By fusing together a pair of contorted molecular structures, Cornell researchers createda porous crystal that can uptake lithium-ion electrolytes and transport them smoothly via one-dimensional nanochannels—a design that could lead to safer solid-state lithium-ion batteries. A paper on the work is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.... Read more →

Mitsubishi HC Capital will invest approximately ¥200 billion (US$1.35 billion) this year in shipping containers through group company CAI International—the largest such purchase in 2024—Nikkei reported. Tensions in the Middle East have caused container ships to avoid passage through the Red Sea and Suez Canal, extending the length of voyages... Read more →

Maxell, Ltd. announced in its new medium-term management plan “MEX26” (Maximum Excellence 2026) that it will accelerate the development of all-solid-state batteries as core of new business toward 2027. Maxell, whose name derives from the phrase “Maximum Capacity Dry Cell”, started business as a manufacturer of battery and magnetic tape... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Company and Waymo entered into a multi-year, strategic partnership. In the first phase of this partnership, the companies will integrate Waymo’s sixth-generation fully autonomous technology—the Waymo Driver—into Hyundai’s all-electric IONIQ 5 SUV, which will be added to the Waymo One fleet over time. The IONIQ 5 vehicles destined... Read more →

TotalEnergies made the Final Investment Decision (FID) for the GranMorgu development located on offshore Block 58 Suriname in northern South America. “GranMorgu” means both “new dawn” and “Goliath grouper” in Sranan Tongo, the local language. The GranMorgu project will develop the Sapakara and Krabdagu oil discoveries, on which a successful... Read more →

The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects distillate fuel oil consumption to increase in the fall as diesel-powered agricultural equipment is used to harvest and transport crops. The harvest tends to peak in mid-October and continue through November, when the start of the winter home heating season also supports distillate... Read more →

Nissan unveiled the new Magnite compact SUV in India, where it will be manufactured and sold. The Magnite, originially launched in December 2020, has established a strong presence in India and has achieved cumulative sales of more than 150,000 units across India and international markets. The new model combines sleek... Read more →

Oshkosh Corporation announced that Republic Services placed an order for 100 McNeilus Volterra ZSL electric refuse and recycling collection vehicles. This second order follows the successful operation of initial units into Republic Services’ residential collection fleet. This significant order reinforces Republic Services’ commitment to sustainability and the transition to a... Read more →

PowerCell Group has signed an agreement with an Australian aviation company for a concept study for a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft with minimal emissions. The study includes an order of SEK 7 million (US$680,000) of engineering work for the specification; the customer aims to build prototypes that will... Read more →

Eaton has partnered with Munich Electrification to develop and market its battery configuration switch (BCS), an advanced solution for 400-volt/800-volt dual string battery packs in electrified vehicles. This innovative, integrated, bi-stable device for parallel/series reconfiguration allows 800-volt vehicles to charge effectively via a 400-volt charger, while also offering numerous benefits... Read more →

Enel X Way North America is closing its electric mobility business in the US and Canada, operated by the local subsidiary of Enel X Way USA, effective 11 October 2024. A third-party firm will be appointed to manage the company’s affairs and closure. The appointed firm will be responsible for... Read more →

EVgo has received a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $1.05 billion of debt financing from the US Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Programs Office (LPO) under its Title 17 program to accelerate expansion of its fast charging network in community locations across the US. The financing... Read more →

IONNA, the charging network founded by eight of the world’s top automakers—BMW, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Kia, Stellantis and Toyota—broke ground on the first IONNA ‘Rechargery in Apex, North Carolina (near Raleigh), just a few miles from its previously announced headquarters and customer experience lab. This metro site is... Read more →

24M recently released new testing results for its transformative battery separator—Impervio—that addresses the growing concern of battery safety for electric vehicles (EV), energy storage systems (ESS) and consumer applications (earlier post). The new data coincides with mounting concerns after recent battery fires in the United States and internationally. Impervio, announced... Read more →

Toshiba Corporation has agreed with Kawasaki Tsurumi Rinko Bus Co., Ltd. (Rinko Bus) and Drive Electro Technology Co., Ltd. (Drive Electro Technology) jointly to study a demonstration project to confirm the effectiveness of a super-rapid charging battery powered by a pantograph. The project is expected to start operation in November... Read more →

