A new report from IDTechEX forecasts the solid-state battery market will grow to $8 billion by 2031. Under most of the mass-production plans, the solid-state battery will likely take off after 2025, although small-scale production may happen even earlier, IDTechEX said. The car plug-in market will take the largest share... Read more →

Following the announcement by solid-state battery company Solid Power that it will become a publicly listed company through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), materials technology company Umicore announced that it holds a stake in Solid Power’s pre-SPAC transaction. This stake was built through two successive investment rounds (series A... Read more →

Solid-state battery technology developer Sakuu Corporation (previously KeraCel Inc.) recently announced the approval of three patents: a hybrid solid-state cell with a sealed anode structure; an additive manufacturing system with the ability to create an active device such as a micro-reactor or solid-state battery; and an electrophotographic multi-material 3D printer.... Read more →

Ford is working with its international nonprofit and grantmaking partners to support and promote a pilot program that will empower women working in the copper and cobalt supply chains in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The region has emerged as a key resource for critical metals that have become... Read more →

The energy density of traditional lithium-ion batteries is approaching a saturation point that cannot meet the demands of the future—in electric vehicles, for example. Lithium metal batteries can provide double the energy per unit weight when compared to lithium-ion batteries. The biggest challenge hindering their use is the formation of... Read more →

Volvo Car Group intends to establish a joint venture with Swedish battery company Northvolt to develop and produce more sustainable batteries, tailored to power the next generation of pure electric Volvo and Polestar cars. As a first step for the 50/50 joint venture, Volvo Car Group and Northvolt aim to... Read more →

Porsche is investing a high double-digit-million amount in its new joint venture company Cellforce Group GmbH. Porsche and joint venture partner Customcells, a spin-off from Fraunhofer, also announced the launch of production of high-performance battery cells at Porsche’s Weissach Development Center. The new high-performance cells use silicon as the anode... Read more →

The first phase of the traction battery production project of Sichuan Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited (CATL-SC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CATL, is now in operation. Since September 2019, CATL and the city government of Yibin have successively signed contracts for the CATL-SC traction battery phase I to phase VI projects,... Read more →

ENEOS Holdings, Inc. and Ample, Inc., a US-based startup in which ENEOS has invested in, are collaborating to launch an EV battery swapping service in Japan. Through this partnership, both companies aim to develop an energy delivery service for EVs (in the form of battery swapping) that is quick, convenient,... Read more →

Rolls-Royce is entering new aviation markets to pioneer sustainable power and as part of that mission will be developing energy storage systems (ESS) that will enable aircraft to undertake zero emissions flights of more than 100 miles on a single charge. Rolls-Royce is planning an £80-million (US$110 million) investment in... Read more →

Australia-based Magnis Energy Technologies Limited announced that Imperium3 New York (iM3NY) has produced its first full-sized prismatic cells ahead of schedule for limited testing and customer sampling in Q3 2021. The first cells were produced using manual settings to refine the product design for future automated production. While the volumes... Read more →

Korean researchers have used semiconductor technology to improve the safety of Li-ion batteries. A research team from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) led by Dr. Joong Kee Lee of the Center for Energy Storage Research has succeeded in inhibiting the growth of dendrites by forming protective semiconducting... Read more →

General Motors will increase its EV and AV investments from 2020 through 2025 to $35 billion, representing a 75% increase from its initial commitment announced prior to the pandemic. We are investing aggressively in a comprehensive and highly-integrated plan to make sure that GM leads in all aspects of the... Read more →

Wabtec Corporation and General Motors will collaborate to develop and commercialize GM’s Ultium battery technology and HYDROTEC hydrogen fuel cell systems for Wabtec locomotives. The rail industry is on the cusp of a sustainable transformation with the introduction of batteries and hydrogen to power locomotive fleets. Our FLXdrive locomotive, the... Read more →

Leclanché SA has developed a new generation of lithium-ion battery modules for energy-intensive e-transport applications, such as marine, commercial vehicle and railway, and simultaneously inaugurated a dedicated new production line for high volume manufacture in Europe. The new modules, called M3, represent the next generation in Leclanché’s module production with... Read more →

Unifrax, a global manufacturer of high-performance specialty materials, plans to build its first large-scale SiFAB (silicon fiber anode material) manufacturing line at its north central Indiana facility. SiFAB is a proprietary silicon anode battery technology developed by Unifrax which enables significantly greater energy density in lithium-ion battery systems than prevailing... Read more →

NAWA Technologies has begun manufacturing its Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanotube (VACNT) material at its Aix-en-Provence facility in southern France. NAWA is showing that, for the first time, VACNT can be grown simultaneously on both sides of a substrate in a process that is fully scaleable. NAWA’s key applications for VACNT... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced $200 million in funding over the next five years for electric vehicles, batteries, and connected vehicles projects at DOE national labs and new DOE partnerships to support electric vehicles innovation. The $200 million in funding to national labs, subject to appropriations, seeks to... Read more →

