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3 Trends Propel Vehicle Electrification (.PDF Download)

This article appeared in Machine Design and has been published here with permission.

Two things remain a concern for would-be electric-vehicle drivers: running out of charge and the time it takes to recharge batteries. That could soon change as an international team of researchers work on a battery solution that will help waylay range anxiety fears.

When it comes to a high-capacity lithium-ion battery that charges quickly and operates efficiently, the technology isn’t quite there yet. But a group of researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) have developed a composite made of black phosphorous and graphite in its core and covered in electrolyte-swollen polyaniline. The engineered electrode material holds promise for industrial production, they said.

In contrast with previous efforts, the new engineered electrode material allows for a high charging rate, and the material does not sacrifice capacity and cycling stability, according to their research

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Utah Expands Connected Vehicle Project to Include More Autos

A connected vehicle pilot project in Utah is expanding in order to gather more data and insights into what’s happening on the roadways.

The Utah Department of Transportation, in partnership with Panasonic Corp. of North America, plans to move into the second phase of a connected vehicle study. The goal is to explore how the technology can improve highway safety by gathering data generated by vehicles, as well as putting in place a system to better communicate road, weather and other conditions with drivers.

The project will involve outfitting more vehicles — namely UDOT fleets, but also other vehicles from other public-sector agencies — with onboard technology that can connect to roadside units.

The first phase of the five-year, $50 million project began last summer. In that phase, 35 UDOT vehicles were equipped with the connected vehicle technology, which was able to communicate with roadside units along a stretch of

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Geely launches electric vehicle manufacturing platform

BEIJING (Reuters) – Zhejiang Geely Holding Group launched its first electric vehicle-focused platform on Wednesday, aimed at rolling out a variety of models more efficiently for both the Chinese automaker and its partners.

A Lynk & Co Zero Concept is seen displayed at a promotional event in Beijing, China September 23, 2020. REUTERS/Yilei Sun

As the global auto industry ramps up investment in electric and high-tech vehicles, manufacturers from Volkswagen AG to General Motors Co have introduced platforms for electric vehicles (EVs).

Geely’s Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA) will be able to support small as well as large vehicles, including sedans, SUVs, vans and pickup trucks, Geely’s president An Conghui said at an event in Beijing.

An said Geely, which has a 9.7% stake in Daimler AG, spent 18 billion yuan ($2.6 billion) on research and development for SEA. SEA uses more aluminium to make vehicles lighter and a front steering

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3 Trends Propel Vehicle Electrification

What you’ll learn:

  • Digitization of automotive systems. 
  • How automotive electronics helps to enhance safety in vehicles.
  • How companies are bringing about innovative advancements in automotive electronics.

 

Evolution has been a prevalent part of the automotive industry from the start, especially as the industrial landscape continues to become more technologically charged. As cars evolved from the first automobile developed by Carl Benz in 1886 to today’s automotive models, so did their technological infrastructures, which brings one to automotive electronics used in the latest vehicles.

From the replacement of the starter crank engine handle by electronic ignition in 1922, to Chrysler’s introduction of keyed ignitions in 1949, to the modern era where connected vehicles are quickly becoming the new norm, vehicle technology has witnessed a slew of developments over the years. These developments, alongside rising penetration of advanced safety systems in vehicles, the emergence of electric vehicles, and rapid progress in mobility

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Electric vehicle start-up Lucid unveils Air sedan to take on Tesla

  • Electric vehicle start-up Lucid just unveiled its first production vehicle, the Air sedan.
  • The company is touting the car as a faster, more efficient and spacious vehicle than the Tesla Model S.
  • The Lucid Air is expected to be in production early next year at the company’s plant in Casa Grande, Arizona.
  •  Lucid also teased its next vehicle in development, a crossover-SUV tentatively named “Gravity.”



a car parked in front of a building: The Lucid Air sedan, which is expected to go into production next year at a plant being constructed in Arizona.

© Provided by CNBC
The Lucid Air sedan, which is expected to go into production next year at a plant being constructed in Arizona.

Electric vehicle start-up Lucid is touting its all-electric Air sedan as a more efficient, faster and spacious vehicle than the Tesla Model S, a car the company’s CEO Peter Rawlinson helped develop.

