Skeleton Technologies and the Canadian automotive supplier Martinrea International are cooperating to equip refuse collection vehicles for use in Paris and New York with Skeleton’s so-called ‘SuperBattery’ technology.
Read moreWith the EU Commission having drafted the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), we talked to Vulcan Energy, Skeleton Technologies and volytica diagnostics, who all have new approaches to the supply and use of battery raw materials.
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Shell has announced the formation of a consortium to create electrification solutions for mining sites. Besides Shell, the consortium includes Skeleton Technologies, Microvast, Stäubli, Carnegie Robotics, Heliox, Spirae, Alliance Automation and Worley.
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The Estonian battery specialists from Skeleton Technologies are building Europe’s largest supercapacitor production facility in Saxony with the support of Siemens. Skeleton Technologies is investing 220 million euros in the now announced new production facility in Markranstädt near Leipzig in Saxony.
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Estonian ultracapacitor manufacturer Skeleton Technologies has raised a further €37.6 million from investors in its D3 funding round. The D3 round brings total investment in Skeleton to over 200 million euros.
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Skeleton Technologies has signed a contract with CAF Power & Automation, a manufacturer of power supply solutions for the railway industry. Skeleton will supply ultracapacitors that will be integrated into CAF’s OESS (On Board Energy Storage System) for trams.
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The Estonia-based ultracapacitor manufacturer Skeleton Technologies has raised a further 29 million euros in its Series D funding round. The funding is to be used for the continued development of ultracapacitor cells, modules, and systems.
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The ultracapacitor manufacturer Skeleton Technologies from Estonia has entered into a strategic partnership with the Japanese trading company Marubeni, which is also investing an undisclosed amount in Skeleton.
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The European Commission has approved a second project under EU state aid rules to support research and innovation in the battery value chain. Several German companies will benefit from this, but also Tesla.
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The ultracapacitor manufacturer Skeleton Technologies from Estonia has closed a new financing round for 41.3 million euros. Since its foundation in 2009, Skeleton has thus already raised over 93 million euros in capital.
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Wrightbus has turned to Skeleton Technologies to give them the first chance at commercialising their latest ultracapacitors. The Estonian company and Northern Ireland’s Wrightbus are gearing up for testing in fuel cell buses.
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The ultracapacitor manufacturer Skeleton Technologies has announced a cooperation with the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). The partners are working together on the development of a graphene battery with a charging time of only 15 seconds.
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Ultracapacitors from Estonia’s Skeleton Technologies will in future also be used in the trams of Poland’s capital city Warsaw. This is provided for in a contract that Skeleton has now concluded with the drive specialist Medcom.
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Škoda Transportation will deliver ultracapacitor systems for 114 trams destined for Mannheim, Heidelberg, and Ludwigshafen in Germany. Skeleton Technologies won the contract to supply the ultracaps.
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Skeleton Technologies of Estonia that specialises in ultracapacitor cells is ready to grow its production in Saxony, Germany. The startup promised to spend an extra 25 million euros and estimates this will increase the workforce tenfold.
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Skeleton Technologies and Sumitomo Corporation Europe sign an agreement to distribute graphene-based ultracapacitors for the hybrid and electric vehicle industry.
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Ultracap cells made in Germany: Skeleton Technologies has opened a large factory in Saxonia, close to Dresden, where the firm plans to make 4m ultracapacitor cells a year. Skeleton’s supercaps base on graphene and provide over 1m charge/discharge cycles according to the company. For the facility, 6.2m euro investment was made by the young firm, supplemented by federal and state funds from a programme to improve the regional economic structure (GRW).
skeletontech.com
Battery business shut down: Korean SK Innovation has halted the lines at its battery facility in Beijing due to China’s protective measures. The policies that exclude batteries from subsidies if they use nickel-manganese-cobalt (NCM) or parts from non-Chinese makers like most Korean producers do, has led to a rapid decline in orders. SK Innovation is now looking to “build a joint venture to produce battery cells with Chinese partner companies,” a SK official said.
