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THE TECH
Image courtesy of ElapheIn-wheel electric motor
manufacturer Elaphe Pro-
pulsion Technologies will
begin low-volume produc-
tion of the L1500, a new
gearless in-wheel powertrain
system, in the fourth quarter
of 2019. The system features
high torque, low weight, and
a compact packaging fitted
around standard knuckles and friction braking systems.
The L1500 generates 1,500 Nm of torque and 110 kW
of power output, while fitting inside wheels as small as 19
inches. The motor is compatible with rear-wheel-, front-
wheel-, and four-wheel-drive vehicles.
In a recent track testing of the L1500 powertrain in
a modified prototype EV, the car achieved 0-100 km/h
in 3.5 seconds, which Elaphe claims is the fastest time
recorded for an in-wheel motor.
“Our technology enables manufacturers to design
and produce EVs rapidly and cost-effectively without
compromise to their existing vehicle architectures or
complex packaging,” said Elaphe CEO Gorazd Lampič.
“The technology also integrates seamlessly with auton-
omous driving applications, providing feedback data,
unprecedented responsiveness, and enhanced vehicle
controllability.”
Elaphe begins production of
new in-wheel hub motor
Scientists at the DOE’s Argonne National Lab have
developed a new cathode coating by using an oxidative
chemical vapor deposition technique that can help keep
the cathode electrically and ionically conductive, ensure
safety after many cycles, and help with other challeng-
es as well. The findings are reported in the May online
edition of Nature Energy.
“The coating we’ve discovered really hits five or six
birds with one stone,” said report author and Argonne
battery scientist Khalil Amine. Amine and his fellow
researchers took particles of Argonne’s nickel-manga-
nese-cobalt (NMC) cathode material and encapsulated
them with a sulfur-containing polymer called PEDOT.
This polymer provides the cathode with a layer of protec-
tion from the electrolyte as it charge and discharges.
Although PEDOT prevents the chemical interaction
between the battery and the electrolyte, it still allows
for the transport of lithium ions and electrons that the
battery requires in order to function.
The coating also largely prevents the cathode material
from converting to another form called spinel, which
causes the battery’s cathode to deactivate. “The combina-
tion of almost no spinel formation with its other proper-
ties makes this coating a very exciting material,” Amine
said.
The PEDOT material also demonstrated the ability
to prevent oxygen release, a major factor for the degra-
dation of NMC cathode materials at high voltage. “This
PEDOT coating was also found to be able to suppress
oxygen release during charging, which leads to better
structural stability and also improves safety,” Amine said.
Amine indicated that battery scientists could likely
scale up the coating for use in nickel-rich NMC-contain-
ing batteries. “This polymer has been around for a while,
but we were still surprised to see that it has all of the
encouraging effects that it does.”
With the coating applied, the researchers believe that
the NMC-containing batteries could either run at higher
voltages – thus increasing their energy output – or have
longer lifetimes, or both.Argonne’s new PEDOT cathode
coating increases battery
safety and stability