Dana Incorporated, a global provider of drivetrain and e-propulsion systems, and Switch Mobility Ltd., the electrified commercial vehicles company and subsidiary of Ashok Leyland Ltd, a leading commercial-vehicle manufacturer, have signed a strategic agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Dana will make a strategic investment in Switch Mobility and... Read more →

Gentherm, a developer of innovative thermal management technologies (earlier post), has received its first production vehicle award for its ClimateSense technology on an all-new 2024 model year electric vehicle with a global automaker. ClimateSense is Gentherm’s proprietary microclimate solution comprising advanced thermal products, integrated electronics, embedded software and a thermo-physiology... Read more →

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) will launch a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) model of the all-new Outlander crossover SUV with a new-generation PHEV system. The vehicle will roll out in Japan in the second half of this fiscal year (fiscal 2021 runs from April 2021 to March 2022) and in the US... Read more →

BMW i Ventures has invested in Natural Fiber Welding, Inc. (NFW), a creator of all-natural, plastic-free alternatives to animal- or petrochemical-based materials such as leathers, foams, and textiles. The financing round will enable the company to scale from the batch processing of materials to commercial roll-to-roll production. NFW has developed... Read more →

Alfa Laval, a world leader in heat transfer, centrifugal separation and fluid handling, has acquired a minority stake in the Netherlands-based technology company Marine Performance Systems (MPS). MPS’ air lubrication technology (FluidicAL) significantly reduces ships’ friction when sailing, resulting in fuel savings. The patented solution can be installed on vessels... Read more →

The European Commission has found that Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen group (Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche) breached EU antitrust rules by colluding on technical development of NOx aftertreatment systems. The Commission has imposed a fine of €875,189,000 (US$1.04 billion). Daimler was not fined, as it revealed the existence of the cartel... Read more →

Automotive supplier Eberspächer is entering the fast-growing market of hydrogen and fuel cell technology. The company has acquired 100% of the shares of the US company ViCTORi LLC, better known as VAIREX air systems, effective 2 July 2021. In the future, Eberspächer will offer air supply components for fuel cell... Read more →

Using wind tunnel measurements and computational fluid dynamics simulations, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) engineers have demonstrated that aerodynamically integrated vehicle shapes decrease body-axis drag in a crosswind, creating large negative front pressures that effectively “pull” the vehicle forward against the wind, much like a sailboat. An open-access paper on... Read more →

Volvo Penta has begun production of bespoke electric drivelines for leading fire service vehicle manufacturer Rosenbauer’s pioneering fire truck, named “Revolutionary Technology” (RT). (Earlier post.) We announced our emob partnership with Rosenbauer in 2019, and we have gone from concept to start of production in record time. This is a... Read more →

Cummins Inc. and Rush Enterprises, Inc. signed a Letter of Intent for Cummins to acquire a 50% equity interest in Momentum Fuel Technologies from Rush Enterprises. Momentum Fuel Technologies delivers the industry’s first complete compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel system solution for Class 6-8 vehicles. A division of Rush Enterprises,... Read more →

Autonomous vehicle company Local Motors and in-wheel motor company Protean Electric expanded their long-standing partnership, inking a further three-year deal valued at $7.3 million. Under this new order, Protean Electric will deliver thousands of its ProteanDrive in-wheel motors (IWMs) to power Local Motors’ Olli 2.0 electric autonomous shuttles, accelerating their... Read more →

Smart power electronics company Exro Technologies and Linamar, a tier one supplier, have agreed to develop develop an advanced eAxle for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles utilizing Exro’s Coil Driver technology to improve cost and performance of Linamar’s eAxle product line. (Earlier post.) Coil Driver is a next-generation controller that expands... Read more →

Bosch has signed a long-term agreement with cellcentric to supply electric air compressors with integrated power electronics. These compressors govern the fuel-cell system’s oxygen supply. A 50:50 joint venture between Daimler Truck AG and Volvo Group AB, cellcentric is responsible for all activities along the entire value chain. Like Bosch,... Read more →

A new report from IDTechEx forecasts that the shift to electric vehicles and autonomy will drive the printed electronics automotive market to $12.7 billion by 2031. The technological transitions towards electric vehicles and increased autonomy are creating extensive opportunities for many new technologies, including printed/flexible electronics. For example, the ability... Read more →

Allison Transmission and Emergency One (UK) Ltd, the market leader in the United Kingdom in the manufacture, service and support of fire and rescue vehicles, announced a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The two companies will integrate the Allison eGen Power 100D electric axle into Emergency One’s fire rescue and... Read more →

Bosch, the supplier of technology and services, is combining the internet of things (IoT) with artificial intelligence (AI)—thus, AIoT—and believes electromobility will allow it to develop new business opportunities on the back of the profound technological and ecological changes currently occurring. “Bosch came through the first year of the coronavirus... Read more →

Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) will convert 200 new Ford F-250 service pickup trucks to run on renewable natural gas (RNG). The service trucks will be outfitted with the newest Landi Renzo Eco Ready equipment, a California Air Resource Board (CARB)-certified ultra-low emissions vehicle system. Equipping these 200 service vehicles... Read more →

UK-based Aeristech, a developer of high-speed electric motor and controller technology (earlier post), closed a £5.15-million (US$7-million) private funding round led by investors Sabien Technology, Vela Technologies and SAIC Venture Capital, the venture capital arm of China-based automaker SAIC Motor. The funding round will supercharge the company’s investment in its... Read more →

Unifrax, a leading manufacturer of high-performance specialty materials, introduced a new, nano-structured alumina catalyst support technology for the transportation market: Eco-lytic. Housed within a vehicle’s catalytic converter, the Eco-lytic catalyst support fiber is designed to replace the existing catalytic converter or add to existing systems in order to enhance emission... Read more →

Power management company Eaton announced its eMobility business secured a contract to supply power distribution units (PDUs) and Bussmann series fuses to a global vehicle manufacturer for use in a new battery electric (BEV) light-duty commercial vehicle—a rapidly growing segment for BEVs. The PDUs are scalable in design to be... Read more →

Power management company Eaton and Tenneco announced a joint development agreement between Eaton’s Vehicle Group and Tenneco’s Clean Air business group to produce an integrated exhaust thermal management system that will enable commercial truck and light vehicle manufacturers to meet upcoming emissions regulations. Across the globe, emission standards are tightening... Read more →

Israel-based REE Automotive (REE) revealed 5 new and improved REEcorner architecture designs and the technology behind its EV platforms designed to support a broad range of commercial electric vehicles. REE intends to provide a comprehensive range of technical configurations to fulfill specific B2B customer needs, including EV platform size selection... Read more →

Magna is introducing a scalable solution enabling automakers to electrify their pickup trucks and light commercial vehicles without sacrificing utility and functionality. eBeam is a drop-in replacement for traditional beam axles, using existing suspension and chassis architectures. It integrates with a battery electric or hybrid powertrain system and offers a... Read more →

High-voltage batteries, electronics, and other vehicle components are exposed to a variety of punishing environmental influences during their life cycle. FEV, a leading global service provider in vehicle and powertrain development for hardware and software, supports manufacturers and suppliers with a comprehensive test facility capable of accounting for virtually all... Read more →

The Supervisory Board of Porsche AG agreed to increase its stake in Rimac Automobili from 15% to 24% with the investment of an additional €70 million. The Croatian company develops and produces high-tech components for electromobility, including high-performance drives and battery systems. It also produces electrically powered super sports cars.... Read more →

Trane Technologies is bringing Thermo King’s fully electric E-200 refrigeration unit for small trucks to the United States. Ideal for last mile delivery of foods, medicines, vaccines and other perishables, this solution was first launched in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). The E-200 is already in use with US... Read more →

Teijin and its joint development partner Applied Electric Vehicles have developed a polycarbonate solar roof for future mobility applications. The new solar roof uses Teijin’s Panlite polycarbonate resin glazing for its surface. Solar roof Teijin used its proprietary know-how in polycarbonate resin glazing and technologies to integrally mold the roof’s... Read more →

ARPA-E released $10 million in funding for 6 projects as part of the Connecting Aviation By Lighter Electrical Systems (CABLES) topic. CABLES is one of a set of projects supported by an ongoing funding opportunity for a range of the most innovative and unconventional ideas across the energy technology spectrum,... Read more →

Knorr-Bremse, a leading provider of braking systems and of other systems for rail and commercial vehicles, is bundling its know-how in the field of e-mobility in a new, in-house development unit, eCUBATOR. Up to 60 internal and external experts are to work on future solutions at the Knorr-Bremse locations in... Read more →

Nidec Corporation’s Board of Directors approved a resolution to acquire the shares of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Machine Tool Co., Ltd. , a company that designs, manufactures, and sells machine tools, cutting tools, and related products. The acquisition of the machine tool business complements Nidec’s existing businesses and strategy. Nidec has... Read more →

Rheinmetall Automotive has booked its first orders for an environmentally friendly fuel tank isolation valve (FTIV). Developed by Pierburg in Neuss, Germany, it is used in modern plug-in hybrid vehicles, which generally feature a hermetically sealed tank system so that fuel fumes cannot escape when the vehicle is operating in... Read more →

Volta Trucks has selected Meritor as the strategic drivetrain component supplier for the Volta Zero electric truck. This major purchasing milestone will support the delivery of Volta Zero vehicles for customer trials during 2021, and the start of series production around 12 months afterwards. The Volta Zero will be the... Read more →

The latest in ZF brake control solutions will be established as standard in Volkswagen’s ID.3 and ID.4 models as well as in Volkswagen Group’s globally marketed MEB modular e-drive system platform. Volkswagen Group’s order for the new ZF brake control system covers several million vehicles—starting with the recently introduced ID.3... Read more →

