IEEE spectrum's transport this year highlighted breakthroughs in electric cars, batteriescharger, automationaviation, maritime technology and much more. Readers have been following the push to restore U.S. magnet manufacturing, rethink electric vehicle charging architecture, and reinvent automotive software. They were tracking China sprint to five-minute charging, the emergence of powerful home chargers and the desire for automation airports. Our most-read articles also covered next-generation navigation. carbon-free marine fuel, electric vessels of record sizeand first road tests solid state batteries. Read on for our roundup of the transport stories published in 2025 that readers found most interesting.
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most visited transport post of the year focused on United States efforts to restore domestic supplies neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets– critical components for electric cars, wind turbines, HVAC systems and many military systems. MP Materials began trial production at its new Texas plant with plans to increase capacity to 1,000 to 3,000 tons per year, and supplier companies such as General Motors. Other American projects from Electronic VAC Magnets, Noveon, USA Rare EarthsAnd Quadrant also arise.
But these efforts are being overshadowed by China's actions. rare earth elements industry: China is 85 to 90 percent NdFeB magnets and 97 percent core rare earth metalsAt the same time, individual Chinese firms produce tens of thousands of tons – much more than all non-Chinese factories combined. China also has huge untapped oil refining and production capacity, which helps keep global prices low.
MP Materials' unique mine-to-magnet strategy may provide exploration and supply chain resilience, but competing with China's subsidies and scale will be extremely difficult. USA Ministry of Defense may pay more for “nation friendly” magnets, but cost-conscious automakers such as GM may resist rising domestic prices.
Jim West/REA/Redux
A strong public EV charging network is essential for mass EV adoption, especially for drivers who cannot reliably charge EVs at home. However, today's fast charging stations are expensive and complex, largely due to one feature: galvanic isolation— a safety barrier based on a transformer that protects against electric shock when the grounding fails. This isolation equipment accounts for approximately 60 percent of the cost of the charger's power electronics and about half of the power loss, making fast chargers expensive to build and maintain. The authors of the article are veterans AC motorwhose early technologies influenced Tesla Roadster—claim that galvanic isolation is no longer needed.
The authors propose a new approach they call direct power conversion (DPC): eliminating the isolation coupling entirely and replacing it with: (1) a dual grounding system with ground continuity detection to prevent electrical hazards and (2) a buck regulator to eliminate voltage mismatches between the grid and the EV battery. Removing the insulation would simplify chargers from four power conversion stages to one (plus a buck regulator if needed). This could cut charging equipment costs by more than half, improve efficiency by 2 to 3 percent, create much cheaper fast charging stations, allow on-board chargers for electric vehicles to become powerful enough to Level 3 chargingand accelerate the expansion of public charging infrastructure. The authors argue that simplifying chargers—and abandoning old notions of galvanic isolation—is the fastest path to an affordable and reliable EV charging network, which is critical for a wide range of chargers. adoption of electric vehicles.
BID released megawatt class charging electric vehicles in China, delivery 400 kilometers range in five minutes— triple the power (and therefore triple the speed) of today's best installations in the US. A Han L The sedan briefly reached 1,002 kilowatts on BYD's new 1,000-volt platform, which uses 1,500-volt silicon carbide chips and upgraded lithium iron phosphate batteries for safe, ultra-fast charging. BYD's vertically integrated approach—making cars, batteries, and chargers—allows the company to scale quickly and keep prices low. The company has already installed 500 megachargers and plans to install another 4,000, putting China far ahead of competitors such as Huawei And Dhikr The race to reach speeds of up to 1500 kW. China produces 85 to 90 percent of NdFeB magnets and 97 percent of its underlying rare earth metals, with individual Chinese firms producing tens of thousands of tons—far more than all non-Chinese plants combined.
ChargePoint
While BYD is increasing the charging speed of public electric vehicles so that extending their range takes no more time than filling the fuel tank of a gasoline car, another company is implementing a charging strategy that allows for more efficient use of time when vehicles are idle— which happens most of the time.
MCKIBILLO
Airports launching a wave of new automation to speed up journeys from curb to gate. Copenhagen optimization's Virtual queue allows travelers to reserve screening time, and machine learning models adjust seat availability and staffing in real time. Electronic luggage tags generate paperless luggage tags via NFC, while IdemiaThe company's biometric systems verify identity using a quick facial scan. Discovery of the Smiths's X-ray diffraction machines identify materials using molecular fingerprints, reducing false alarms. Amazon's Just go out stores allow you to make cashless purchases, and Neo robots from Avidbots autonomously wash terminal floors. Even boarding is getting smarter with systems that alert passengers trying to jump the line. Removing galvanic isolation can simplify chargers from four energy conversion stages to one. This could cut charging equipment costs by more than half, improve efficiency by 2 to 3 percent, and enable much cheaper fast charging stations.
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