In this Article
Electreon to Wirelessly Charge GINAF 50-ton Truck
Electreon (TASE: ELWS), the leading developer and provider of inroad wireless Electric Vehicle charging technology, and Dutch automaker GINAF, a leading manufacturer of commercial vehicles, are proud to announce that they have fully integrated Electreon’s wireless charging system on a GINAF 50-ton truck.
By harnessing Electreon’s cutting-edge wireless charging technology, electric vehicles can now charge seamlessly while parked, idling, and even on the move, effectively eliminating range limitations, and reducing EV operational costs in the bid to decarbonize road and freight transport.
This Electreon and GINAF e-Truck integration is a vital step forward in the race to net-zero road transport emissions. Road transport is one of the most significant sources of the European Union’s greenhouse gas emissions. Approximately 77% of EU transport emissions come from road transport, and the road transport sector is not improving fast enough to meet the goals set out in the European Green Deal set back in 2006. Additionally, traditional plug-in charging solutions for EVs present major challenges, particularly for long-distance logistics fleets; therefore sustainable innovative solutions such as wireless EV charging must be sought, encouraged and invested in.
Promoting Sustainable Transportation
“GINAF is very pleased with the results of the truck’s excellent performance on the world’s first public Electric Road: Electreon’s Smartroad in Gotland, ” said Roeland van der Woude, GINAF CEO. “It endorses our capabilities as a flexible and qualitative alternative to OEMs, for transport companies that want to make their 7-50+ ton trucks more sustainable.”
“This is yet another example of Electreon’s seamless integration and capabilities in simple integrating onto any vehicle,” said Håkan Sundelin, Electreon Regional director of the Nordic countries. “We are pleased to add GINAF to the list of companies we collaborate with. The cooperation with GINAF ensures that we are ready for large scale deployments and provide a solution for efficient and sustainable transportation.”
Energy Secretary Visits ABB Production
U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm got a first-hand look at U.S. manufacturing of high-power EV chargers that are helping the U.S. meet its electrification and climate goals. Secretary Granholm visited ABB E-mobility’s production operations as part of her “People Powered Summer Road Trip,” accompanied by longtime U.S. Representative and current Assistant Democratic Leader, James E. Clyburn.
ABB E-mobility’s DC fast chargers made in Columbia, South Carolina enable the transition to an e-mobility economy and support a number of transformational federal and state government policies and programs. Production began early this year and Terra 184 DC fast chargers produced in South Carolina have already been installed along American highways.
The state-of-the-art operations are another example of ABB E-mobility’s leadership and commitment to a sustainable transportation future. ABB E-mobility’s Terra 184 is one of the first Build America, Buy America compliant 150 kW+ DC fast chargers that also meet the NEVI program standards and requirements. ABB E-mobility’s Terra DC Wallbox charger is used by school districts across the country and can support the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean School Bus program.
“ABB E-mobility has been a long-time leader in e-mobility and our commitment to enabling the U.S. transition to electric transportation has never been stronger,” said Bob Stojanovic, Senior Vice President for ABB E-mobility in North America. “Our U.S. manufacturing operations support a growing e-mobility economy and ensures that the benefits of electric transportation reach all Americans, whether they are driving electric or producing the chargers that keep those cars moving,”
In order to quickly ramp up production to meet strong U.S. demand, ABB E-mobility worked with its global advanced manufacturing partner, Flex, to expand EV charging manufacturing operations. With Flex’s portfolio of manufacturing services and expertise, ABB E-mobility was able to start U.S. production and delivery of 180 kW DC fast chargers at the start of 2023.
Molex Contacts for BMW
Molex, a leading global connectivity and electronics solutions provider, today announced that luxury automaker, BMW Group, has selected its Volfinity Cell Contacting System (CCS) for its next-generation electric vehicles (EV) class.
In development since 2018, Volfinity delivers a reliable and easy-to-implement interface solution that connects cells to the control board in an electric vehicle battery module, eliminating the need for daisy-chained wires. The total solution enables integrated cell sensing features, cell monitoring and balancing, and temperature measurement functions, all designed to meet BMW Group’s functional safety requirements. Molex leveraged in-house and partner design and production expertise to develop its deep cell contacting system experience three years ahead of competitive interconnect suppliers through direct collaboration with plug-in hybrid EV and traditional EV makers, energy storage OEMs, and battery cell and battery pack suppliers.
GM Buys ALGOLiON
General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) announced that it has acquired substantially all the assets of Israel-based battery software startup ALGOLiON Ltd. for an undisclosed sum.
The acquisition was led by the newly formed Technology Acceleration and Commercialization (TAC) organization, a group within GM that works to identify emerging technology that can support GM’s leadership position in battery development through investments, acquisitions or partnerships.
ALGOLiON, which received early support from the Israeli Innovation Authority, was founded in 2014 by Niles Fleischer, Ph.D., and Alex Nimberger, Ph.D. The company has developed sophisticated software that uses data streams from EV battery management systems to help identify anomalies in cell performance to ensure proper vehicle health management and provide early detection of battery hazards including thermal runaway propagation events. Dr. Fleischer has more than 40 years of experience in the battery industry and more than 80 patents in the field, while Dr. Nimberger has deep military and civilian experience in all aspects of lithium-ion battery operating modes and effects analysis.
