Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company has validated the advanced control laws to successfully fly a ‘rotor blown wing’ (RBW) uncrewed aerial system (UAS) in both helicopter and airplane modes. Powered by batteries, the 115 pounds (52kg) twin prop-rotor prototype has demonstrated operational stability and maneuverability across all flight regimes, and... Read more →
Toyota Motor Europe (TME) unveiled the FT-Me, a concept as a vision for all-electric micromobility that combines premium design with affordability. Inspired by the success of Toyota’s mobility solutions developed for the Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the FT-Me aims to address the evolving needs of... Read more →
Joby Aviation, a California-based company developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service, will partner with Virgin Atlantic on the launch of Joby’s air taxi service in the UK. The new partnership builds on an existing agreement between Joby and Delta Air Lines—which owns a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic—to... Read more →
TotalEnergies and RWE have for agreed on conditions for the purchase of green hydrogen over a period of 15 years. The agreement stipulates that TotalEnergies will purchase around 30,000 metric tons of green hydrogen per year from RWE for its refinery in Leuna (Saxony-Anhalt) from 2030. This is the largest... Read more →
U Mich Board approves project to expand EV battery research
15 March 2025
The University of Michigan will move forward with plans to construct a new electric vehicle battery laboratory, broadening research and hands-on education in next-generation battery technologies on the Ann Arbor campus. The Board of Regents approved the $60 million project at its meeting in February. Funding will be provided from... Read more →
4th Annual H2-Aero Symposium being held in Long Beach
15 March 2025
The 4th Annual H2-Aero Symposium is being held 2–3 April in Long Beach, California. Like each of the past meetings, this year’s symposium will feature two days of presentations, including sessions on fuel cell aircraft technology, demonstrations and hydrogen hubs for airports. In addition, interested attendees are invited to SAE... Read more →
Archer partnering with Palantir to build AI for next-gen aviation
15 March 2025
Archer Aviation snd Palantir Technologies announced a partnership to build the AI foundation for the future of next-gen aviation technologies. Archer and Palantir plan to work in parallel to develop software for the next-gen of critical aviation systems, including air traffic control, movement control and route planning. For decades, the... Read more →
Swiss marine power company WinGD has confirmed key parameters for its X-DF-A ammonia-fueled engine design after full-load testing at its Engine Research and Innovation Centre in Winterthur, Switzerland. The performance and emission measurements deliver timely assurance as the first users prepare their vessels and auxiliary systems for ammonia fuel. The... Read more →
Thailand approves China-based Sunwoda to invest more than US$1B in EV battery cell plants
14 March 2025
Thailand’s Commission on the National Competitiveness Enhancement for Targeted Industries, at a meeting today, approved an investment by a unit of China’s Sunwoda Electronic worth more than a billion dollars in the production of electric vehicle (EV) and energy storage system (ESS) batteries at the cell level, in a move... Read more →
GM joins PG&E’s Vehicle-to-Everything pilot, offers incentives for home energy products
14 March 2025
General Motors has joined Pacific Gas & Electric’s residential Vehicle-to-Everything pilot program, providing eligible customers in Northern and Central California with incentivized pricing for qualifying GM Energy home energy products. GM Energy is working with utilities such as PG&E to leverage GM’s bidirectional electric vehicle charging technology, which allows compatible... Read more →
Toyota Motor has commenced sales of its all-new Crown Estate model—the fourth in the Crown series—in Japan. The powertrain lineup includes hybrid (HEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models to cater to a wide range of customer lifestyles. ESTATE RS (2.5-liter Plug-in Hybrid Model) (Model with options shown) The 2.5-liter high-efficiency... Read more →
Mercedes-Benz has introduced the new CLA. Each new model of the sedan will be available with both all-electric and high-tech hybrid powertrains. (Earlier post.) The new CLA is the first vehicle to fully operate on the new Mercedes-Benz Operating System (MB.OS) developed in-house, making it the most intelligent Mercedes-Benz ever.... Read more →
European Energy has successfully produced the first e-methanol at the Kassø Power-to-X facility. The methanol was produced in the first methanol line out of two at the facility and was achieved using biogenic CO2 sourced locally at the Biogas facility in Tønder. The production will now be ramped up and... Read more →
Pure Lithium receives DOE funding to scale production of Li metal anodes from recycled lithium metal
