Following in the footsteps of the Mercedes‑Benz eVito Tourer, the eVito panel van will also receive a comprehensive update of its electric powertrain and a new battery with an usable capacity of 60 kWh from the beginning of December. The locally emission-free van replaces the model successfully launched on the... Read more →

Lexus revealed a new ROV (Recreational Off-highway Vehicle) Concept, a hydrogen-engined vehicle offering near zero-emissions driving combined with extreme off-road capability. It reflects a commitment by Lexus to ensure exhilarating driving can co-exist with a carbon-free society centered on responsible mobility. While tackling its carbon neutrality goals, Lexus is passionate... Read more →

Kongsberg has tested and verified a full-scale, full-size, zero-emissions drivetrain powered by hydrogen fuel cells designed for ships and ferries. The program is the third and final part of the EU-funded project HySeas (HySeas III) which has been running since 2013 to prepare and demonstrate a scalable hydrogen system for... Read more →

The Wall Street Journal reported that China will create one of the world’s largest rare-earths companies with the aim of maintaining its dominance in the global supply chain of the strategic metals as tensions deepen with the US. Citing unnamed “people familiar with the matter”, the WSJ said that the... Read more →

Lithium prices continued to rise in November, with Chinese battery-grade prices surpassing the RMB 200,000/tonne (US$31,395/tonne) mark, according to Benchmark’s Lithium Price Assessment. Source: Benchmark Mineral Intelligence The rise in lithium carbonate prices could increase production costs of lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells by at least 16%, Benchmark Mineral Intelligence... Read more →

Toyota showcased its experimental hydrogen-powered combustion engine technology in the multiple award-winning GR Yaris. The hydrogen fuel, fuel tanks and refueling process of the experimental vehicle are the same as found in the Mirai, Toyota’s commercially available flagship fuel cell electric vehicle. 2022 GR Yaris Hydrogen While the Mirai employs... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced $35 million in funding for twelve projects focused on developing technologies to reduce methane emissions in the oil, gas, and coal industries. DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) Reducing Emissions of Methane Every Day of the Year (REMEDY) program (earlier post) was unveiled... Read more →

The Federal Highway Administration is inviting public comment on the development of guidance for two new electric vehicle charging station programs included in the recently enacted $1-trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The National Electric Vehicle Program or EV Charging Program will provide funding to the States to deploy EV... Read more →

After several years of development, Bosch is now starting volume production of silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors to supply automotive manufacturers worldwide. In the future, an increasing number of production vehicles will feature these chips. Picture: Bosch The future for silicon carbide semiconductors is bright. We want to become a... Read more →

TI Fluid Systems (TIFS), a leading global supplier of automotive fluid systems technology, has launched high volume production supply of various fluid products for the global Mercedes-Benz AG programs C-Class, GLC and E-Class hybrid electric vehicles (HEV). TIFS will also supply products for Mercedes-Benz AG’s internal combustion engine (ICE) variants... Read more →

Southern California Edison (SCE) is offering a $4,000 rebate to income-qualified customers who buy or lease pre-owned electric vehicles. SCE has been offering a $1,000 rebate through its Pre-Owned EV Rebate program to residential customers who purchase or lease a used EV. Now the electric company has quadrupled this rebate... Read more →

Electrify America has installed onsite, behind-the-meter battery energy storage systems (BESS) at more than 140 ultra-fast DC charging stations around the country, including more than 90 installations in California. These systems in total have more than 30 megawatts (MW) of energy storage capacity, representing the largest roll-out of onsite behind-the-meter... Read more →

The board of De Lijn, the public transport authority and operator in Flanders, Belgium, has approved the order of 60 electric buses from Van Hool and VDL. Part of a framework agreement of 350 e-buses, this order represents yet another step towards a zero-emission fleet and accompanying infrastructures by 2035.... Read more →

Israel-based Karamba Security, a leading developer of endpoint protection for connected devices, has secured $10 million in new funding in an extension to its B Round financing. VinFast, a member of Vingroup, the largest private conglomerate in Vietnam, led the investment with participation from SVIC, a leading corporate VC from... Read more →

Aemetis, Inc., a renewable fuels company focused on negative carbon intensity products, has an offtake agreement with American Airlines for 280 million gallons of blended fuel containing sustainable aviation fuel (“SAF”) to be delivered over the 7-year term of the agreement. The aggregate value of the agreement is estimated to... Read more →

