Friday, May 17, 2019

BorgWarner introduces onboard battery charger

BorgWarner introduced its Onboard Battery Charger (OBC), adding to the company’s impressive portfolio of technologies for plug-in hybrid and pure-electric vehicles. This technology uses silicon carbide technology and is best-in-class for power density, power conversion efficiency and safety compliance, the company says.
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The OBC is installed in hybrid or electric vehicles to convert alternating current (AC) from the power grid to direct current (DC) for charging batteries.
This technology accepts an extended range of AC inputs including 7.4 kilowatt (kW), 11 kW and 22 kW power ratings with DC-to-DC converter rating integration from 2.3 kW to 3.6 kW as an option. It is compatible with all battery chemistries and voltages of 400 volts, 650 volts and 800 volts.
BorgWarner OBCs have a wide range of charging powers and capabilities. The OBC with a rated charging power of 7.4 kW can also be used for charging powers of 1.8 kW, 3.3 kW and 6.6 kW and uses a single-phase supply from the power grid.
The OBC with a rated charging power of 11 kW is more efficient with its three-phase grid supply and fast charging strategy, while the onboard charger rated at 22 kW is even more efficient with its three-phase supply and therefore much faster charging.

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Hyundai Motor Group introduces industry-first smartphone-based EV performance control technology; blockchain

Hyundai Motor Group has developed smartphone-EV pairing-based performance adjustment technology which allows users to customize primary functions through a smartphone application—an industry-first innovation.
Drivers can use this technology to adjust seven performance features including the maximum torque output of the motor, acceleration and deceleration abilities, regenerative braking capacity, maximum speed limit, responsiveness, and energy use on climate control.
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As electric vehicles continually expand their market share, especially in rental or car-sharing industries, the new technology will allow drivers to use their custom settings in whichever electric vehicle they drive by downloading their profile from the server.
The application provides optimized settings for a designated destination by analyzing the remaining distance and electric energy requirement. It can also accommodate sportier driving by recommending tailored performance settings.
Beyond the driver’s seat, users can share their customization settings online as well as try out other users’ custom settings. Customers can also apply recommended settings by Hyundai based on the condition of roads, from country roads to the city center or mountain ranges.
Hyundai Motor Group will utilize blockchain technology to prevent security issues while users upload and share their custom settings on the server.
In the process of uploading and sharing custom settings, the system encrypts major performance parameters in a blockchain network by creating new data blocks and stores them in the distributed data storage system to block unauthorized manipulation.
Hyundai Motor Group’s smartphone vehicle pairing-based performance adjustment technology is possible due to electric vehicles’ distinctive properties which set them apart from combustion engine vehicles.
Zero-emission vehicles offer unique freedom to modify the drive experience because altering performance doesn’t change the carbon footprint. As such, electric vehicles provide drivers more leeway in applying such technology.
As Hyundai Motor Group is planning to deploy 44 eco-friendly models by year 2025, including 23 electric vehicles, we see the potential of technologies and services inherent in non-combustion vehicles. By developing paradigm-shifting mobility technology like this one, we will continue to strive to improve user experience for electric vehicles customized to individual preferences.
—research fellow JeongSoo Eo from Hyundai Motor Group
The Group expects to implement the technology in future Hyundai and Kia vehicles.

Toyota, Kenworth, POLA and CARB unveil next-gen heavy-duty fuel-cell truck; ZANZEFF