13 March 2025
Pure Lithium Corporation, a vertically integrated lithium metal battery technology company, has received funding from the Vehicle Technology Office to scale production of lithium metal anodes from recycled lithium metal, in partnership with Argonne National Laboratory. Lithium metal waste is produced by certain industrial processes in the United States. Recovering... Read more →
Toyota expands its battery electric model range across Europe’s core segments
13 March 2025
Toyota revealed the latest additions to its European BEV range, demonstrating how concepts shown previously have been successfully developed into production-ready models. By the end of 2025, Toyota will have all-new and enhanced products competing at the heart of the key B, C and D-SUV segments, the principal categories of... Read more →
EPA reconsidering 2009 Endangerment Finding; reconsidering light- and medium-duty regulations and GHG standards for heavy-duty vehicles
13 March 2025
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the agency will be kicking off a formal reconsideration of the 2009 Endangerment Finding in collaboration with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and other relevant agencies. EPA also intends to reconsider all of its prior regulations and actions that... Read more →
Rio Tinto and Edify Energy sign solar and battery agreement for Rio Tinto’s Gladstone aluminum operations
13 March 2025
Rio Tinto and Edify Energy have signed two new solar and battery hybrid services agreements (HSAs) to increase the supply of reliable, competitively priced electricity to Rio Tinto’s Gladstone aluminum operations in Queensland. Under the agreements, Rio Tinto will purchase 90% of the power and battery storage capacity generated by... Read more →
Fairbanks Morse Defense to supply main propulsion engines for future USNS Dolores Huerta (T-AO 214)
13 March 2025
Fairbanks Morse Defense (FMD), a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management, has been awarded a contract by General Dynamics NASSCO to build and deliver the main propulsion diesel engines for the Military Sealift Command’s future USNS Dolores Huerta (T-AO 214). The USNS Dolores Huerta is the 10th vessel in the... Read more →
USGS projects world production capacity for seven critical minerals and helium for the next five years
12 March 2025
The USGS released projections for world production capacity for seven critical minerals and helium for the next five years in the first World Minerals Outlook, a forward-looking assessment that is part of a larger effort to provide forecasts and scenarios for global mineral supply chains. The world’s capacity to produce... Read more →
EV research house Rho Motion reported that the number of electric vehicles sold globally in February 2025 is 1.2 million. The EV market grew by almost 50% compared to February 2024, but fell by 3% compared to January 2025. It’s been a solid start to the year for EV sales... Read more →
To power the major launch of the all-new Volvo VNR, Volvo Trucks North America has a{launched} the new Volvo D13 VGT (Variable Geometry Turbo) engine. The new Volvo D13 VGT engine will be standard in the all-new Volvo VNR and customers will also be able to select in the all-new... Read more →
The new Lexus RZ made its world premiere in Brussels. The battery electric luxury SUV benefits from comprehensive revisions that take the driving experience to a higher level, introducing innovative technologies that deliver more power, enhanced control and deeper driver engagement and rewards. The RZ was launched in 2023 as... Read more →
NXP Semiconductors unveiled its new S32K5 family of automotive microcontrollers (MCU), the automotive industry’s first 16nm FinFET MCU with embedded magnetic RAM (MRAM). The S32K5 MCU family will extend the NXP CoreRide platform with pre-integrated zonal and electrification system solutions for scalable software-defined vehicle (SDV) architectures. Automakers are embracing zonal... Read more →
C-BATT presents US-sourced Obsidia anode material
12 March 2025
C-BATT presented its US-sourced Obsidia high-capacity battery anode material (earlier post) at the NAATBatt 2025 Annual Conference in Orlando, where the focus was on the urgent need for energy dominance in United States. C-BATT’s fully domestic production model ensures that every stage of the Obsidia lifecycle—from raw material sourcing to... Read more →
Lotus Robotics and CaoCao Mobility launch autonomous driving platform for robotaxis
11 March 2025
Lotus Robotics, the self-driving technology unit of Lotus, is partnering with CaoCao Mobility, the ride-hailing unit strategically invested in by Geely Holding that will accelerate the deployment of its autonomous driving solutions globally. Together, the brands have launched China’s first fully comprehensive autonomous driving system, powered by Lotus Robotics. This... Read more →
