospect of electrifying such a huge number of vehicles represents a milestone for the EV industry (and a big cost-saving opportunity for taxpayers).

As of 2019, the US government owned 645,000 vehicles (including 173,000 military vehicles and 225,000 post office vehicles), which annually consumed 375 million gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel, and around $4.4 billion in vehicle costs, according to the General Services Administration (GSA). As of July 2020, the fleet included only 3,215 electrified vehicles. By one estimate, upgrading the fleet to EVs could cost $20 billion.

The US Post Office’s 140,000 delivery vans in particular are long overdue for replacement—the existing Grumman LLV has been the mainstay of the USPS delivery fleet since the late 1980s. The average age of these trucks is 28 years, and they lack many features that are considered standard on modern vehicles, such as airbags, anti-lock brakes and air conditioning.

Biden also announced plans to tighten the definition of “US-made.” The president said he would close “loopholes” that allow vehicles to be considered US-made even if key parts such as engines, steel and glass are manufactured abroad.

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Images courtesy of Tesla

THE VEHICLES

Model S and X refresh includes completely revamped interior, powertrain updates and more Over the past couple of years, as Tesla rolled out a seemingly endless stream of new features for Models 3 and Y, folks have been saying that the two elders of the line-up were overdue for an update. Now Tesla has announced a sweeping new refresh for Models S and X, featuring an entirely new interior, powertrain updates, new prices and new trim options.

The most noticeable change is a totally redesigned interior. The famous center display has been rotated 90 degrees, and is now integrated more attractively into the dashboard (some say the existing display looks like an oversize iPad glued onto the dashboard).

“With 2200×1300 resolution, ultra-bright colors with exceptional responsiveness and left-right tilt, the new center display is an ideal touchscreen for entertainment and gaming anywhere,” says Tesla. “A second display in front of the driver shows critical driving information, and a third display provides entertainment and controls for rear passengers.”

The steering wheel has been completely reimagined— in fact it doesn’t really look like a wheel anymore. The new “yoke” steering…er, device… has no stalks—just thumbwheels. Some say it looks like something you might see in an airplane, and one more imaginative observer noted its uncanny resemblance to the face of a koala bear.

Some of the new features were first introduced on Model 3 or Y, and others are completely new. The lengthy list includes: a 10-teraflop gaming computer that supports wireless controllers; heated seats for all passengers; ventilated front seating; Airwave cabin conditioning; a tinted glass roof; interior camera and interior radar; and automatic opening and closing for the rear liftgate. Tesla will provide its new Premium Connectivity feature free for one year (after which it will incur a monthly fee).

Tesla has made significant upgrades to the powertrain—the company says it “fully redesigned” the battery modules and pack, and has incorporated some of the newer technology used in Models 3 and Y, including new motors and the more efficient heat pump for cabin conditioning.

The thermal performance of the battery pack has been improved by adding new coolant channels to allow for cross-flow. This may be related to an improvement in charging speed—S and X will now be able to charge at levels up to 250 kW, matching the performance of 3 and Y. The trim and pricing line-up has been rejiggered once again—Model S now starts at $79,990, and is available in a dual-motor Long Range version with 412 miles of range, a tri-motor Plaid version with 390 miles and the Plaid+ version, with a range of 520 miles and a 0-60 time under 1.99 seconds, said to be the quickest of any production car ever.

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Tesla to ditch lead-acid for Li-ion 12 V battery in Models S and X Elon Musk recently spoke to auto manufacturing expert Sandy Munro in a 45-minute YouTube video. The interview covered a lot of ground, discussing a great number of advances and improvements to Tesla’s vehicles and manufacturing processes. One tidbit that many may have overlooked: beginning with the upcoming Model S/X refresh, Tesla plans to abandon the century-old lead-acid battery technology in favor of a more modern lithium-ion unit.

It’s ironic, but as far as we know all of today’s production EVs contain lead-acid batteries, which power the 12volt system that runs accessories such as the lights and audio system. (Interestingly, the Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid went lead-acid-less in 2017, and the innovation spread to all Hyundai hybrids in 2020.) There are Li-ion 12 V automotive batteries commercially available from a variety of aftermarket suppliers, but they are specialty items.

Lead-acid batteries are still used in EVs because they are a commodity, and it’s very difficult to engineer a cheaper Li-ion solution. However, during a discussion of pending innovations in Tesla’s wiring and electronics (around 38:00 in the video), Elon throws out this morsel: “With the new S/X we’re finally transitioning to a lithium-ion 12-volt [battery]. It’s got way more capacity, and the calendar and cycle life match that of the main pack.

We should have done it before now, but it’s great that we’re doing it now. This is one of those inside-baseball victories that’s kind of a big deal.”

“What are we still doing at 12 volts?” Musk asks Sandy (cutting-edge vehicles are moving to 48-volt systems for their electronics). “Twelve volts is very much a vestigial voltage—it’s certainly low,” he continues, noting that even powered Ethernet uses 48-50 volts. “That’s really what the car’s low-voltage system should be at.”

Another future innovation: using the same wires for power and data (for the CAN bus, battery monitoring, etc.), which will allow Tesla to eliminate a lot of point-topoint wiring.

New report highlights the need to electrify ride-hailing fleets Rideshare vehicles are widely believed to have larger carbon footprints than personal vehicles, so electrifying them seems likely to deliver greater emissions reductions than electrifying personal passenger cars. The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), in collaboration with General Motors, recently released an insight brief that explains why the electrification of transportation network companies (TNCs) such as Uber and Lyft is crucial to accelerating the transition to EVs. The new report, Racing to Accelerate Electric Vehicle Adoption: Decarbonizing Transportation with Ridehailing, leverages 101 million miles of real-world data from GM to show that electric ride-hailing vehicles can not only effectively replace ICE vehicles, but will also create catalytic opportunities for the electrification of other transportation sectors by overcoming barriers facing consumers and fleets.

The brief identifies three key barriers to electrifying ride-hailing vehicles—technological capability, financial competitiveness, and charging infrastructure—and suggests strategies for overcoming these obstacles.

“Electrifying TNCs has significant, direct environmental benefits and an equally critical benefit for the larger market that comes from the public charging infrastructure and consumer exposure to EVs,” said EJ Klock-McCook, Principal at RMI. “Urgent and collaborative action from key stakeholders is needed to drive to a climate-aligned goal of deploying over 50 million electric vehicles in the next 10 years,” said RMI Managing Director Britta Gross. “Ride-hailing can be that sector that drives widespread EV awareness and moves the market toward an electrification tipping point that is irreversible.”

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THE VEHICLES

Commercial EV-builder Motiv Power Systems has secured $20 million in financing from investment firm Crescent Cove Advisors, and expects to raise additional funding at the close of the Series C funding round now in progress.

Motiv plans to use the new capital to scale operational and manufacturing capabilities to meet growing demand.

Motiv’s EPIC product line is aimed at medium-duty fleets, and is available for multiple configurations, including step vans, box trucks, work trucks, shuttle buses, school buses, trolleys and specialty vehicles. Motiv’s EVs use BMW battery packs, and are built on Ford eQVM-approved platforms such as the F-59, E-450 and F-53. The final stage of the vehicle build is performed by established bus and truck partners, using bodies that are already familiar to fleet customers.

Jun Hong Heng, Chief Investment Officer at Crescent Cove, commented, “Motiv’s success with medium-duty electrification has made them a trusted partner for many of the biggest fleet names in North America.”

“Motiv is entering an exciting stage of growth and development in our mission to free fleets from fossil fuels,” said Matt O’Leary, Motiv’s Chairman and CEO.

Image courtesy of Motiv Power System

Motiv Power Systems secures $20 million in new financing

Bus manufacturer New Flyer has won a contract for 12 Xcelsior CHARGE battery-electric transit buses from the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT), with options to purchase up to 63 more over five years.

The purchase was supported by Federal Transit Administration funds.

CTDOT, which owns and operates nearly all public transportation services in Connecticut, representing more than 27 million annual trips, is a longtime New Flyer customer.

“For over 25 years, we have supported CTDOT with reliable transportation, delivering over 900 New Flyer buses and MCI coaches,” said New Flyer President Chris Stoddart. “Every Xcelsior CHARGE bus on Connecticut roads will reduce up to 160 tons of greenhouse gas emissions per year, delivering immediate benefits with cleaner, quieter, more sustainable mobility.”

New Flyer also offers infrastructure development through New Flyer Infrastructure Solutions. The company currently has over 35,000 transit buses on the road (New Flyer, NABI and Orion), of which 8,600 are powered by electric motors and battery propulsion and 1,900 are zero-emission.

Meanwhile, New Flyer is pursuing autonomous vehicle technology in partnership with CTDOT, Robotic Research, and the Center for Transportation and the Environment. The company plans to deploy a battery-electric Level 4 automated transit bus on CTfastrak, a regional rapid transit system currently operating between Hartford and New Britain.