Toyota, Kenworth, the Port of Los Angeles and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) unveiled the first of Toyota and Kenworth’s jointly developed fuel cell electric heavy-duty trucks during a special event held at the Port of Los Angeles.
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The new generation zero-emission truck expands on the capabilities of Toyota’s first two Project Portal Proof-of-Concept trucks through enhanced capability, packaging, and performance while offering an estimated range of more than 300 miles per fill, twice that of a typical drayage trucks average daily duty cycle.
Toyota and Kenworth will deploy a total of 10 trucks as part of the Zero and Near-Zero Emissions Freight Facilities Project (ZANZEFF) (earlier post), hauling cargo received at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, throughout the LA Basin.
Toyota is committed to fuel cell electric technology as a powertrain for the future because it’s a clean, scalable platform that can meet a broad range of mobility needs with zero emissions. The ZANZEFF collaboration and the innovative ‘Shore-to Store’ project allow us to move Heavy-Duty Truck Fuel Cell Electric technology towards commercialization.
—Bob Carter, Executive Vice President for Automotive Operations Toyota
CARB has awarded $41 million dollars to the Port of Los Angeles for the ZANZEFF project as part of California Climate Investments, a California initiative that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment―particularly in disadvantaged communities.
Since operations began in April 2017, the Project Portal “Alpha” and “Beta” Proof of Concept Class 8 trucks have logged more than 14,000 miles of testing and real-world drayage operations in and around the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach while emitting nothing but water vapor.
The first Kenworth/Toyota Fuel Cell Electric Truck (FCET) under the ZANZEFF project will begin drayage operations in the fourth quarter, increasing the ports’ zero emission trucking capacity and further reducing the environmental impact of drayage operations.
The latest Fuel Cell Electric truck utilizes the Kenworth T680 Class 8 model combined with Toyota’s fuel cell electric technology and is part of the ZANZEFF project. Pioneered by the Port of Los Angeles with leading support from Toyota, Kenworth, and Shell, the endeavor provides a large-scale “Shore-to-Store” plan and a hydrogen fuel-cell-electric technology framework for freight facilities to structure operations for future goods movement. The initiative will help reduce emissions by more than 500 tons of Greenhouse Gas and 0.72 weighted tons of nox, ROG and PM10.
The collaboration between the Port of Los Angeles, Kenworth, Toyota and Shell is providing an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the viability of fuel cell electric technology in both drayage service and regional haul commercial vehicle applications operating in Southern California. The performance of the 10 Kenworth Class 8 trucks being developed under this program―the first of which debuted today―is targeted to meet or exceed that of a diesel-powered truck, while producing water as the only emissions byproduct.
&mdashMike Dozier, general manager of Kenworth Truck Company and PACCAR vice president
The Port of Los Angeles, a global maritime leader with respect to zero-emission and near-zero emission technology testing and adoption, will develop the project in several phases, ultimately encompassing initiatives in Southern California, the Central Coast Area, and Merced County. The initial phase is designed to kick-start the leap to a new class of goods movement vehicles, while reducing emissions in designated disadvantaged communities.
The project phases will include:
  • Ten new zero-emissions fuel-cell-electric Kenworth/Toyota FCET developed through a collaboration between Kenworth and Toyota to move cargo from the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports throughout the Los Angeles area, the Inland Empire, the Port of Hueneme, and eventually to Merced. The trucks will be operated by Toyota Logistics Services (4), United Parcel Services (3), Total Transportation Services Inc. (2), and Southern Counties Express (1).
  • Two new large capacity heavy-duty hydrogen fueling stations will be developed by Shell in Wilmington and Ontario, California. The two new stations will join three additional stations located at Toyota’s Long Beach Logistics Services and Gardena R&D facilities to form an integrated, five-station heavy-duty hydrogen fueling network for the Los Angeles basin. Together, these stations will provide multiple sources of hydrogen throughout the region, including over 1 ton of 100% renewable hydrogen per day at the Toyota Logistics Services station to be operated by Shell, and important research and development advances at a pair of stations operated by Air Liquide, all enabling zero-emissions freight transport.
  • Expanded use of zero-emissions technology in cargo terminal and warehouse environments, including the first two zero-emissions yard tractors to be operated at the Port of Hueneme, as well as the expanded use of zero-emissions forklifts at Toyota’s port warehouse.
More than 16,000 trucks serve the Los Angeles and Long Beach port complexes—North America’s largest trade gateway for containerized cargo. That number that is estimated to grow to 32,000 by 2030. Currently, more than 43,000 drayage trucks are in operation at ports across the United States.
This announcement is an extension of Toyota’s Environmental Challenge 2050 efforts to eliminate CO2 emissions from its operations. Toyota has previously announced the construction of the Tri-Gen facility which will be the first megawatt-sized carbonate fuel cell power generation plant with hydrogen fueling in the world. The 100% renewable plant will use agricultural waste to generate water, electricity, and hydrogen that will support Toyota Logistics Services’ (TLS) operations at the Port of Long Beach.