China Follows New Battery Paths

Dean Sigler Announcements, Batteries, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Does China own the EV battery market?  One may be forgiven for thinking that lithium batteries have problems that cloud their future.  Battery makers worldwide are struggling to solve these problems, but China seems to have taken the lead in breakthroughs. One of the country’s biggest competitors may be Finland’s Donut Lab, which has been promoting its 400-Watt-hour-per-kilogram cells, claiming the ability to be recharged 100,000 times.   Chinese competition may not disprove these claims, but seem to up the ante. A Chinese Consortium China may have a much bigger competitor in personnel and resources with its consortium of battery and automotive manufacturers. CASIP, or the China All-Solid-State Battery Collaborative Innovation Platform.  CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited). is probably the largest company involved, with 37.9 percent of the 2024 total world battery market in its sales profile.  Other battery manufacturers include  CALB, EVE Energy, SVOLT, Gotion High-Tech, and BYD’s battery subsidiary, FinDreams Battery.  Several state-owned auto makers are involved, as …

CES 2020: eVTOLs Vie for Attention

Dean Sigler Hybrid Aircraft, Sky Taxis, Sustainable Aviation Leave a Comment

Two electric Vertical Take Off and Landing (eVTOL) craft captured spectators’ attention at the 2020 CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas, Nevada.   Mick Akers of the Review-Journal reported on Bell’s Nexus 4EX, an updated prototype or the concept machine they showed last year, and the New Hyundai SA-1, unveiled as part of its partnership with Uber. The Bell Nexus 4EX Akers reports, “After lighting up CES 2019 with its Nexus vertical takeoff and landing aircraft model, Bell returned this year with an updated prototype: the Nexus 4EX.” Unlike last year’s hybrid version, the 4EX will be fully electric.  Akers noted that, “the 4EX features four fan ducts, a reduction from the six shown with last year’s model.” Bell promotes the benefit more marketers in the UAM segment are attacking – time.  “Your commute, transformed.  Turn a 45-minute drive into a 10-minute flight. The safe, convenient Air Taxi is designed to let you make the most of your commute. Its …