ALGOLiON’s software, coupled with GM’s internal capabilities and vast experience in delivering best-in-class products at scale, can greatly accelerate time-to-market of a cost-effective early hazard detection system for the benefit of millions of GM’s customers worldwide.
Workhorse Starts Production in IN
Workhorse Group Inc. (Nasdaq: WKHS) (“Workhorse” or “the Company”), an American technology company focused on pioneering the transition to zero emission commercial vehicles, announced it has started production of the W750 at its manufacturing facility in Union City, Indiana. The Company also announced it has entered into a partnership with Smyrna Truck to be its first certified electric vehicle (“EV”) dealer in Georgia.
“The milestones we are announcing today reflect the important progress we are making advancing our product roadmap and executing our strategic growth plans,” said Workhorse CEO Rick Dauch. “We could not be more excited to see the W750 rolling out of our Union City facility, and we are poised to ramp up production of it in the coming months. In addition, we are thrilled to announce this dealer partnership with Smyrna Truck, expanding on our network for customers. We look forward to partnering with the Smyrna Truck team, who share our goal of delivering safe, reliable electric vehicles with the highest standard of service to customers.”
“We take pride in providing our customers the highest-quality truck equipment brands in the country, and we’re excited to welcome Workhorse’s innovative trucks to our list of trusted partners,” said Smyrna Truck President and CEO Scott Edens. “Through the many conversations and demos we’ve had with the Workhorse team, we have been extremely impressed with the standard and quality of its vehicles, including the W4 CC and W750. This partnership represents a significant catalyst in our company’s history, as we expand into the growing and important electric vehicle market.”
The Certified Dealer Program, which Workhorse launched in March 2023, is an initiative to develop an official network of verified dealers that have passed the protocols necessary to safely repair and maintain the electric components of the Company’s vehicles. As part of the Certified Dealer Program, Workhorse has established a comprehensive training program that provides dealers with both hands-on and online training, including technical sales training.
Smyrna Truck is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fouts Bros Inc., a family-owned business since 1952. It operates a 700,000 square foot facility in Milledgeville, Georgia and a second facility in La Grange, Texas. The Company is one of the largest and most diverse truck equipment companies in the U.S.
Enelx X Way Pilots EV GRID Alternatives’ Program
Enel X Way, the Enel Group’s global e-Mobility business, announced its participation in GRID Alternatives’ new utility pilot electric vehicle (EV) program, designed to increase access to EV charging, and therefore encourage EV adoption, in low-income communities through added incentives and savings.
The two companies will support a utility program in California, which offers qualifying low-income customers who have recently purchased or leased an EV with a free Enel X Way JuiceBox home EV charger, installation services, and up to $2,000 for electric service panel upgrades. This initial program can be stacked on top of existing incentives and rebates, including the federal government’s 30% tax credit on home charging stations, the $7,500 credit for certain EVs, and California’s $2,000 cash rebate for eligible EV buyers. The pilot program aims to provide free Level 2 EV chargers to 2,000 low-income households and electrical panel upgrades to 800 eligible households.
ZF EVBeat Concept Optimized
At its Global Technology Day in Friedrichshafen, ZF is presenting the electric concept vehicle EVbeat, which is designed for maximum compactness, low weight, and maximum efficiency in real operation. In this ZF electric vehicle, the components of an e-driveline have been optimized and combined into a holistic system. These include the 74-kilogram lightweight and ultra-compact driveline with a torque density of 70 Nm/kg, holistic thermal management and cloud-networked driveline software. At cold temperatures around freezing point, the range in real-world operation increases by up to a third compared with current technology.
“Sustainable mobility is at the core of our corporate strategy,” explained Stephan von Schuckmann, member of the ZF Board of Management responsible for electrified driveline systems, among other things. “Based on an extremely efficient production vehicle, we are showing the potential that future electric drive components offer when we combine them into an even more efficient overall system.”
The ZF EVbeat concept vehicle is based on a Porsche Taycan and takes leading series technology from ZF and other market players as a benchmark.
“Our goal was to make this drive as compact and lightweight as possible while maintaining high driving dynamics and increasing efficiency in real-world operation,” said Dr. Otmar Scharrer, Head of Development for Electric Driveline Systems at ZF. “In terms of torque density, we are at the top of the podium when we compare ourselves with e-drives for passenger cars currently available on the market. At the same time, we paid strong attention to the sustainability aspect during development.” The electric motor works without heavy rare earths and the thermal management system does not use fluorine-based coolant. The reduced number of components and the overall 30 percent reduction in system weight for the electric drive and thermal management system make a double contribution to greater sustainability – both in production and operation.
