Chinese lithium and cobalt sulfate prices fell this month as strict COVID-19 lockdowns in Shanghai and elsewhere limit demand in the world’s largest electric vehicle market. Chinese battery-grade lithium prices fell by 5% this month to a mid-point of RMB 478,000 (US$72,600) per tonne, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligences’s Lithium... Read more →

In 2021, Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen) launched a call for proposals to support R&D projects for zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) manufacturing, systems, components, and batteries in Canada. NGen has now announced $76 million in funding for 15 new industry-led consortia that will execute projects in strategic areas such as critical... Read more →

Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) has announced that its electric vehicle (EV) will be available in India for sale by 2025. It also iterated that the government’s target of 30% EV sales by 2030 may be difficult to achieve as the company expects EV penetration level between 8-10% by 2030 that... Read more →

Tata Passenger Electric Mobility (TPEM) unveiled the AVINYA Concept—an expression of the company’s vision of a pure electric vehicle, based on its GEN 3 architecture. Tata intends to introduce a production version by 2025. Derived from Sanskrit, the name AVINYA stands for ‘Innovation’. Tata says that the concept will be... Read more →

Paris transport operator RATP has temporarily withdrawn Bolloré brand electric buses from operation after two separate bus fires. On Friday, 29 April, a fire broke out on a bus on line 71, towards the Bibliothèque François Mitterrand stop (Paris, 13th arrondissement). The bus driver immediately evacuated the passengers. There are... Read more →

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), a national research and development agency, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI), have been contracted by Japan’s Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, part of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), to conduct a Hydrogen Production Demonstration Project Utilizing Very High Temperature,... Read more →

Olin Corporation, a leading vertically integrated chlor alkali producer and marketer, and Plug Power Inc., a leading provider of turnkey hydrogen solutions, intend to create a joint venture (JV) to produce and market green hydrogen to support growing fuel cell demand in the global hydrogen economy. The JV is the... Read more →

Untether AI, a developer of at-memory computation for artificial intelligence (AI) inference acceleration, announced a collaboration with General Motors, supported by the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), to accelerate the development of next-generation artificial intelligence perception systems for autonomous vehicles. More than 90% of the... Read more →

FreeWire Technologies, a developer of ultrafast electric vehicle (EV) charging and energy management solutions, raised $125 million in new capital. The financing consists of a Senior Convertible Note provided exclusively by funds and accounts managed by BlackRock Financial Management, Inc. and a concurrent equity raise with institutional and strategic investors... Read more →

Volkswagen and bp have launched a strategic partnership that will boost the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) across Europe, unveiling their first charger in Dusseldorf, Germany. The partnership aims to transform access to EV charging in key European markets by rapidly building a fast-charging network across Europe by 2024 and... Read more →

ABB E-mobility has signed a new global framework agreement with Shell to supply ABB’s end-to-end portfolio of AC and DC charging stations. The portfolio ranges from the AC wallbox for home, work or retail installations to the Terra 360 which is suited for refueling stations, urban charging stations, retail parking... Read more →

Michigan State University officially has deployed its full-size autonomous electric bus (earlier post) and is accepting passengers on the 2.5-mile campus route. The autonomous bus is one of the largest of its kind to be deployed on US roadways to date. First introduced in November 2021 during a ribbon-cutting ceremony,... Read more →

IVECO, a brand of Iveco Group N.V. and Eni signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) to explore potential cooperation on sustainable mobility initiatives in the commercial vehicle sector in Europe and accelerate the decarbonization of transport. IVECO and Eni aim to define an integrated sustainable mobility platform for commercial fleets... Read more →

China processed record amounts of crude oil in 2021 to meet rising domestic consumption of petroleum products, according to analysis by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). In the second half of the year, China processed slightly less crude oil and began exporting significantly less gasoline and diesel than in... Read more →

Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) introduced nine new projects being launched as part of the next phase of its automotive safety research, backed by the new five-year, $30-million commitment announced last year. The new research projects, announced during a virtual CSRC media event showcasing safer mobility, will examine the... Read more →

Oberon Fuels announced commercial availability of a blend of propane and Oberon’s renewable DME (dimethyl ether). This blend replaces some of propane’s fossil-derived fuel with a renewable one, enabling up to a 60% reduction in carbon emissions for this popular fuel used in vehicles, forklifts, farm equipment, backyard grills and... Read more →

Nikola Corporation has begun commercial serial truck production of the Nikola Tre BEV (battery-electric vehicle); initial customer shipments have begun. Next year, fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV) are planned to be added to the manufacturing mix, said Mark Russell, Nikola’s CEO. Phase 1 of the Coolidge, Arizona manufacturing facility provides Nikola... Read more →

Following a three-month feasibility study, Aviation H2—an Australian-owned company seeking to achieve net-zero emissions in the aerospace sector through green hydrogen—has selected the use of liquid ammonia to turbofan combustion as the best route to carbon-free flight and will soon start modifying turbofan engines to test and prove the concept.... Read more →

