Australia-based Li-S Energy has entered into an agreement with Janus Electric to develop and to test lithium sulfur and/or lithium-metal battery cells to suit the requirements of the Janus Electric exchangeable prime mover battery packs. Janus Electric has developed a system to convert diesel powered prime mover fleets to electric... Read more →

France-based specialty chemicals and materials company Arkema announced a 50% increase in its Kynar PVDF fluoropolymer production capacities at its Pierre-Bénite site in order to address the fast-growing demand for materials for lithium-ion batteries. Arkema now aims for sales of at least €1 billion in the battery sector by 2030.... Read more →

To conclude the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of Renault 4, the car maker teamed up with motion design hub TheArsenale to create a futuristic showcar, reinterpreting this iconic model. More than 8 million units of the small economy car were sold in more than 100 countries between 1961 and... Read more →

Swedish Climate Leap, “Klimatklivet”, is investing €15 million in power-to-fuel Liquid Wind’s facility, FlagshipONE, producing eMethanol. (Earlier post.) The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency works on behalf of the Swedish government, conducting and coordinating Sweden's environmental work within Sweden, the EU and internationally. The aim of their initiative Climate Leap is... Read more →

Koch Strategic Platforms (KSP), a subsidiary of Koch Investments Group, is making a US$100-million investment in Canada-based Standard Lithium (earlier post) through a direct private placement. In addition to the new capital, the company and several Koch Industries subsidiaries are exploring strategic opportunities to work collaboratively in several key areas.... Read more →

Cornish Lithium (earlier post), a mineral exploration and development company based in Cornwall, UK, secured an investment package of up to £18 million (US$24 million) from TechMet Limited, a leading technology metals investment company. Cornish Lithium said that securing long-term investment from TechMet is a significant step forward that allows... Read more →

The BMW Group is introducing its innovative eDrive Zones in another 20 European cities, including Copenhagen, Verona and Toulouse. A total of 138 cities in Europe are now benefiting from this technology; BMW expects to roll out the service in at least another 30 cities worldwide in the coming year.... Read more →

Swedish battery materials company Altris AB, which specializes in producing highly sustainable cathode materials for rechargeable sodium batteries, has officially opened its first office in China. The Guangzhou-based team will work to promote the company’s innovative cathode material, Fennac, to the Chinese market, as well as provide tailored local support... Read more →

China-based EV maker NIO has entered into a strategic partnership with Shell to further its involvement in electric vehicle and energy industries globally. As part of this new strategic cooperation agreement, NIO and Shell will construct and operate battery charging and swapping facilities. This includes a plan to install 100... Read more →

The Port of Narvik in northern Norway needs a new workboat which should be both fast and emissions-free. Together with eight project partners, it is now seeking public funding to build one of the world’s first hydrogen-powered high-speed vessels. The boat will be equipped with hydrogen fuel cells from TECO... Read more →

INOVYN is partnering with Netherlands-based VT Group (Verenigde Tankrederij) to build Europe’s first bulk liquid chemical barge powered by hydrogen. The hydrogen powered barge will transport vital raw materials for INOVYN between its sites at Antwerp and Jemeppe. This is part of INOVYN’s ongoing strategy to develop green hydrogen and... Read more →

The technology group Wärtsilä, together with class society RINA, ABB, Helbio (a subsidiary of Metacon AB), the Liberian Registry, and an energy major have joined forces in an effort to deliver a solution with hydrogen as fuel. The aim is to have a scalable and sustainable solution that will exceed... Read more →

By disrupting normal societal activities such as driving, COVID-19 lockdowns afforded a unique opportunity to study their impacts on the environment. Researchers now report in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology Letters that satellite data from before and during the spring 2020 lockdown in Los Angeles shows that vehicles, rather than... Read more →

Asahi Kasei, a diversified Japanese multinational company, concluded an agreement with Shell Eastern Petroleum (Pte) Ltd. regarding the supply of butadiene derived from plastic waste and biomass. Asahi Kasei plans to begin producing and marketing sustainable solution-polymerized styrene-butadiene rubber (S-SBR) using sustainable butadiene at its plant in Singapore by the... Read more →

IONITY, Europe's leading high-power charging network, open to drivers of all electric vehicle brands, and present in 24 countries, announced a combined €700-million investment from its current shareholders and new partner the BlackRock Global Renewable Power platform. This investment will drive IONITY’s growth and network expansion plans across Europe, while... Read more →

