Ford has executed a definitive binding full-form offtake agreement with Australia-based Liontown Resources for the supply of up to 150,000 dry metric tonnes (DMT) per annum of spodumene concentrate—a source of lithium essential in key EV battery chemistries. The spodumene concentrate will come from Liontown’s flagship 100%-owned Kathleen Valley Lithium... Read more →

Beginning in 2025, MAN Truck & Bus will manufacture high-voltage batteries for electric trucks and buses in large-scale production at its Nuremberg site. To this end, the company will invest around €100 million over the next five years at its production site for combustion engines. Production capacities will be expanded... Read more →

At the recent G7 summit in Upper Bavaria, the BMW Group provided a shuttle service, initiated by the German government. As well as the latest series-production models, the fleet of shuttles also featured three examples of the new BMW i7 xDrive60 (electric power consumption combined in WLTP cycle: 19.6 –... Read more →

Arrival recently announced that the Arrival Van has achieved EU certification and received European Whole Vehicle Type Approval (EUWVTA). Arrival successfully completed all the required functional and safety testing to achieve EUWVTA, which is a critical step towards starting trials with customers in the coming months. The company is expected... Read more →

GM is expanding its efforts to educate public safety, fire and emergency service providers throughout the United States and Canada as EV sales grow. The company’s latest EV First Responder Training program will focus primarily on personnel in fire services, providing instruction and sharing of best practices on how to... Read more →

The serial production of the BMW i3 has ended, some eight and a half years after it was launched. The BMW i3 (combined power consumption: 16.3 - 15.3 kWh/100 km according to WLTP, 13.1 - 14.0 kWh/100 km according to NEDC) started out as a somewhat exotic specimen on the... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) intends to issue a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) that will support DOE’s efforts to decarbonize the US industrial sector and move the US toward net-zero carbon emissions. The industrial sector currently accounts for one-third of domestic, energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. DOE’s new FOA will... Read more →

The cost of new-build onshore wind has risen 7% year on year, and fixed-axis solar has jumped 14%, according to the latest analysis by research company BloombergNEF (BNEF). The global benchmark levelized cost of electricity, or LCOE, has retreated to where it was in 2019. Cost rises are linked to... Read more →

The Supreme Court of the US (SCOTUS) has ruled in West Virginia v. EPA that the EPA lacks the authority to set emission standards for power plants so strict as to force a shift of power generation from fossil fuels. The opinion (6-3) applied the “major questions doctrine”, which requires... Read more →

The United States Advanced Battery Consortium LLC (USABC) awarded a $3.5-million technology development contract to Zenlabs Energy Inc. in Fremont, California for a low-cost/fast-charge (LCFC) technology development. Zenlabs has developed proprietary silicon-based formulations that offer higher specific capacity, longer cycle life, and lower cost. Zenlabs’ anodes feature a high loading... Read more →

Cummins and Komatsu, a global provider of equipment and services for the construction and mining industries, have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on the development of zero-emissions haulage equipment. Building on a legacy of diesel engine partnership across a wide variety of mining and construction equipment, Cummins and... Read more →

Improving road safety by adopting proven interventions targeting four key risk factors for road injuries (speeding, drunk driving, lack of helmet, and seatbelt use) in 185 countries could save between 347,000 and 540,000 lives worldwide every year, and offers enormous potential to improve the health and development of individuals and... Read more →

A new high-volume manufacturing facility will deliver products developed for the collaborative e-MOTIF project (electric MOTor, Inverter, Flywheel). Utilizing the manufacturing capability of Shield Engineering Group, the project will employ EMPEL’s e-Motor and PUNCH Flybrid’s “F-Boost” Flywheel Energy Storage System. The manufacturing facility will enable EMPEL’s electric motor and inverter... Read more →

FREYR’s Board of Directors has sanctioned construction of Giga Arctic (combined Gigafactories 1 & 2), the company’s first battery manufacturing facility under development in Mo i Rana, Norway. FREYR is increasing the nameplate capacity of Giga Arctic to 29 GWh in response to improving battery supply-demand dynamics, ongoing commercial success,... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz is aligning its global production network to manufacture its reshaped product portfolio focused on luxury electric vehicles as the brand prepares to go all electric by the end of the decade—wherever market conditions allow. The future product portfolio will focus on three categories: Top End Luxury, Core Luxury and... Read more →