Archer Aviation and United Airlines have formed a joint eVTOL advisory committee. The committee is a forum for United to share its expertise on maintenance and operational matters as Archer moves forward in its aircraft development process. The committee will advise on the development of systems and features intended to... Read more →

Purdue University and Duke Energy plan to explore the feasibility of using advanced nuclear energy to meet the campus community’s long-term energy needs. With interest rising worldwide in new technologies that are reliable and carbon-free, Purdue and Duke Energy intend to study power produced through Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), a... Read more →

Pony.ai has been awarded a permit by Beijing city authorities to offer driverless service in southeastern Beijing. (Baidu also received a permit to offer driverless rides to passengers in the same area.) Pony.ai has had a permit to driverless test since October 2021 but not with the general public in... Read more →

ExxonMobil has made three new discoveries offshore Guyana and increased its estimate of the recoverable resource for the Stabroek Block to nearly 11 billion oil-equivalent barrels. (Earlier post.) The three discoveries are southeast of the Liza and Payara developments and bring to five the discoveries made by ExxonMobil in Guyana... Read more →

Kia revealed the Niro Plus, its first purpose-built vehicle (PBV). Kia is exploring diverse ways to help people and businesses move beyond traditional automotive, and the company expects its PBV models to be an important part of future mobility. The Kia Niro Plus will be deployed as a general model... Read more →

Dongfeng Honda Automobile Co., Ltd., a Honda automobile production and sales joint venture in China, has begun sales of the all-new e:NS1 electric vehicle (EV) model. Honda Motor (China) Investment Co., Ltd.(HMCI), a wholly-owned Honda subsidiary in China, announced that GAC Honda Automobile Co., Ltd., another Honda automobile production and... Read more →

The LA Department of Transportation (LADOT) launched its Universal Basic Mobility (UBM) Pilot in South Los Angeles—one of the largest programs of its kind in the country, increasing access to transportation options for thousands of Angelenos. The pilot will bring e-bikes, shared EV cars and on-demand EV shuttle service, in... Read more →

South 8 Technologies, a developer of electrolyte formulations for next-generation lithium batteries, has raised $12 million in Series A financing, led by Anzu Partners with participation from LG Technology Ventures, Shell Ventures, Foothill Ventures, and Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation (TNSC). South 8 will leverage the funding to accelerate the commercialization... Read more →

The value of venture capital (VC) deals in advanced batteries shot up by 850% year-on-year (YoY) in 2021 with focus on lithium chemistries, according to GlobalData, a data and analytics company. Big deals from VC investors are pushing forward the advanced batteries funding to a new high. The major focus... Read more →

TWAICE, a battery analytics company, has secured $30 million in additional Series B financing led by global investment firm Coatue. The round extension, which includes personal investment from Lip-Bu Tan and participation from existing investors, builds on TWAICE’s $26 million Series B in May 2021 led by Energize Ventures. The... Read more →

Ford has begun full production of F-150 Lightning electric pickup at the ultra-modern Rouge Electric Vehicle Center within Ford’s historic Rouge Complex. Ford has 200,000 reservations for the Lightning and is expanding the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center to ramp up production to a planned annual run rate of 150,000 in... Read more →

Toyota Motor Europe’s (TME) first quarter sales volume of 284,506 vehicles showed a marginal change of -1% year-on-year while outperforming the total market, which declined by -14%. Across the same period, TME achieved its best first-quarter market share of 7.6%, an increase of +1% point year-on-year. The strong demand for... Read more →

DENSO Corporation and United Semiconductor Japan Co., Ltd. (USJC), a subsidiary of global semiconductor foundry United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), have agreed to collaborate on the production of power semiconductors at USJC’s 300mm fab in order to serve the growing demand in the automotive market. An insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT)... Read more →

ZF is set to launch a Collision Mitigation System (CMS) for city buses. Offering active braking to help avoid frontal collisions with other road users, including vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians, the system also helps counter the adverse impact of braking momentum on passengers. Helping reduce the risk of accidents and... Read more →

Carbon dioxide capture company AirCapture and carbon dioxide conversion company OCOchem, along with other partners, have won a $2.93-million grant from the US Department of Energy to design and engineer an integrated carbon dioxide capture and conversion plant co-located at Nutrien’s Kennewick Fertilizer Operations plant in Kennewick, Wash. AirCapture develops... Read more →

Wolfspeed, Inc. officially opened its Mohawk Valley Silicon Carbide fabrication facility in Marcy, NY with a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Federal and State Officials. The 200mm wafer fab will help lead the industry-wide transition from silicon to Silicon Carbide-based semiconductors. As a key partner, Lucid Motors had the honor of “cutting... Read more →

