Korea-based LOTTE Chemical and US-based solid-state battery component startup Soelect recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to review the creation of a joint venture and the construction of a US$200-million GWh-grade lithium metal anode production facility in the United States by 2025. Soelect’s LiX lithium metal anode enables fast charge... Read more →

Together with its partner Nordic Marine Oil, Neste is piloting a new Neste Marine 0.1 Co-processed marine fuel in Scandinavia, a solution helping the maritime sector to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The ISCC PLUS-certified marine fuel enables up to 80% GHG emission reduction over the lifecycle compared to... Read more →

GVB, the public transport company of Amsterdam, is further expanding its electric fleet with 84 new generation VDL Citeas. These vehicles, based entirely on an electric powertrain, will be deployed from 2023 onwards. The framework contract includes an option for a further 130 new VDL Citeas, which in the coming... Read more →

Volvo Trucks is opening its first battery assembly plant. Located in Ghent, Belgium, the plant will supply ready-to-install batteries for Volvo Trucks’ full electric heavy-duty trucks. This investment shows our strong commitment to electrifying truck transportation. By 2030, at least 50 percent of all trucks we sell globally will be... Read more →

Element 1 Corporation (e1NA), Zhejiang Methanol Hydrogen Technology (ZMHT) and Zhejiang Element 1 (e1China) have formed a joint venture company—Zhejiang Hydrogen One Energy Technology Co., Ltd.— to drive methanol-based hydrogen generation technology and commercialize e1NA’s technology throughout Greater China. The new JV will have rights to sell e1NA’s S-Series product... Read more →

After well more than one million-miles (1.6 million kilometers) of testing in daily customer operations, Daimler Truck and its US Freightliner brand recently unveiled the all-electric eCascadia that will enter series production in 2022. Built on the best-selling heavy-duty truck platform in North America, the new battery-electric Freightliner eCascadia provides... Read more →

Electrify America entered into a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with developer Terra-Gen to build a solar photovoltaic renewable energy generation project in San Bernardino County, California called Electrify America Solar Glow 1. The new solar project is expected to generate 75 MW at peak solar capacity or an... Read more →

Kia Corporation will establish a new manufacturing facility dedicated to producing electric Purpose Built Vehicles (PBVs). The intelligent new production hub for PBVs will be located within Kia’s existing Hwaseong manufacturing site in Korea. The company plans to begin construction in the first half of 2023, with the aim to... Read more →

The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) awarded the “Automotive Excellence Award” to Ford Motor Company for its advanced high-strength steel (AHSS) innovations in the all-electric 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E. The award was presented by John Catterall, vice president of AISI’s automotive program, at the 20th annual Great Designs in... Read more →

BlackBerry Limited and Magna International Inc. have entered into a multi-year agreement to collaborate on various integrated Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) solutions. As part of the agreement, BlackBerry will provide Magna with QNX software including the QNX Software Development Platform, QNX OS for Safety, QNX Platform for ADAS, as... Read more →

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced a new formulation of its popular Endurance WHA waste haul tire made with a renewable soybean oil compound. The Endurance WHA is now made with soybean oil, which replaces a portion of the petroleum-based materials used in its production. The soybean oil in... Read more →

ŠKODA AUTO has started manufacturing battery systems for all-electric vehicles based on the Volkswagen Group’s Modular Electrification Toolkit (MEB) in Mladá Boleslav. This makes the car manufacturer’s main plant the only production facility for MEB battery systems in Europe outside Germany. Around 250 employees will soon be assembling more than... Read more →

Air Liquide, CaetanoBus and Toyota Motor Europe have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the aim of developing integrated hydrogen solutions. This will include infrastructure development and vehicle fleets to accelerate the expansion of hydrogen mobility for both light- and heavy-duty vehicles. The partnership reflects the shared ambition of the... Read more →

The Cobalt Institute’s Cobalt Market Report 2021, prepared by CRU, confirms the role of cobalt as one the key commodities of the green future, due to the rapid growth of the lithium-ion battery market and a strong global uptake of electric vehicles. In 2021, the cobalt market showed unprecedented demand... Read more →

Kobe Steel will launch “Kobenable Steel” and become Japan’s first provider of low-CO2 blast furnace steel products with significantly reduced CO2 emissions during the blast furnace ironmaking process. The company plans to start selling the new products this fiscal year. Kobenable Steel is based on the KOBELCO Group’s CO2 Reduction... Read more →