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has launched a new Joint Industry Program (JIP) to investigate energy storage systems for the grid. JIP efforts will include developing new test cycles for batteries employed in grid applications, estimating the life span of batteries and their potential for failure, and reducing likelihood of battery... Read more →

The first half of 2021 has seen a tidal wave of announcements of new electrodeposited copper foil mill projects, as well as second- and third-phase expansions at existing mills, according to market consultancy Roskill. The majority of the projects are targeted at making copper foil for lithium-ion batteries to meet... Read more →

Canada-based NEO Battery Materials Ltd.—which intends to become a silicon anode materials supplier to the EV industry—entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with South Korean silicon powder manufacturer, Korea Metal Silicon Co., Ltd (KMS) to pursue strategic opportunities for the advancement of low-cost, scalable silicon anodes through leveraging the... Read more →

Norway-based battery cell maker FREYR AS and Alussa Energy Acquisition Corp., disclosed that FREYR is in negotiations with a major multinational industrial conglomerate (the JV Partner) potentially to develop battery production facilities in North America. This development was noted by FREYR Battery in its 9 June 2021 filing of a... Read more →

Northvolt announced the signing of a $2.75-billion private placement to finance further battery cell production capacity and R&D efforts in order to meet the increasing demand of customers engaged in the transition to decarbonized, electric solutions. The private placement was co-led by new investors AP funds 1-4, via the co-owned... Read more →

OneD Battery Sciences is introducing its SINANODE process. SINANODE seamlessly integrates into existing manufacturing processes to fuse silicon nanowires onto commercial graphite powders, tripling the energy density of the anode while halving its cost per kWh, according to the company. The higher energy density increases battery range while nanowires shorten... Read more →

NanoGraf, an advanced battery material company (earlier post), has enabled what it says is the highest energy density 18650 cylindrical lithium-ion cell in the world—one that provides a 28% longer run time than traditional cell chemistries. Aided by funding from the US Department of Defense and others, NanoGraf’s team unveiled... Read more →

ATLIS Motor Vehicles (ATLIS), a start-up developing an electric medium- to heavy-duty truck platform (XP platform) which will be both the base for its own Atlis XT pickup and a standalone product for third-party vehicle builders, announced the production of the AMV battery cell at its headquarters in Mesa, Arizona.... Read more →

Schlumberger New Energy and Panasonic Energy of North America, a division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, have entered into a collaboration agreement for the validation and optimization of the innovative and sustainable lithium extraction and production process to be used by Schlumberger New Energy at its Neolith Energy pilot... Read more →

Conventional Li-ion batteries work by cationic redox, when a metal ion changes its oxidation state as lithium is inserted or removed. Within this insertion framework, only one lithium-ion can be stored per metal ion. Lithium-rich cathodes, however, can store much more. Researchers attribute this to the anionic redox mechanism—in this... Read more →

Gaussin will partner with Microvast for batteries for Gaussin’s next-generation skateboard road truck platform. Gaussin designs and assembles electric (earlier post) and fuel cell vehicles (earlier post) in transport and logistics industry. In April 2021, Gaussin launched a skateboard for class 8 tractor or straight trucks from 18t to 44t,... Read more →

IAV has developed a battery assembly concept that is much easier to recycle than existing battery systems and also has a much better CO2 balance. The concept is not only interesting for future vehicles—it can be integrated into existing e-models as well. The IAV concept allows end-of-life (EOL) batteries to... Read more →

The Biden Administration has released reports assessing the vulnerabilities of four critical supply chains: semiconductor manufacturing and advanced packaging; large capacity batteries, such as those for electric vehicles; critical minerals and materials; and pharmaceuticals and advanced pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Four federal agencies took the lead in authoring each of the... Read more →

Enevate, a battery company featuring extreme fast-charge and high-energy-density battery technologies for electric vehicles (EVs) and other markets (earlier post), announced a new production license agreement with EnerTech International to commercialize Enevate’s silicon-dominant, XFC-Energy battery technology in the transportation, mobility and reserve power markets. South Korea-based EnerTech International is a... Read more →

The Federal Consortium for Advanced Batteries (FCAB) (earlier post) has released the National Blueprint for Lithium Batteries 2021–2030 to guide investments in the urgent development of a domestic lithium-battery manufacturing value chain. The worldwide lithium-battery market is expected to grow by a factor of 5 to 10 in the next... Read more →

The unique operating profiles and requirements of electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft—also known as flying cars—present formidable challenges to batteries. In a paper in the journal Joule, a team from Penn State University has analyzed the primary performance metrics required for eVTOL batteries compared with electric vehicle (EV)... Read more →

