OEMs & Tier1 companies are moving towards 800V technology, to ensure faster EV charging & longer range, however, higher voltages stress primary insulation (even more) & can cause partial discharge leading to motor failure. To avoid this, modern stator design concepts use rectangular wires in hairpin or wave windings with a thicker insulating layer; which are coated with fluoropolymers. However, these are rather soft materials & have relatively poor resistance to abrasion & minor clamping force. In addition, they show low adhesion & are difficult to extrude. In comes Italy & Germany-based Tau, with its “DryCycle” technology, which allows wire coating with PFA, PTFE, ETFE & other fluoropolymers, with no solvents or primers (instead, solid-state...

London-based Plexal, a "generalist" coworking space, has acquired a majority stake in Cheltenham-based Hub8, a cyber security-focused coworking space (note: Cheltenham is the natural home of the UK’s cyber ecosystem, thanks to GCHQ’s more than 70-year heritage in the town). Hub8 was founded in 2019 by Bruce Gregory (CEO) & Plexal was founded in 2018 by Andrew Roughan (CEO) - with backing from DV4 (a real estate value added fund managed by Delancey). Plexal already owns similar co-working space in London & Manchester, & this latest acquisition is part of its ongoing mission to build the UK’s most connected cyber ecosystem. Plexal & Hub8 already collaborated in the past, having won in 2021 the National...