BTC POWER, manufacturer of electric vehicle (EV) charging systems, is showcasing its industry-leading portfolio of AC and DC chargers at the upcoming Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Long Beach, California, May 9-11, 2022. The ACT Expo is North America’s largest advanced transportation technology and clean fleet event.

Since introducing the single and dual port 30A AC charging system in 2011, BTC POWER has expanded its EV charging system portfolio to include 30-70A AC Pedestal and Wall Chargers, 100kW All-in-One DC Fast Chargers, 100-350kW High Power Towers with Dispenser Systems and more. With over 15,000 EV charging systems sold throughout the world, BTC POWER offers unique and customizable solutions for fleet operators, charge point operators, fuel stations, convenient stores, retail centers, and more for charging electric vehicles, fleets, heavy duty transit shuttle and school buses, and other specialty vehicles.

“As EV technology becomes top priority in the world’s efforts to transition to clean energy, we are thrilled to participate in this year’s ACT Expo to show our support of their mission to reduce emissions and build a cleaner, more sustainable tomorrow. BTC POWER is ready to provide innovative solutions to help improve user experience and increase EV adoption,” said Michael Wagner, COO, BTC POWER.

BTC POWER continues to innovate its product portfolio to meet the unique and ever-changing demands of the EV industry. At this year’s ACT Expo, BTC POWER will show a sneak preview of its upcoming release of the new GEN4 product line. Be sure to visit booth 1712 to find out more.

When you register for our May Manufacturing Lunch + Learn event you will gain new insight about today’s manufacturing technology.

The first session is presented by Open Mind Technologies USA featuring Account Manager Kevin Lewis and Application Engineer Uday Honnalagere. The two will be discussing intelligent “best fit” CAM process for alignment and machining of 3D printed stock. Additive/3D printed material used in manufacturing applications are witnessing high growth worldwide in a broad range of industries. Historically, for components that need finish machining after AM, the alignment on the machine tool requires high expertise, expense in setup time, and can have inconsistent results. This is due to the challenge in alignment of the NC program to the real-world conditions presented by the clamping position of the irregular material on the machine tool. Intelligent part alignment integrated in the CAM system offers a solution to this problem by efficiently adapting the virtual (NC program) to the real world (location of the stock on the machine). A “best fit” CAM process offers a quick, predictable, and reliable path to overcome this challenge in a way that eliminates the requirement for specialist knowledge, reduces setup time and eliminates waste.

The second presentation is from John Parker, MT business development and product manager at Heidenhain. Parker will be discussing new CNCS manufactured in the U.S. – MILLPWR an TURNPWR.

MILLPWR a powerful yet easy to operate CNC retrofit systems for knee mills and bed mills. Faster set-ups, shorter run times and a major boost in productivity are just one "powerful easy" retrofit away. Our new MILLPWRG2 control and retrofit kits can turn just about any knee mill into a powerhouse money-maker.

TURNPWR is a workshop-oriented turning control that enables the user to program conventional machining operations right at the machine. It is designed for turning machine tools with up to two axes. TURNPWR was developed to satisfy the wants and needs of lathe machinists where manual and automated operation are both useful and needed. TURNPWR promises to enable the user to maximize throughput by significantly reducing setup time, scrap, and other non-productive operations.

Register today so you aren’t left behind the competition.

Volvo Cars made an investment in StoreDot, an Israeli company developing extreme-fast charging battery technology for electric cars, through the Volvo Cars Tech Fund, its venture capital arm.

StoreDot is working on a pioneering technology resulting in batteries charging to 160km of pure electric range in just five minutes. The investment gives Volvo Cars the opportunity to collaborate closely with StoreDot on exciting new battery technology, as it aims to become a pure electric car company by 2030.

By working together with Volvo Cars, StoreDot aims to accelerate the time to market for its technology and it targets mass production by 2024. Volvo Cars is the first premium car maker to invest in StoreDot.

