Power/Performance Bits: May 18


Efficient high-voltage power conversion Researchers from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and Enkris Semiconductor are working to design new power transistors with the aim of improving power converter efficiency. "We see examples of electric power losses every day, such as when the charger of your laptop heats up," said Elison Matioli, head of EPFL's POWERlab, noting that ... » read more

Building Better Batteries With Parameter Characterization


By Chris South and Theresa Duncan The global economy is rapidly transitioning to portable and storable electricity, which impacts every major technology sector, especially consumer electronics, clean energy, and mobility/transportation. The electric vehicle (EV) market, in particular, has seen a significant uptick in sales in the past decade. According to BloombergNEF, by 2040 over half of ... » read more

The EV Era Has Begun: Here Are Five Things We Need For It To Succeed


The EV era has officially begun. General Motors says it will eliminate gas and diesel cars and SUVs from its lineup by 2035 while Ford will go all electric in Europe by 2030. The UK issued plans for phasing out diesel and gas cars by 2035 and then moved it forward to 2030. Fleet customers such as UPS and Amazon are ordering zero emissions delivery vehicles by the thousands and investing in s... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: March 2


Fast-charging EV battery Electric vehicle adoption faces challenges from consumers' range anxiety and the extended lengths of time needed to charge a car's battery. Researchers at Pennsylvania State University are trying to address this by developing lithium iron phosphate EV batteries that have a range of 250 miles with the ability to charge in 10 minutes. It also is expected to have a lifeti... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Feb. 2


MXene antennas Researchers at Drexel University and Villanova University developed spray-on antennas made of the 2D materials MXene that is flexible and light while maintaining good signal. "This combination of communications performance with extreme thinness, flexibility and durability sets a new standard for antenna technology," said Yury Gogotsi, professor of Materials Science and Engine... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Dec. 29


Safer Li-ion batteries Scientists from Stanford University and the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory propose a way to make lithium-ion batteries lighter, more efficient, and fire resistant. One of the heaviest components of lithium-ion batteries are the copper or aluminum sheets that act as current collectors. "The current collector has always been considered de... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Nov. 23


Graphene energy Researchers from the University of Arkansas, University of Pennsylvania, and Universidad Carlos III de Madrid built a circuit capable of capturing graphene's thermal motion and converting it into an electrical current. "An energy-harvesting circuit based on graphene could be incorporated into a chip to provide clean, limitless, low-voltage power for small devices or sensors,... » read more

Building Billions Of Batteryless Devices


Later this month, Arm will celebrate its 30 year anniversary and the engineering milestones that have resulted in more than 180 billion Arm-based chips being shipped in everything from sensors to smartphones to the world’s fastest supercomputer. In each of these cases, much of Arm’s success has been in our dedication to delivering the highest performance per watt. But while Arm may ha... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Nov. 3


Wirelessly charging multiple devices Researchers from ITMO University developed a metamaterial that can be used to turn surfaces into wireless charging areas for multiple devices from different manufacturers with different power transfer standards. "There are various wireless power transfer standards with different frequencies, so you can't just use a charger by any manufacturer," said Poli... » read more

Power/Performance Bits: Oct. 27


Room-temp superconductivity Researchers at the University of Rochester, University of Nevada Las Vegas, and Intel created a material with superconducting properties at room temperature, the first time this has been observed. The researchers combined hydrogen with carbon and sulfur to photochemically synthesize simple organic-derived carbonaceous sulfur hydride in a diamond anvil cell, which... » read more

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