Volkswagen is expanding its global production network for electric vehicles by now starting to make the all-electric ID.4 in Emden. Emden is now the second site for electric vehicles in Germany following Zwickau and also joins the Chinese plants in Anting and Foshan. Chattanooga (ID.4) and Hanover will also commence... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group (HMG) entered into an agreement with the State of Georgia to build its first dedicated full electric vehicle and battery manufacturing facilities in the US. The new EV plant and battery manufacturing facilities represent an investment of approximately US$5.54 billion. Non-affiliated Hyundai Motor Group suppliers will invest... Read more →

Huge and immediate need for renewable-based fuels in shipping represents opportunity for investors, according to ‘Fuelling the Fourth Propulsion Revolution’ report released today. Investment in green infrastructure key, as shipping will carry more than half of the world’s net-zero fuels by 2050, report estimates. Particular opportunity for the Global South... Read more →

Power management company Eaton introduced a family of 48-volt DC-DC converters for diesel-powered commercial vehicles that can be used to power accessories such as antilock brakes and lighting. Unlike competitive offerings, Eaton’s DC-DC converters are operational in ambient temperatures up to 85 ˚C and boast 97% design efficiency. DC-DC converters... Read more →

The DRYtraec coating process developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS allows the dry production of battery electrodes without toxic organic solvents or water (earlier post). In particular, the space- and energy-intensive drying step of conventional wet-chemical coating processes is completely eliminated. In addition to environmental... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) will award $24.9 million in funding for six research and development projects to support the advancement of clean hydrogen for electricity generation. This includes improving capture of CO2 associated with hydrogen production from carbon-based resources and technologies to use hydrogen in gas turbines more... Read more →

A development team from CoorsTek Membrane Sciences, in collaboration with international research partners, have successfully used ceramic membrane technology to develop a scalable hydrogen generator that makes hydrogen from electricity and fuels including natural gas, biogas and ammonia with near zero energy loss. A paper on the work is published... Read more →

Renault unveiled its new Scénic Vision concept-car at the ChangeNOW summit in Paris. Its hybrid electric and hydrogen powertrain aims to reduce downtime related to energy recharging while reducing the carbon footprint, including the battery. Renault Scénic Vision is zero emission in production and in use with a 75% smaller... Read more →

Mercedes-AMG is positioning the Vision AMG show car as suggestive of the all-electric future of AMG Driving Performance. Beneath exterior design of the four-door coupe—featuring a long wheelbase and emphasized by short overhangs, powerful shoulders, large wheels, a distinctive rear spoiler and star-shaped headlamp signature—is the equally dedicated AMG.EA platform... Read more →

Volkswagen and Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. (M&M) are exploring the use of MEB electric components for Mahindra’s new “Born Electric Platform”. Both signed a Partnering Agreement on 18 May to evaluate the scope of collaboration. Mahindra intends to equip its “Born Electric Platform” with MEB electric components such as electric... Read more →

ABB E-mobility announced a new investment into EV charging software provider ChargeLab. Co-ordinated through ABB EL Ventures, the investment forms part of ChargeLab’s $15-million Series A financing. ABB E-mobility first partnered with ChargeLab in 2020. This investment, along with a new commercial partnership to develop next-generation software solutions for ABB... Read more →

Korea-based LOTTE Chemical and US-based solid-state battery component startup Soelect recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to review the creation of a joint venture and the construction of a US$200-million GWh-grade lithium metal anode production facility in the United States by 2025. Soelect’s LiX lithium metal anode enables fast charge... Read more →

Together with its partner Nordic Marine Oil, Neste is piloting a new Neste Marine 0.1 Co-processed marine fuel in Scandinavia, a solution helping the maritime sector to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The ISCC PLUS-certified marine fuel enables up to 80% GHG emission reduction over the lifecycle compared to... Read more →

GVB, the public transport company of Amsterdam, is further expanding its electric fleet with 84 new generation VDL Citeas. These vehicles, based entirely on an electric powertrain, will be deployed from 2023 onwards. The framework contract includes an option for a further 130 new VDL Citeas, which in the coming... Read more →

Volvo Trucks is opening its first battery assembly plant. Located in Ghent, Belgium, the plant will supply ready-to-install batteries for Volvo Trucks’ full electric heavy-duty trucks. This investment shows our strong commitment to electrifying truck transportation. By 2030, at least 50 percent of all trucks we sell globally will be... Read more →