Genesis Motor America announced the start of sales of its first electric vehicle, the GV60 (earlier post). The Genesis GV60 enters the US market with a number of available world-first automotive features, including Face Connect and a Crystal Sphere. These innovative features enable drivers to be even more connected with... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz will work with Sila, a next-generation battery materials company (earlier post), to incorporate Sila's silicon anode chemistry in batteries which are optionally available for the first time in the upcoming electric Mercedes-Benz G-Class. This will add another innovative cell chemistry to the Mercedes-Benz battery portfolio. The innovative high-silicon anode... Read more →

BMW i Ventures announced a lead investment in the Series A-1 financing round of Vancouver-based Mangrove Lithium. The company has developed a modular platform producing battery-grade lithium hydroxide and carbonate from diverse input streams and assets to improve the sustainability profile of lithium. BMW i Ventures is joined by existing... Read more →

Standalone Swedish premium electric vehicle manufacturer Polestar has released its second Annual Review and Sustainability report, highlighting progress towards its ambitious climate goals. In 2021, Polestar reduced greenhouse gas-emissions per car sold by 6% through its focus on increased efficiency and use of renewable energy. Polestar is targeting a truly... Read more →

Infinitum Electric, creator of the air-core motor (earlier post), announced $80 million in Series D funding to scale motor production to meet increasing demand. Infinitum Electric will use the investment to integrate vertically and automate production of its motors for the commercial and industrial market segments, and complete development and... Read more →

Hyundai Motor America (HMA) and Kia Motor America (KMA) are recalling certain 2022 Ioniq 5 and 2022 EV6 vehicles, respectively, because a software error in the Shifter Control Unit (SCU) may disengage the parking mechanism, which can allow the vehicle to roll away. For the Ioniq 5, drivers are recommended... Read more →

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released its early estimate of traffic fatalities for 2021. NHTSA projects that an estimated 42,915 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes last year—a 10.5% increase from the 38,824 fatalities in 2020. The projection is the highest number of fatalities since 2005 and... Read more →

EAVX, a subsidiary of JB Poindexter & Co (JBPCO), and REE Automotive, an automotive technology leader and provider of electric vehicle platforms, announced that the companies’ new fully electric walk-in van (WIV) prototype will begin customer evaluation this summer. The Class 5 vehicle marks the debut of the EAVX body... Read more →

Modine Manufacturing Company, a diversified global leader in thermal management technology and solutions, announced the general availability of its suite of EVantage Thermal Management Systems for commercial EV chassis. Leveraging more than 100 years of thermal expertise, Modine, which put radiator systems in the Model T, produces complete EV thermal... Read more →

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that the application process is now open for communities of all sizes to apply (DOT-SS4A-FY22-01) for $1 billion in Fiscal Year 2022 funding to help them ensure safe streets and roads for all and address the national roadway safety crisis. The Safe Streets... Read more →

Cadillac announced ordering information, pricing and EPA-estimated range for the battery-electric 2023 LYRIQ RWD. Cadillac also announced a special charging offer, designed to simplify the charging experience for LYRIQ customers. Ordering for the 2023 LYRIQ RWD and AWD models will open on 19 May, with RWD deliveries expected starting this... Read more →

Electreon, a provider of wireless and in-road electric vehicle (EV) charging technology, signed an agreement of cooperation with Israel public transportation company Electra Afikim. As part of the agreement, Electreon will provide Electra Afikim with wireless charging infrastructure that will enable simultaneous charging of 30 buses, 24 hours a day.... Read more →

A research team from Tokyo Tech has used an alumina-supported, iron-based compound to develop a catalyst that can efficiently convert CO2 into formic acid (HCOOH) with ~90% selectivity. An open-acess paper on the work is published in the journal Angewandte Chemie. An et al. A wide-spread soil mineral, alpha-iron-(III) oxyhydroxide,... Read more →

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) announced the second round of its Clean Off-Road Equipment Voucher Incentive Project (CORE), tripling the amount of allocated funding from the previous round for equipment used in agriculture, airport, railyard, port, construction, and marine operations. The project is administered by CALSTART, a national clean... Read more →

At the recent ACT Expo in Long Beach, California, Cummins debuted its 15-liter hydrogen engine. This engine is built on Cummins’ new fuel-agnostic platform, where below the head gasket each fuel type’s engine has largely similar components, and above the head gasket, each has different components for different fuel types.... Read more →