“We are thrilled to be developing—and soon operating—the first full-sized automated buses in revenue service in North America,” said Dennis Solensky, Transit Administrator, CTDOT.

Image courtesy of Xcelsior

Connecticut DOT orders up to 75 New Flyer Xcelsior CHARGE electric buses

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Image courtesy of VW

Image courtesy of BNSF

BNSF Railway and Wabtec begin battery-electric locomotive pilot in California BNSF Railway and Wabtec, a provider of equipment, systems and services for freight and transit rail, have collaborated to develop a battery-electric locomotive.

Now they have begun testing the technology in revenue service between Barstow and Stockton, California.

The battery-powered locomotive will be situated in a consist [a sequence of locomotives and/or cars] between two Tier 4 locomotives, creating a hybrid consist. When running on the mainline, both the battery-electric and diesel locomotives will power the train.

The battery-electric locomotive is expected to improve the fuel economy for the entire consist by at least 10 percent. The pilot test will run from January until the end of March, and if it proves successful, BNSF will expand testing to other locations and operating conditions on its system.

BNSF partnered with Wabtec on the development of the battery-electric locomotive, which features an overall energy-management system, including onboard energy storage and system-optimization controls designed to improve consist and train performance.

“The FLXdrive is the world’s first 100-percent, heavyhaul battery-electric locomotive that optimizes the total energy utilization of the entire locomotive consist,” said Alan Hamilton, Wabtec VP, Engineering. “This technology works in a manner very similar to how electric vehicles use regenerative braking.”

“We’ve got everything in place and we’re ready to see how this next-generation locomotive performs in revenue service,” said John Lovenburg, BNSF VP, Environmental.

Volkswagen brand triples deliveries of pure EVs in 2020 EV sales soared in Europe in 2020, and at least two legacy automakers, Daimler and Volkswagen, appear on track to meet the EU’s stringent emissions targets for the year.

For the Volkswagen brand (part of the larger Volkswagen Group, which also includes Audi and Porsche), 2020 was “a turning point [and] a breakthrough in electric mobility,” according to Ralf Brandstätter, CEO of Volkswagen Passenger Cars.

Pretty much every auto brand saw its sales plummet in 2020 (except for Tesla, which posted record sales), and VW was no exception—the brand delivered around 5.3 million vehicles globally, a decline of around 15 percent compared to 2019. However, VW set a new record for plug-in vehicle sales, delivering 212,000 units (an increase of 158 percent versus 2019), including nearly 134,000 pure EVs (up 197 percent versus 2019). “We are well on track to achieve our aim of becoming the market leader in battery-electric vehicles,” said Brandstätter.

Plug-in sales were particularly strong in Europe, reaching 12.4 percent of the brand’s total deliveries, compared to 2.3 percent in 2019. The most popular model was the new ID.3, which sold 56,500 units, even though it only came on the market in September. “We really hit the bullseye with the ID.3,” said Board Member Klaus Zellmer. “Even though it was only introduced in the second half of the year, it ranked in the top of the sales charts in many countries almost right away.”

In December, the ID.3 was the top-selling BEV in Finland, Slovenia and Norway, and in Sweden, it was the top-selling car of any kind.

The older e-Golf moved 41,300 units in 2020, and the Passat GTE shifted 24,000 units.

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THE VEHICLES

2020 may have been a bummer of a year by most measures, but it was a banner year for plug-in vehicles.

Global sales of EVs and PHEVs reached 3.24 million (as reported by EV-Volumes), compared to 2.26 million in 2019. That’s an increase of some 43%, which is all the more impressive in light of the fact that overall global light vehicle sales fell by 14%.

The center of the action was Europe, which surpassed China as the motor of EV growth for the first time since 2015. Plug-in sales in Europe (EU countries plus the UK, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland) increased by 137% compared to 2019, while the overall vehicle market was down by 20%. Plug-in vehicles’ share of the overall auto market increased from 3.3% in 2019 to 10.2% in 2020.

The EU’s new, more stringent emissions requirement appeared to be the main driver of the boom, but incentive boosts in individual countries and a wave of new models also contributed to the voltage surge.

Most of the action was in the second half of the year, and the sales frenzy reached fever pitch in December— EV capital Norway set a new record for the month, when 87% of new cars sold were plug-ins, and 66% were pure EVs. In China, sales of “new energy vehicles” (NEVs) recovered from a dismal first half to post a 12% gain for the year. The market share of NEVs showed a modest increase from 5.1% in 2019 to 5.5% in 2020.

The US continues to lag behind—plug-in sales increased by a paltry 4%, a figure that still looks pretty good relative to the overall auto market’s loss of 15%.

Tesla consolidated its domination of the US market— the California carmaker accounted for 79% of all pure EV sales. The inauguration of a new, more EV-friendly administration, combined with the impending launch of several electric pickups, seem bound to deliver a bigger sales surge in 2021.

Smaller auto markets were mixed. Plug-in sales actually fell in Japan (-28%) and Canada (-7%), but soared in South Korea (+55%) and Taiwan (+308%).

Bogotá public transit agency Transmilenio has ordered 596 new BYD electric buses, bringing the city’s electric bus fleet to a total of 1,485 units. The new e-buses are expected to be in operation by 2022, and will operate in the Fontibón, Usme and Perdomo areas.

María Fernanda Ortiz, the General Manager of Transmilenio, proudly claimed bragging rights: “Having one of the two largest electric fleets in Latin America is a point of pride, and shows that we are on the right path in terms of fleet renewal and technological progress.” The Colombian capital now appears to have the largest electric bus fleet outside China, and has taken the South American title from Santiago de Chile, which has 776 e-buses. The Colombian cities of Medellin and Cali have 65 and 35 electric buses respectively. (Europe’s largest fleet is in Moscow, which operates 450 electric buses, and plans to have 2,600 by 2024.)

The city expects to invest $1.82 billion to purchase the buses, and $1.41 billion to operate them for the 15-year duration of the concession contracts.

The procurement process included incentives to favor Colombian industry. The Chinese firm BYD will assemble the new buses at the Cerritos plant near Pereira.

Commercial Manager Alejandro Robledo said, “This positions Bogotá as a leader in the region. For us it is a pride to…manufacture these units in Colombian territory. Construction of the first fleet will begin in July, to be delivered in September, and the next in December to be put into circulation in 2022.”

Juan Luis Mesa, Country Manager for BYD Colombia, told Portal Movilidad: “With this milestone BYD confirms its leadership in Latin America and Colombia on buses of 9 and 12 meters. This will surely open the door for other cities to [undertake] similar initiatives for the health of their inhabitants.”

Image courtesy of BYD

Global plug-in vehicle sales surpassed 3.2 million in 2020

Bogotá orders 596 new electric buses—fleet of 1,485 EVs will be the largest outside China

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Image courtesy of GM

Image courtesy of Proterra

Extreme E off-road racer inspired by GMC Hummer EV Proterra and Komatsu collaborate to develop all-electric construction equipment Commercial EV manufacturer Proterra has announced a partnership with construction equipment builder Komatsu to develop a battery-electric middle-class hydraulic excavator. The collaboration represents Proterra’s entry into the off-road vehicle market, and the company’s first Proterra Powered construction equipment.

Komatsu will use Proterra’s battery systems to develop a proof-of-concept electric excavator this year, and expects to proceed to commercial production in 2023 or 2024. Proterra says the packaging flexibility of its battery platform will enable the optimal placement of the batteries within Komatsu’s excavator, eliminating the need for the usual counterweight to balance the excavator’s hydraulic arm movements.

Proterra says its battery packs are ideal for off-road construction applications, in which safety and durability are of the utmost importance. The company designs its batteries with safety as a core guiding principle, and puts its packs through a rigorous testing process to ensure they can withstand the toughest conditions.

“Proterra’s best-in-class battery technology has been proven in 16 million miles driven by our fleet of transit vehicles,” said Proterra CEO Jack Allen. “What’s working in our battery-electric transit vehicles on roads across North America can work off-road, too.”

GMC has announced a multiyear sponsorship with Chip Ganassi Racing for the team’s venture in the inaugural season of the Extreme E off-road racing series. CGR’s 550-horsepower electric SUV was inspired by the GMC Hummer EV. The 2022 GMC Hummer EV, which is expected to go into production this fall, will offer a three-motor 4WD propulsion system with up to 1,000 horsepower.

Extreme E is a rough-and-tumble off-road rally that will showcase the abilities of electric SUVs against the backdrop of remote ecosystems. The new motorsport series aims to highlight the impact of climate change and human interference in some of the world’s most remote locations, and to promote the adoption of EVs. The championship intends to pioneer many sustainable technologies and techniques.

Extreme E’s inaugural season will consist of five races at five remote sites: AlUla, Saudi Arabia (April 3-4, 2021); Lac Rose, Senegal (May 29-30), Kangerlussuaq, Greenland (August 28-29); Para, Brazil (October 23-24); and Patagonia, Argentina (December 11-12).

