Independent electric transport news covering aviation, maritime, buses, trucks, rail and working machinery.
Ferrstron Powertrains says it has road-tested a prototype 150 kW, 400 Nm powertrain in a 2.3-ton multi-utility vehicle. The test is notable because the motor uses ferrite magnets instead of rare earths.
DeepDrive says it has won a nomination as a large-series supplier for an unnamed global vehicle manufacturer. Start of production is planned for 2028, making the agreement a later-stage supply milestone.
BMW Group plans to invest more than €100 million in its Steyr, Austria plant to begin assembling inverter power modules for its Gen6 electric motors in summer. The move shifts production in-house and adds another manufacturing step for the Neue Klasse drivetrain.
Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology International reports that a Zero DS electric motorcycle covered 271.23 miles on a single charge and set a Guinness World Record.
A source reports that researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in the US have developed a new heavy-duty electric motor drive design. The source says the design uses two inversely synchronised inverters and relates to aircraft, ships and trucks.
Brazilian electric motorcycle and battery-swapping company Vammo says it has reached EBITDA profitability, passed 10 million battery swaps and grown to more than 10,000 active riders. The milestones matter as the company prepares to expand beyond São Paulo.
LiveWire says its S4 Honcho Street electric motorcycle has met the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s criteria for use in rider training programs. The change could make it easier for new riders to train and potentially earn a motorcycle endorsement without first learning clutch and gearbox operation on a gas motorcycle.
CleanTechnica says UK company HyFlux wants to use the cold of liquid hydrogen on a future hydrogen aircraft to cool a fully superconducting electric motor. The reported idea matters because it targets a difficult part of hydrogen aviation, not a completed product or order.
Kolkata Police has started adding electric motorcycles to its fleet with the first 60 units delivered. The planned 183-bike rollout would be one of the largest electric motorcycle deployments by a police force in India.
Tau Motors presented 19 electrification papers in New York. Automotive World says Tau Motors is betting that designing motors, power electronics and software together can loosen rare earths’ hold on electrification.