LG Innotek has developed a digital car key module with improved location detection precision and security. A digital car key module is a communication component that is installed in a car and allows wireless data transmission between a car and a smartphone. A digital key is a next-generation car key... Read more →

SAKOR Technologies Inc., a leader in the area of high-performance dynamometer systems, recently provided a performance test stand for validating designs for new hydraulic variable timing cam phaser systems for a major international provider of powertrain components. The cam phaser test stand will be used for research and development on... Read more →

Shin-Etsu Chemical has developed innovative silicone thermal interface materials for applications in electric vehicles (EV) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). With the electrification of automobiles, the demand for heat dissipation measures for lithium-ion batteries and for various other electronic control systems are increasingly becoming more sophisticated and diversified. With the... Read more →

At cruising altitude, airplanes emit a steady stream of NOx into the atmosphere, where the chemicals can linger to produce ozone and fine particulates. Previous research has shown that the generation of these chemicals due to global aviation results in 16,000 premature deaths each year. Now, MIT engineers are proposing... Read more →

Octillion Power Systems, a global provider of advanced lithium-ion batteries, is providing battery packs for all-electric motorcoaches and city transit buses offered by ABC Companies and Lightning eMotors. The order marks the company’s first time supplying batteries for motorcoaches and buses in North America. With its entry into the motorcoach... Read more →

Power management company Eaton has introduced a complete suite of solutions from its Vehicle Group to reduce vapor emissions produced during the refueling of gasoline-powered vehicles. Industry data reveals that significant amounts of hydrocarbons are commonly forced out through the filler neck and released into the atmosphere while a gasoline-powered... Read more →

Via its subsidiary Pierburg GmbH of Neuss, Germany, the Rheinmetall Group plans to supply hydrogen recirculation blowers to Daimler Truck Fuel Cell GmbH & Co. KG, the company which bundles all of Daimler AG’s activities in the field of fuel cell technology. The deal represents sales volume in the two-digit... Read more →

Volkswagen has provided an overview of the intelligent regenerative braking system on the ID.4 electric SUV. Regenerative braking can significantly boost the range of any electric vehicle. However, Volkswagen says, what should happen when drivers of electric vehicles take their foot off the right-most pedal is a nuanced design question.... Read more →

LG Electronics and Magna International announced a joint venture (JV) to manufacture e-motors, inverters and on board chargers and, for certain automakers, related e-drive systems to support the growing global shift toward vehicle electrification. The new company, tentatively called LG Magna e-Powertrain, combines Magna’s strength in electric powertrain systems and... Read more →

Middleware—a computing concept that has been around since the late 1960s, but that especially gained traction in the 1980s—is software that provides common services and capabilities to applications beyond what is offered by an operating system. Middleware serves, in effect, as a mediator between an operating system and software applications,... Read more →

Noble Gas Systems, a startup founded to create safe, conformable, lightweight compressed gas storage and delivery systems, has demonstrated its latest generation of conformable gas tanks, which can be configured into existing vehicle architectures. The new tanks, with working pressures of 350 bar (5,000 psi), are lightweight and less than... Read more →

Norsepower Oy Ltd., the leading global provider of auxiliary wind propulsion systems, announced its first newbuild order—the installation of a record five tilting Rotor Sails (earlier post) on board a large bulk carrier. The agreement marks the first installation of Norsepower’s innovative Rotor Sails on a bulk carrier, demonstrating the... Read more →

Tula Technology, Inc., a tech leader in improving propulsion efficiency and reducing emissions in passenger cars and commercial vehicles, announced that the one-millionth vehicle utilizing its award-winning Dynamic Skip Fire (DSF) technology (earlier post) was produced in November 2020. Unlike cylinder deactivation strategies that shut off a fixed number of... Read more →

Autonomous electric vehicles draw power from two sources: a high-voltage battery and, additionally, a conventional 12-volt battery that supplies the vehicle when idling or in high load situations while driving. Safety-critical systems such as brakes and steering can therefore be connected to two sources of power. But what happens when... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group has unveiled its new Electric-Global Modular Platform (E-GMP), a dedicated battery electric vehicle (BEV) platform. Revealed online during an ‘E-GMP Digital Discovery’ event, the platform will serve as the core technology for Hyundai Motor Group’s next-generation BEV line-up. From 2021, the E-GMP will underpin a range of... Read more →

UK-based electrified powertrain engineering consultancy Drive System Design (DSD) announced a strategic expansion of its test facilities, adding two further test cells for high-performance hybrid axles and e-machines. The move reflects a growing demand for outsourced test capacity suitable for electrified powertrains, as the industry prioritizes its development in response... Read more →

The Product Development group at ArcelorMittal Tailored Blanks (AMTB) has developed a novel floor ring which integrates battery and occupant protection in battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The concept enables OEMs to integrate BEV powertrains in existing body architectures for internal combustion engine (ICE) models. The floor ring concept integrates passenger... Read more →