A milestone has been reached in the long effort to establish a single charging standard for electric vehicles. After 18 months of testing and deliberations, a Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) task force has adopted a charge coupler design based on butt-type contact technology. The design thus becomes part of the J1772 standard of SAE. The action sets the stage for marketplace competition in inductive charging systems. The task force also considered pin and sleeve technology, which the Japan Electric Vehicle Assn. adopted as the standard in Japan. SAE J1772 will continue to reference this standard.
The Dutch are known for their love of bicycling, and they’ve also long been early adopters of green-energy and smart-city technologies. So it seems fitting that a town in which painter Vincent van Gogh once lived has given him a very Dutch-like tribute -- a bike path lit by a special smart paint in the style of the artist's “Starry Night” painting.
Focus on Fundamentals consists of 45-minute on-line classes that cover a host of technologies. You learn without leaving the comfort of your desk. All classes are taught by subject-matter experts and all are archived. So if you can't attend live, attend at your convenience.