The collaboration between both companies will mainly take place within the battery technology joint venture that Volvo Cars established last year with Northvolt, the Swedish leading battery maker. Through its investment in StoreDot, Volvo Cars has secured access to any resulting technology from the collaboration.

“We aim to be the fastest transformer in our industry and the Tech Fund plays a crucial role in establishing partnerships with future technology leaders,” said Alexander Petrofski, head of the Volvo Cars Tech Fund. “Our investment in StoreDot perfectly fits that mindset and their commitment to electrification and carbon-free mobility matches our own. We’re excited to make this a successful collaboration for both parties and work towards bringing this groundbreaking technology to the market.”

StoreDot’s pioneering battery development is centered around a unique silicon-dominant anode technology and related software integration. It aims to develop extreme-fast charging battery technology, which closely aligns with Volvo Cars’ ambition to develop electric cars with a longer range, quicker charging, and lower costs.

Hyundai Motor Group agreed with the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco) and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), to research and develop an advanced fuel for an ultra lean-burn, spark-ignition engine aiming to lower the CO₂ emissions of a vehicle.

Hyundai Motor Group is conducting R&D activities minimizing greenhouse gas emissions from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles during its transition to battery electric vehicles (BEV) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV).

“BEVs and FCEVs will be Hyundai Motor Group’s ultimate technologies to achieve carbon neutral mobility, while eco-friendly ICE technology that combines eco-friendly fuel and ultra-lean burn engine will be the key to effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions during our transition to EVs,” says Alain Raposo, Executive Vice President of Hyundai Motor Group, leading the Electrified Propulsion Technical Unit.

E-fuels are synthesized from green hydrogen, produced by water electrolysis using renewable electricity and carbon dioxide, resulting in 80% lower lifecycle emissions. The ultra-lean burn engine is an eco-friendly technology that increases thermal efficiency and fuel economy compared to conventional engines leading to further reduction of greenhouse gases.

Hyundai Motor Group, Aramco, and KAUST will research and potentially develop an advanced fuel formulation for use in combination with a novel combustion system. Hyundai Motor Group, with its automotive and technology leadership, will provide ultra-lean-burn gasoline engine for use by the research team.

Aramco will leverage advanced fuels technology to carefully design an effective fuel formulation. KAUST will oversee the modeling and verification of technologies, including engine testing, by providing state-of-the-art combustion research center. The collaboration hopes to create synergies leveraging each participant’s expertise.

The study aims to verify by how much greenhouse gas emissions can be reduced when e-fuel is used in hybrid EVs instead of conventional fuel. In addition, the joint R&D aims to numerically confirm the effect of reducing greenhouse gas emissions through simulation and engine testing. Hyundai Motor Group expects to achieve carbon neutrality in an effective way by significantly reducing carbon emissions generated by conventional petroleum fuels through the new engine technology.

“As hybrid electrical vehicles are rolled out, the real challenge now lies in making strides with optimal fuels and exceptional combustion systems. The Aramco team provides fuel design and blending know-how to improve Hyundai Motor Group engine combustion performance and the outcome could lead to the application of synthetic e-fuels. This is a space in which we are pushing boundaries and we are excited to be part of it,” said Ahmad O. Al-Khowaiter, Aramco’s Chief Technology Officer.

The tests will be conducted by researchers in the Clean Combustion Research Center (CCRC) at KAUST.

“Building more efficient and less polluting transport systems is a critical contribution to the circular carbon economy approach to tackling climate change,” says Professor Donal Bradley, Vice President for Research at KAUST. “Clean Combustion Research Center is ideally placed to support this significant development with its excellent record in the development and optimization of low-carbon fuels. We look forward to working closely with our colleagues in Aramco and Hyundai on this exciting project.”

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation have each announced Carbon Neutrality 2045 roadmaps, committing to become carbon neutral in their global products and operations by 2045. The companies will make investments in cleaner transportation and greener energy solutions to achieve a better and more sustainable future.