businesskorea.co.kr
Crushed dreams: Airbus has faltered at the challenge to fly all-electrically and says it will switch its small E-Fan electric plane to hybrid propulsion instead. The new development project is titled E-Fan X and promises more range – obviously – but way less fancy. Initially, the plane maker wanted to build 100 small electric aircrafts for training purposes and had already sent the E-Fan across the English channel.
aero.de (in German), lefigaro.fr (in French)
Demand has increased for separators used in Li-ion batteries made by Asahi Kasei in Japan. The chemical company said it will grow production capacity by 30 percent with an investment of 11m yen until 2019. Asahi Kasei claims rising sales of electric and hybrid vehicles to be responsible for its growth.
nikkei.com
Nissan and WiTricity get together but no physically bond may be between them. Their cooperation is about wireless charging, in particular the interoperability of such systems. Maybe the second gen Leaf will already charge without a plug and just leisurely roll over a platform.
electriccarsreport.com
Graphene Supercapacitor investment in Europe: Skeleton Technologies has borrowed 15m from the European investment bank (EIB). The Estonian company will use the money to fund further research as well as an electrode mass-production facility in German Dresden.
bloomberg.com
Romeo Power to expand: It looks like the EV battery offspring found the factory it wanted in Californian Vernon. With scaling up production, 200 jobs will open. Romeo Power is to expand capacity to 1 GWh in 2017 to 4 GWh in 2018 until ultimately doubling it to 8 GWh by the end of 2019.
areadevelopment.com, finance.yahoo.com
Hybrid bus system approved: Allison Transmission and Cummins have been certified by CARB. The agency approved the 2017 Allison Hybrid H 40 EP / H 50 EP hybrid propulsion systems paired with Cummins diesel engines used in transit buses and coaches. It is said to save up to 25% fuel.
greencarcongress.com
Ford called on engineers to participate in the “Mobility Challenge,” Robin Celis, David Longin and Gunther Cuypers delivered. Their electric wheelchair gets the user to the driver’s seat and then goes and stows itself in the boot. It of course also leaves the boot on its own and picks up the driver upon arrival at his or her destination.
youtube.com (video)
Hybrid Airship: French firm Flying Whales plans to build a 60-tonne Large Capacity Airship, LCA60T, with the help of ultracapacitor manufacturer Skeleton Technologies. It will be equipped with a hybrid electric power propulsion system and is designed primarily to transport logging timber.
greencarcongress.com
50% better charge: Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute and the ETH Zurich have developed a simple procedure for enhancing conventional Li-ion rechargeable batteries by optmising the graphite anode. They were able to enhance performance by up to 30 to 50 percent.
psi.ch
New solvents: Strem Chemicals will be manufacturing and distributing nine battery solvents and additives based on material licensed from Argonne National Laboratory. Future steps include the implementation in commercial batteries.
chargedevs.com
PowerCell Sweden delivers: A prototype of PowerCell Sweden AB’s 100 kW PowerCell S3 fuel cell stacks for distribution trucks has been delivered to a European transport company.
greencarcongress.com
Polish cells: Details are emerging about LG Chem’s plans to be built an EV battery factory in Poland (we reported). It will be LG Chem’s second largest battery facility, and have a production capacity of 229,000 EV batteries per year. The plant should be completed in 18 months.
reuters.com
One trillion won: Samsung’s chemical unit, Samsung SDI, plans to invest nearly 1tr won (875m dollars) in new facilities, including those required for EV batteries. The company has two EV battery plants in South Korea and China, and is eying Europe for a third.
koreanherald.com
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Baden-Württemberg Pavilion shows success factor e-mobility: During the Hannover Messe / MobiliTec the Baden-Württemberg Pavilion and its 43 exhibitors showcase the diversity of the e-mobility landscape in the southwest of Germany. With “Automated. Connected. Electrified.” as its guiding theme, the whole spectrum – from development and production to road tests of partially automated electric vehicles – will be covered. Visit us in hall 27.
www.e-mobilbw.de (PDF)
BAIC research: Chinese energy automaker BAIC BJEV has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Dresden University of Technology to research lightweight automotive technologies for new energy automobiles. Academician Hufenbach, known as the “father of light weighting in Europe” at TUD, was named chief scientist in lightweight technology.
