SafeBattery, Kuhn, Lithium Storage, StreetDrone, Zinc.

Batteries under extreme strain: Project SafeBattery from Austria’s Technical University of Graz is to explore what happens with EV batteries in crash situations. It is a concern that helped get partners like Audi, AVL List, Daimler, Kreisel Electric, Porsche, Steyr Motors and SFL Technology on board. The researchers’ will analyse current and potential future tech, namely Li-ion batteries as well as solid-state batteries, but will also look if and how a battery’s life pre-crash could affect its safety. The project is set up for four years and disposes of a 6m euro budget.
tt.com, tugraz.at (both in German)

Swiss-made electric heavyweight: Kuhn and Lithium Storage claim to be working on the biggest all-electric vehicle that has been ever built. Their garbage truck is for Ciments Vigier and the industrial EV weighs 111 tonnes, features a 700 kWh power pack and shall be delivered this autumn in order to serve in the client’s cement factory. Once in service, the electric truck may act as a plus energy vehicle so in case of excess energy, the power can be fed into the grid.
oekonews.at (in German)

UK students to look into autonomous Twizy: British company StreetDrone plans to convert Renault’s electric quad into an autonomous car in order to make an object of study out of it. Universities across Britain will be asked to buy the modified Twizy from this summer.
businessgreen.com

Zinc-based batteries: A team of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory developed batteries with zinc anodes and nickel cathodes, that shall serve in common Li-ion batteries but be lighter and safer. The researchers’ approach could be applied in mild hybrids as well as in electric cars or pedelecs.
spectrum.ieee.org