“I can’t think of a better fit than showcasing the look of GMC’s Hummer EV in Extreme E with Chip Ganassi Racing,” said Jim Campbell, GM’s US VP for Performance and Motorsports. “Both the GMC Hummer EV and the Extreme E series are designed to be revolutionary—to challenge perceptions of electric vehicles and to showcase their true capability.”

“We feel very proud to welcome GMC and its iconic GMC Hummer EV to the Extreme E family, as it joins forces with our Chip Ganassi Racing team,” said Alejandro Agag, founder and CEO of Extreme E. “Not only will Extreme E be a thrilling motorsport, it will also showcase the performance and benefits of electric vehicles.”

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There are many fascinating stories here: • Martin Eberhard’s realization that there were many like himself, who loved fast cars but understood that the Oil Age must end • The freewheeling first days, reminiscent of the early internet era • The incredible ingenuity of the team who built the Roadster • Tesla’s near-death experience and miraculous resurrection • The spiteful split between the company’s larger-than-life leaders • The battles with short sellers, skeptics and hostile media • The media’s ironic about-face when Model S won the industry’s highest honors, and naysayers became cheerleaders overnight.

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AVAILABLE NOW Order Edition 4.1 on Amazon, or go to:

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2/14/21 12/23/20 10:14 1:03 PM

By John Voelcker For 2022, the Chevrolet Bolt lineup will expand from one to two models, with a new, so-called SUV version added alongside the original hatchback. Chevy dubs its new second Bolt the EUV, or “Electric Utility Vehicle.” It’s a taller, longer, and blockier design that shares no body panels with the smaller Bolt EV. It does, however, share that car’s powertrain, carried over from a 2020 update that boosted the smaller Bolt’s range to an EPA-rated 259 miles. The company estimates the new Bolt EUV will come in at 250 miles.

The biggest news for the Bolt range may be its pricing.

The 2022 Bolt EV starts at $31,995, down a whopping $4,500 from the 2021 edition. The larger Bolt EUV will start at $33,995, though limited numbers of a wellequipped Launch Edition with special badging are priced at $43,495. All prices include a mandatory destination charge.

Compared to its older sibling, the new EUV Bolt is 6.3 inches longer, almost 3 inches of that in the wheelbase, and a fraction of an inch taller and wider. The added room goes almost entirely into the rear seat, which has 3 inches more legroom than the Bolt EV. It’s 90 pounds heavier, but cargo capacity is almost identical to that of the smaller Bolt.

The new Bolt EUV will be the first GM car outside the Cadillac brand to offer Super Cruise, the hands-off driving assist system that adds automated steering to adaptive cruise control—as long as the driver’s eyes remain on the road ahead—on “compatible roads” that have already been mapped for the system.

The EUV will also offer an optional sunroof, one of the most frequent requests by existing Bolt owners, according to Chevy. It also adds an optional built-in navigation system the older Bolt didn’t offer.

The new interior includes more soft-touch plastic surfaces, and a 10.2-inch center touchscreen display. The shift lever has been replaced by push-and-pull buttons, and there’s now a one-pedal driving button whose setting is retained when the car is turned off.

All 2022 Bolts are capable of Level 2 charging at up

Images courtesy of GM

2022 Bolt EUV model that Chevy calls an SUV joins an updated Bolt EV

to 11 kW, roughly a 50-percent boost, from charging stations that can deliver it. A portable charging cord with pigtails for 120-volt and 240-volt sockets is standard with the new Bolt EUV, optional on the less expensive Bolt EV. The Bolts, however, do not use GM’s future Ultium battery architecture, which will first arrive on the market in the 2022 GMC Hummer EV toward the end of this year. Their older battery architecture is limited to fast charging that tops out around 55 kW, meaning 100 miles can be added to a largely depleted Bolt battery in roughly 30 minutes at best. Mass-market electric compact crossovers like the Volkswagen ID.4 and Nissan Ariya that will go on sale this year can charge at rates up to 125 to 150 kW. Tesla charging speeds, meanwhile, have risen from up to 90 kW in 2012 to up to 250 kW today. That makes the Bolts simply uncompetitive for road trips, and Bolt engineers clearly made a conscious decision not to exert the effort to change that. The lack of improvement in charging rate signals the Bolt’s powertrain has little future beyond these two vehicles.

The upside is that electric-car advocates have spent years clamoring for less expensive EVs with real range, and now we have one. In fact, we have two. Even if the second one isn’t the SUV its makers want to pretend.

Both cars will arrive in showrooms early this summer.

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THE VEHICLES

VOLVO XC40 AND

RECHARGE You might not know it to look at them, but these two cars—one Swedish, one Chinese—share underpinnings and a parent company

By John Voelcker

Image courtesy of Volvo

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POLESTAR 2 EV COUSINS OFFER DIFFERENT TAKES ON "PREMIUM"

Image courtesy of Polestar

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THE VEHICLES olvo and its Chinese parent Geely are very serious about selling cars that plug in.

Starting in 2016, the Swedish brand has included plug-in hybrid versions of pretty much every new vehicle it sells in the US. In 2019, Volvo launched the XC40 compact crossover, a boxy but stylish compact SUV with a 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine and optional all-wheel drive. Until now, it’s had no plug-in option.

V

Volvo’s first EV Late last year, Volvo launched its very first all-electric model in North America. It’s called the XC40 Recharge, and the earliest versions aren’t cheap, priced from about $55,000 including delivery. The launch model, with a 78 kWh battery pack and two motors providing all-wheel drive, is the high end of a range that will eventually include less expensive models with only front-wheel-drive and/or a lower-capacity battery, at prices in the low 40s.

The XC40 Recharge has considerably more horsepower and torque than its gasoline-powered AWD counterpart: 300 kilowatts (402 hp) and 486 lb-ft versus 248 hp and 258 lb-ft. Where it falls down is its EPA-rated range: a mere 208 miles. That’s less than any other EV calling

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itself a “crossover” or “utility vehicle,” from the Chevy Bolt EV and its soon-to-arrive Bolt EUV “utility” sibling to any version of the Tesla Model Y. A pre-production XC40 Recharge I drove for an hour last October through rolling suburban hills outside New York City drew little attention, perhaps due to its muted, elegant silvery-green color and black roof. Its blankedoff grille was barely noticeable.

On the road, Volvo’s first EV is comfortable, quick, and eminently practical, with a large load bay. The company notes that it has the same 57.5 cubic feet of cargo space as the gasoline XC40s, though its towing capacity falls from 3,500 to 2,000 pounds. That’s partly due to the weight; the electric XC40 is a whopping 900 pounds heavier than the AWD gasoline version.

On the road, Volvo’s first EV is comfortable, quick, and eminently practical, with a large load bay.

2/14/21 10:18 PM

Images courtesy of Volvo

Volvo XC40 Recharge

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Images courtesy of Volvo

My quick road test revealed both pros and cons of the XC40 Recharge.

Volvo XC40 Recharge

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THE VEHICLES My quick road test revealed both pros and cons of the XC40 Recharge.

On the plus side, the tall hatchback/crossover shape gives good headroom and sufficient cargo volume. The grey interior fabric, textured very much like felt, felt fresh and distinctive, and its mock-suede seat inserts added a touch of elegance.

Like a Tesla, the electric Volvo doesn’t need a button or key to start. It senses the fob, and it powers up when the driver sits down. On the road, it offers strong, predictable regenerative braking—with a very slight initial lag—right down to a stop.

Android above all else Best of all, Volvo has handed over its dashboard and infotainment soft ware to Android Auto. This isn’t the connection utility that lets you run some phone apps through the car’s screen; Android soft ware actually powers the interfaces for phone, navigation, and other functions—including truly excellent voice recognition.

It always worked, it understood what I said the first time, and it was far quicker to respond than cloud-based voice recognition systems in other luxury brands. Every carmaker should do this immediately. Seriously.

Android running the dashboard means Google Assistant, Google Maps, Google Play Store, and more, are instantly available and work the way you already use them.

Maps will calculate whether you can reach a destination on your battery range, and route you through appropriate charging stations if not. If you choose, you can leave your phone out of the loop altogether. “Hey, Google” is deeply ingrained in a lot of users by now, and Android finally makes voice commands practical in a car from a major maker.

On the minus side, the XC40’s distinctive, thick, blocky rear pillar produces gigantic blind spots in the rear quarter and leaves over-the-shoulder views out nonexistent.

We’d have liked knobs for climate control rather than having to use the central screen—we ended up using Android voice, but not every buyer will want to do that.

On the road—disappointing for a $50K-plus EV in 2021—the XC40 Recharge proved inefficient. We logged energy consumption at 41 kWh per 100 miles. That wouldn’t provide even 200 miles of range. The low-profile, low-rolling-resistance tires were also noisy on coarse pavement.