prnewswire.com
Skeleton Tech exclusive: Adgero has signed a 3.5m euro agreement to use Skeleton Technologies’ ultracapacitor in their road freight KERS. SkelMod 160V modules will be sourced exclusively to Adgero for their hybrid system. The Adgero KERS with Skeleton modules will be road tested next month.
greencarcongress.com
Driverless bus goes public: In Dutch Wageningen, an autonomous electric bus is rolling up and down a 200 metre stretch of road. The WePod goes 8 kph tops, but nevertheless uses public streets. The pilot will eventually expand to cover a 6 km long route, while the WePod will gradually speed up to 25 kph. The city looks to roll out an entire fleet over the coming years.
reuters.com, theguardian.com, wepods.com
Google eyes Austria: The IT giant is looking to test its self-driving pods in conditions not usually found in Silicon Valley, looking to Austria, where it will find snow, mountains and narrow curves. Autocluster AC Styria already signed a letter of intent with Google.
wirtschaftsblatt.at (in German)
Ultracap backed up: Skeleton Technologies received a 4m euro (4.4m USD) cash injection from KIC InnoEnergy, an investment company with shareholders like ABB, EDF, and Total. Skeleton aims to reach the ambitious target of a 20 Wh/kg energy density for its graphen-based technology by 2020.
greencarcongress.com, businessgreen.com, skeletontech.com
New technology centre: AVL’s latest technology centre has begun operations near Stuttgart, Germany. It features nine test beds for the development and testing of engines, powertrains and vehicles, including EVs. The modular design allows the addition of another 16 test beds.
avl.com
New hybrid supercars planned: BMW and Lexus are rumored to be collaborating on a successor of the Lexus LFA. Motoring reports that a prototype already exists and that the BMW version will be powered by a plug-in hybrid drivetrain, while the Lexus supercar will feature a detuned version of the hybrid drivetrain from the TS040 race car with roughly 800 hp. Meanwhile, Autoblog writes that Mercedes-AMG is reportedly developing a hybrid supercar with a 12-cylinder mated to an electric motor.
motoring.com.au (Lexus & BMW), autoblog.com (Mercedes-AMG)
Borgward goes all-electric: The freshly revived Borgward brand, which recently presented its plug-in hybrid SUV BX7 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, is already working on an all-electric model. This is reported by German magazine Automobil Produktion, citing Borgward CEO Ulrich Walker.
automobil-produktion.de (in German)
Driverless electric transport: The first self-driving electric shuttle for use on public roads was recently delivered to the Netherlands. The WEpod can carry six people at a maximum speed of 25 kph and will transport passengers in the province of Gelderland from November this year.
telegraph.co.uk
Supercap-powered UGV: Skeleton Technologies will supply graphene-based supercapacitors to a multipurpose UGV (unmanned ground vehicle) to be showcased at this month’s DSEI 2015 in London. The hybrid vehicle was developed by Estonian defence solutions provider Milrem and Skeleton Technologies’ supercaps will be used to deliver increased energy efficiency and product reliability.
skeletontech.com
Ultracap KERS: Skeleton Technologies and Adgero have developed an ultracapacitor-based Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) for truck trailers. The hybrid system is designed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions by up to 25 percent and is optimized for intermodal road transport solutions.
greencarcongress.com
Samsung batteries for e-bikes: At the Eurobike show in Germany, Samsung SDI unveiled a 500Wh e-bike battery pack that can run for 100 km on a single charge. The company is exhibiting six types of standardized battery packs that can either be built inside or installed on the outside for immediate use.
greencarcongress.com, businesswire.com
BASF to show new battery technology: At this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show, German chemicals firm BASF will showcase advanced cathode materials and electrolytes for batteries of electric and hybrid cars. They are said to offer high power, as well as safety and improved efficiency.
newswiretoday.com
Battery recycling plant: AquaMetals has broken ground on its AquaRefinery battery recycling facility. Although it will be built at the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center east of Reno near Tesla´s Gigafactory, the facility is intended for the recycling of lead batteries, not lithium-ion batteries.
