As part of a larger set of operational changes, Cleveland-Cliffs said that it will no longer be deploying capital toward the development of a transformer production plant in Weirton, West Virginia (earlier post), due to changes in scope from the project partner that no longer meet Cliffs’s investment requirements. Last... Read more →
The Nikkei reports that Nissan Motor’s cancellation of its first electric vehicle battery plant in Japan, along with Toyota Motor’s postponement of a similar project, will damage Japan’s efforts to secure a domestic supply of batteries. Nissan, after signing a partnership agreement with local authorities for the project in January,... Read more →
SunGas Renewables has selected Johnson Matthey (JM) as a technology partner for its flagship Beaver Lake Renewable Energy project — a biomethanol plant planned in Rapides Parish, Louisiana. The plant will be an investment of more than $2 billion, creating more than 1,000 jobs during construction and around 100 permanent... Read more →
The Metallurgical Engineering Trades Apprenticeship & Learning (METAL) program announced a new partnership with Michigan Technological University (MTU) to enhance and scale up industry-driven training opportunities for current and prospective metalworking and manufacturing professionals. Led by IACMI (The Composites Institute) with funding from the Department of Defense’s Industrial Base Analysis... Read more →
Mitsubishi Motors and Foxtron Vehicle Technologies, a subsidiary of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd. (Foxconn) responsible for developing electric vehicles, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to supply Mitsubishi Motors with an electric vehicle (EV) model developed by Foxtron and have decided to proceed with further discussions. The... Read more →
LG Energy Solution has fully acquired General Motor’s stake in a battery cell manufacturing plant in Lansing, Michigan. The US $2.1-billion acquisition of Ultium Cells Lansing facility was aimed at maximizing efficiency and enhancing production capabilities in North America, LG Energy Solution said in a statement. LG Energy Solution will... Read more →
NEXEN TIRE signed a long-term supply agreement with LD Carbon Co., Ltd., a resource circulation and material recycling firm, for recovered carbon black (rCB). NEXEN TIRE will use this collaboration to boost the adoption of sustainable materials. LD Carbon’s recovered carbon black is generated by pyrolyzing end-of-life tires in an... Read more →
Beyonder AS, a battery technology company in Norway and Leclanché SA, a provider of high-quality energy storage solutions, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enter negotiations regarding a collaboration on the development of the manufacturing-process and to allow scale production of Beyonder’s BePowered cell at Leclanche’s premises in Germany.... Read more →
Forge Nano announced the successful close of $40 million in new funding. The funding was co-led by RockCreek, a global investment firm managing more than $15 billion in assets with a strong focus on energy innovation, critical supply chains and advanced manufacturing, and Ascent Funds, a US-based global energy technology... Read more →
Xerion Advanced Battery Corp., a developer and manufacturer of next-generation battery components and critical minerals, announced a new one-step cobalt refinement process, as well as the launch of a pilot-scale production line at its Dayton, Ohio manufacturing facility. Xerion’s proprietary DirectPlate Molten Salt Electrolysis (MSE) technology, originally developed for the... Read more →
The Volvo Cars Ghent, Belgium manufacturing plant has started production of the fully electric EX30 small SUV. The Ghent plant will also start production of the EX30 Cross Country later in the year. Volvo Cars continues to further diversify its global manufacturing footprint for one of its most popular models... Read more →
Amprius Technologies launched its 450 Wh/kg SiCore lithium-ion battery. This is Amprius’ most energy-dense SiCore cell, offering 450 Wh/kg and 950 Wh/L, and is expected to move to mass production in the near term through its global manufacturing partners. Built with Amprius’ proprietary silicon anode material system, this SiCore cell... Read more →
Toyota West Virginia will invest $88 million to assemble the next generation of hybrid transaxles. This brings the total plant investment to more than $2.8 billion and reinforces long-term job security to its more than 2,000 team members. Scheduled to start production in late 2026, the drivetrain component will help... Read more →
QuantumScape Corporation, a developer of next-generation solid-state lithium-metal battery technology, and Murata Manufacturing Co. have entered into the first phase of an agreement to explore a collaboration for high-volume manufacturing of ceramic film for QS’ solid-state battery technology. Murata Manufacturing Co. is a worldwide leader in the design, manufacture and... Read more →
Business Korea reports that South Korean battery manufacturers are reevaluating their global investment strategies, given evolving market conditions and geopolitical factors. Examples cited include: EcoPro BM has suspended construction of its cathode material factory in Québec, Canada, following Ford’s withdrawal from the joint venture in November 2024. The project, initially... Read more →
Rio Tinto and AMG Metals & Materials (AMG M&M), an energy transition solutions provider, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to assess jointly the feasibility of developing an integrated low-carbon aluminum project powered by renewable energy in India. AMG M&M is promoted by the two founders of Greenko and... Read more →