Overall, we liked the looks and packaging of the XC40 Recharge. Volvo’s marketing stresses “designed for the

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THE VEHICLES 2021 Volvo XC40 AWD

2021 Polestar 2

Electric Vehicle

79

MPGe

combined city/highway

85

43 kWh/100 mi Electricity

72

city highway

Electric Vehicle

92

MPGe

combined city/highway

96

88

city highway

37 kWh/100 mi Electricity

Total Range: 208 miles Total Range: 233 miles

2021 Tesla Model Y Performance AWD

2021 Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD

Electric Vehicle

Electric Vehicle

111

MPGe

combined city/highway

115

106

city highway

30 kWh/100 mi Electricity

125

MPGe

combined city/highway

131

117

city highway

27 kWh/100 mi Electricity

Total Range: 303 miles Total Range: 326 miles

EPA Fuel Economy 1 gallon of gasoline=33.7 kWh

city” and “engineered for urban driving,” and it would likely be a good choice for urban dwellers with easy overnight access to Level 2 charging. We didn’t test its claimed ability to charge at up to 150 kW to 80 percent of capacity. The practicality of longer road trips will depend on the evolution of reliable high-speed CCS charging networks—currently a very mixed bag.

We found the electric Volvo’s range and efficiency disappointing for a car in roughly the same price category as the Tesla Model Y, which offers rated ranges of more than 300 miles, not to mention the added benefit of a reliable, ubiquitous, friction-free Supercharger network to boot.

Overall conclusion: A good first effort, more work needed.

The Chinese company has launched a brand-new brand called Polestar, which will be built around all-electric vehicles and sustainability.

Images courtesy of Polestar

Introducing Polestar The Volvo XC40 Recharge isn’t the only battery-electric vehicle from Volvo/Geely to go on sale in the US. The Chinese company has launched a brand-new brand called Polestar, which will be built around all-electric vehicles and sustainability. It’s “not a traditional car brand,” according to executives, and will offer a new type of premium experience.

Polestar debuted with a limited-production, very expensive plug-in hybrid coupe called the Polestar 1.

But its fi rst volume entry, the Polestar 2, is now also

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Polestar 2

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being delivered to buyers in the handful of urban areas most amenable to a new brand selling only cars with plugs. Those are Los Angeles, New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area.

The Polestar 2’s design language has some unique elements and some Volvo echoes. Polestar execs offered mixed messages about that—in a virtual press briefing, the head of design said everything was unique to the brand, as visualized in the Polestar Precept concept car shown at the Geneva Motor Show. But a different exec at our test drive suggested that the car offers elements of Volvo design too. Its “Thor’s Hammer” headlights, for instance, were pioneered by Volvo. Think of the two brands as cousins, perhaps.

The Polestar 2 is built on the same underpinnings as the XC40 Recharge, with a 78 kWh battery and front and rear motors providing 408 hp total power and 487 lb-ft of torque. While it too is a five-door hatchback, it’s much lower than the Volvo, and clearly reads as a passenger car rather than a utility vehicle. Lower frontal area and a sleeker shape boost its EPA range rating to 233 miles, better than the XC40 Recharge but still far below the 315 or 353 miles of a Tesla Model 3 sedan that’s roughly the same size.

But while the Polestar 2 shares running gear with the XC40 Recharge, the two vehicles are very different—and meant to appeal to quite different users. The brand offers an “alternative” to Tesla, say executives, which doesn’t seem to be the case for Volvo. Contrasting the two, Volvo is “warm and welcoming,” with “natural and humanistic” materials and style, but Polestar is “pure and minimalistic” with design that indicates it’s “high-tech and exclusive.” And so forth.

Polestar 2

While the Polestar 2 shares running gear with the XC40 Recharge, the two vehicles are very different—and meant to appeal to quite different users.

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THE VEHICLES Images courtesy of Polestar

The exterior and interior color palettes consist largely of tones of white, silver, grey and black. Materials include a variety of woven and textured fabrics. Vegan options are available as well. The overall impression we took away was of riding in a very expensive, very hightech automotive running shoe.

That’s not a bad thing, and Polestar clearly feels it has identified a market who seeks that. They are likely a good deal younger, and perhaps rather more Chinese, than I am. If the two cars had identical range, I’d take the Volvo—but your mileage may vary.

We spent a full day last August driving a pair of Polestar 2s outside New York City, including a trip to the Hudson Valley’s Bear Mountain State Park. With a lower stance and 50 pounds less weight, the Polestar felt lither and slightly faster than the Volvo. It was enjoyable to toss around the country roads, and overall, it made a good first impression.

Its 20-inch wheels look great but give a harsher ride than the 19-inch alternatives, as always. The Performance Pack adds not only shock absorbers that can be adjusted to vary the ride stiffness, but also striking Brembo disc

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THE VEHICLES Images courtesy of Polestar

Polestar is an entirely new and separate brand from Volvo.

Under current rules, that means up to 200,000 Polestar vehicles will be eligible for the full $7,500 federal income-tax credit.

Polestar 2

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a performance sub-brand for the Swedish make. Under current rules, that means up to 200,000 Polestar vehicles will be eligible for the full $7,500 federal income-tax credit for buying an EV. Volvo still has plenty of its own credits left, but after several years of selling plug-in hybrids, it has fewer than its sister brand.

brakes—though with regenerative braking providing most of the deceleration, they’re arguably overkill. Like its cousin, the Polestar 2 will also have less expensive versions coming, with one motor and/or a smaller battery— the launch model starts at $59,900.

Polestar itself is in the process of setting up its company stores, a process obviously affected by the global COVID pandemic now entering its second year. Anecdotal reports from early shoppers have indicated some trouble in committing to delivery times, perhaps not surprising for a car shipped all the way from Luqiao, China.

Setting up company stores is one kind of challenge for Polestar, but Volvo faces different challenges in launching its first electric car into a showroom full of gasoline models. A few anecdotal reports from Volvo shoppers suggest that salespeople who sell predominantly gasoline cars may not yet be up to speed—or much interested—in selling a pricey electric model. The electric XC40 comes from Ghent, Belgium, incidentally.

It’s worth noting that Polestar is an entirely new and separate brand from Volvo, despite the name’s origin as

High ambitions for low CO2 And selling a lot of EVs is key to Volvo’s business plan.

Last fall, a company executive said Volvo plans to sell CO2 credits to its rivals as its hybrid sales soar. By the end of 2020, the Swedish brand expected one out of every five cars it sold globally to be a plug-in hybrid— though “less in the States.”

More surprising, the company said it expects fully half the company’s sales to be all-electric vehicles by 2025. That’s highly unlikely in North America, but it suggests Volvo sales will continue to grow in China, which is using a variety of carrots and sticks to boost sales of cars that plug in, the majority of them batteryelectric rather than plug-in hybrid.

In their first iterations, neither the Volvo XC40 Recharge nor the Polestar 2 has impressive or even competitive range—if the competition for tech-forward buyers is Tesla, anyhow. On the other hand, both cars have Android Auto in the dash, which proved to be a much more compelling feature than I’d expected.

We can expect to hear much more about Volvo’s EV plans, and see a lot more fully electric models, over the next five years. Its second electric car will break cover this March. While US sales of its first EV may not be terribly high, it may not need them to be. But for a small company, Volvo is being aggressive about the transition to electric—which matches its conscientious, sensible Swedish brand persona.

It’s now been 10 years since Geely bought Volvo and funded a complete renewal of its range—one that has led to shared technologies with the Chinese brand’s own cars, and now the launch of the new Polestar lineup as well. The cost of getting national recognition for a new car brand has been estimated at $100 million a year for 10 years. Whether Geely will put the funds into getting Polestar recognized nationwide remains to be seen.

But both brands clearly bear watching as they roll out more electric cars. Watch this space.

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Image courtesy of Volta

THE INFRASTRUCTURE

Volta Charging raises $125 million in Series D financing San Francisco-based charging network operator Volta Charging has raised $125 million in a Series D financing round. The new funding brings the company’s total equity financing to over $200 million. Volta will use the new capital to increase its investment in product, engineering and network infrastructure, and to begin its international expansion.

Volta’s charging stations are located in over 200 municipalities in 23 states. Most are located in front of businesses such as grocery stores, pharmacies, banks and hospitals.

The rapidly-developing charging industry is exploring various different business models. Volta embraces the concept of using public charging stations as a new marketing medium.

Volta’s charging stations feature 55-inch video screens that can be used to display ads and other content. The company proposes that charging stations at shopping locations could use the screens as “a sophisticated media platform providing brands a way to reach millions of shoppers seconds before they enter the store to make a purchase.”

“The electrification of mobility is one of the largest infrastructural shifts of our generation, and Volta’s charging network is ready to anchor the accompanying consumer behavior that will change along with it,” said Volta founder and CEO Scott Mercer. “Businesses anticipating this shift can take advantage of a revenue transfer from gas stations to retail locations in the community where consumers go, live, shop and play.”

