Energy Storage

Refocussing of smart cities from big brother sensing and people control to energy, food and water independence and magnificent free public transport facilitates cities becoming moveable. IDTechEx report, "Smart City Opportunities: Infrastructure, Systems, Materials 2019-2029" explains.

IDTechEx CEO Raghu Das identifies 3 of the most important technology trends that you need to know about this year.

Traction motor sales grow faster than electric vehicle sales because small vehicles such as mobility for the disabled have two motors. IFEVS has put two in microcars for four-wheel drive. In larger cars, two motors is now commonplace for economy, performance, four-wheel drive, vectored steering and attack survival.

IDTechEx will be hosting a free webinar on Thursday 7 March titled Electric Vehicles in Construction, Agriculture and Mining: Over $100 bn Market Emerging.

Bad strategy rather than tactics, such as misjudged new models, will kill several major automotive companies. They face a perfect storm of peak car, totally new technology, totally new markets and recession.

We have been following the graphene industry as analysts for the past seven years. The results of our ongoing research can be seen in our report on Graphene, 2D Materials and Carbon Nanotubes: Markets, Technologies and Opportunities 2018-2028. In this time, we have seen the industry grow in maturity.

It is a rule-of-thumb that manufacturers should vertically integrate only when products and markets mature, so they can confidently shave off the last pennies of cost. One exception is when shortages loom: Tesla built its battery gigafactory fast using proven Panasonic technology. However, many suppliers now build battery gigafactories.

We move to cities and do internet shopping: that destroys the market for private cars and boosts demand for buses and delivery trucks. Monster Class 8 trucks are top polluters on US highways, all powering a boom in energy storage in buses and trucks. The new IDTechEx report, "Energy Storage for Electric Buses and Trucks 2019-2029" analyses the similar requirements.

The IDTechEx Show! on April 10-11 in Berlin brings together eight key disruptive technologies and their customers at one venue.

In this premium article below we cover some of the latest activities with printed, flexible batteries.