Solvay is investing at its Livorno, Italy site to launch the company’s first unit of circular highly dispersible silica (HDS) made with bio-based sodium silicate derived from rice husk ash (RHA). Rice husk is an abundantly available agricultural waste. Combustion of rice husk produces RHA, which consists mainly of silica... Read more →

Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) will invest SEK 65 million ($6.3 million) into the production of electric wheel loaders from its plant in Arvika, Sweden. The Arvika factory specializes in the production of medium and large wheel loaders and has already been successful in driving down its carbon emissions. A... Read more →

NEO Battery Materials, a low-cost silicon anode materials developer that enables longer-running, rapid-charging lithium-ion batteries (earlier post), is under the process to establish NBM America, a US subsidiary, in February. NBM America will be fully owned by NEO Battery Materials and will actively seek US expansion opportunities that include the... Read more →

Researchers from the University of Birmingham have designed a novel adaptation for existing blast furnaces that could reduce CO2 emissions from the steelmaking industry by nearly 90%. This reduction is achieved through a closed-loop carbon recycling system, which could replace 90% of the coke typically used in current blast furnace-basic... Read more →

Tesla will invest an additional $3.6 billion in Nevada to continue growing Gigafactory Nevada with two new factories: a 100 GWh 4680 cell (earlier post) factory (with capacity to produce enough batteries for 1.5 million light duty vehicles annually), as well as its first high-volume Semi factory. Semi is Tesla’s... Read more →

In its 2023 Strategic Update, Albemarle Corporation raised its forecast for 2030 global lithium demand (LCE, lithium carbonate equivalent) to 3.7MMt—an increase of 15% from its previous forecast due to the impact of the US “Inflation Reduction Act” and strong EV demand. Albemarle also estimates the 2030 mined supply to... Read more →

Statevolt, a battery startup seeking to build hyperlocal gigafactories, has acquired a 135-acre site in Imperial Valley, California, as the location for its 54 GWh Gigafactory. (Earlier post.) The business will manufacture batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and storage applications using resources and supply chains sourced entirely in the US.... Read more →

Honda Motor and GS Yuasa have reached a basic agreement toward collaboration for a high-capacity, high-output lithium-ion battery. The two companies will discuss specifics with the goal of establishing a joint venture company by the end of 2023. In order to address the rapidly growing demand for batteries, the two... Read more →

Contemporary Amperex Intelligence Technology (Shanghai) Limited (CAIT-SH), a wholly-owned subsidiary of CATL, and the Yichun Economic and Technological Development Zone Management Committee held a signing ceremony for the CATL Integrated Intelligent Chassis (CIIC) Production Base Project in the city of Yichun, Southeast China’s Jiangxi Province. CIIC skateboard chassis integrates battery... Read more →

Lightyear, the developer of solar electric vehicles, will redirect its focus and resources completely towards the development and production of Lightyear 2, its intended mass-market model. This means the suspension of the production of Lightyear 0, the first production solar car. Accordingly, Lightyear has submitted the request to the court... Read more →

Elkem, a company developing silicones, silicon products and carbon solutions, officially inaugurated the world’s first carbon capture pilot for smelters. The Mobile Test Unit (MTU), delivered by Aker Carbon Capture, is now connected to Elkem’s plant in Rana, Norway, which produces high-purity ferrosilicon and microsilica. Ferrosilicon is mainly used for... Read more →

Sakuú, the developer of 3D-printed Swift Print solid-state battery technology (earlier post), has selected Porsche Consulting, a subsidiary of the automotive manufacturer Porsche, to lead all aspects of design for its planned global gigafactories. The relationship will ensure that Sakuú has expertise secured for building gigafactories to meet its 2030... Read more →

Geothermal lithium producer Vulcan Energy Resources signed a Binding Term Sheet (BTS) with Stellantis for the first phase of a multiphase project aimed at decarbonizing the energy mix of the Rüsselsheim manufacturing site in the Upper Rhine Valley, Germany, by developing new geothermal projects. In June 2022, Stellantis made a... Read more →

Summit Nanotech Corporation, a company developing direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology, closed a US$50 million Series A2. The Series A2 round was led by Evok Innovations and BDC Capital’s Climate Tech Fund alongside participation from previous investors including Xora Innovation and Capricorn Investment Group. Summit also welcomes a consortium of... Read more →

General Motors plans to invest $918 million in four US manufacturing sites, including $854 million to prepare these facilities to produce the company’s sixth-generation Small Block V-8 engine and an additional $64 million in Rochester, New York and Defiance, Ohio for castings and components to support EV production. $579 million... Read more →

Chile-based Ensorcia Metals, a specialist in the extraction and transformation of high purity lithium, will invest €200 million to build a lithium hydroxide conversion plant in Europe. The plant, under the auspices of Ensorcia European subsidiary Sorcia Europe, should start its operations in 2025 with an installed capacity of 20,000... Read more →