Ideanomics acquires wireless charging specialist WAVE Ideanomics, which describes itself as “a global company focused on the convergence of financial services and industries experiencing technological disruption,” has agreed to acquire 100% of privately-held Wireless Advanced Vehicle Electrification (WAVE).

Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Salt Lake City, WAVE is a pioneer in the field of inductive (wireless) charging solutions for medium- and heavy-duty EVs. WAVE’s fully automated, hands-free charging system relies on charging plates that are embedded in roadways and charge vehicles during scheduled stops.

WAVE has had systems deployed since 2012, and has demonstrated the ability to integrate high-power charging systems into heavy-duty EVs from several commercial EV manufacturers. WAVE currently offers wireless charging systems with power levels up to 250 kW, and has higher-power systems in development.

WAVE provides custom fleet solutions for mass transit, logistics, airport and campus shuttles, drayage fleets, and off-road vehicles at ports and industrial sites. Customers include California’s Antelope Valley Transit Authority, and partnerships include vehicle OEMs Kenworth, Gillig, BYD and Complete Coach Works.

“WAVE has become a market leader in inductive charging systems, which are much better suited for commercial EVs than plug-in charging systems,” said Ideanomics CEO Alf Poor.

According to WAVE, wireless charging systems offer several compelling benefits over plug-in charging systems, including reduced maintenance, improved health and safety, and expedited energy connection.

Furthermore, wireless in-route charging enables greater route lengths or smaller batteries while also maintaining battery life.

“Fast, safe, in-route charging is key to enabling commercial EVs to match the range of internal combustion vehicles,” said Michael Masquelier, WAVE’s founder and CEO. “Joining the Ideanomics family will allow WAVE solutions to rapidly develop at the scale needed to help fleet operators around the world meet their zero-emission goals.”

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Image courtesy of VW

Volkswagen plans to install 300 kW DC charging stations at German sites Charging power levels are on an upward trend, as OEMs and charging providers strive to enable longer ranges and faster charging times.

Volkswagen is planning a major expansion of the charging infrastructure at its company facilities in Germany—some 750 new charging points are planned for 2021, and some of these will be High Power Charging stations offering up to 300 kW of power.

Volkswagen currently operates over 1,200 charging points at its ten German sites, many of them publicly accessible. The company says the power comes exclusively from renewable energy sources. The Volkswagen brand plans to have some 4,000 charging points at its sites by 2025. Volkswagen dealers are also expanding their charging options—in the future, every VW dealer in Germany will provide at least one 11 kW AC charger and one 22 kW DC charger.

Thomas Ulbrich, Member of the Board of Management of the Volkswagen Brand responsible for E-mobility, said, “2020 marked the start of Volkswagen’s major electric offensive. We successfully launched the ID.3, and are already following that up with the next model, the ID.4.

Volkswagen is also making an important contribution to the urgently needed expansion of the charging infrastructure. We need significantly more charging points in Germany and Europe if electric vehicles are to establish themselves quickly. For that reason, all players from the fields of politics and industry must continue their efforts in the coming year.”

LA reaches 10,000 public chargers, two years earlier than planned A few years ago, as part of the LA Green New Deal, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) set a goal of deploying 10,000 commercial EV chargers in the city by 2022. According to the latest count, there are 11,045 commercial charging stations (including public, workplace and fleet chargers) in service, so the city has far exceeding its target, almost 21 months ahead of schedule.

Los Angelenos can charge their EVs at various public and private locations, including street lamps, libraries, workplaces, apartment buildings, the LA Zoo and LA International Airport. The city’s commercial EV charging stations include almost 2,500 publicly accessible stations and almost 8,500 at workplaces, fleet operations and multi-unit apartment buildings.

LADWP was able to speed up the process and hit its target early by establishing a staff dedicated to processing charging station service requests, and leveraging incentives from the California Air Resources Board, as well as offering generous rebates for commercial entities.

As part of its Charge Up LA! program, LADWP offers rebates of up to $5,000 per Level 2 charger if deployed in a disadvantaged community, up to $75,000 per fast charger, and up to $125,000 for a charger capable of fueling a medium- or heavy-duty EV. Of the 8,157 commercial EV charger rebates LADWP has issued, more than 60% have been for multi-unit apartment buildings. In 2019, 55% of LA households were renters, according to the US Census Bureau.

“As we move toward transportation electrification, the opportunity is to ensure that everybody has access to EVs,” said Matt Petersen, CEO of the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator. “One of the ways we do that is to make sure charging stations are in every neighborhood, and that’s part of what that goal of 10,000 EV chargers represents: increasing access and ensuring that chargers are available everywhere, not just the West Side of LA.” “Our next target is 25,000 chargers by 2025 and 28,000 by 2028, and we’re on track to hit that,” said LADWP spokesperson Reiko Kerr.

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Image courtesy of ABB

THE INFRASTRUCTURE

KAUST team assesses deployment of dynamic wireless charging in cities By applying statistical geometry to analyze urban road networks, KAUST researchers have advanced their understanding of how dynamic wireless charging systems might influence driver behavior and city planning in a future dominated by EVs. The study, published in the IEEE Open Journal on Vehicular Technology, used tools from stochastic geometry to establish a framework that enables evaluating the performance of charging road deployment in metropolitan areas. (Stochastic geometry is a branch of applied probability particularly adapted to the study of random phenomena on a plane.)

The researchers first presented the course of actions that a driver should take when driving from a random source to a random destination in order to maximize dynamic charging during the trip. Next, they analyzed the distribution of the distance to the nearest charging road. Finally, they derived the probability that a given trip passes through at least one charging road.

The derived probability distributions can be used to assist urban planners, policymakers, drivers and auto manufacturers in designing the deployment plans of dynamic wireless charging systems. “Our main challenge is that the metrics used to evaluate the performance of dynamic charging deployment, such as the distance to the nearest charging road on a random trip, depend on the starting and ending points of each trip,” said first author Duc Minh Nguyen. “To correctly capture those metrics, we had to explicitly list all possible situations, compute the metrics in each case and evaluate how likely it is for each situation to happen in reality. For this, we used an approach called stochastic geometry to model and analyze how these metrics are affected by factors such as the density of roads and the frequency of dynamic charging deployment.”

Applying this analysis to Manhattan, which has a road density of one road every 63 meters, Nguyen and colleagues determined that a driver would have an 80% chance of encountering a charging road after driving for 500 meters when wireless charging is installed on 20% of roads.

ABB establishes new global R&D center for e-mobility Charging infrastructure giant ABB has established a new E-mobility Innovation Lab. The $10-million, 3,600-square-meter facility is based on the Delft University of Technology campus, in the Netherlands. It will house 120 specialists, who will work on next-generation solutions to drive ABB’s future e-mobility development.

The E-mobility Innovation Lab includes simulators built to ensure that ABB chargers are compatible with all types of vehicle. 95 percent of all tests will be conducted with digital copies of vehicles.

To test how vehicles perform in very hot or cold weather, ABB has developed environmental testing rooms, where hardware will be subjected to extreme conditions, including temperatures from -40 to +100 degrees Celsius and high humidity. The atrium is large enough for manufacturers to drive their cars, buses or trucks into the lab for testing—an important feature for the rapidly growing heavy-duty EV segment.

“Innovation is in our blood—ABB has led the way in EV charging and is proud to have played a key role in driving adoption rates of electric vehicles across the world,” said Frank Muehlon, Head of ABB’s global business for E-mobility Infrastructure Solutions. “That is why we wanted to locate our E-mobility Innovation Lab in Delft, in the heart of the university campus, where we are surrounded by the brightest tech talents and startups in the Netherlands.”

“Within ABB Electrification, we invest approximately $400 million per annum into R&D to ensure we remain at the forefront of technological leadership and set the standard when it comes to sustainable mobility. The new lab will allow us to strengthen our collaboration with EV manufacturers to drive further performance and progress across the sector,” Muehlon added.

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Images courtesy of char.gy

Spanish city of Valencia pilots public chargers in lampposts Cities in Europe and elsewhere are being forced to come up with some innovative public charging solutions. Faced with the task of providing charging to residents who do not have assigned parking spaces, they need chargers that can be installed in large numbers throughout city centers, without consuming valuable space on already-crowded streets and sidewalks.

A company called char.gy began testing lamppost chargers in London in 2018. Now the Spanish city of Valencia has announced plans for a lamppost charging pilot, under an EU initiative called Humble Lamp Post, which hopes eventually to install no less than 10 million “smart lampposts” in various EU cities.

The city of Valencia has begun installing 12 “semi-rapid” chargers in lampposts located in various neighborhoods. The goal of the 30,000-euro project is to study the viability of extending this system to the entire city.

Via the Humble Lamp Post initiative, the city hopes to acquire a large number of charge points at low cost, without the need to install new electrical service.

