Sponsored by Eaton. Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming more popular and affordable as the demand for clean and sustainable mobility grows. However, EVs have increasingly higher power levels that can have unsafe overcurrent situations. To address these challenges, EVs need reliable and efficient power distribution and protection solutions that can ensure safety, performance, and durability of the vehicles and the charging infrastructure. Eaton, a global leader in power management, offers a range of solutions for EV power distribution and protection, from components to systems, that can meet ..read more

After decades of trumpeting “free trade,” and watching industry after industry decamp to China, the US government has apparently decided to draw a red line in front of the auto industry, and protectionism is back in style. US automakers are currently protected from Chinese competition by a 27.5% tariff. But will that be enough to protect the companies from their own shortsightedness? Since the 2008 advent of the Tesla Roadster (or since the 1996 debut of GM’s EV1?), it has been plain that electrification is the future of the auto industry. But US automakers (and pretty much all legacy firms o ..read more

Green Watt Power, a division of Powerland Technology, has added 8 new models to its Diamond Series of ruggedized, fully potted AC chargers, which are designed to serve low-voltage EV applications, including material handling, motorcycles, scooters, forklifts, golf carts and RVs. The EVC1000 Diamond Series supports charging of 72 V and 48 V Li-ion batteries at power levels of 750 W to 1,800 W. This 1 kW charger can handle inputs from 90-264 VAC, with a frequency range of 47 to 63 Hz. It includes a typical Power Factor Correction (PFC) of 0.98. The charger can be controlled via CAN communicatio ..read more

Syrah Resources, an industrial minerals and technology company, has become an integrated natural graphite active anode material (AAM) supplier outside China, processing natural graphite from Syrah’s Balama Graphite Operation in Mozambique. The 11,250-ton-per-year AAM Vidalia operation in Louisiana is supported by high EV-driven demand internationally, the need for independent natural graphite AAM critical mineral supply, and industry concerns about the emissions intensity of production and provenance of supply. China’s recent export limits on natural and synthetic graphite and its products an ..read more

US severe-duty truck maker Autocar is collaborating with automated EV charging company Rocsys, headquartered in the Netherlands, to provide hands-free charging capabilities to Autocar’s electric terminal tractors at logistics facilities, including distribution centers and inland ports. Rocsys says its hands-free charging system will undergo final development through a pilot order secured from an Autocar customer. It uses soft robotics, computer vision technology and AI to streamline the charging process while also minimizing wear and tear on charging cables and connectors. The system is compa ..read more

Sponsored by Knowles Precision Devices. It’s becoming more common to see power supply circuits with wide-bandgap semiconductors rather than traditional silicon insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). There are clear performance benefits to this switch, and with costs coming down, silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors are more accessible than ever before. While the fundamental circuit design process doesn’t change, substituting a component as vital as a semiconductor causes a domino effect in the component selection process. With the shift towards wide-bandgap semi ..read more

DGeo, the packaging division of US-based Labelmaster, has expanded its large-format lithium battery packaging solutions to include collapsible, clippable wooden crates. Part of DGeo’s Obexion line of protective packaging, Obexion MAX crates are UN-certified and offer a repeatable fastening system that delivers a simple and cost-efficient packaging solution for transporting large lithium batteries. The crates are designed to be easy to assemble and disassemble by snapping and unsnapping the wooden pieces together using Clip-Lok metal clips and no screws, bolts or nails. The crates are flat-pac ..read more

Nissan, Japan’s third-biggest automaker by volume, plans to begin producing solid-state batteries for EVs at scale by early 2029, and will also use Tesla-style gigacasting machines in order to increase efficiency and drive down costs on its future EV models. Solid-state batteries are expected to deliver faster charging and longer lifespans than current Li-ion designs. Even as some automakers begin to deploy them in limited numbers, battery suppliers such as Samsung SDI and CATL disagree over their potential. Nissan says it will develop solid-state batteries at a new pilot plant in Yokohama be ..read more

As the Megawatt Charging System (MCS), a new charging standard for heavy-duty EVs, enters the final stages of standardization, automakers and EVSE manufacturers are busily putting the new system through its paces. Commercial implementations of MCS, which industry experts are calling a game-changer for electric trucks, are expected to begin later this year. The latest testing milestone was announced by Siemens Smart Infrastructure, which completed its first successful one-megawatt charge, in a pilot using a prototype Siemens MCS charging station and “a long-haul prototype eTruck from a well-es ..read more

Battery manufacturer ZAPBATT has developed its Battery Operating System (bOS) in a strategic partnership with Toshiba, initially focused on Toshiba’s battery SCiB lithium titanium oxide (LTO) chemistry for integration across several applications, including EVs. ZAPBATT’s bOS is a battery management system, which enables the adoption of optimal battery chemistries without significant investment in battery infrastructure or modifications to existing electrical components. It acts as a universal adapter, integrating SCIB and other advanced battery chemistries into various applications—from cordl ..read more