Renewables

Despite appearing to be a modern phenomenon, the first electric vehicle took to the road in 1832 and in 1899, outselling all other available options, including steam and gasoline powered vehicles. Since 1935, with the invention of the internal combustion engines, gasoline-powered vehicles have become the popular choice. This changed in 2016, which saw a record in the sale of electric vehicles worldwide, with 750,000 cars sold.

Two-thirds of all German motorists can imagine buying an electric car. This is the result of a representative survey conducted by Statista on behalf of Infineon Technologies. Younger drivers are more open to e-cars, and are now boosting e-mobility. In the age group between 18 and 39 years, the approval rate for e-mobility is almost 80%. In the age group of the 60 to 69-year-old, however, only around 50% approve.

In recent years, multinationals have been pursuing renewable energy sources as a way of meeting their corporate responsibility targets of achieving power through renewable energy sources. Last year, internationally-operating corporations including IKEA, Apple, and Amazon added 325 megawatts (MW) to the United States’ installed photovoltaic capacity.

  Startups had a chance to pitch to clean energy company Fortum on a moving electric vehicle during the Finnish startup event Slush. With Pitchalong Shuttle, Fortum looked for partnerships with sustainable and innovative startups in order to find digital solutions for tackling climate change.

A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) requires a power electronic system between the power grid and the high-voltage battery pack located inside the vehicle. This electronic system is split into two parts: a charging station, which is also called electric vehicle service equipment (EVSE) or an off-board charger, and an onboard charger inside the vehicle. 

A new study commissioned by solar energy technology company, Midsummer, has shown that the company’s proprietary flexible CIGS thin film solar module manufacturing process is more environmentally friendly than other solar module production processes such as silicon modules.

UnitedSiC has announced its expanded its UF3C FAST Series product offering by introducing an additional range of 650 and 1,200V high performance silicon carbide FETs in a TO-247-4L 4-pin Kelvin Sense package option. Based on an efficient cascode configuration, this new series provides designers with very fast switching, high power devices in a package capable of high power dissipation.

Drive System Design (DSD) will present two technical papers addressing the challenges faced in the optimisation of EV powertrains at the 17th CTI Symposium in Berlin from 3rd-6th December. Both exhibit a systems engineering approach developed by DSD to optimise the complete powertrain and its cost. The first demonstrates the benefits of using the approach to identify opportunities for lowering the initial investment cost associated with batt...

Emerging needs from the electrification market require experienced, full-turnkey, affordable suppliers able to provide powerful assembly and test solutions for electric and hybrid vehicle manufacturing.

ON Semiconductor announces Official Supplier relationship with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport and Mercedes EQ Formula E team that will extend their automotive power solutions leadership onto the highly competitive world stages of Formula One and Formula E. Building on the company’s technology, already utilised in the energy recovery pack that controls ignition and injection drivers of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport race car, which h...