The first electric motor in the world was made by Michael Faraday over 160 years ago and it was axial flux yet almost all traction motors have been radial flux ever since.

Ecotuned Automobile specializes in electric conversion of pickups with the first reusable powertrain system in the world.

The new IDTechEx report, Energy Harvesting: Off-grid Microwatt to Megawatt 2017-2027 concerns a system architecture that can be summarised as follows.

Following the trend to two or more traction motors per vehicle, the Technical University of Berlin with Infineon is merging their motor controllers and the on-board charger (OBC). Infineon now has a special chip to assist. At EVS29 in Montreal June 2016, Dr Martin Bruell of Continental AG, Germany, revealed progress on elimination of the OBC.

At EVS29 here in Montreal Canada the six parallel conferences are world class even though the exhibition is modest.

The new IDTechEx report, Energy Harvesting: Off-grid Microwatt to Megawatt 2017-2027 tells a remarkable story of these twelve magnitudes of green electricity production.

At IDTechEx we believe that there is an excellent solution being proved for the long distance battery vehicle, starting with trucks.

DTechEx attended the Automechanika and the unfortunately named Subcon exhibitions in Birmingham UK 5-7 June 2016.

The unique new IDTechEx Research report, Microcontrollers and Single-board Computers 2016-2026, is the first to reveal the big picture developing from the close relationship between these devices. It provides newly researched forecasts leading to figures such as $300bn in 2026 for SBC alone.

Stellar growth over the coming decade is forecasted by analysts IDTechEx for the electric vehicle business resulting in nearly one trillion dollars sales at ex-factory prices in 2026.

Trucks have to clean up their act if they are not to become illegal under the impending 2025 and 2030 legislation and those that jump the gun will probably gain market share because that clean up typically comes with fuel saving key to profitability in fleet operations working on wafer thin margins. Everyone agrees about that - but how to do it? Complete disagreement.

The pace is hotting up. As the lithium-ion battery business grows rapidly over the coming 15 years a vital way of buying time, clout in purchasing materials, routes to market, technology, economy of scale and brand awareness will be acquisitions.

The arguments for flying cars are style, convenience and cost saving; the stuff of fiction for 100 years.

The arguments for flying cars are style, convenience and cost saving; the stuff of fiction for 100 years. Park a car and a plane together in your garage.

IDTechEx finds that C category cars and above will have to be mild hybrids with 48V lithium-ion batteries if they are to meet the tough new carbon dioxide emissions.

This annual event by the delightful staff of the Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency Foundation CAFE took place May 19-20 at San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront.

The brand new report from IDTechEx Research, Lithium-ion Batteries 2016-2026, finds that at around $140 billion in 2026, the lithium-ion battery business will dominate the battery business.

At first it seems ridiculous that IDTechEx forecasts a huge growth in the power electronics business for electric vehicles.

The unique new IDTechEx Research report Manned Electric Aircraft 2016-2031 explains how, so far, electric aircraft have largely followed electric land and water vehicles.

The IDTechEx conference Electric Vehicles Everything is Changing finished in Berlin last week and it is analysed in this series of exclusive articles.