Engineers at Stanford University have developed a new way to make lithium-ion battery packs last longer and suffer less deterioration from fast charging. It could enable electric vehicle batteries to handle more charge cycles and last longer.

Lightweight batteries will be one of the next big breakthroughs in EV technology. One possibility that intrigues engineers is structural batteries, which can be built into the structure of a vehicle’s body or chassis to fulfill load-bearing needs while producing power.

In recent years, most efforts to develop autonomous vehicles have focused on last-mile delivery, driven by the rapid rise of e-commerce. The goal is to create machines that can deliver food and small packages directly to consumers in an affordable, quick, reliable and safe manner.

Vehicle production plants are undergoing a massive transformation as automakers evolve from internal-combustion engines (ICE) to battery power. While EVs use fewer parts overall, those components tend to be heavier than their ICE equivalents. That demands new ways to deploy robots on assembly lines.

Heavy- and medium-duty trucks are one of the hottest segments of the electric vehicle industry today. Both legacy manufacturers and start-ups are scrambling to develop battery-powered machines. Vehicles are slowly starting to roll off assembly lines, but this new class of truck is expected to dominate the market within the next 15 years.

Electric vehicle cable harnesses are a hot topic in the wire processing industry today. It’s an exciting market that’s changing rapidly as new techologies emerge.

Solid-state batteries use solid electrolytes, not liquid, which results in a higher energy density than traditional lithium-ion chemistries. After years of development, they promise to be the next big trend in electric vehicle technology.

Fuel cells offer tremendous potential as a clean power source. The chemical energy of hydrogen and oxygen reacts with fuel cells and converts the energy to electricity. The decades-old technology is ideal for a wide variety of applications, including stationary power stations and many forms of transportation.

Boat manufactures around the world are ramping up production of electric watercraft ranging from pontoons to speedboats. They’re turning to batteries to produce emission-free products that deliver on range and speed.

Overheating is one of the biggest challenges facing engineers developing new types of battery technology. Too much thermal activity can reduce performance, cause malfunctions and increase the risk of fires and other serious problems in electric vehicles.