The UC Berkeley Energy & Biosciences Institute (EBI) has received nearly $20 million to establish a center aimed at advancing the use of seaweed in the global supply chain. Named the International Bioeconomy Macroalgae Center (IBMC) at UC Berkeley, the Center will address the need for foundational knowledge, technological approaches,... Read more →

Volvo Cars reported global sales of 62,458 cars in September, up 1%compared to the same period last year. The company’s sales of electrified models—fully electric and plug-in hybrid models—grew 43%compared to the same period last year and accounted for 48% of all cars sold during September. The share of fully... Read more →

OCSiAl has launched a single wall carbon nanotube dispersion facility in Serbia. This move enhances ProLogium’s European supply chain and supports the mass adoption of electric vehicles via the production of advanced lithium ceramic batteries in France. With an annual capacity of 3,000 MT of nanotube dispersion, OCSiAl’s facility will... Read more →

Driving the new all-electric ID.7 Pro S, the Volkswagen Team Switzerland headed by project lead Felix Egolf, an expert in long-distance driving with electric cars, successfully covered a total of 794 kilometers (493.4 miles) with a single battery charge in a net driving time of 15 hours and 42 minutes.... Read more →

Toyota Motor Corporation and Joby Aviation, Inc. announced that Toyota will invest an additional $500 million to support the certification and commercial production of Joby’s electric air taxi, with the aim of realizing the two companies’ shared vision of air mobility. The investment, which will be made in two equal... Read more →

Volkswagen Group of America (VWGoA) has opened a new port facility at Port Freeport in Texas. Port Freeport will import and process up to 140,000 vehicles for Volkswagen, Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, and Porsche, supporting approximately 300 dealers in the Central and Western United States. After consolidating two smaller facilities in... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE), through its Loan Programs Office (LPO), has closed a loan guarantee of up to $1.52 billion under the Inflation Reduction Act’s Energy Infrastructure Reinvestment (EIR) program to Holtec Palisades to help finance the restoration and resumption of service of an 800-MW nuclear generating station... Read more →

In a world’s first for heavy vehicle makers, Scania’s has integrated reused components on its main assembly line in Sweden. The achievement took place earlier this year as part of the iReGear joint research project with KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Scandinavian Transmission Service AB, and was made possible... Read more →

Pure Lithium, a vertically integrated lithium-metal battery technology company, acquired all the assets of Dimien Inc., a private US vanadium cathode materials company. Pure Lithium acquired Dimien’s intellectual property, know-how, manufacturing equipment and took on its experienced team, accelerating the development of Pure Lithium’s lithium metal vanadium (LVO) battery. Dimien... Read more →

Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) reported US September sales of 162,595 vehicles, down 20.3% on a volume basis and down 9.9% on a daily selling rate (DSR) basis versus September 2023. September electrified vehicle sales consisting of hybrids, plug-in hybrids, pure electrics and fuel cells were 48.4% of total sales... Read more →

Mitsubishi Motors has updated the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) model of the Outlander crossover SUV and premiered it in Europe. The new model will be available in showrooms in Japan this fall and in 20 European countries in spring 2025. Update for the gasoline model is planned to follow... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) awarded a $2.5-million grant to develop and demonstrate advances in fuel cell technology at the Port of Oakland. The grant is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The total project cost will be more than $7 million and is another part of the Port’s... Read more →

Vauxhall has commenced UK customer trials of the Vivaro HYDROGEN van. A range of companies, including some of the UK’s largest fleets, will be taking part in the trial over the coming months ahead of the UK launch of the Movano HYDROGEN, Vauxhall’s largest light commercial vehicle. The Vivaro HYDROGEN... Read more →

ZF has produced a total of 250 million Electric Park Brake (EPB) units. This achievement solidifies ZF’s position at the forefront of the industry, becoming the first company to reach this significant figure while maintaining its commitment to enhance overall brake system performance and driver safety and comfort. Developed primarily... Read more →

LG Chem announced that its Platform Technology R&D team has developed a temperature-responsive Safety Reinforced Layer (SRL), a material designed to suppress thermal runaway. In collaboration with Professor Lee Minah’s team from the Department of Battery Engineering at POSTECH, the material was analyzed, while safety verification was conducted in partnership... Read more →