Brazil-based Braskem, the largest polyolefins producer in the Americas, as well as a global market leader and pioneer producer of biopolymers on an industrial scale, announced a project to evaluate an investment in producing carbon-negative bio-based polypropylene (PP) in the US. The project would utilize Braskem’s proven, proprietary technology to... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced a $1.8-million investment from the High-Performance Computing for Manufacturing (HPC4Mfg) program for six teams which will tap into the US National Laboratories’ high-performance computing (HPC) resources to help manufacturers streamline their processes, increase their productivity, and lower their carbon footprint. High-performance computing enables... Read more →

Stellantis N.V. and Terrafame Ltd. signed a supply agreement for nickel sulfate to be used in electric vehicle (EV) batteries. Beginning in 2025, Finland-based Terrafame will supply Stellantis with nickel sulfate over the five-year term of the agreement. The Terrafame agreement is a part of Stellantis’ aggressive strategy and will... Read more →

US-based graphite processor Urbix (earlier post) announced a Joint Development Agreement with global EV battery developer and manufacturer SK On (SKO). The new strategic partnership will see the companies collaborate to develop industrialized anode materials that will be incorporated into SKO’s advanced lithium-ion batteries used in its US gigafactories. For... Read more →

Atlas Lithium Corporation, a US-based mineral exploration company focused on lithium and other battery metals in Brazil, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Mitsui & Co., Ltd. with respect to Mitsui’s potential interest in acquiring the right to purchase Atlas Lithium’s future lithium concentrate production. Mitsui is a global... Read more →

Leclanché SA has reduced the cobalt content in NMCA as cathode material from 20% to 5% and manufacture the electrodes using an environmentally friendly water-based process. In doing so, Leclanché completely dispenses the use of the highly toxic organic solvents (NMP) that are otherwise common in the production process. Leclanché... Read more →

Proterra announced that the company produced the first Proterra Powered EV battery at its new Powered 1 battery manufacturing plant located in Greer, South Carolina. Proterra expects to begin deliveries to customers of Proterra Powered battery systems from the new battery factory in the first quarter of 2023. In addition,... Read more →

Hanwha Group and LG Energy Solution (LGES) will invest in building battery production facilities in the United States. The joint investment will pave the way for Hanwha to lead the rapidly-growing energy storage market and future Urban Air Mobility business. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding in Seoul... Read more →

In November 2022, 5,661 tonnes of manganese were deployed onto roads globally in the batteries of newly sold passenger EVs, surpassing the previous record set in September 2022 while foreshadowing of a massive December, according to analysis by Adamas Intelligence. In November 2022, nearly 60% of all manganese deployed onto... Read more →

Aluminum plays a key role in reducing the weight of a car and thus also helps to reduce fuel consumption. A modern car contains large amounts of aluminum and use of the metal is on the increase. It is thus important to exploit the material as optimally as possible, and... Read more →

LG Energy Solution and Honda Motor announced the formal establishment of the joint venture (JV) which will produce lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EV) produced by Honda. (Earlier post.) The JV will begin construction of a new battery plant early this year with the goal of completion by the end... Read more →

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Loan Programs Office (LPO) has offered a conditional commitment to lend up to $700 million to Ioneer Rhyolite Ridge LLC to develop a domestic supply of lithium carbonate for electric vehicle (EV) batteries from the Rhyolite Ridge Lithium-Boron Project (Rhyolite Ridge) in Esmeralda County,... Read more →

Elinor Batteries, which officially launched 12 January 2023, and Norway-based independent research organization SINTEF have entered into a Memorandum of understanding on strategic cooperation, aiming to establish a giga-scale factory for production of sustainable batteries in Central Norway. Elinor plans to build the factory in modules to limit financial and... Read more →

Graphex Technologies LLC, the US subsidiary of Graphex Group Limited, and Northern Graphite Corporation announced that Graphex will participate in Northern’s previously announced selection process for a site suitable for the construction of a large-scale graphite processing facility in Baie-Comeau, approximately 420 km north-east of Québec City. The plant is... Read more →

Bosch will invest around €950 million in the development and production of components for electromobility and automated driving in Suzhou, China. Tthe first phase of the project in the eastern city of Suzhou will be completed by mid-2024. Bosch already has four factories in Suzhou employing nearly 10,000 people. Earlier... Read more →

The Chemours Company will invest $200 million to increase capacity and advance technology for its Nafion ion exchange materials to be located at Chemours’ manufacturing facility in Villers-Saint-Paul, France. (Earlier post.) Chemours’ investment builds on the existing efforts in the US to have a reliable supply chain and robust capacity... Read more →

ArcelorMittal Europe – Flat Products and Gonvarri Industries have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate more closely on reducing CO2 emissions and strengthening both companies’ sustainability performance in the automotive market. Gonvarri Industries is a leading company in flat steel processing with annual production of around 5 million tonnes... Read more →