Elcora Advanced Materials has acquired STE ERMAZONE.A.R.L, which includes ten (10) Vanadium licenses/concessions sites in Morocco. This strategic acquisition supports Elcora’s plan to enhance both its mining and energy storage solutions by adding additional markets related to battery technologies. Elcora’s methodology in processing, along with mining and battery experience, creates... Read more →

Ford has revealed the next-generation Ranger mid-size pickup truck. Order books for next-generation Ranger will open in Europe in late 2022 for customer delivery in early 2023. The current Ranger is Europe’s pick-up segment leader and recently set a new September year-to-date sales record of 45,539 units, with market share... Read more →

In the US, diesel freight trains emit 35 million metric tons of CO2 annually and produce air pollution that leads to $6.5 billion in health costs, resulting in an estimated 1,000 premature deaths each year. Now, researchers from the US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), collaborating... Read more →

Swiss engine designer WinGD, a leading developer of two-stroke low-speed gas and diesel engines used for propulsion power in merchant shipping, said that its engines will be able to run on methanol and ammonia from 2024 and 2025 respectively. WinGD’s multi-fuel solutions will be based on its well-established diesel-fueled X... Read more →

BAE Systems has launched its next-generation power and propulsion system for the marine market. The HybriGen Power and Propulsion system is a flexible solution to help operators reach zero emissions—improving electrical efficiency and vessel range, increasing propulsion power, and simplifying installation. The HybriGen Power and Propulsion solution uses variable speed... Read more →

Renault Group has acquired a 21% minority stake in Whylot, a company based in the Lot region of France that has developed an innovative axial flux automotive e-motor. This acquisition of a stake in the French start-up reinforces the existing strategic partnership between the two companies. Renault Group has previously... Read more →

Israel-based automotive cybersecurity and data management company Upstream Security recently closed a Series C round which includes BMW i Ventures as a new investor. Upstream provides a cloud-based data management platform purpose-built for connected vehicles, delivering automotive cybersecurity and advanced data-driven applications. The platform utilizes connected vehicle data to secure... Read more →

The US Army’s Project Manager Transportation Systems (PM TS), part of Program Executive Office for Combat Support & Combat Service Support (PEO CS&CSS), has partnered with the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to prototype a hybrid conversion kit for tactical vehicles. The effort will initially focus on integrating an idle-reduction capability... Read more →

DHL Express is the first within Deutsche Post DHL Group to test hydrogen-fueled trucks for the long haul. Together with its customer Apple, DHL is piloting the heavy-duty vehicle, equipped with a fuel cell range extender from VDL, between Breda, the Netherlands, and Brussels, Belgium, as part of the Interreg... Read more →

FREYR Battery, a developer of clean, next-generation battery cell production capacity, has become a member of the Fair Cobalt Alliance (FCA) to underscore FREYR’s commitment to developing a sustainable global battery industry. The FCA is a multi-stakeholder action platform committed to developing responsible and fair supply of artisanal mined cobalt... Read more →

Volvo Cars has invested in the optical and imaging technology start-up Spectralics through the Volvo Cars Tech Fund, the company’s venture capital investment arm. The investment gives Volvo Cars access to promising technology at an early stage of development. Coming from a background in aerospace technology development, Israel-based Spectralics creates... Read more →

A combined experimental and computational study published in Nature Catalysis shows promising results for a new class of catalysts producing ammonia under mild conditions. The production of ammonia amounts to about 200 megatons per year. This makes it the second-most produced chemical in the world, surpassed only by sulfuric acid.... Read more →

A coalition of major businesses, including Amazon, Siemens, DHL and Uber, sent a letter to officials from the Department of Energy, Department of Transportation, and General Services Administration calling for programs and standards that ensure interoperability and open access at publicly funded electric vehicle charging stations. As the letter notes,... Read more →

The cost of Li-ion batteries has plunged some 97% since their introduction three decades ago—a rate similar to the drop in solar panel prices. A team at MIT has analyzed what has accounted for the extraordinary savings and found that by far the biggest single factor was work on research... Read more →

Cadillac engineers recently completed the “80 percent” validation drive for the 2023 Cadillac LYRIQ—a critical milestone in Cadillac’s first luxury EV’s development, marking a transition to the final stage prior to production. By confirming that all components and technologies are at or beyond 80%, engineers can now focus on fine-tuning... Read more →