Volta Trucks has revealed the forthcoming 7.5- and 12-tonne Volta Zero variants (earlier post)—the second product family in its full-electric vehicle range. The 7.5- and 12-tonne Volta Zeros have been designed by Volta Trucks’ partner, Astheimer Design in Warwick, UK alongside Volta Trucks’ own engineering teams. The new full-electric vehicles... Read more →

Faulty car windows often go in the recycling bin when the cracked part cannot be fixed. A closed material circuit does not yet exist for damaged car glass. This is where Audi and its partner companies Reiling Glas Recycling, Saint-Gobain Glass, and Saint-Gobain Sekurit are now doing pioneering work as... Read more →

Subaru of America, Inc. announced pricing on its first all-electric SUV, the 2023 Subaru Solterra (earlier post). The 2023 Solterra is offered in three trim levels, Premium, Limited, and Touring, and will begin arriving in limited numbers at Subaru retailers this summer. Pricing for the 2023 Solterra starts at $44,995... Read more →

GM is introducing a patented heat-pump in its Ultium-based EVs that captures and repurposes waste energy from the battery. Through the Ultium Platform’s energy recovery system, this waste energy can increase a vehicle’s range, reduce battery energy needed for heating, increase charging speed and even enable sportier driving. Covered by... Read more →

Geomega Resources Inc., a developer of clean technologies for the mining, refining, and recycling of rare earths and other critical materials, announced that Innord Inc., its wholly owned subsidiary, has signed a term sheet with Rio Tinto to enter into a development agreement for Bauxite Residues Iron Phase Product. As... Read more →

BASF has launched UpCore, a new service providing a cost-effective and sustainable technology upgrade from a standard ozone converter to an ozone-VOC (volatile organic compounds) converter for cleaner and healthier aircraft cabin air. UpCore replaces the catalyst core of an ozone-only converter with an ozone-VOC catalyst, a sustainable solution as... Read more →

Researchers at the University of Michigan, with colleagues from Michigan State University and Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany, report that high surface area silicon carbide (SiC) w/wo 13 wt. % hard carbon (SiC/HC, SiC/O), derived from the carbothermal reduction of silica-depleted rice hull ash (SDRHA), can function as... Read more →

Nissan announced a new driver-assistance technology, which is currently in-development, that utilizes highly accurate, real-time information about the vehicle’s surrounding environment to enhance collision avoidance significantly. At a Nissan facility in Yokohama, a test vehicle demonstrated how this technology can automatically perform collision-avoidance maneuvers. ProPILOT Concept Zero test vehicle Nissan’s... Read more →

Global automotive and industrial supplier Schaeffler has signed a five-year contract with Norwegian company REEtec AS for the purchase of rare earth oxides. The aim is to make electric motors for hybrid modules, hybrid transmissions and all-electric axle drives even more sustainable. Permanent magnets manufactured using rare earth metals such... Read more →

POSCO has broken ground for another electrical steel plant. South Korea’s top steelmaker will spend 1 trillion won (US$805 million) in building the plant in the southwestern port of Gwangyang, which will have an annual production capacity of 300,000 tons of non-oriented electrical steel. Electrical steels (earlier post) are special... Read more →

Four key Hyundai Motor Group affiliate companies—Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor), Kia Corporation (Kia), Hyundai Mobis, and Hyundai Wia—are now members of Climate Group’s RE100, a global initiative committed to large corporates moving toward 100% renewable electricity. All four affiliates join more than 350 other global firms in the initiative,... Read more →

Pony.ai, a global autonomous driving technology company, announced it is the first autonomous driving (AD) company to obtain a taxi license in China. Pony.ai was awarded a permit to operate 100 autonomous vehicles as traditional taxis in Nansha, Guangzhou. In May, Pony.ai will start charging fares in the entire 800... Read more →

Yichun Contemporary Amperex Resources Limited, a subsidiary of China-based battery giant CATL, won the bid for the exploration rights to a lithium clay project in Yichun, east China’s Jiangxi province at a cost of 865 million yuan (about $135 million). In October 2021, CATL broke ground on a new lithium-ion... Read more →

The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Loan Programs Office (LPO) has offered a conditional commitment for a US$107-million loan to Syrah Technologies to fund the expansion of its Vidalia graphite-based active anode material (AAM) facility in Louisiana to 11.25 ktpa AAM production capacity. (Earlier post.) With this newly expanded production capacity,... Read more →

Korea-based POSCO Holdings recently started construction of a lithium commercialization plant in Argentina. (Earlier post.) POSCO Group is the first to produce lithium hydroxide for batteries in Argentina throughout the entire process from the acquisition of mining rights to exploration, construction and operation of a production plant. Construction of the... Read more →

Porsche Japan and Audi Japan are forming a Premium Charging Alliance business partnership to expand the 150kW rapid charging station network across Japan. Rapid charging stations run by both companies will be available to both Porsche and Audi owners starting 1 July 2022. The Premium Charging Alliance is a project... Read more →