Leland Teschler • Executive Editor There were some interesting developments at the recent and aptly named Battery Show near Detroit for those who follow battery technology. One in particular came from the Michigan-based Our Next Energy (ONE). The firm released details about a 240-Ah prismatic cell battery it has designed and which is said to […]
Editor's Blog
Gallery: Sights and sounds at the Battery Show North America 2022
Billed as the most comprehensive battery manufacturing event, the Battery Show combined with the Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo in Novi, Mich., featured over 750 exhibitors and 150 conference presenters, with crowded aisles playing host to more than 14,500 attendees. Here are a few of the sights that caught our eye while checking out […]
Why I still like electromechanical relays – and you should, too (maybe)
The solid-state relay may be the first choice, but the venerable electromagnetic relay offers attributes the SSR cannot provide and so may be the best solution. Everything is solid-state these days, right? Even that one holdover, the vacuum-tube magnetron at the heart of the home microwave oven, is seeing some early signs of competition from […]
Talk of EV fires still smolders
Leland Teschler • Executive Editor lteschler@wtwhmedia.com On Twitter @ DW_LeeTeschler The latest figures from the National Fire Protection Association show that only about 20% of all vehicle fires arise from problems in the vehicle electrical system—most fires have something to do with the fuel system. Seeing as electric vehicles will do away with problematic petrol, […]
Say goodbye to cross-country road trips
Leland Teschler • Executive editor Officials estimate it will cost $50 billion to field the chargers needed for the expected number of electric vehicles on U.S. roads by 2030. But it’s possible that spending every penny of this amount won’t prevent the extinction of the cross-country road trip. Here’s the logic behind that statement: It’s […]
Why your local landfill won’t contain lithium batteries
Leland Teschler • Executive editor Consumers with an inclination toward sustainability have been bummed out over recent revelations that most of the plastics they have carefully separated, washed, and placed in recycling bins typically end up in the local dump. So it may come as good news that dead lithium batteries are increasingly likely to […]
How to electrocute yourself in a few easy steps
Here’s a fun project: Pop open an old microwave oven and scavenge the high-voltage transformer powering the cavity magnetron vacuum tube. Then use it to make yourself a Lichtenberg generator. But be sure there’s someone nearby to call an ambulance. Lichtenberg generators are used to create art and abstract objects by burning fractal patterns into […]
Now or later? No time for time-of-use energy savings
Leland Teschler, Executive Editor One of the big justifications for smart home electronics and internet-of-things pipe dreams is a concept called time-of-use electricity billing. Long used for industrial concerns, the plan is to bring TOU billing to households, so they’ll be charged more for electricity they use during periods of peak use, less for juice […]
All-electric Formula-E racing ramps up
The Formula-E championship is comprised of 13 races that take place in 12 cities across five continents. Season five kicked off in Ad Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday, December 16, 2018, and will take its final lap in New York City on Sunday, July 14, 2019. The next race takes place this Saturday, February 16, […]
Halt and catch fire: The perils of cheap PoE
Dave Jeskey tells an interesting story about what happened when an LED lighting company operated a few of its products in a test chamber. The RJ45 plugs, used for making a connection to a Power over Ethernet cable, melted. The RJ45 plugs came from Sentinel Connector Systems where Jeskey is director of sales and marketing. […]