autoblog.com, rgj.com
Hypersonic hydrogen jet: Airbus has patented a plane that could fly from Paris to Tokyo in less than three hours. The hydrogen-fueled Concord successor would use three different types of engines, including rocket boosters, to jump above the atmosphere. However, so far, the jet is just a concept.
theguardian.com
EV emergency response: Honda and Tottori University started field testing Honda’s Power Exporter CONCEPT 9000. The Inverter is designed to power external devices with up to 9 kW and could thus transform EVs and FCVs into mobile energy sources during disasters.
responsejp.com
Quantum batteries? Quantum physics migth eventually provide a leap in battery technology, as researchers explore the quantum battery or “quantacell.” The latter could lead to a speedup through quantum entanglement, which provides shortcuts between charged and uncharged qubits. The denser the qubit thicket, the faster the charging.
phys.org, extremetech.com
Ultracap starter module: Skeleton Technologies introduced a 24V engine start module called SkelStart ESM, which uses graphene-based ultracapacitor technology. It currently serves to start up trucks but might become available for electric cars soon, given energy density can be increased considerably.
greencarcongress.com(trucks), green.wiwo.de (electric cars, in German)
GS Yuasa and Bosch say they are on a “good path” to realise their battery technology by 2020. The battery will have double the energy density compared to today’s lithium cells. Bosch is also working on a new 48V-mild-hybrid system that will debut in a vehicle of a yet to be named European manufacturer this year.
autonews.com, greencarcongress.com
Silicon Valley e-bike: The Karmic Koben weighs only 16.3 kilos at a price of about 1,700 euros. After gathering 260,000 dollars on Kickstarter, the pedelec with Bafang motor is ready to go into production. At its core is a light battery (2kg) with 300 kWh capacity. Its cells can be replaced one by one.
elektrobike-online.com (in German), karmicbikes.com, ecomento.com (background)
High performance ultracaps: Skeleton Technologies has issued a new range of cylindrical ultracapacitors with graphene material. The have a specific power performance of up to 111 kW/kg and specific energy up to 9.6 Wh/kg – more than any other cylindrical cell ultracapacitors on the market.
greencarcongress.com
About 1.3 million dollars will be invested in a now launched e-mobility research programme by BMW and Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore). The quest for knowledge will be undertaken in the joint Future Mobility Research Lab. First objects under scrutiny: the i3 and i8.
bmwblog.com
New solar racer: The OSU-Model-S, from Osaka Sangyo University (OSU) sports Interdigitated Back Contact (IBC) silicon solar cells on its roof, allegedly making it the most efficient solar-powered car out there, reaching 24.4 percent. The car will compete in the upcoming 2015 IFA Suzuka Solar Car Race.
engineering.com
Ramping up production: Skeleton Technologies, a European manufacturer of high-performance supercapacitors, has raised 10.7 million dollars from a consortium and plans to use the money to increase production of their graphene-based supercapacitors. The company is trying to meet increasing demand for the technology used by i.e. hybrid truck manufacturers and energy storage companies.
graphene-info.com, greencarcongress.com
More powerful ELR: Cadillac improved the power output of its 2016 ELR by about 25 percent without replacing or re-engineering its electric motors. The carmaker has changed components in the power electronics to enable more current flow into the motor.
autoblog.com, transportevolved.com
Saietta reveals e-motorcycle: British Saiette Group has published a first image of its upcoming electric motorbike, code-named NGS (Next Generation Saietta). Known to specialise in electric drivetrains, road and race motorcycles, Saietta says this will only be the first in a family of electric motorbikes.
newcarnet.co.uk
Most clicked link on Wednesday was a Tesla Model S struck by lightning while charging.
teslarati.com
The Chrystal is Siemens’ showcase smart building located in London’s recently transformed Docklands. It was here that the Ecosummit conference brought together clean tech start-ups, investors and corporations to forecast future challenges and pitch their solutions. While much of the discussions revolved around renewable energy and how to distribute it smartly, the future of transport […]
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