The chargers will be installed in pairs, so each streetlight will have two charging points, with a combined 14 kW of charging power. Each will have two adjacent parking spaces dedicated to plug-in vehicles.

EnergyHub and Enel X partner to make EV charging available as a grid resource Energy management specialist EnergyHub has partnered with charger manufacturer Enel X to expand the availability of smart charging stations as a flexible distributed energy resource (DER) for utilities. Utilities will now be able to manage customer-owned Enel X smart charging stations through EnergyHub’s Mercury DERMS platform.

Enel X has over 60,000 consumer charging stations deployed around the US, and the new partnership allows utilities to use EnergyHub’s platform to manage enrolled Enel X JuiceBox smart charging stations. Through the integration of EnergyHub’s Mercury DERMS platform with Enel X’s cloud-based JuiceNet smart EV charging software, utilities can forecast load, intelligently instruct, and monitor load results from customer-owned Enel X charging stations.

Enel X’s JuiceNet software platform optimizes the energy consumption of the JuiceBox EV charging stations to align with grid conditions, while ensuring customer charging requirements are met. EnergyHub’s Mercury DERMS platform allows utilities to monitor, coordinate, and orchestrate EV charging in concert with other DERs. EnergyHub works with utilities on multiple types of EV management solutions, including time of use (TOU) pricing, peak management and dynamic load shaping.

Baltimore Gas & Electric (BG&E) and Eversource are the first utilities to take advantage of the partnership and provide their customers with Enel X’s JuiceBox residential smart charging stations.

“We see managed EV charging as an important and growing piece of our DER portfolio, which we leverage not just during the hottest days of the year, but to manage demand year-round,” said Michael Goldman, Director of Energy Efficiency for Eversource.

“Enel X’s expanded partnership with EnergyHub adds to over thirty utility programs we have underway, and further demonstrates the ability of our product portfolio and JuiceNet software platform to seamlessly integrate with third-party platforms to deliver added grid flexibility to utilities everywhere,” said Giovanni Bertolino, Head of e-Mobility, Enel X North America.

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Irish charging provider to convert 180 telephone boxes to charge points Image courtesy of EasyGo

Irish charging operator EasyGo, which boasts a network of 1,200 charge points and 7,000 customers, has formed a partnership with telecom company Eir to replace 180 telephone kiosks around Ireland with Tritium DC fast chargers.

EasyGo Director Gerry Cash said the idea of transforming phone boxes came about because of their locations around the country. “We’ve a culture of going into towns and places of convenience. Typically, the locations of the phone boxes are in those types of places.

And that’s what we want to do—make the experience of charging a car easy, comfortable and safe for people.”

Eir is enthusiastic about the plan to repurpose its vastly under-used phone kiosk sites. “Replacing our little-used legacy infrastructure with state-of-the-art rapid chargers will make the transition to electric vehicles a viable alternative for thousands of people across the country, further driving forward the decarbonisation of Ireland and helping to meet our climate targets,” said Carolan Lennon, CEO of Eir. Under its Climate Action Plan 2030, the Irish government aims to have almost a million EVs on Irish roads by the end of the decade. According to the country’s Department of Transport, there are currently only around 10,000 fully electric cars in the country—less than 0.5% of the national fleet.

The companies hope the new charging locations, which they say will offer prices as low as €5 for 100 kilometers worth of range, will encourage drivers outside of cities to go electric. “If you live rurally, you’re not going to get on a bus at the bottom of the road,” Mr. Cash said.

“That’s why it’s important that, if we’re going to transition from petrol or diesel to electric, we’re going to have to be able to charge cars in rural locations.”

BYD’s new 150 kW DC fast charger earns UL certification Image courtesy of BYD

BYD (Build Your Dreams) has earned UL certification for its new 150 kW DC fast charger for buses and trucks.

BYD says the new charger, which can be used by any battery-electric bus or truck with a CCS Type 1 connector, is the highest-capacity single-unit charger ever certified

by UL. UL, formerly Underwriters Laboratories, is a global independent product testing organization. Its familiar UL symbol reassures consumers that a product is safe and has been tested to rigorous standards designed to reduce the risk of fire, shock and personal injury. By no means all commercially available charging stations have undergone independent safety testing, so earning the UL label is an important achievement.

BYD’s 150 kW DC charger gained a full suite of safety certifications that cover the charger’s connection to a power source and the plugs, receptacles, and couplers that connect to a bus or truck, including UL 2202, the standard for Safety of Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging System Equipment for fast chargers, and UL 2594, the standard for Safety of Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment.

“Once again BYD is leading the way with innovative technology and offers the total solution for our customers’ needs,” BYD North America President Stella Li said.

“Every day our buses and trucks are hard at work in North America and now there’s another option available on the job.”

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Volkswagen Group Components has revealed a prototype of its mobile charging robot, which is designed for fully autonomous charging of vehicles in places such as parking garages.

The charging robot is started via an app or Car-to-X communication, and operates autonomously. It independently steers to the vehicle to be charged and communicates with it. The entire charging process, from opening the charging flap to connecting the plug and decoupling it, takes place with no human involvement.

To charge several vehicles at the same time, the robot connects a mobile energy storage unit to the vehicle, then repeats the process to charge other vehicles. Once the vehicle is fully charged, the robot collects the mobile energy storage unit and takes it back to the central charging station.

“A ubiquitous charging infrastructure is, and remains, a key factor in the success of electric mobility. Our charging robot is just one of several approaches, but is undoubtedly one of the most visionary,” explains Thomas Schmall, CEO of Volkswagen Group Components.

In the future, Volkswagen Group Components will be responsible for all Volkswagen Group charging activities and charging systems. The charging robot will be integrated into an overall charging system. “Our developments do not just focus on customers’ needs…they also consider the economic possibilities they offer potential partners,” says Schmall. The idea is to enable parking operators to quickly and simply electrify every parking space, with no need to construct a large number of fixed charging stations.

Charger manufacturer Tritium has unveiled a new, scalable hardware platform. The Modular Scalable Charging (MSC) platform is designed to offer customers the flexibility to increase the power level of their chargers as EV charging capabilities advance, and “pay as you grow.” Charger power can be increased in 25 kW increments, starting at 25 kW and increasing to 350 kW and beyond.

Most existing chargers come with predefined power levels, often set at 50 kW, 175 kW, or 350 kW. The MSC hardware platform allows for the quick installation of additional 25 kW rectifiers within each MSC-supported charger, such as the RTM75 and future products.

Charger operators can purchase an RTM75 charger with 25 kW or 50 kW of power, depending on their current requirements, and scale to 75 kW as their needs increase.

“This has been something the industry and our customers have asked for over the years, and we are the first company in the world to deliver it,” said Jane Hunter, CEO of Tritium. “With our MSC platform, 50 kW DC chargers can quickly be upgraded to 75 kW, 100 kW, and beyond, without a rip-and-replace required.”

“Tritium’s MSC hardware platform allows our customers to scale their charging sites for half the price and configure their charging sites for a desired reliability,” said Chief Growth Officer and founder Dr David Finn.

As part of the launch, the company also revealed the first charger built on the platform: the next-gen RTM75 DC fast charger. The RTM75 allows simultaneous charging for two EVs at a time, supports both CCS and CHAdeMO, and can charge all batteries up to 920 V. The RTM75 is equipped with Plug and Charge (ISO 15118) technology, which eliminates the need for credit card payments or RFID authentication. A driver simply plugs in their EV, and authentication and payment are managed automatically and securely.

Image courtesy of Tritium

Image courtesy of VW

Volkswagen Group Components previews mobile charging robot

Tritium’s new scalable EV charging platform allows operators to add more charging power as needed

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Image courtesy of Daimler

THE INFRASTRUCTURE

DAIMLER AND PGE DEVELOP

THE ELECTRIC TRUCK STOP

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By Charles Morris he Electric Island project, a collaboration between Daimler Trucks North America and Portland General Electric, will be a test bed for all kinds of heavy-duty EV charging solutions.

Electric trucks are finally starting to roll. After years of vehicle development, research projects and pilot deployments, major fleet operators around the world are beginning to place volume orders for medium- and heavy-duty battery-electric vehicles.

More and more viable vehicles are coming on the market, from both established OEMs and bold startups. However, when it comes to charging infrastructure, there are still a lot of questions to be answered. Existing charging facilities designed for passenger vehicles are, to a large extent, unsuitable for commercial trucks—not only are power levels inadequate, but in most cases, the charging sites themselves simply aren’t designed to accommodate big rigs.

Furthermore, as many fleet operators are belatedly realizing, electrifying a fleet involves much more than simply

T

installing a few charging stations. Operators are having to learn about things like load balancing, demand charge optimization and the emerging field of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology. Dealing with these issues requires specialized expertise, planning, and the involvement of the local utilities that are providing the “fuel.”