BorgWarner’s integrated drive module (iDM) was selected by the Hyundai Motor Group for its power electric system, which will be used in the upcoming A-segment electric vehicle production, planned to start in mid of 2023. We have enjoyed nearly two decades of partnership with the Hyundai Motor Group and couldn't... Read more →

HOBI International Inc. (HOBI) and Retriev Technologies have entered into a collaborative partnership for the purpose of collecting and recycling large format electric vehicle (EV) batteries throughout North America. Recognizing the rapid expansion and projected growth of the EV market, the goal of this relationship will be to ensure that... Read more →

Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have developed a solvent that results in a more environmentally friendly process to recover valuable materials from used lithium-ion batteries; supports a stable domestic supply chain for new batteries; and keeps old ones out of landfills. A paper on the work is published in... Read more →

Echandia, a Swedish innovation company in battery and fuel-cell systems, now has its marine battery system, based on LTO technology, type-approved by Bureau Veritas. The solution has proved to meet high international performance and safety requirements, as well as meeting the customer requirements for service life and reliability, which means... Read more →

China-based Minmetals Group subsidiary Minmetals Salt Lake announced the successful testing of an improved direct lithium extraction process. The process, developed by Xi’an Lanshen New Material Technology, uses aluminum hydroxide as an adsorbent to separate lithium from other impurities. R&D investment totalled RMB44.8 million (US$7.0 million) and a 1kt-scale pilot... Read more →

High-nickel-content cathodes offer high capacity, a chemical property that could power electric vehicles over much longer distances than current batteries support. Unfortunately, the high nickel content also causes these cathode materials to degrade more quickly, creating cracks and stability issues as the battery cycles. In search of solutions to these... Read more →

Nano One Materials and Johnson Matthey (JM) have entered into a joint development agreement to co-develop next-generation products and processes for Johnson Matthey’s eLNO family of nickel-rich advanced cathode materials. (Earlier post.) The partners will use Nano One’s patented One-Pot process and coated nanocrystal technology for the low-cost, low-carbon footprint... Read more →

Gentherm, a developer of innovative thermal management technologies, is the lead investor in a seed round of financing in Carrar, an Israel-based technology developer of advanced thermal management systems for the electric mobility market. Carrar’s two-phase cooling technology has the potential to enable fast charging and discharging of a battery... Read more →

Primobius GmbH is a 50:50 joint venture company owned by Neometals Ltd., Australia, and SMS group to commercialize an environmentally friendly recycling solution for end-of-life and scrap lithium-ion battery (LiB) cells. Primobius has now signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Stelco Inc., Canada, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Stelco Holdings... Read more →

In January, the California Energy Commission (CEC) released a competitive solicitation (GFO-20-308) to fund applied research and development (ARD) projects that improve, scale-up, and increase the technology readiness of high-value direct recycling processes for lithium-ion batteries. Direct recycling approaches recover the functional cathode particle without decomposition into constituent elements as... Read more →

Following its launch of the e Autopos brand, an EV body concept (PBC-EV) and new electrical steel for notors (earlier post), POSCO has introduced its battery pack and steel. POSCO Battery Pack for Electric Vehicle (PBP-EV) is POSCO’s battery pack for a third-generation EV skateboard using Giga Steel, stainless steel,... Read more →

ŠKODA AUTO, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, is introducing a smart energy storage system using second-life batteries from electric vehicles. In partnership with the Czech technology company IBG Česko, the system is now being deployed at ŠKODA dealerships. The system stores sustainably generated electricity in used batteries that come... Read more →

Researchers in the European AMAPOLA (A Marketable Polymer based Al-S battery) project are analyzing the combination of sulfur and aluminum in a battery; both elements are abundant in the earth’s crust. The goal is to enable greater energy storage capabilities compared to Li–ion batteries at a lower price for selected... Read more →

Fastmarkets reported that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has banned the export of copper and cobalt concentrate. Fastmarkets confirmed with three companies operating copper and cobalt mines in DRC that they all received the notice, although the effective date of the order is not mentioned and trucks carrying the... Read more →

In a perspective piece in the journal Joule, researchers at the University of Michigan lay out the main questions facing lithium-metal, solid-state batteries. To develop the questions, they worked in close collaboration with leaders in the auto industry. Major automakers are going all-in on electric vehicles this year, with many... Read more →

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence has elevated Chinese lithium-ion battery cell and automaker BYD to Benchmark’s top tier EV battery cell manufacturer status joining CATL, Envision AESC, LG Energy Solution, Panasonic, Samsung, and SK Innovation as tier one cell manufacturers. BYD is only the second Chinese lithium ion cell producer to reach... Read more →