STMicroelectronics has revealed new battery-management technology that increases reliability, safety, driving range, and cost-effectiveness of electric vehicles (EVs). EVs are predicted to reach cost parity with conventional combustion-engine vehicles before the end of this decade and overtake in sales volume by 2038. ST, leveraging its technical capabilities to help carmakers achieve these goals, has announced an […]
EV Engineering
Electric locomotives and catenary power systems – Part 2: power needs
The high-speed all-electric railroad locomotive uses a catenary-wire system and pantograph power-transfer arrangement, which appears to violate good engineering practice and should not work. Still, it does, transferring hundreds of amps via a contact point moving at over 100 miles/hour. Part 1 looked at the basics of diesel-electric versus all-electric locomotives. This part looks at […]
Electric locomotives and catenary power systems – Part 1: basic functions
The high-speed all-electric railroad locomotive uses a catenary-wire system and pantograph power-transfer arrangement, which appears to violate good engineering practice and should not work. Still, it does, transferring hundreds of amps via a contact point moving at over 100 miles/hour. There are four ways to power a railroad locomotive: via a steam engine (with a […]
EV advances come from Formula E electric racing
You may thank Formula E electric racing technology for some of the advances that ultimately make electric vehicles practical on ordinary highways. Just as automakers have sponsored racing programs to help perfect advances in conventional automotive technology, electronics makers are taking the same approach with Formula E racers to get a jump on components for […]
NiMH battery packs operate over wide temperature range
NiMH cells and finished battery packs offer two important features in conjunction with each other: Good performance at low temperatures and long life at high temperatures. Panasonic, one of the world’s leading battery manufacturing companies, a variety of NiMH cells with wide temperature ranges. These cells provide new electrode development which allow for a wide […]
Li-ion battery management IC for hybrid and electric vehicles
Renesas Electronics Corporation announced its fourth-generation lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery management IC that offers unmatched lifetime accuracy. The ISL78714 provides accurate cell voltage and temperature monitoring, along with cell balancing and extensive system diagnostics to protect 14-cell Li-ion battery packs while maximizing driving time and range for hybrid and electric vehicles. The feature-rich ISL78714 monitors and […]
Charging electric vehicles, Part 2: The connections
Part 1 introduced some of the issues related to charging of electric vehicles. Part 2 continues with a look at the hardware (which also involves software, of course). Q: What about the electrical and physical connections? A: There are three connection situations, called “cases”: Case A has the charger connected to the AC mains, and […]
Charging electric vehicles, Part 1: The numbers
It’s nice to envision that recharging an electric vehicle is as straightforward as filling up an internal combustion vehicle, but it’s not: there are multiple charging, power, and connector options as well as limitations. You’re driving your internal-combustion (IC) car, and the gauge indicates it’s time to get “gas” (of course, it’s actually gasoline). So […]
Battery management system reference design boosts EV range
Texas Instruments introduced fully tested reference designs for battery management and traction inverter systems, along with new analog circuits with advanced monitoring and protection features to help reduce carbon dioxide emissions and enable hybrid electric vehicles and electric vehicles (HEV/EVs) to drive farther and longer. Scalable across six to 96-series cell supervision circuits, TI’s new battery […]
FAQ: Piezoelectric motors, Part 2: drive circuits
Unlike better-known electromagnetic motors, the widely used piezoelectric-based motor/actuator provides precise, repeatable linear motion over short distances, and requires a voltage drive rather than a current drive. Part 1 of this FAQ looked at the moving piezoelectric element of the actuator. Part 2 looks at their drive requirements, which are very different than those of […]