GKN Hydrogen and Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) will work with the US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on an innovative green hydrogen storage solution. GKN Hydrogen’s HY2MEGA can enable safe, long duration clean energy storage without the need for compression. At scale, this combined technology... Read more →

NASA is seeking partners to develop technologies needed to shape a new generation of lower-emission, single-aisle airliners that passengers could see in airports in the 2030s. Through its new Announcement for Partnership Proposals, NASA intends to fund one or more awards to design, build, test, and fly a large-scale demonstrator... Read more →

DSM Engineering Materials has launched of a new, more sustainable version of its flagship product Stanyl: Stanyl B-MB (Bio-based Mass Balanced), with up to 100% bio-based content. Using the maximum possible levels of biomass-waste feedstock, it enables DSM Engineering Materials to halve the carbon footprint of this product line and,... Read more →

Under a new partnership, members of Fly Victor, the on-demand private jet company, can purchase Neste MY Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) for every private jet booking globally. This enables private jet charterers to reduce the carbon footprint of their private air travel in a credible and measurable way. Victor’s private... Read more →

The European Council has agreed to raise the targets for reducing CO2 emissions for new cars and new vans by 2030 to 55% compared to 1990 for cars and to 50% for vans. The Council also agreed to introduce a 100% CO2 emissions reduction target by 2035 for new cars... Read more →

Hyliion and Cummins are partnering to optimize the Cummins natural gas engine as the generator for the Hyliion Hypertruck ERX powertrain (earlier post). The Hyliion Hypertruck ERX is an electric range extender semi-truck powertrain solution using onboard power generation to recharge the batteries. Together the companies plan to obtain key... Read more →

Renault Group and Atos have launched ID@scale (Industrial Data @ Scale), a new service for industrial data collection to support manufacturing companies in their digital journey towards Industry 4.0. “ID@S” (Industrial Data @ Scale) will allow manufacturers to collect and structure data from industrial equipment at scale to improve operational... Read more →

Turntide Technologies is launching Turntide Electrification, a suite of world-class battery and powertrain components made to decarbonize commercial and industrial transport segments including, off-highway vehicles, autonomous guided vehicles, construction, trucks and buses, marine, and passenger rail. While the electrification of consumer cars and trucks has received a lot of attention... Read more →

Leclanché reports a significant breakthrough in the safety of its lithium-ion batteries without compromising cell performance. By adding a special fire-retardant additive to its electrolyte formula composition, Leclanché has lowered the risk of a thermal event by close to 80%. The achievement has been validated by Intertek Germany, a third-party... Read more →

Rolls-Royce is entering the hydrogen production market and acquiring a 54% majority stake in electrolysis stack specialist Hoeller Electrolyzer. The Hoeller technology will form the basis of a new range of mtu electrolyzer products from the Rolls-Royce Power Systems division. Hoeller Electrolyzer, based in Wismar, Germany, is an early-stage technology... Read more →

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has invested in Electric Hydrogen (EH2), a clean hydrogen startup headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, to support its efforts in developing cost-competitive, fossil-free hydrogen. The investment was part of a $198-million financing. Through this investment, MHI aims to strengthen and diversify its hydrogen value chain, advance... Read more →

The Volkswagen Group and Siemens are investing $450 million in Electrify America, with a post-money valuation of $2.45 billion. Through its financing arm Siemens Financial Services (SFS), Siemens becomes a minority shareholder in Electrify America with a low triple-digit million USD investment and will hold a seat on the board.... Read more →

Wuxi Lead Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd. (LEAD) announced that it has been contracted by Volkswagen to supply battery manufacturing equipment for Salzgitter, accounting for more than 65% of the total equipment quantity for that 20 GWh gigafactory. Volkswagen has announced it will invest €30 billion to build 6 battery factories... Read more →

Poland-based Impact Clean Power Technology S.A. (ICPT), a manufacturer of battery systems for transportation, robotics and stationary energy storage in Europe, has begun construction of GigafactoryX. The investment will boost the company’s production capacity to up to 5 GWh per year, up from its current 1 MWh per day. Battery... Read more →

In an update to a 2020 study, the Faraday Institution predicts that there will be demand for ten UK-based gigafactories (large, high volume battery manufacturing facilities) by 2040, each producing 20 GWh per year of batteries. The transition to electrified transport is essential to meet Net Zero commitments; the combined... Read more →