Nissan Motor showcased its latest autonomous-drive (AD) technology in Yokohama’s Minato Mirai area. For the first time in Japan, a test vehicle with no driver in the car has navigated a public road in a complex urban environment. Nissan has developed this proprietary technology for a mobility service it plans... Read more →
The BMW Group is launching a completely newly developed digital nervous system for all drivetrain variants and vehicle segments. It is more intelligent, more powerful and more efficient and will be rolled out for the first time in the models of the Neue Klasse. Four high-performance computers, also called Superbrains,... Read more →
NESCAUM announced that a goal set in 2013 to advance electric vehicles (EVs) has just been achieved. In a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by ten state governors, a collective target was set to put 3.3 million electric vehicles on their roads by 2025. Based on NESCAUM’s analysis of the... Read more →
CRIST S.A. Shipyard—based in Gdynia, Poland—has ordered 6 × MAN 12V175D high-speed variable speed gensets in connection with the construction of an OSV (Offshore Support Vessel) for DOF. Provisionally named ‘Sea Dragon’, the OSV is set to assist operations off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. The newbuild vessel was designed... Read more →
Angola seeking to become key exporter of critical minerals
11 March 2025
Angola has set a target to become a key exporter of value-added critical minerals in the next 10 to 15 years. Angola has identified 34 of the 54 critical minerals recognized by the European Union across its mineral-rich basins and is ramping up exploration, production and downstream projects to unlock... Read more →
IVL report: Europe’s requirements for critical metals are unsustainable
10 March 2025
To implement the green transition according to the scenarios developed by the European Commission, Europe will require between 15 and 60% of the world’s supplies of critical metals according to a study conducted by researchers at IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute and Uppsala University, as part of the Fairtrans research... Read more →
Kia Corporation recently unveiled its EV4 and Concept EV2 models at the brand’s 2025 Kia EV Day in Spain. The EV4 is an all-rounder that represents Kia’s first electrified sedan (four-door) and hatchback (five-door), designed to navigate cities and cross continents. The Kia EV4 introduces a new typology for sedans... Read more →
Vehicle to Home (V2H) charging technology arrives for eligible Kia EV9 drivers
10 March 2025
Eligible Kia EV9 owners and lessees may soon enjoy Vehicle to Home (V2H) capabilities due to Wallbox, a provider of electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions. Wallbox has announced pre-order availability of the Quasar 2 (including the accompanying Power Recovery Unit), the first compatible bi-directional charger to work with the Kia... Read more →
thyssenkrupp Automotive Technology responds to ongoing challenging market conditions with additional cost-cutting measures
10 March 2025
thyssenkrupp Automotive Technology is responding to the persistently challenging market conditions in the global automotive industry by intensifying its cost reduction efforts. The measures decided by the segment’s board include adjusting investments (Capex) in line with lower expected sales volumes, optimizing inventory management to reduce tied-up capital (Net Working Capital),... Read more →
LANXESS introduces Lewatit MK 51 ion exchange resin for selective removal of boron from metal concentrates
09 March 2025
LANXESS is offering a new solution for the rapidly growing battery industry. The Lewatit MK 51 ion exchange resin from LANXESS selectively removes boron from metal concentrates, thus enabling the extraction of high-purity raw materials for use in batteries. In contrast to solvent extraction, ion exchange technology does not employ... Read more →
Amprius ships new high-performance 6.3Ah silicon anode cylindrical cell to Fortune 500 company in light electric vehicle sector
08 March 2025
Amprius Technologies has shipped its new 6.3Ah 21700 SiCore cell to a Fortune 500 company in the Light Electric Vehicle (LEV) sector for evaluation. The new cell sets a new standard in the industry for energy density in this widely used format. With an energy density of 315 Wh/kg, the... Read more →
MAN Energy Solutions and StormFisher Hydrogen partner on Power-to-X Methanation Reactor in N America
08 March 2025
StormFisher Hydrogen, a developer of clean fuels, has commissioned MAN Energy Solutions to deliver the pre-front-end engineering design (pre-FEED) for the methanation reactor of a large-scale Power-to-X plant. The 200 MW facility, to be built in North America, will produce green hydrogen and e-methane by utilizing a local biogenic CO₂... Read more →
North Ammonia and Höegh Evi to explore a clean ammonia supply chain from Norway to Europe
08 March 2025
North Ammonia, a developer of RFNBO (Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin) ammonia facilities in Norway, and Höegh Evi, a global leader in marine energy infrastructure, signed an agreement to explore a value chain for supplying hydrogen to European industrial users using green ammonia produced in Norway. North Ammonia and Höegh... Read more →
