August 2, 2018 | News and product briefs from EV Connect, Saft, Boeing, Cementex, and more.
EV Connect has closed an $8 million financing round to further expand their cloud-based EV network management platform. The round was led by Ecosystem Integrity Fund, with participation by Montage Capital and existing investors. The financing round will facilitate EV Connect’s international expansion, Scott Jarus, Executive Chairman of EV Connect, told Battery Power Online. “We’re already in the United States and Canada and a few locations internationally, but this is also to help facilitate that.” EV Cloud is the platform that manages electric vehicle charging stations, no matter where they are, Jarus explained. The cloud-based application provides full access control over charging stations and lets customers manage and monitor who can use stations, how much power is accessed, and enables pricing options. “We have over 2,000 charge stations that we’re managing right now, and that number is expected to double and triple over the course of the next 12-18 months,” Jarus said. Press release.
Boeing has awarded Saft a contract to fit all its new 777 and 777X airliners with onboard rechargeable nickel-cadmium battery systems comprising ULM ultra-low maintenance Eversky batteries combined with a dedicated charger. The new Saft battery system is designed to offer Boeing 777 operators superior performance and a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) due to extended maintenance intervals. Customers can retrofit existing 777 airplanes with these new systems distributed by Boeing Global Services subsidiary Aviall. Press release
Cementex, the safety tool specialists, has announced two new safety products. The first is an insulating rubber apron, ideal for working on or around battery storage systems. The apron is a good choice for technicians who have to reach over energized conductors to perform standard maintenance. With a base material of Cementex Class 0 Roll Blanket, the apron is composed of high-strength fabric reinforced Type II rubber. Highly puncture- and tear-resistant, the Cementex insulating rubber apron is also flame-resistant (self-extinguishing) and oil- and ozone-resistant. Apron press release. The company also announced the availability of fully non-conductive fiberglass measuring tools in a 33-inch measuring tape and a 6-foot measuring stick to completely eliminate the potential for one of the most common causes of arc flash and contact with energized conductors – inadvertent contact with metal measuring tools. Because they are fiberglass and not wood, these measuring tools are not affected by environmental changes – even if they get wet, they will not change shape. Tools press release.
Saft, the French industrial battery manufacturer, this year joins an exclusive list of technology companies that have existed for a century or more. Founded in 1918, Saft made its name providing highly specialized batteries for uses from transportation to energy storage and from space exploration to the Internet of Things. More than 3,000 customers worldwide rely on Saft batteries for their long life and ability to function in the most extreme conditions. Always at the forefront of innovation, in 2018 Saft co-founded the European Battery Alliance, spearheading research into the battery technologies of the future. Saft’s leading role in the Alliance will help to develop next-generation solid-state batteries that will be safer and more energy efficient than their predecessors. These batteries will be vital in meeting demand for electric vehicles and the energy storage solutions that will drive the expansion of solar and wind renewable energy. Press release.
AVX Corporation is now qualified to produce and supply MIL-PRF-123 capacitors at its corporate headquarters in Fountain Inn, South Carolina, and has had its M123 Series ceramic chip capacitors added to the Defense Logistics Agency’s (DLA’s) Qualified Parts List for MIL-PRF-123. Available in both BX and BP dielectrics, the new MIL-qualified M123 Series surface-mount, multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) provide proven, space-level-reliability solutions in a wide range of both general-purpose and stability-critical military and aerospace applications. Press Release.
Volkswagen Group Canada has announced the formation of Electrify Canada, a new company that will build an ultra-fast electric vehicle (EV) direct current (DC) charging network across Canada, which is anticipated to be operational starting in the second quarter of 2019. Press release.