Element 1 Corporation (e1NA), Zhejiang Methanol Hydrogen Technology (ZMHT) and Zhejiang Element 1 (e1China) have formed a joint venture company—Zhejiang Hydrogen One Energy Technology Co., Ltd.— to drive methanol-based hydrogen generation technology and commercialize e1NA’s technology throughout Greater China. The new JV will have rights to sell e1NA’s S-Series product... Read more →

After well more than one million-miles (1.6 million kilometers) of testing in daily customer operations, Daimler Truck and its US Freightliner brand recently unveiled the all-electric eCascadia that will enter series production in 2022. Built on the best-selling heavy-duty truck platform in North America, the new battery-electric Freightliner eCascadia provides... Read more →

Electrify America entered into a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with developer Terra-Gen to build a solar photovoltaic renewable energy generation project in San Bernardino County, California called Electrify America Solar Glow 1. The new solar project is expected to generate 75 MW at peak solar capacity or an... Read more →

Kia Corporation will establish a new manufacturing facility dedicated to producing electric Purpose Built Vehicles (PBVs). The intelligent new production hub for PBVs will be located within Kia’s existing Hwaseong manufacturing site in Korea. The company plans to begin construction in the first half of 2023, with the aim to... Read more →

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) awarded the “Automotive Excellence Award” to Ford Motor Company for its advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) innovations in the all-electric 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E. The award was presented by John Catterall, vice president of AISI’s automotive program, at the 20th annual Great Designs in... Read more →

BlackBerry Limited and Magna International Inc. have entered into a multi-year agreement to collaborate on various integrated Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) solutions. As part of the agreement, BlackBerry will provide Magna with QNX software including the QNX Software Development Platform, QNX OS for Safety, QNX Platform for ADAS, as... Read more →

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced a new formulation of its popular Endurance WHA waste haul tire made with a renewable soybean oil compound. The Endurance WHA is now made with soybean oil, which replaces a portion of the petroleum-based materials used in its production. The soybean oil in... Read more →

ŠKODA AUTO has started manufacturing battery systems for all-electric vehicles based on the Volkswagen Group’s Modular Electrification Toolkit (MEB) in Mladá Boleslav. This makes the car manufacturer’s main plant the only production facility for MEB battery systems in Europe outside Germany. Around 250 employees will soon be assembling more than... Read more →

Air Liquide, CaetanoBus and Toyota Motor Europe have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the aim of developing integrated hydrogen solutions. This will include infrastructure development and vehicle fleets to accelerate the expansion of hydrogen mobility for both light- and heavy-duty vehicles. The partnership reflects the shared ambition of the... Read more →

The Cobalt Institute’s Cobalt Market Report 2021, prepared by CRU, confirms the role of cobalt as one the key commodities of the green future, due to the rapid growth of the lithium-ion battery market and a strong global uptake of electric vehicles. In 2021, the cobalt market showed unprecedented demand... Read more →

Kobe Steel will launch “Kobenable Steel” and become Japan’s first provider of low-CO2 blast furnace steel products with significantly reduced CO2 emissions during the blast furnace ironmaking process. The company plans to start selling the new products this fiscal year. Kobenable Steel is based on the KOBELCO Group’s CO2 Reduction... Read more →

Genesis Motor America announced the start of sales of its first electric vehicle, the GV60 (earlier post). The Genesis GV60 enters the US market with a number of available world-first automotive features, including Face Connect and a Crystal Sphere. These innovative features enable drivers to be even more connected with... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz will work with Sila, a next-generation battery materials company (earlier post), to incorporate Sila's silicon anode chemistry in batteries which are optionally available for the first time in the upcoming electric Mercedes-Benz G-Class. This will add another innovative cell chemistry to the Mercedes-Benz battery portfolio. The innovative high-silicon anode... Read more →

BMW i Ventures announced a lead investment in the Series A-1 financing round of Vancouver-based Mangrove Lithium. The company has developed a modular platform producing battery-grade lithium hydroxide and carbonate from diverse input streams and assets to improve the sustainability profile of lithium. BMW i Ventures is joined by existing... Read more →

Standalone Swedish premium electric vehicle manufacturer Polestar has released its second Annual Review and Sustainability report, highlighting progress towards its ambitious climate goals. In 2021, Polestar reduced greenhouse gas-emissions per car sold by 6% through its focus on increased efficiency and use of renewable energy. Polestar is targeting a truly... Read more →