Transportation

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MUTE, an electric vehicle from the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM), is an agile, sporty two-seater for regional road traffic. Its lithium-ion battery is designed to guarantee a range of at least 100 kilometers. When needed, a zinc-air battery serves as a range extender.
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Hybrid Power Management (HPM) is the integration of diverse, state-of-the-art power devices in an optimal configuration for space and terrestrial applications. The basic vehicle architecture consists of a primary power source, and possibly other power sources, that provides all power to a common energy storage system that is used to power the drive motors and vehicle accessory systems.
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An enhanced algorithm has been developed that builds on a previous innovation of fuel-optimal powered-descent guidance (PDG) for planetary pinpoint landing. The PDG problem is to compute constrained, fuel-optimal trajectories to land a craft at a prescribed target on a planetary surface.
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Mitsubishi Electric (Tokyo, Japan) recently introduced a transfer molded power module (T-PM) designed for hybrid and electric vehicle applications. The J-Series T-PM, incorporating proprietary technology that ensures power loss reduction, has a lifespan 30 times longer than industrial power modules and is also Pb-free - including the terminal plating.
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A team of students from Virginia Tech University won EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge after designing and building an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) using E85 (ethanol). Virginia Tech competed against 15 other universities to take home the top prize of the three-year competition.
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New technology is being developed at Oregon State University to capture and use the low-to-medium grade waste heat from automobiles, diesel generators, or factories and electrical utilities. The new systems should be able to use much of that waste heat either in cooling or the production of electricity.
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Neutron analysis of the atomic dynamics behind thermal conductivity is helping scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) gain a deeper understanding of how thermoelectric materials work. The analysis could spur the development of a broader range of products with the capability to transform heat to electricity.
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Linear Technology Corporation (Milpitas, CA) offers a high-reliability (MP-grade) version of the LT3511, a high-voltage isolated monolithic flyback regulator that operates over a -55°C to 150°C junction temperature range. The device simplifies the design of an isolated DC/DC converter since it needs no optocoupler, third winding, or signal transformer for feedback, as the device’s output voltage is sensed from the primary-side flyback signal.
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Advanced biofuels are highly touted as potential replacements for gasoline, diesel, and jet fuels. Equally touted is the synthesis of these fuels through the use of microbes. However, many of the best candidate compounds for advanced biofuels are toxic to microbes, which presents a “production versus survival” conundrum.
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Air conditioning is a ‘must-have’ for most new cars. But the fluorocarbon refrigerant HFC-134a – the global standard – is one of the ozone-depleting greenhouse gases causing global warming. With these concerns, the European Union has passed regulations phasing out the compound beginning in 2011 and mandating the use of alternatives with less environmental impact.
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In the SmartEnergyLab, scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE in Freiburg, Germany are investigating how to network various electrical household appliances and operate them remotely. The researchers can analyze, assess, and develop almost any energy-management system for controlling power and heat.
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Today, National Instruments announced its 2011 Green Engineering Grant program for the rapid design, prototyping, and commercialization of new green technology. The grant will provide access to up to $25,000 equivalent in NI LabVIEW graphical system design software tools and training to eligible startups.
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The DOE's Fuel Cell Technologies Program is offering up to $12 million to advance hydrogen storage technologies for use in fuel cell powered vehicles and other applications. The funding will be made available for applied research and development projects in two topic areas.
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Payton Planar Magnetics (Deerfield Beach, FL) offers high-power transformers with 99%+ efficiencies. These types of transformers are used in battery charging stations for HV and can be connected in series to achieve 60-80KW. All Payton automotive magnetics are qualified to meet full automotive specs.
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Electric power and electronics play an increasing role in vehicles. Currently copper is the conductive material of choice but in comparison to aluminum, it is heavy and expensive. Before aluminum can replace copper in power supply systems, a number of technological challenges need to be surmounted.
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Fuel cells use the chemical energy of hydrogen or other fuels to efficiently produce electricity or heat with minimal byproducts, primarily water. The DOE is accepting applications for a total of up to $74 million to support the research and development of clean, reliable fuel cells for stationary and transportation applications.
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A new tire is made from helical springs, requires no air or rubber, and consumes nearly zero energy. The spring tire provides greater traction in sandy and/or rocky soil, can operate in microgravity and under harsh conditions, and is non-pneumatic.
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The DOE is accepting applications for up to $184 million over three to five years to accelerate the development and deployment of new efficient vehicle technologies that will reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil, save drivers money, and limit carbon pollution.
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Renewable energy comes out of an electricity socket, but to get there it has to travel a long journey – from wind turbines out at sea or regional solar, wind, and biogas power plants. On the way to the consumer much energy is lost, but new electronic components will change things in future.
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Check out the new issue of Lighting Technology for more new feature articles, videos, application stories, tech briefs, products, and more - all on the latest advances in LEDs and solid-state lighting.
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Strobe or rotating beacon-type emergency lighting is a requirement on all Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) maintenance and construction vehicles. There is an effort to replace the standard warning lighting with LED-based lights in order to reduce cost of replacement and maintenance.
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Allegro MicroSystems (Worcester, MA) offers constant current LED drivers to address requirements of internal and external illumination applications within the automotive market. Allegro’s A6261/A6262/A6264 LED drivers offer four channels of up to 100 mA LED current each, and can be paralleled for higher currents.
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The infrared DRAGON SFH 4236 from OSRAM Opto Semiconductors (Sunnyvale, CA) is designed for applications that require narrow radiation characteristics from limited board space, namely automotive applications such as driver and passenger monitoring systems and blind spot detection systems, as well as camera-based vision systems for the industrial and security sectors.
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Scientists from Rice University and Lockheed Martin have discovered a way to use simple silicon to radically increase the capacity of lithium-ion batteries. The researchers are confident that cheap, plentiful silicon combined with ease of manufacture could help push their idea into the mainstream.
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ROHM Semiconductor (San Diego, CA) introduces the Model BD8381EFV-M high-brightness LED driver for automotive forward illumination applications. With this flexible IC, designers can specify the same driver for use in high-beam, low-beam, and daytime running light (DRL) circuits.
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