EVSys800: ultra-compact and lightweight 800-volt drive
The EVSys800 is a modular 800-volt drive and consists of silicon carbide power electronics, the electric motor and a reduction gearbox. Despite its extremely compact design and light weight, the EVbeat does not skimp on performance: The concept vehicle has a maximum torque of 5200 Newton meters available on the rear axle – and this with a uniquely high torque density for road-legal passenger cars with of 70 Newton meters per kilogram. The continuous and peak power of the electric motor is 206 and 275 kilowatts, respectively – ZF thus achieves continuous power of around 75 percent of the peak power.
In terms of dimensions, the drive saves 50 millimeters in width thanks to the compact reduction gearbox and the ZF-patented ‘Braided Winding’ technology of the electric motor, thus enabling space-saving, coaxial installation on the drive axle.
With a total weight of 74 kilograms, the EVSys800, normalized to the same output as the latest ZF 800-volt series drive, is about 40 kilograms or 30 percent lighter and thus contributes significantly to the weight savings of the concept vehicle.
Essential for this is the electric motor with a new cooling concept and a new winding technology. For cooling, ZF allows oil to flow directly around the copper rods – exactly at the point where most heat is generated during operation. Such highly efficient cooling significantly increases performance with the same weight and installation space. In addition, the use of heavy rare earths can be dispensed with, and the electric motor can be produced more sustainably. The ‘Braided Winding’ technology developed and patented by ZF, is a further development of the so-called wave winding and enables a total of ten percent less installation space. The winding head alone is up to 50 percent smaller than with conventional approaches. This saves around ten percent copper.
The inverter of the electric drive has been fundamentally redesigned. All essential components have been fundamentally revised. Significant improvements were achieved in each of the areas of electromagnetic compatibility, power modules and capacitors in terms of installation space, weight and sustainability.
A new, coaxial reduction gearbox transmits the drive forces of the electric motor via two planetary gear sets. They not only generate the desired final drive ratio, but also perform the fully integrated differential function. Compared with conventional offset concepts, in which the input and output shafts are not on the same axis, the coaxial solution reduces weight and installation space requirements without compromising on efficiency, noise and vibration. In combination with ‘Braided Winding’ technology, this drive can be made significantly shorter, allowing installation in almost any vehicle installation space.
“With this system, we can perfectly meet the main requirements of our customers – namely efficiency, performance and costs,” said Dr. Otmar Scharrer. The first technologies of the new ZF driveline will be available on the market from 2026.
Thermal management: Efficient temperature control of the powertrain and the entire vehicle
The temperature control of a vehicle can account for a significant proportion of its energy requirements in winter, which can be between three and six kilowatts, especially when heating up. Pleasant coolness in summer and warmth in winter are major comfort factors for the occupants. The right temperature is also an essential factor for the performance of the electric motor, the power electronics and the battery.
The first central thermal management system (TherMaS) developed by ZF for electric vehicles is integrated into the EVbeat concept vehicle. TherMaS uses a central unit and intelligent software to control all thermal processes for the driveline and passenger compartment. The new design significantly reduces space requirements and weight compared to previous approaches for cooling and heating e-cars. A propane-based 800-volt heat pump also requires significantly less energy. Because it is compact and simple in design, it can be easily integrated into vehicles.
The TherMaS concept has three designated circuits for the first time: At the center is the very small refrigerant circuit. This is pre-filled and hermetically sealed and is therefore maintenance-free. In addition, the concept has no interfaces to other vehicle areas such as the interior. ZF uses the fluorine-free, natural refrigerant propane. Although only half the previous refrigerant is used, the cooling capacity increases by a factor of two compared with refrigerants commonly used today. If required, the central refrigerant circuit serves two separately controllable cooling circuits in which frost-protected water flows as usual: The first is designed for the comparatively high temperatures of the electric motor, while the second regulates the temperature of the power and charging electronics. The control software regulates the cooling capacity.
Thanks to this overall thermal management, the range of the EVbeat increases by up to a third in demanding winter operation. The significantly better cooling performance makes the higher continuous output of the e-machine possible.
Powertrain software: efficiently network vehicle drive and cloud
The properties of the hardware systems lay an important foundation for the sustainable operation of the vehicle; their optimum orchestration is achieved via the software. ZF has developed its own powertrain software that networks all vehicle systems with each other and establishes the connection to the ZF cloud.
Because the efficiency of an electric motor depends on its thermal operating points, it is important to keep them in the optimum range at all times: At low speeds and high torque requirements, the optimum thermal operating point is very low, while at high speeds with low torque requirements, high temperatures are not a problem. However, the thermal conditions cannot be established at short notice. ZF’s driveline software can anticipate the optimum operating points from the individual driving profiles and prepare the system accordingly. It “learns” the behavior of drivers and can anticipate the probability of individual driving profiles through an AI-based cloud service. For example, air conditioning and system cooling are reduced when short distances are detected.
On this basis, the assistance system can also give drivers direct advice on how to use the electric vehicle efficiently. For example, efficient acceleration and deceleration as well as an optimized maximum speed are displayed. This is particularly valuable when it comes to calculating an accurate and practical range before the journey, which is then reliably adhered to.