Drones are used in a number of applications within logistics and delivery, typically in the "last mile of delivery". Drones are being trialed to fulfill the role of deploying and delivering goods and services. This article focuses on drone delivery use cases.

Practically no graphene manufacturer is making significant revenue, let alone a profit, so continued funding will still be essential - but is there still enough cash being injected?

Within the EV market, increases are being seen in battery capacity, range, charging rates, wide bandgap semiconductors, and high-performance traction motors. Additionally, EV fires and related recalls have brought the concept of thermal runaway detection, prevention, and protection to the fore. All of these trends demand more effective thermal management systems, solutions, and materials.

The electric car market has grown rapidly over the past 5 years, and within this growing market, several trends can be seen when looking at batteries and traction motors. To help organizations to analyze these trends, IDTechEx has released the "Electric Car Sales, Models & Technologies Database".

Thursday 8 July 2021 - What are solid-state batteries?; Value propositions of solid-state batteries; Development trend of solid-state batteries; Overall market landscape; and Targeting markets

The IDTechEx report "Charging Infrastructure for Electric Vehicles and Fleets 2021-2031" finds that the total number of electric vehicle charging outlets surpassed 1 million in 2020, with both China and Europe at or below the optimum 10 electric vehicles per charging outlet.

With an increasing number of players working in this field and some milestones being achieved, the solid-state battery market is expected to grow to $ 8 billion by 2031, according to IDTechEx's new report "Solid-State and Polymer Batteries 2021-2031: Technology, Forecasts, Players".

The term distributed propulsion (DP) primarily refers to a fundamentally new form of wing that combines aerodynamics with thrust and zero emissions, resulting in numerous benefits.

Thursday 1 July 2021 - Electric car range will increase fourfold over the next 20 years. For many leaders that will mean way over 1000 miles. Short-range cars will be treated like ones with no aircon or sound system.

Worldwide events and trends are causing a greater demand on data centers. A key area for data centers is thermal management, and regardless of the overall thermal strategy adopted, the considerations around thermal interface materials (TIMs) are crucial.

The resilience of global electric vehicle (EV) sales during 2020 provided some optimism as to the maturing state of the electric vehicle market. However, sales are still primarily underpinned by government policy, and improvements in cost and performance to Li-ion cells and packs, not to forget other aspects of the vehicle or grid infrastructure, are needed for widespread adoption.

Would you prefer a car with 600 miles/nearly 1000km range or half that? Fast charging is all the talk now but doubling then trebling the range is seismic.

Thursday 24 June 2021 - Why may it become almost the only form of transport allowed in city centres? What other technologies are being brought to bear and what is emerging as the best design to meet the requirements of city authorities as they seek empowerment of the disabled, no congestion, traffic accidents or emissions?

Limits on the amount of bioethanol and biodiesel that can be blended with conventional fossil fuels mean growth in the consumption of certain biofuels has slowed considerably over the past 5 years. However, with CO2 targets becoming increasingly stringent, and some sectors being difficult to electrify, alternative fuels are likely to still be needed over the coming years.

As with nearly all manufacturing of functional materials and beyond, there has been a shift to China, and the aerogel industry has been no exception.

Some research from the new IDTechEx report 'Routes to 1000 Mile (1600km) Battery Electric Cars'

Automotive OEMs are increasingly using interior features to distinguish between models and from other brands. There are, therefore, extensive opportunities for printed/flexible electronics to add additional functionality to the cockpit while facilitating efficient manufacturing.

Robotaxis are nothing more than repurposed autonomous cars used for ride-hailing. Robot shuttles are the opposite - a totally new form of transport.

Thursday 10 June 2021 - "Li-ion for Electric Vehicles - Technology Developments and Batteries Beyond Cars". The webinar will introduce recent developments and investments into Li-ion for EVs; Li-ion technology developments and timelines; EV markets beyond cars; and Trends in Li-ion batteries for different EV segments.

"Autonomous cars will be here in 2 years" has been a standard sentence from the industry for the past 5 years or so. Now there is good reason to expect autonomous ride-hailing services to hit our roads within 3 years. So, what has happened in the last year in the world of autonomy to give this confidence boost?