Polestar’s fourth Annual Sustainability report announces significant GHG reductions, updates on the Polestar 0 project and a continued quest for increased transparency and more sustainable materials. Since the company started measuring in 2020, Polestar has reduced its carbon footprint per sold car by 24.7%. The most significant contributing factors to... Read more →
A team led by researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has shown that vapor from lithium oxide (Li2O) sublimation accelerates a chemical reaction that forms single crystals when mixed with nickel-rich precursors. The sublimation happens at just one atmosphere of pressure. Single-crystal battery materials are thought to help batteries... Read more →
BASF’s Cellasto, a global provider of Noise, Vibration and Harshness (NVH) components, is investing roughly €60 million to establish a second plant in Shanghai, China. This production expansion aims to capitalize on China’s booming electric vehicle market. The new facility will feature advanced mold lines, resulting in a capacity increase... Read more →
Kandi Technologies Group and CBAK Energy Technology—both based in China—announced a strategic partnership to establish two lithium battery production facilities in the US, with locations under evaluation. The first facility, focused on battery pack assembly, is slated for near-term development. The second facility, dedicated to battery cell manufacturing, represents a... Read more →
MAHLE has secured another order in the field of electrification in China, supplying a DC/DC converter to an international car manufacturer in China with its future battery-electric model range. The contract volume is €200 million. Series production at the MAHLE Changshu location will start in the middle of 2028. China... Read more →
Primetals Technologies, together with its strategic partner Mitsubishi Corporation (earlier post)), Rio Tinto, and globally leading steel and technology group voestalpine, signed a cooperation agreement to fast-track the development of fluidised bed and smelter technologies. The participants will implement and operate an industrial-scale prototype plant featuring a new process for... Read more →
Blastr Green Steel (Blastr) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Vogten Staal, a leading European steel service center, for the annual supply of ultra-low CO₂ steel. The agreement with Vogten will make Blastr’s low-carbon steel available to a growing number of end-users seeking more sustainable metals, as well as... Read more →
Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed a modified manufacturing process for EV batteries that enables high ranges and fast charging in cold weather. A paper on their work is published in the journal Joule. We envision this approach as something that EV battery manufacturers could adopt without major... Read more →
Sion Power, a developer and manufacturer of lithium-metal battery technology, has taken a significant step toward commercializing its Licerion battery technology with the installation of a new large-format battery cell production line, developed in partnership with Mühlbauer Group. These cells are critical demonstration tools, showcasing the scalability of Sion Power’s... Read more →
Umicore has entered into two separate agreements for the supply of precursor cathode active materials (pCAM) for electric vehicle batteries with CNGR and Eco&Dream Co., Ltd. (E&D). The pCAM, a critical component of EV batteries, will cater to Umicore’s customer contracts in North America and Asia. The two mid-to-long-term contracts... Read more →
Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) hosted its Grand Opening celebration, as part of Hyundai Motor Group’s commitment to and investment in the US. The ceremony marks the completion of the largest economic development project in Georgia’s history, just two and a half years after breaking ground. HMG entered into... Read more →
Hyundai Motor Group announced a significant investment of US$21 billion in the United States from 2025 to 2028. This latest US investment builds on the Group’s existing allocation of approximately US$20.5 billion since entering the US market in 1986. To reinforce its production capabilities, the Group will invest a total... Read more →
Finnish Minerals Group and Beijing Easpring Material Technology have decided to start the construction of the CAM plant. The plant to be constructed in Kotka, Finland will produce cathode active material (CAM). The plant’s first-stage capacity will be 60,000 tonnes of cathode active material per year. The plans also include... Read more →
Belgium-based multinational John Cockerill signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) to drive innovation in steel decarbonization technology, green hydrogen value chain, and defense products development contributing to the growth of India’s infrastructure, national security, and sustainability agenda. The MoU will facilitate joint... Read more →
SK On and Nissan announced a battery supply agreement that will support Nissan’s electric vehicle (EV) production in North America. Under the agreement, SK On will supply nearly 100GWh of high-performance, high-nickel batteries to Nissan from 2028 to 2033. These US-manufactured batteries will power Nissan’s next-generation EVs to be produced... Read more →
GTC—NVIDIA announced a portfolio of technologies to supercharge humanoid robot development, including NVIDIA Isaac GR00T N1, the world’s first open, fully customizable foundation model for generalized humanoid reasoning and skills. The other technologies include simulation frameworks and blueprints such as the NVIDIA Isaac GR00T Blueprint for generating synthetic data, as... Read more →
