Electric vehicles

This week the US federal agency governing road safety has announced an investigation into Tesla and its self-driving car claims, bringing the challenges of autonomous vehicle adoption to the spotlight.

To mark National Aviation Day, a celebration of the history and development of aviation, IDTechEx analysts consider the future of electric aircraft.

An underlying issue faced by consumers and EV makers is the inadequate number of charge points in optimal locations and having the correct connectors for their cars. Multiple co-existing standards have become a given in the past decade, and there was no sign of harmonisation visible to the public. In the relatively short history of DC fast charging systems, the background of multi-standard charging in different regions is well known at least amongst e-mobility stakeholders. This premium article reviews the different charging plugs that exist, their historical development and factors that will influence the harmonisation of DC fast charging standards in the future.

Local Motors with its Olli robot shuttle is progressing at a furious pace making others look - well - pedestrian. IDTechEx reports predicted the progress in the industry and the latest one, "Robot Shuttles for Smart Cities 2021-2041" roadmaps a lot more that will come from the Teslas of this industry.

IDTechEx has a detailed market research report on the drone technologies market, "Drone Market and Industries 2021-2041". In this report, IDTechEx combines expert analysis and years of knowledge of this innovative industry to disseminate the most important and critical information into one clear concise market research report. This article discusses the use case of drones in agricultural applications.

Whilst IDTechEx expects EVs to continually improve in safety, there will always be the risk of a battery fire due to many potential causes. This presents an opportunity for those material suppliers making thermal interface materials (TIMs), flame-retardant materials, or fire protection materials.

Imagine mines with so much electricity production and storage that they do far more downstream processing. As reserves deplete, many will even transition to being zero-emission power stations and electricity storage for local communities and industry or even national grids. The cost of making-good becomes income from reinvention. That is the untold story of mining electrification, beyond the vital safety, greening, and cost reduction of electrics.

China's electric two-wheeler market is the largest electric vehicle market in the world. Some 29.66 million were produced in 2020 (with sales typically at over 98% of production). Today, however, the market is no longer seeing the explosive growth of the past, the IDTechEx report "Electric Two-wheelers 2021-2041" finds.

While vehicle interiors might be an obvious target for emerging technologies based on printed/flexible electronics, there are also plenty of opportunities for vehicle exteriors. These range from transparent heaters to solar panels, and benefit from attributes as varied as transparency, conformality, low weight, and tunable absorption spectra.

Thermoelectric cooling, heating, and harvesting is partly a great success now, partly to be a success later. First to analyze this big picture is the new IDTechEx report, "Thermoelectric Cooling, Heating, Harvesting: 90 Companies' Achievements and Strategies Appraised with Roadmap 2022-2042".