EPA extends RFS compliance reporting deadline for 2024 compliance year
08 March 2025
EPA announced a final rule to extend the Renewable Fuel Standard compliance reporting deadline for the 2024 compliance year. EPA is also making several minor amendments and technical corrections to other RFS provisions. . While the original 2024 RFS compliance reporting deadline of March 31, 2025, is still several weeks... Read more →
Nissan-commissioned Economist survey finds EV ownership preference to surge by more than 50% for 10-year outlook
07 March 2025
Nissan commissioned Economist Impact on a survey that targets the future mobility choices of young urban dwellers. The findings, based on responses from 3,750 participants across 15 global cities, reveal younger generations’ preference for electric vehicles, reinforcing Nissan’s ongoing efforts in electrification and commitment to sustainable solutions to meet evolving... Read more →
Rio Tinto completes acquisition of Arcadium Lithium for $6.7B
07 March 2025
Rio Tinto has completed its acquisition of Arcadium Lithium plc for $6.7 billion, following the sanctioning of the Scheme of Arrangement by the Royal Court of Jersey on 5 March. Rio Tinto is now the ultimate parent company of Arcadium Lithium, which will become Rio Tinto Lithium, and will also... Read more →
Canada and Ontario sign LOIs to support Frontier Lithium conversion facility
07 March 2025
The Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario have signed letters of intent (LOIs) to support Frontier Lithium’s planned Lithium Conversion Facility in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The LOIs are non-binding and serve as an initial step in ongoing discussions with the respective government agencies. The LOIs express an interest... Read more →
Rio Tinto to invest $1.8B to develop Brockman mine extension in Western Australia’s Pilbara
07 March 2025
Rio Tinto will invest $1.8 billion to develop the Brockman Syncline 1 mine project (BS1), extending the life of the Brockman region in the West Pilbara of Western Australia and sustaining production from the company’s world-class iron ore operations. The project has now received all necessary State and Federal Government... Read more →
CMA CGM Group announces $20B investment in US maritime transportation, logistics and supply chain capabilities over the next four years
07 March 2025
CMA CGM Group, a global leader in sea, land, air, and logistics solutions, and owner of the US flag carrier American President Lines (APL), will invest $20 billion to contribute to US maritime economy and support the transformation of America’s domestic supply chain over the next four years. This announcement... Read more →
Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team announces first steps towards sustainable carbon fibre composites for 2025 Formula 1 season
07 March 2025
This season will be the first time in which innovative sustainable carbon fibre composites will be used in Formula 1 on the W16. Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team efforts in this space have been made possible through close partnership between the team and INEOS Nitriles, and collaboration with Toray, Syensqo and... Read more →
Chevrolet unveiled the Silverado EV ZR2 off-road race truck concept at the Mint 400 off-road race, where the truck will also compete in the event as part of the Hall Racing team’s lineup. The Silverado EV ZR2 race truck concept joins the team’s Silverado ZR2 and Colorado ZR2 race trucks,... Read more →
Volvo introduced the all-electric ES90 sedan. The ES90 is designed to evolve over time and powered by next-generation core computers that represent an eight-fold improvement over the previous generation. It’s the first Volvo car with 800V technology , for a longer range and faster charging than any electric Volvo before.... Read more →
Cadillac continues to expand the segment-leading Escalade lineup with the introduction of the all-electric 2026 Cadillac ESCALADE IQL. The ESCALADE IQL features the best of the ESCALADE IQ, plus additional passenger and cargo capacity to meet the lifestyle needs of customers who require extra space. ESCALADE IQL will be sold... Read more →
Volkswagen previewed the ID. EVERY1 concept car—an entry-level all-electric model. Volkswagen will launch the production version in 2027 with a starting price of around €20,000. The ID. 2all will already be launched in the €25,000-class in 2026. Both models are part of the new Electric Urban Car Family with front-wheel... Read more →
A new Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate (LMFP) cathode active material developed by Integrals Power could increase the real-world range of electric vehicles (EVs) by extending the useable capacity of the battery under high discharge conditions. Conventional Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) chemistries experience a reduction in useable capacity when the battery... Read more →