Skip to main content

Electric charging and battery strategy

Major developments are in hand with regard to providing charging solutions for electric vehicles. This has been seen as a barrier to the introduction of electric vehicles on a widespread basis but various manufacturers are now developing systems to deal with the issue.Siemens and BMW are working on an easy-to-use fast charging plug for electric cars. This system will allow sufficient charging for a 100km range in less than 30 minutes.
May 9, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
Major developments are in hand with regard to providing charging solutions for electric vehicles. This has been seen as a barrier to the introduction of electric vehicles on a widespread basis but various manufacturers are now developing systems to deal with the issue.

1134 Siemens and 1233 BMW are working on an easy-to-use fast charging plug for electric cars. This system will allow sufficient charging for a 100km range in less than 30 minutes.

Meanwhile 2454 Nissan/2453 Renault have decided, together with major utilities and charging infrastructure suppliers, to develop and install thousands of fast charging stations in Europe by 2012.

Meanwhile other developments for electric vehicles focus on making batteries more affordable as well as efficient. The latest developments include batteries using organic polymer instead of cobalt and battery packs with improved thermal management that takes advantage of copper’s heat conductive characteristics.

Researchers from 3434 Osaka University have developed a new lithium-ion battery using a cathode conductive organic polymer. Using an organic polymer instead of cobalt could have great benefits for the automotive sector, as cobalt is a costly raw material with limited production in just five countries. The polymer consists of molecules derived from an organic open-763 Shell molecule. This technology could prove successful in the automotive sector as it offers high discharge capacity of more than 300Ah/kg compared to existing lithium ion batteries, up to twice the electricity storage and an increased performance cycle.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Innovative diesel-electric bulldozer
    July 12, 2012
    With the launch of its innovative D7E diesel-electric bulldozer, Caterpillar has shaken up this traditionally conservative market Only rarely do product innovations come to market that can truly be described as groundbreaking, but Caterpillar's D7E fits that bill. To understand the giant leap that the D7E represents, it is important to recognise Caterpillar's long history in the bulldozer market, which is unmatched by any of its rivals. Caterpillar pioneered the crawler track with founder, Ben Holt, havin
  • Electric advances in China
    April 25, 2012
    The Chinese authorities are keen to encourage the development of a market for electric vehicles. The country’s State Council is drafting a plan intended to boost sales of electric vehicles as well as the development of new models. Included in the plans is the development of a charging infrastructure system.
  • Future driveline trends for vehicles
    July 2, 2015
    Future vehicles will no longer rely on power from internal combustion engines as the supply of oil dwindles and as climate change issues force a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. According to a report from IDTechEx, there are three major technological trends for vehicles that are becoming increasingly important. These trends are shaping the development of new vehicles, targeting them at specific customer types and also the applications for these vehicles.
  • Elonroad’s electric road and recharging lane for buses in Lund
    April 17, 2019
    Sweden’s Transport Administration (Trafikverket) has awarded a contract to the Elväg Syd consortium for an electric and recharging bus lane in the city of Lund. The demonstration area will be built in the bus lane along 1km of Getingevägen Road near central Lund. Construction will begin during the first quarter of 2020 and last for three years. The project’s budget is €9.3 million of which Trafikverket will contribute €8.3 million with the other consortium players supplying the remaining funds. Lun