Vehicle manufacturers such as Proterra and third-party service providers such as Electrify Commercial, Enel X, and In-Charge Energy are responding to this need by offering turnkey infrastructure solutions to fleet customers.

Daimler is a major player in the emerging medium-and heavy-duty EV segment. In North America, its commercial vehicle subsidiary, Daimler Trucks North America, has multiple EVs on offer, including the Thomas Built Bus all-electric school bus, Jouley, which is now in production, and the Freightliner Custom Chassis Corp (FCCC) MT50e walk-in van chassis, which is expected to launch this year.

Under its Freightliner brand, the company currently has 40 Class 8 eCascadia and Class 6-7 eM2 electric trucks in

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pilot operation with more than 20 fleet operators, and both trucks are scheduled to begin limited production in 2022. In Europe, Daimler’s eCitaro electric bus and the Fuso eCanter Class 4 van are both in production. The Mercedes-Benz eActros, a heavy-duty truck aimed at the urban delivery market, is undergoing real-world testing, and is slated for production later this year.

Portland General Electric (PGE) is Oregon’s largest electric utility, serving approximately 900,000 customers in 51 cities. PGE has long been a leader in transportation electrification, helping accelerate the use of electricity as a transportation fuel in its service area through innovative pilots and programs. PGE programs include the Electric Avenue public fast charging network, technical outreach and education services, and rebates for residential customers for the installation of connected charging infrastructure.

Rustam Kocher is the Charging Infrastructure Lead at Daimler Trucks North America, and also the Chair of CharIN’s Megawatt Charging System (MCS) task force, which is working to develop a new fast charging standard for heavy-duty vehicles. Joe Colett is a Transportation Electrification Engineer on the Grid Edge Solutions Team for Portland General Electric (PGE).

Charged recently chatted with Kocher and Colett to

The first phase, slated to open early in 2021, will feature nine chargers, which will be used to test the one-megawatt charging capability that the MCS task force is developing. learn more about the Electric Island project the companies recently announced. The first phase, slated to open early in 2021, will feature nine chargers, which will be used to test the one-megawatt charging capability that the MCS task force is developing. Phase two of the project will add on-site energy generation, storage, and a technology showcase building.

Q Charged: We are hearing a lot lately about smart

charging services for fleets. Fleet customers are buying EVs and it’s slowly dawning on them that they can’t just buy some chargers and plug in. They need help, they need services like load balancing and demand charge management. What do you see as the biggest unknowns for fleet customers that this project will help to solve?

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Image courtesy of Daimler

idea is to understand “The the interplay between

technologies and how all of these can be used together to make sure that really high-speed charging rates are interacting with the grid in a beneficial way.

all they have to think about is purchasing a charging station, taking a lot of the costs and a lot of the friction out of transitioning to using electricity as a fuel. So it’s a gap we see and as a utility, we feel that we can help address as well.

A Kocher: This Electric Island project is as much a

learning site about hardware as it is about software and management of those resources together. We’ll have on-site generation, storage and charging, so obviously you need control software to be able to manage those aspects together, as well as the management of the charging with the trucks. For instance, we’ve got a couple of paired chargers on the site, where we’ll be able to manage sequential charging, so when one truck has finished or almost finished, the charge can be switched over to the other truck. We want to offer those resources and services to our customers, and this is a place for us to refine those before we roll them out.

A Colett: This is a gap we’re also seeing among all kinds

of different fleet operators right now. As a utility—really an electric fuel provider—it’s a gap we’re very interested in addressing, so we’re doing a number of things on this front. We have some new programs in front of our regulators right now to address some of the infrastructure build-out—for example, the utility interconnection, as well as the electrical and civil infrastructure needed to install a charging station. We call that “make-ready,” and we’ve gone in front of our regulators and said, we’d like to actually build, own and operate this for our customers, so

A Kocher: Demand response becomes really important

for the utility as well, so the software will be integrated to respond to signals from the utility. For example, if we’re having a super-hot day in Portland and everybody’s got their air conditioning on and PGE is tapped out, they’re not going to want trucks to be able to come in and charge at the highest rate possible. So we’ve got to be able to respond to those signals at the site.

A Colett: This is also a software test bed where we’re doing

a lot of work on how these technologies work together.

When the grid is congested or energy prices are very high, can we send a signal to have the energy storage system take over some of that charging demand, to lower the site’s impact on the grid? Can we lower charging rates? Some of it is technical feasibility, getting all these systems to talk to each other, but some of it’s also customer experience. What would a freight customer find acceptable, or what would be the best way for them to participate in these events? Through compensation, or by having their charging sessions curtailed? Or maybe they really need the option to override, for example, if they’re going to earn a lot more money delivering that freight than participating in the event. So there’s a lot of great research that can be done on that front as well.

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Q Charged: This Electric Island sounds like it’s going to need a lot of power. Can you tell us a little more about the mix of on-site generation and storage capacity that you’re planning?

A Colett: The backbone of this site is a connection to the utility distribution network, our distribution network, that can handle up to five megawatts, and we’ve done that through two 3,000-amp services and 2,500 kVA transformers. But we also spent a lot of time in the design phase, making sure that other technologies will be able to be deployed here. A photovoltaic array will likely be sited on the roof of the building. This isn’t going to be a utility-scale installation, this is something on the order of 30 kilowatts, but it’s really important for us as a learning tool, as it interacts with the other technologies at the site to help us learn how to integrate it for future, potentially larger deployments of on-site generation.

We’ve also designed our electrical services, all the equipment pads and the whole site layout to enable the installation of up to half a megawatt-hour of on-site storage, so that trio of resources will be able to interact with the chargers and provide energy for the charging sessions.

The idea is to understand the interplay between technologies and how all of these can be used together to make sure that really high-speed charging rates are interacting with the grid in a beneficial way.

Q Charged: If we think about a truck stop that’s going

to need a lot of power, are there any existing industrial applications that are comparable in terms of load profiles, power needs, etc. that you can learn from and borrow technology from, or is this a totally new sort of thing to deal with?

A Colett: It’s a really interesting question from a utility

perspective, because in some ways new load is new load, whether you’re a data center, an office building or a factory. However, in some ways this load is pretty unique because of the intermittent way that these charging sessions occur, and because of their potential location at a fueling station on the side of a highway, which might be a pretty different place to serve versus an industrial park where grid infrastructure would look different.

That’s why we’re so interested in this demonstration project, because we get to learn a lot more about what

Image courtesy of Daimler

THE INFRASTRUCTURE

those loads look like, and it’ll help us prepare for that future. But I’ll also say that, generally speaking, we’re very comfortable serving the load. Every day we’re meeting our customers’ needs in terms of what we’re able to plan for and deliver, that new energy, so we’re confident about our ability to do that in the future as well.

A Kocher: That’s part of the learning from this site. We’ll

get a better view of what this demand curve looks like. The West Coast Clean Transit Corridor Initiative is a research study that was recently done by [engineering firm] HDR (www.westcoastcleantransit.com). They ran a study up and down the I-5 corridor to find out where the conjunction of 70-mile jumps with available land and available power from the grid could potentially be made. They were pretty excited [about the Electric Island project] because this will take one of the dots off that map, because we’ll have filled that need.

It’s kind of exciting to be the first [charging site] on the map as it were.

Q Charged: When we’re talking about providing this kind

of charging solution to fleet customers, it sounds like this is something that the utility needs to be a partner in also.

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and leading the MCS project, one of the job titles I have with the ecosystem team is the single point of contact with the utilities, so it’s my job to reach out to them, explain to them what we’re doing and how we’re moving into electrification, and what role they play in providing that service to our common customers.

Q Charged: Tell us more about the one-megawatt charging standard that’s in development.

want to fast-charge “Ifthatwetruck, if we want to turn

it around in 20 minutes... you need a lot more power across that connection point than you can do with CCS1 or CCS2 or even CHAdeMO today.

A Colett: Yeah, I think it’s especially important as we get

into the charging rates necessary to keep our mediumand heavy-duty vehicles fueling quickly the way they need to, to keep them on the road and making money for their operators. We’re talking about multi-megawatt new loads showing up in different areas on the grid, so it’s really important for us to be engaged with our customers early.

Some of those new loads just take a little bit more time for us to build out infrastructure and serve. So utility involvement in this phase is critical.

Q Charged: This is starting to sound a bit complicated for an OEM like Daimler. How many hundreds of local utilities are there just in the US? A Kocher: Well, that happens to be one of the hats that I

wear. In addition to managing [our side of Electric Island]

A Kocher: I’m actually the leader, through the organiza-

tion called CharlN, on the development of this megawatt charging standard. It’s a global endeavor—we’ve got over a hundred, and closing in on about 120, members of CharlN who are involved in this process. They encompass OEMs, utilities, EVSE manufacturers and the like, and we’re working to establish this megawatt charging standard as the new commercial vehicle charging standard globally. It will not only be applicable to rolling vehicles, but also to aviation and marine, who’ve taken quite an interest in it.

