General News

Legislators See How Charlotte is Powering the Future
Local legislators visited BATT CAVE this week as part of a Charlotte Regional Legislative Caucus meeting held on UNC Charlotte’s campus.

Tiefu Zhao named interim director of BATT CAVE
Tiefu Zhao, associate professor in the William States Lee College of Engineering’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, was named interim director of UNC Charlotte’s Battery Complexity, Autonomous Vehicle and Electrification Research Center, or BATT CAVE, effective Sept. 1. He succeeds Jun Xu, the center’s founding executive director who departed August 2023.

Inaugural EV Race Team Begins a New Tradition of Clean Competition
The roar of engines has been joined by the hum of innovation as the UNC Charlotte’s inaugural 49ers Racing Electric Vehicle (EV) team embarks on an exhilarating journey in electric vehicle racing.

Amir Ghasemi Wins NSF CAREER Award for Human-Machine Interface Project
Amir Ghasemi, Assistant Professor in the William States Lee College of Engineering, earned the prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award in June of this year to support his investigations in the area of human-robot interaction.

NC’S 1ST BATTERY RESEARCH CENTER ATTRACTS VIPS FROM ACROSS THE STATE
“This is another incredible success story that we have to continue to build on,” said U.S. Senator Thom Tillis as he joined several other legislators and industry partners on a tour of BATT CAVE on Monday.

W.S. LEE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING LAUNCHES NORTH CAROLINA BATT CAVE RESEARCH CENTER
It isn’t the secret, subterranean headquarters of a masked superhero and a turbocharged car, but the North Carolina BATT CAVE Research Center may very well transform the future of battery technology and the vehicles that use it.

BATT CAVE Director Leads Charlotte’s Push to Battery Research Prominence
Jun Xu, recognized internationally as a battery safety and modeling expert, leads UNC Charlotte’s BATT CAVE— the North Carolina Battery Complexity, Autonomous Vehicle and Electrification Research Center — the only university-led battery research center in the state.

Taiwanese EV Executives Tour Engineering Research Lab
A delegation of 16 Taiwanese electric vehicle executives received an inside look at how UNC Charlotte is building a talent pipeline and creating innovation for the state and region’s emerging electric vehicle industry during a campus tour.

PBS Features Impact of Charlotte Innovation
Tiefu Zhao, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and his team of faculty and student researchers have developed the innovation of wireless power transfer for trains, a first in the U.S. This innovation, developed in partnership with Belmont Trolley, Inc., has resulted in substantial opportunities for rail transportation, including elimination of emissions and increased efficiencies by removing charging lines and cables.

Powering Rail Transportation of the Future
UNC Charlotte’s William States Lee College of Engineering recently introduced a new innovation alongside an existing local heirloom. Community leaders, dignitaries and academia gathered to gain a first-hand look at the new lithium ion battery power cart and the historic Belmont Trolley cars that it will soon power.