Propulsion

The European/American automaker announces it will partner with two titans of Li-ion cell-making for batteries for North American-built BEVs.

Hydrogen Day (Oct. 8 = 1.008, the atomic weight of hydrogen) always produces news on the fuel-cell vehicle front. But great expectations for a hydrogen-powered future are being tempered by reality.

The move to eliminate expensive, rare-earth magnets from automotive traction motors is driving a wave of innovation in induction-motor technology.

General Motors has big BEV plans, aiming for 1 million sales globally by 2025. Tim Grewe is one of the execs leading the charge, and looking for ways to create stronger, lighter pack designs.

Experts discuss whether limiting tailpipe emissions or mandating ZEV volumes is the most effective way to meet the Biden Admin.’s goal of selling 50% electric vehicles by 2030.

Nidec, a global leader in the production of electric motors, is gearing up to produce nearly half of the traction motors automakers will demand for BEVs by 2030. The Japanese supplier predicts most OEMs will switch to supplier-built motors as the electric-vehicle industry matures.

Makers of autonomous vehicles are using development tools from leading providers such as Argo AI, Baidu, NVIDIA and Waymo as well as skateboard platforms from Canoo and Coast Autonomous to speed up production.

Gasoline prices are on the rise, and demand for electrified powertrain continued to grow in U.S. market.

Is the ICE age over? Not so fast. Despite the sudden urgency to develop and sell battery-electric vehicles, internal-combustion-engine-powered light vehicles aren’t going away any time soon. During this monumental shift in automotive propulsion, automakers and their suppliers are pulling out the stops to reduce emissions and squeeze ever more efficiency out of ICEs as the century-old technology evolves in the age of electrification.

Wards Intelligence/LMC Automotive forecasts concur with global consultants AlixPartners that BEVs will claim about a quarter of the global light-vehicle market in 2030, far short of industry expectations.

The adoption of new ADAS – and ultimately fully autonomous – features is requiring faster communication between sensors, GPS and the cloud, driving automakers toward 5G communication. Upcoming BEVs, many incorporating all-new software-defined electronics architectures, are at the forefront of the transition.

Ford takes the next step toward electrification by building its electric motors in-house. The automaker says its Van Dyke Electric Powertrain Center will produce an electric motor every 75 seconds starting this summer.