Q Charged: What charging system are your Daimler medium- and heavy-duty vehicles using now?

A Kocher: Today it’s CCS1 for the US market, and we have

the Mercedes Benz eActros In Europe that is using CCS2.

Q Charged: How does the new MCS compare technically to the existing CCS? A Kocher: The CCS, as it stands today, is limited by the

literal size of the connector, and its ability to conduct the power you need to fast-charge a commercial truck. The biggest battery pack in a passenger car out there today is about 100 kWh. Well, these trucks are carrying 400, 500 kWh, in some cases more, on board. And if we want to fast-charge that truck, if we want to turn it around in 20 minutes so that another user can use it for another eight hours, which a lot of truck fleets do, you need a lot more power across that connection point than you can do with CCS1 or CCS2 or even CHAdeMO today. So, we came together to find how we can define that connection and be able to conduct that amount of power to truly fast-charge the truck.

We felt that it was really important to bring a lot of voices to the table, so we could fully describe the problem from all the different aspects. So, we have utilities on board, we have customers that are very involved in this process, we’re

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THE INFRASTRUCTURE involved with the testing agencies, the truck manufacturers, the EVSE manufacturers, the cord and cable and connector manufacturers—everybody’s come together to help define what the problems are and how we can best overcome them.

We’re two years into the project, and we will have a design that we’re able to reveal sometime this year. We held a testing event at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado in September, and we’re planning on a second one here, probably in February, where we take the learnings from that event, we’ve applied them to the design, we’ll test it again, and hopefully by then, we’ll be able to reveal the connector and the inlet to everyone.

It is going to be different than CCS, because from a safety perspective, it’s going to have different requirements for a number of different aspects of the charging stations.

Initially we were hoping that you could simply take the connector and cable off an existing CCS charger, swap it out for the MCS connectors and be good to go, but because of the amount of power that we’re going to conduct across this, it’s going to require new equipment.

Hopefully it’s not substantially different equipment, but obviously we’re putting a lot more power through it, so in the end, [EVSE manufacturers] are going to build new equipment for this, and we’re okay with that because—and this was part of this process—when we look at available charging infrastructure for trucks today, only about 0.1% of charging is even accessible to commercial trucks.

In other words, does it fit? Can you take the truck in and charge it? You have scenarios like this: yes, the truck fits, but it doesn’t really, and you have to drop the trailer to do it, and you’re blocking all the other parking in the lot, and in many cases, you’re so heavy that you’re causing damage to the site or things like that. So, we feel okay with the fact that new equipment is going to have to be required to support these vehicles, because there’s currently nothing available out there, so it’s all going to be new install anyway.

It’ll have to be integrated with travel plazas and sites like that, and that’s where our partnership with PGE for the Electric Island is really important. We can come up with solutions for how the trucks move on the site, and we’ll be able to recommend that to folks as they roll out this infrastructure.

A Colett: That’s another aspect that is unique about

Electric Island—this site was really designed for Class 8 vehicles towing a trailer. From the beginning, we’ve done the traffic studies, and we were very careful about how the islands were laid out.

lived through the standards “Iwars in the early 2010s, and I wanted to make sure that didn’t happen on the commercial side.

Q Charged: Does MCS involve a liquid-cooled cable?

A Kocher: It can—especially at the higher powers, it most likely will. However, we’re not going to require it. Part of the testing we ran at NREL was ambient air-cooled, without any direct cooling, and we were able to achieve...high amperage across those connections and meet the temperature requirements. And the liquid-cooled [equipment] we were really happy with as well. So, all we’re going to do is put out the temperature requirements that currently exist according to cable connection standards today, and require that people meet those temperature standards. And in order to do that at the high amperage levels, there’ll have to be some sort of direct cooling solution provided.

If you’re a fleet owner, you’re not always going to quickcharge. It’s just like your [passenger car] that has the CHAdeMO or the J1772 on it. You use the CHAdeMO when you need to, but most of the time you use the J1772. So it’s entirely plausible, if you have some sort of an overnight charge, it’s also on MCS, but at a lower power. You can easily put 30 amps over [the MCS connector], or 3,000 amps.

Q Charged: It sounds like you have a lot of players on

board for MCS. Is this looking like the new standard, or are there some competing standards in development?

A Kocher: That’s the hope. We are saying this is a global

charging standard for commercial trucks. CHAdeMO and GB/T are working on their shared standard, but the published limits that they’ve put out are going to be below what we’re going to be capable of from a safety and performance standpoint.

This is the only reason I got involved, to help avoid competing standards. I lived through the [CCS vs CHAdeMO] standards wars in the early 2010s, and I wanted to make sure that didn’t happen on the commercial side.

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How do we find infrastructure solutions when we haven’t identified the problems? s regular Charged readers know, we divide our content into three categories: The Vehicles, The Tech and The Infrastructure. When I first started writing about EVs, I considered the last of these to be pretty dull stuff. You plug the car in, and it charges. Hohum. How wrong I was!

Yes, for those of us who park our EVs in our driveways, charging is an uninteresting affair, and that’s great.

However, as the global transportation system gradually goes electric, the industry is having to answer more and more questions that never came up when EVs represented a tiny slice of the automotive fleet, driven by tech-savvy suburbanites.

Today, the infrastructure topic is anything but boring.

We report on all kinds of new charging hardware and software, from giant firms such as ABB to small startups, and these “solutions” (a word we are often forced to resort to) range from the obvious to the ingenious to the nutty.

What they have in common is that they’re all designed to answer questions that are cropping up one by one as EVs move into new market segments.

How can we provide charging to urban dwellers who have no assigned parking spaces, preferably without cluttering sidewalks with bulky charging posts? Proposed answers: lamp-post mounted chargers (see our articles on startups char.gy and ubricity); chargers embedded in the pavement that pop up when a vehicle draws near (Urban Electric Networks), or that are activated by a special handheld gadget (Trojan Energy); supercenters of charging located in mini-warehouses; or simply lots of DC fast chargers at gas stations (BP, Shell, Total).

That brings up another question: is it good or bad news that oil companies are snapping up EV infrastructure firms? Do they intend to transition to the new technology, or to suppress it? Only time will answer this one.

How can we deliver the massive amounts of power demanded by large numbers of highway travelers, or by fleets of heavy-duty vehicles, without blowing up the grid?

Answers: on-site generation and battery storage; software algorithms that manage charging to even out the energy consumption (see our article on Daimler and PGE’s Electric Island in this issue).

How can we charge self-driving vehicles without human intervention? Wireless? (WAVE, WiTricity) Tesla’s snakelike robotic arm? Charging plugs that extend from pavement-mounted pads? (Easelink) Drivers’ demand for more range means bigger batteries.

How can we charge these batteries in a reasonable amount

A

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By Charles Morris

of time? Some still believe the answer is ditching batteries altogether in favor of hydrogen fuel cells. We’ve seen other proposed solutions that are even more impractical: battery swapping (don’t tell NIO I called this “impractical”), flow batteries, and dig this: a system that relied on hundreds of charcoal briquet-size batteries that could be shot into a tank on the vehicle, then sucked out by a sort of vacuum cleaner when they ran out of charge. At this point, the real-world answer appears to be increasing the voltage of EV battery systems, to enable higher current levels without overheating the charging cables (possibly using liquid cooling as well).

I say “at this point” because none of us know what the infrastructure ecosystem of the future is going to look like.

The only thing that’s certain is that the infrastructure that seems (barely) adequate for most drivers’ needs today is not going to look anything like what we end up with a decade from now. We don’t know the answers to the questions above, and I’m not even sure we’re formulating the questions correctly.

In this issue, we report on a new mobile charging robot being developed by a unit of the Volkswagen Group. One online commenter already described this as a “solution in search of a problem,” but the problem is there if you look.

Say you have a parking lot with 100 spaces. Nowadays, you might equip 2 or 3 of those spaces with post-mounted Level 2 chargers. But what will you do in a few years, when most of the cars in that lot are EVs? Install a charger in every space? That sounds like a waste of space and money.

What if most of those cars sit in the lot for 8 hours, but only take 2 hours to charge? Some public parking garages and workplaces are already trying to deal with this problem, by assigning charging times to customers or employees, and/ or hiring valets to move the cars around. A robot could glide around the lot, stopping at each car for just as long as it takes to charge, and if one robot isn’t sufficient, you can deploy more as needed (sorry, valets).

Is this little R2D2 the right solution for this particular problem? Don’t know. Is this even a problem, or will it be eliminated by bigger batteries, autonomous vehicles, wireless charging, or all three? Don’t know that either, and this is just one example of the rapidly developing issues around infrastructure. In fact, we won’t know the answers to any of these questions until there are a lot more EVs on the road, and furthermore, both problems and solutions will be framed by future advances in The Vehicles and The Tech.

That’s why The Infrastructure is such a fascinating subject, and will be for some time to come.

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