General News

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Michael Brancato and Matthew Lucke join Dr. Artur Wolek’s research team in designing boats to be autonomous surface vessels