Mercedes-Benz is transforming its production network by reinforcing Berlin-Marienfelde’s role as the center of innovation for MO360 digital production technologies, now enhanced with Artificial Intelligence (AI), humanoid robots, and innovations such as the production of high-performance electric axial-flux motors. In 2022, Berlin-Marienfelde established itself as the global center of expertise... Read more →
General Motors and NVIDIA are collaborating on next-generation vehicles, factories and robots using AI, simulation, and accelerated computing. The companies will work together to build custom AI systems using NVIDIA accelerated compute platforms, including NVIDIA Omniverse with NVIDIA Cosmos, to train AI manufacturing models for optimizing GM’s factory planning and... Read more →
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 →
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 →
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 →
Porsche AG has acquired V4Drive GmbH from the VARTA AG-Group. Porsche is the new majority shareholder of the company, while VARTA AG will retain a minority stake without any operational influence. Porsche and VARTA AG are combining their expertise in the development and production of high-performance cylindrical cells. V4Drive is... Read more →
LANXESS’ new rubber additive Vulkanox HS Scopeblue supports tire manufacturers in producing more sustainable, longer-lasting tires and in achieving their sustainability goals. The antidegradant from the specialty chemicals company is the sustainable variant of the proven antioxidant Vulkanox HS (TMQ), which tire manufacturers use to protect their products from adverse... Read more →
ABB Robotics’ third Automotive Manufacturing Outlook Survey, in partnership with the leading, global industry publication Automotive Manufacturing Solutions, has provided key insights into how automotive manufacturing leaders and key suppliers view EV production objectives. This year’s survey found that overall, automotive manufacturing professionals are optimistic about EV production growth in... Read more →
UniMetal, a provider of precious metal and commercial finishing services for the electronics, medical, aerospace, and automotive industries, announced the production scaling of C100 Silver Graphite Dispersion, a novel electrolyte plating that’s proved particularly beneficial for high power components. C100 provides superior resistance to fretting corrosion, oxidation, vibration and high... Read more →
For several decades, Magna has been a strategic partner to Mercedes-Benz. This collaboration has spanned multiple areas of the vehicle, including powertrain and drivetrain systems, ADAS technologies, body and chassis components, electrification, interior systems, vehicle assembly, and more. This long-term partnership includes the production of more than 500,000 iconic G-class... Read more →
> ABB Robotics’ third Automotive Manufacturing Outlook Survey, in partnership with the publication Automotive Manufacturing Solutions, has highlighted how moving to the “Smart Factory” is viewed as a critical next step by global manufacturers and major suppliers. The benefits of increasing the use of advanced manufacturing technologies, ranging from AI-powered... Read more →
Mazda Motor Corporation (Mazda) has conducted a demonstration operation of a cupola melting furnace (cupola), the core casting facility installed at its Hiroshima Plant, by fully replacing fossil fuels that emit CO2 during combustion with bio-coal briquettes, a biomass fuel derived from coconut shells, and confirmed the stable operation. Cupola... Read more →
Volklec, A UK-based battery manufacturing business, reached an exclusive license agreement has been reached with China-based Far East Battery (FEB). FEB designs and manufactures batteries, providing energy storage solutions and EV power globally since 2009. Under the technology and knowledge transfer agreement, Volklec will manufacture advanced lithium-ion batteries in the... Read more →
Hyundai Motor and Samsung Electronics have successfully completed a pilot project for Private 5G (P-5G) RedCap (Reduced Capability) technology. Hyundai will showcase the technology at MWC25 Barcelona, 3-6 March. Hyundai Motor advances smart mobility solutions through electrification, software-driven capabilities, and smart manufacturing technologies. To achieve this, the company has collaborated... Read more →
At its Tech Days event in Landshut, BMW provided some initial insights into the development and production of high-voltage batteries and electric drive systems using the sixth generation of BMW eDrive technology. Every fully electric Neue Klasse vehicle will enjoy the benefits. The first Neue Klasse model will go into... Read more →
The BMW Group has acquired two zero-emission fuel cell trucks, as it launches a pilot operation as part of the European H2Haul project, which is aimed at promoting hydrogen mobility in freight transport. The two vehicles will run between Leipzig, Landsberg and Nuremberg, in order to trial the practicality of... Read more →
Nikola Corporation and certain of its subsidiaries have filed voluntary petitions under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Nikola has also filed a motion seeking authorization to pursue an auction and sale process under Section 363 of the US... Read more →
ZF is equipping the electric flagship ET9 from Chinese manufacturer NIO with the latest generation of its steer-by-wire system. The technology group is supplying both the steering wheel actuator for steering and for displaying the steering feel as well as the redundant steering gear actuator and the associated software. The... Read more →