Tag: industry news

25
Aug

Mixed-Signal MCU for Digitally-Controlled Power Supplies

Sanken Electric Co., Ltd. has developed a mixed-signal microcontroller unit (MCU), the MD6602, that is targeted for use in digitally-controlled power supplies and other applications. Samples of the new MCU are available for shipment beginning mid-October 2014 at 500 yen. The production of new MCU will start in March 2015 and 50,000 pieces per month will be shipped initially. To

Read more

23
Aug

WeCycle — Free App Offers Personal Travel Diary & Useful Data For Cities

WeCycle has launched a free app for iPhones (and soon Android devices) that automatically detects multiple modes of transport and crowdsources information about one’s travel patterns. With this app, cyclists will help make urban areas friendlier and safer. The app shows where the town or city needs more investment in bike routes. This new app does that job and more.

Read more

23
Aug

Africa To See More Renewable Energy Growth In 2014 Than In 2000-2013

Sub-Saharan Africa is set to see more renewable energy come online this year than it has in the previous 14 years, proof that the region is becoming one of the most exciting markets to watch for renewable energy technologies such as onshore wind, small-scale and utility-scale solar, and geothermal power. This is according to new research from Bloomberg New Energy

Read more

23
Aug

Sakti3 — Battery Startup — Aims To Hit $100 Per kWh

Honestly, this one wasn’t planned: last night, I wrote about a new study concluding that until EV battery costs get down to $100 per kWh, most US consumers would be better off going with an electric car with less than 100 miles of range rather than splurging for a long-range electric car. Now, battery startup Sakti3 is saying that its

Read more

22
Aug

MIT Turns Dead Car Batteries Into Clean Solar Energy

When a car battery calls it quits, it usually ends up at a service station that disposes of it responsibly, because it contains toxic lead. A team of MIT researchers thought there might be something worth keeping, and now say they have successfully recycled materials from spent batteries to create long-lasting, clean-running solar panels. Recent solar cell research has included

Read more

22
Aug

Scientists Create Thin, Transparent Solar Generator

Not many people think clunky solar roof panels are attractive, but we live with the unsightly installations because they provide clean, renewable energy. It would be better if solar power could be generated by nearly invisible means – say a thin, transparent film that lays on the screen of your cell phone or over the windows of your house. That’s

Read more

22
Aug

Is free-space wireless charging viable? Dialog thinks it’s worth a try

Energous’ technology promises charging of devices such as Smartphones, within a room or within around 3m of a charging point, with no connections to the hand-held or wearable device and with no requirement to lay it on a charging pad or mat. Details of Energous exact technology have so far been sketchy, but the company says it is using the

Read more

22
Aug

Volvo opens proving ground for next-gen car technology

AstaZero enables engineers to test their vehicles in a broad range of potential traffic situation. On an area of 2 million square metres, the site includes rural roads, a city area, multilane roads and a high-speed area for tests related to vehicle dynamics like avoidance manoeuvres at high speed. The site is encircled by a 5.7 km highway. The rural

Read more

22
Aug

Renovo Unveils All-Electric Supercar With a $529,000 Price Tag

Silicon Valley-based startup Renovo Motors just unveiled one of the world’s most spectacular all-electric sports cars: the Renovo Coupe. The Renovo Coupe borrows its chassis from the Shelby CSX 9000 and it’s powered by a 500 horsepower electric motor and a 740 volt battery pack. But all that power doesn’t come cheap – only 100 units are planned for production

Read more

21
Aug

Will Electric Cars Ever Be Practical?

I love electric cars.  I really do.  They seem to be the ideal solution to many transportation issues.  You’re not going to see any electric 18 wheelers or FedEx trucks but electrics are ideal for the consumer. They are relatively simple, silent and clean.  But they are still fraught with a batch of problems that keep them from going main

Read more