Stellantis and Australia-based Element 25 signed a binding agreement for Element 25 to supply battery-grade, high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate (HPMSM) to Stellantis for use in electric vehicle (EV) battery packs. The five-year agreement calls for shipments to begin in 2026, a total volume of 45 kilotons, and options to extend... Read more →

BYD and Uzavtosanoat JSC (UzAuto) signed an agreement to establish a joint venture company producing new energy vehicles (NEVs). The new joint venture company, which will manufacture best-selling NEVs including the DM-i super hybrid models and related parts, is anticipated to be based in Uzbekistan. Founded in 1995, BYD is... Read more →

Stellantis and Archer Aviation have agreed to expand their partnership by joining forces to manufacture Archer’s flagship electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, Midnight. Stellantis will work with Archer to stand up Archer’s recently announced manufacturing facility in Covington, Georgia at which the companies plan to begin manufacturing the... Read more →

Norwegian startup Blastr Green Steel is planning to establish a green steel plant with an integrated hydrogen production facility in Inkoo, Finland. Blastr has entered into a Letter of Intent with Nordic energy company Fortum that provides Blastr exclusive rights to utilize the existing industrial site located in Joddböle, Inkoo... Read more →

Used and damaged cars are often disposed of via energy-intensive scrapping processes—even when many of their parts are still fully functional. In the EKODA project, Fraunhofer researchers are developing an alternative. First, they examine each component in a complex testing procedure. Then they use an evaluation system to generate recommendations... Read more →

NVIDIA and Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn), the world’s largest technology manufacturer, used CES 2023 as the venue to announce a strategic partnership to develop automated and autonomous vehicle platforms. As part of the agreement, Foxconn will be a tier-one manufacturer, producing electronic control units (ECUs) based on NVIDIA DRIVE... Read more →

A wave of new planned electric vehicle battery plants will increase North America’s battery manufacturing capacity from 55 Gigawatt-hours per year (GWh/year) in 2021 to 998 GWh/year by 2030, according to the US Department of Energy (DOE). Most of the announced battery plant projects are scheduled to begin production between... Read more →

Cleveland-Cliffs is introducing the MOTOR-MAX product line of non-oriented electrical steels for high frequency motors and generators in the North American market. MOTOR-MAX High Frequency Non-Oriented Electrical Steels (HF NOES) are designed for high speed motors (operating at frequencies above 60 Hz), electric vehicle (EV) traction motors, aircraft generators and... Read more →

Australia-based lithium miner Core Lithium has loaded the first export shipment of product from the Finniss mine in Australia’s Northern Territory. This first shipment of 15,000dmt of 1.4% Li2O Direct Shipping Ore (DSO) (1.4% Li2O), announced 3 October 2022, was successfully tendered using a digital exchange platform achieving a price... Read more →

The Lion Electric Company recently completed production of its first lithium-ion battery pack at the company’s battery manufacturing facility located in Mirabel, Québec. Final certification of the first battery pack is expected in the first quarter of 2023, followed by a gradual ramp up of production in 2023. The first... Read more →

A team from the University of Calgary and Rice University has used flash joule heating (FJH) (earlier post) to convert low-value asphaltenes—a by-product of crude oil refining—into a high-value carbon allotrope, asphaltene-derived flash graphene (AFG). Flash graphene from asphaltenes. (A) Schematic conceptualization of sustainable valorization of asphaltene. (B) Photograph of... Read more →

NEO Battery Materials, a developer of silicon anode materials, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with an Asia-based producer of high-purity silicon powder through recycling silicon by-product waste from solar photovoltaic cell and semiconductor manufacturing. The recycler will remain confidential until officially disclosed. The purpose is to enhance the price... Read more →

Graphex Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary of Graphex Group and a mid-stream processor of natural graphite for use in Li-ion power batteries, entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Australia-based Reforme Group , a private mining and development group involved in developing processing, to create a strategic alliance... Read more →

Researchers from The University of Birmingham in the UK have demonstrated that the direct reuse of aluminum and copper current collectors from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is possible. An open-access paper on their study is published in the RSC journal Green Chemistry. Zhu et al. The ever-increasing number of spent... Read more →

Umicore, a circular materials technology company, and Nano One Materials Corp. signed a non-exclusive Joint Development Agreement (JDA) on production process technologies for cathode active materials (CAM) for lithium-ion batteries. Under the agreement, Umicore will evaluate Nano One’s patented M2CAM (metal direct to cathode) One-Pot process technology with the intention... Read more →

As of 2026, Audi will only launch all-electric models onto the global market, gradually phasing out production of its combustion models by 2033. Based on this clear decision made as part of its Vorsprung 2030 corporate strategy, Audi is now taking steps to prepare its global facilities for the production... Read more →

Blue World Technologies has started the series production of its methanol fuel cells, marked with the official inauguration of the 8,500 m2 Blue Aalborg Factory. The fuel cell factory, which initially has an annual production capacity of 250,000 individual fuel cells, is located in an industrial area at the Port... Read more →