Stadler Rail AG, a leading manufacturer of rolling stock, has ordered six 100 kW FCmove-HD+ fuel cell engines from Ballard Power Systems to power the first hydrogen train in the United States. The contract to provide the hydrogen-powered FLIRT H2 train was awarded to Stadler by San Bernardino County Transportation... Read more →

PowerCo, the new battery company of the Volkswagen Group, and Umicore have established a joint venture for precursor and cathode material production in Europe. From 2025 onwards, the joint venture will supply PowerCo’s European battery cell factories with key materials. By the end of the decade, the partners aim to... Read more →

Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and Stony Brook University have fabricated a thicker electrode for lithium-ion batteries by controlling nanosheet assembly via the combination of an external magnetic field and drying-based densification. This dense and thick electrode is capable of delivering a high volumetric capacity >1,600 mAh... Read more →

VinFast, Vietnam’s first global EV maker, and Renesas Electronics Corporation are expanding their collaboration agreement to include automotive technology development of electric vehicles (EVs) and delivery of system components. As part of the newly expanded agreement, Renesas will provide a broader range of products to VinFast, which will include SoCs,... Read more →

After an initial optimization at the end of 2021, which increased its range by 6.5% (+22 km), the PEUGEOT e-208 will benefit from a major technological shift in 2023 to incorporate the new PEUGEOT e-308’s drivetrain: maximum power will increase by 15%, while major work on efficiency will reduce average... Read more →

The 2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, the next generation of the world’s best-selling plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), is rated to offer 38 miles of all-electric range from a 350-volt, 20kWh lithium-ion battery pack mounted below the floor and between the wheels for a low center of gravity, but minimal loss... Read more →

Hitachi Astemo, Ltd. has received electric axle (e-Axle) orders for mid-size and large-size battery-electric vehicles from Honda Motor Co., Ltd., slated for a global rollout in 2026. Hitachi Astemo will deliver a high-performance, integrated drive unit for Honda, with the e-Axle system combining a highly efficient, silicon carbide (SiC) inverter;... Read more →

ABB recently unveiled its new Plant Optimization Methodology for battery manufacturing, presenting how greenfield battery sites can jumpstart global operations. With major automakers committing more than $500 billion towards electric vehicle production, and many planning to exclusively offer e-vehicles by 2035, there has been a huge growth in demand for... Read more →

Canada-based Euro Manganese (EMN) signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Norwegian state-owned company Statkraft for the long-term supply of carbon-free renewable energy for Euro Manganese’s flagship Chvaletice Manganese Project (CMP) in the Czech Republic. Statkraft is Europe’s largest generator of renewable energy. EMN is a battery materials company... Read more →

MAN Energy Solutions and ABB have signed a Decarbonization Cooperation agreement regarding the development of a next-generation, Dual-Fuel, Electric+ (DFE+) propulsion concept for LNG carriers. The DFE+ concept features the just-launched MAN 49/60DF engine and ABB’s Dynamic AC (DAC) technology and aims to deliver the operational flexibility shipowners need to... Read more →

In the first half of 2022 (January–June), US exports of petroleum products averaged nearly 6 million barrels per day (b/d), the most first-half-of-year exports in Petroleum Supply Monthly data, going back to 1973, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). US petroleum product exports increased in the first half... Read more →

Chevron New Energies, and Mitsui Oil Exploration (MOECO) signed a Joint Collaboration Agreement to explore the technical and commercial feasibility of advanced geothermal power generation in Japan. Building on Chevron and MOECO’s long-standing relationship, the new collaboration will study geothermal resource potential across Japan and will evaluate the effectiveness of... Read more →

The US Maritime Administration (MARAD)—the US Department of Transportation agency responsible for the US waterborne transportation system—launched a 16-month study exploring low-carbon options for shipping on the Great Lakes. The study group, led by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) in partnership with the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)... Read more →

A new $10.95-million research center, led by Michigan Engineering and funded by the US Department of Energy, will focus on understanding an emerging branch of science involving mechanical and chemical phenomena that affect advanced battery designs. The University of Michigan (U-M) and eight partner institutions will explore the use of... Read more →

Umicore last week inaugurated its carbon-neutral production facility for cathode active materials (CAM) for electric vehicles in Nysa, Poland. This makes Umicore the first company in Europe with a complete circular and sustainable battery materials value chain. The gigafactory will supply battery materials to Umicore’s car and battery cell customers... Read more →

The Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team recently concluded a trial in the use of biofuels in 16 Mercedes Actros Gigaspace race trucks for the final three races of the European season. As part of the drive to further reduce CO2 emissions and achieve verified Net Zero by 2030, the trial was... Read more →

Researchers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and the University of Washington (UW) have developed a simple way to isolate a pure magnesium salt, a feedstock for magnesium metal, from seawater. The new method flows two solutions side-by-side in a long stream. Called the laminar coflow method (LCM), the process... Read more →

Cummins revealed its fourth-generation hydrogen fuel cell engine at IAA. Designed to meet the duty-cycle, performance and packaging requirements of medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses, the fuel cell technology is available in 135 kW single and 270 kW dual modules. 135 kW fuel cell system Scania in Europe and... Read more →

Rio Tinto and Shougang Group, one of the world’s top 10 steel producers, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote research, design and implementation of low-carbon solutions for the steel value chain. The MoU’s focus areas include low-carbon sintering technology, blast furnace (BF) and basic oxygen furnace (BOF)... Read more →

Sakuu, developer of the first 3D printed solid-state battery (earlier post), entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Japan’s NGK Spark Plugs CO., LTD. (NGK), a global leader in electrochemical materials and a tier-one industrial automotive supplier. Under the MOU, NGK will co-develop and provide ceramic materials for Sakuu’s... Read more →

Rolls-Royce is releasing mtu rail engines for use with sustainable fuels. With synthetic diesel fuels of the EN15940 standard, CO2 emissions can be reduced by up to 100% compared to fossil diesel. Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO or renewable diesel), which is already commercially available today, reduces CO2 emissions by up... Read more →

Ballard Power Systems announced an order for 14 x 200 kW fuel cell modules from Siemens Mobility GmbH, a leading supplier in the development of alternative drives, to power a fleet of seven Mireo Plus H passenger trains. Delivery of the 14 fuel cell modules is expected to start in... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) released the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge Roadmap outlining a government-wide strategy for scaling up new technologies to produce sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) across the US airline industry. The Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge is a US government-wide approach to work with industry... Read more →

Elli, the Volkswagen subsidiary that manages all activities related to charging and energy for the Group in Europe, the Elia Group and its start-up re.alto signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Berlin. The MoU underscores the signatories’ shared vision of integrating electric cars into the electricity system. Over the... Read more →

LG Energy Solution (LGES) signed separate partnership agreements with three major critical mineral suppliers in Canada. The latest arrangements to secure lithium and cobalt from Snow Lake Resources Ltd., Electra Battery Materials Corporation and Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. are in line with LG Energy Solution’s strategic vision to reinforce its... Read more →

The 2031 Li-ion battery gigafactory pipeline capacity has soared past the 7TWh threshold in Benchmark Minerals’s latest Gigafactory assessment. This milestone comes just four months after the ten-year pipeline exceeded 6 TWh in April. BYD last month announced a 30 GWh gigafactory in Yichun, China, tipping the pipeline capacity for... Read more →

The United States this past week convened Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) partners and key minerals-rich countries to discuss priorities, challenges, and opportunities in responsible mining, processing, and recycling of critical minerals. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken opened the meeting, held in New York City on the margins of the... Read more →

GM Ventures, the automaker’s investment arm, has made a strategic investment in Lithion Recycling’s Series A financing round, supporting a new GM-Lithion strategic partnership agreement to pursue a circular battery ecosystem using Lithion’s advanced battery recycling technology. This collaboration between GM and Lithion will focus on: Validation of Lithion’s recovered... Read more →

General Motors will invest $760 million at its Toledo, Ohio propulsion manufacturing operations to prepare the facility for production of drive units that will be used in future Ultium-based battery electric trucks, including the Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV and GMC HUMMER EVs. Toledo Propulsion Systems will be GM’s... Read more →

Beijing Foton Daimler Automotive (BFDA), the joint venture of Daimler Truck Holding AG and Foton Motor, celebrated the first locally produced Mercedes-Benz trucks with an inauguration ceremony at its new state-of-the-art production site in Huairou, Beijing. The new facility covers an area of more than 400,000 square meters and provides... Read more →