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 →

PPES—the joint venture between Panasonic Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation—and Nexeon, the company developing advanced silicon materials for next generation lithium-ion batteries, have agreed to extend their funded joint development agreement (JDA). The partners will focus their work on the commercialization of e-mobility applications of lithium-ion batteries. Nexeon and PPES,... Read more →

StoreDot, the developer of extreme fast charging (XFC) battery technology for electric vehicles (EVs) (earlier post), has developed new patented technology that will allow battery cells to regenerate while they are in use, through a seamless background repair mechanism. The newly developed system includes a suite of software algorithms with... Read more →

BMW i Ventures announced a lead investment in the Series B financing round of actnano, a company that has developed a next-generation nanocoating that offers protection for electronics across the automotive and consumer electronics markets. actnano’s Advanced nanoGUARD (ANG) technology is a thin nano structure that is sprayed directly on... Read more →

Cummins Inc. has entered into an agreement with Sion Power Corporation (earlier post), a leading developer of high-energy rechargeable battery technology, to design and to supply battery cells based on their proprietary lithium-metal technology for commercial vehicle applications. Under the agreement, Sion Power will engage in a multi-year development program... Read more →

Solid-state battery company Factorial Energy (earlier post) has entered into Joint Collaboration Agreements with both Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis, each of which is also making a strategic investment in the company. Factorial’s technology offers a high level of operational safety and extends driving range by 20 to 50 percent, addressing two... Read more →

Element 1 Corporation has entered into a global agreement with NEXA Capital Partners LLC to accelerate the adoption of its methanol-to-hydrogen generators (earlier post) for fuel cell applications in aerospace and particularly electric vertical aircraft (EVA). Element 1 and NEXA are combining their expertise, along with NEXA’s capital market access,... Read more →

Initial findings from a world-first study of the impact of 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) on both engines of a commercial jet have provided promising early results, according to the participants. The ECLIF3 study (Emission and Climate Impact of Alternative Fuels) (earlier post), involving Airbus, Rolls-Royce, German research center DLR... Read more →

bp confirmed it is planning a new large-scale green hydrogen production facility in the North East of England that could deliver up to 500MWe (megawatt electrical input) of hydrogen production by 2030. To be developed in multiple stages, HyGreen Teesside is expected to match production to demand and build on... Read more →

Researchers in the US and China have developed a catalyst that solves three key problems long associated with direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs): low efficiency, the cost of catalytic materials and the toxicity of chemical reactions inside the cells. The team from the University of Central Florida, Oregon State University,... Read more →

At Art Basel’s 2021 Miami Beach show, BMW M GmbH presented the new BMW Concept XM; the concept car looks ahead to the most powerful BMW M car ever to go into series production, which is set to begin at the end of 2022. Electrification underpins an extraordinary driving experience... Read more →

Dana TM4, the joint venture between Dana Incorporated and Hydro-Québec, North America’s largest renewable energy producer, is establishing a new manufacturing facility in Åmål, Sweden that will initially produce electric motors for the mobility industry. This $50-million fully sustainable operation has received $10.7 million in support from the Swedish business... Read more →

Pony.ai has received approval to run paid autonomous Robotaxi services in the Beijing Intelligent Networked Vehicle Policy Pilot Zone in southeastern Beijing. With this approval, Pony.ai will be permitted to charge fees for Robotaxi services provided to the public. This represents a significant milestone on the company’s path to commercialization,... Read more →

Nine national, regional, state and city-level governments signed up to Climate Group’s newly launched initiative ZEV Pledge. The ZEV Pledge asks governments at all levels, as well as individual departments, agencies and public sector bodies, to pledge to convert their entire owned or leased fleets, where feasible, to zero-emission vehicles.... Read more →