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“What we’ve got is a breakthrough in electric cars,”  he told media ahead of the Air’s unveiling on Wednesday. “That’s not just due to batteries, it’s due

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Mahindra Partners With REE Automotive For Electric Commercial Vehicle Development

Mahindra and Israel-based REE Automotive have partnered for electric commercial vehicle (eCV) development. Both companies have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore the development and manufacturing of eCVs for global markets.

The partnership will help Mahindra make use of REE’s revolutionary electric vehicle corner module and platform technology. The company has developed a unique setup of integrating powertrain, suspension and steering components in the arch of a vehicle wheel.

Such setup will make it ideal for commercial use, which helps clear-up space in the centre that is usually taken by battery and motors. The electric commercial vehicles using the platform will offer enhanced practicality need for the segment.

The platform can suit any kind of format as the architecture remains the same. As a result, it can spawn a host of eCVs varying in size and length giving the buyers a host of options to choose depending on

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Tesla, meet the world’s fastest charging electric vehicle with the longest range: Lucid Air

When you think of electric cars, the first name to come to your mind is Tesla. Elon Musk’s company has almost become synonymous with the words ‘electric car’ and it is challenging for other automakers, especially new ones, to get the spotlight. However, there is a new electric car on the horizon that is set to break the monopoly-in-the-market barrier, and its called Lucid Air!

How can Lucid Air trump Tesla or get close? Well, they take the best of the brand’s successful tips and the best of their original design to give the world a legitimately good alternative to owning a Tesla. “Our mission is to deliver sustainable luxury with a class-leading range in the form of the lucid air, and we are closer than ever to turning that dream into reality,” said Peter Rawlinson, CEO and CTO, Lucid Motors. As we all wait for the global reveal that

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Electric Vehicle Company Canoo To List On Nasdaq Through Merger With Hennessy Capital Acquisition Corp IV

– Transaction to provide approximately $600 million of gross proceeds that will support the production and launch of electric vehicles (EV) featuring Canoo’s advanced skateboard technology

– Canoo’s proprietary, all-electric skateboard platform has been purposefully designed and engineered to support a wide range of business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) vehicle configurations

– First vehicle set to launch in 2022 is purpose-built for a subscription revenue model and leverages Canoo’s flat skateboard architecture to deliver the highest usable interior space in its class

– B2B delivery vehicle program expected in 2023 addresses a projected $50B+ last-mile delivery market with an EV platform that maximizes cargo volume

– Transaction is supported by a fully committed common stock PIPE of over $300 million, including investments from funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, among other institutional investors

– As a result of outsized demand, the PIPE offering was meaningfully oversubscribed and upsized

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BlackBerry Teams Up With Desay for Connected Vehicle Platform

BlackBerry Limited BB recently announced that it has collaborated with Desay SV Automotive — a China-based automotive parts manufacturer — to develop IPU-03 (Intelligent Processing Unit), an autonomous driving domain controller. This Level-3 Autonomous Vehicle System was mass-produced for use in Xpeng P7, a long-range, high-performance and fast-charging intelligent EV (electric vehicle) sports sedan, launched from the stable of Xpeng Motors, one of China’s leading EV manufacturers.

The operating system of IPU-03 is run by BlackBerry QNX real-time operating system. It offers a comprehensive secure and intelligent connected vehicle software platform for safe driving decisions and in-vehicle applications. The IPU-03 meets the stringent ISO 26262 Functional Safety ASIL Level D requirements and forms the backbone for Xpeng’s intelligent driving system. It is ably supported by the NVIDIA Xavier platform, which has a computing capacity of up to 30 trillion operations per second. This facilitates faster processing of massive data input

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New McLaren vehicle architecture now lighter with electrification potential

McLaren has revealed the new carbon-fibre vehicle architecture that will underpin its new generation of hybrid vehicles – and usher in an era of fully electric supercars, too.

It has been developed in-house at the McLaren Composites Technology Centre (MCTC) near Sheffield, where each tub will also be built before being transported to the McLaren production centre in Woking.

The platform is designed to be flexible so that it can be used in a variety of applications and has been developed specifically to allow for electrification, with the first McLaren using it to be launched in 2021.

McLaren chassis forming process
(McLaren)

The British supercar maker has developed ‘innovative, world-first processes’ that gets rid of unnecessary mass to reduce weight and improve safety. The build sees hundreds of pieces of carbon-fibre cloth cut for each chassis, before being aligned using precise laser technology.

These pieces are then placed in a resin mould where they

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