Nissan Motor unveiled a lunar rover prototype jointly developed with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) at the Nissan Futures event in Yokohama. The JAXA Space Exploration Innovation Hub Center is conducting research on lunar rovers—a key technology for space exploration. Nissan has been working with JAXA on driving controllability... Read more →

Nissan revealed its new Nissan Ariya Single Seater Concept—a high-performance exploration, development and demonstration project of how the all-electric Nissan Ariya crossover (earlier post) powertrain could be used in a bespoke single-seat racing car chassis. The concept was presented at the Nissan Futures event by Alfonso Albaisa, Nissan senior vice... Read more →

SABIC is launching two new grades of NORYL resin that support demand for lighter, thinner and more crash-resistant battery modules and housings. These new innovative materials—NORYL NHP6011 and NHP6012 resins—address key consumer requirements for EVs: improved safety, range and power. They deliver enhanced robust flame retardancy and impact strength to... Read more →

SES, formerly known as SolidEnergy Systems, and ENTEK Membranes have entered into an exclusive supply agreement for innovative separator materials in the development and production of high-energy Li-Metal rechargeable batteries. Both headquartered in the US with global presence, SES and ENTEK seek to power the future of electric transportation with... Read more →

General Motors and POSCO Chemical plan to form a joint venture through which the parties will construct a factory in North America to process critical battery materials for GM’s Ultium electric vehicle platform. The joint venture will process Cathode Active Material (CAM), a key battery material that represents about 40%... Read more →

AKASOL AG is introducing its third generation of battery systems manufactured in series production. The new AKASystem 9 AKM 150 CYC has the highest energy density available on the market, according to AKASOL, and is thus especially suitable for fully electric long-distance applications such as coaches or trucks. The new... Read more →

In collaboration with Nuro, a robotics company transforming local commerce with autonomous vehicles, 7-Eleven is launching the first autonomous commercial delivery in the state of California, enabling its customers in the Mountain View, California service area to order through the 7NOW delivery app to have their products delivered via bot.... Read more →

The Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF), Energy Systems Network (ESN), the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) and the City of Fishers have joined with May Mobility, a leader in autonomous vehicle (AV) technology and shuttle operations, to inaugurate a free, public autonomous shuttle service on 20 December 2021 to serve the... Read more →

The Shell GameChanger Accelerator Powered by NREL (GCxN), a multi-million dollar program developed in collaboration between Shell GameChanger and the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), has selected five startups to participate in the program’s fifth cohort. GCxN provides promising early-stage cleantech startups with resources to accelerate... Read more →

While the automotive industry continues to move toward fully automated, self-driving vehicles, the pace is not being matched by educational efforts that will help bring buyers into the modern mobility movement. According to the newly released J.D. Power 2021 Mobility Confidence Index (MCI) Study, consumers possess inaccurate knowledge of fully... Read more →

Two studies—led by a team from Seattle City Light, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), and Sandia National Laboratories—are exploring the potential of shifting from fossil fuel to clean hydrogen as fuel to power medium-and heavy-duty vehicles. The studies will assess the issues associated with scaling up hydrogen infrastructure large enough... Read more →

Steel production could be made with almost no carbon emissions through $278 billion of extra investment by 2050, according to a new report from research firm BloombergNEF (BNEF). Hydrogen and recycling are likely to play a central role in reducing emissions from steel production. Steel is responsible for around 7%... Read more →

Lithium-ion battery pack prices, which were above $1,200 per kilowatt-hour in 2010, have fallen 89% in real terms to $132/kWh in 2021, according to a new report from BloombergNEF (BNEF). (All prices are in real 2021 $, unless stated as nominal.) This marks a 6% drop from $140/kWh in 2020.... Read more →

Steel E-Motive, an initiative of WorldAutoSteel, the automotive group of the World Steel Association and its engineering partner Ricardo unveiled the exterior styling vision for their fully autonomous ride-hailing, ride-sharing vehicle designed to showcase the benefits of using steel for global mobility-as-a-service. The Steel E-Motive vehicle design has been optimized... Read more →

General Motors has joined the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA), adding another element to company programs that support the sustainability and human rights of the EV supply chain. IRMA advances responsible mining practice through a comprehensive set of standards covering the four principles of Business Integrity, Planning for Positive... Read more →