General Motors and POSCO Future M announced the second phase of their Ultium CAM joint venture, an investment projected to exceed US$1 billion to increase production capacity of cathode active materials (CAM) in North America and integrate precursor materials production. pCAM is a specifically engineered combination of processed raw materials... Read more →

PowerCell has signed an agreement with Robert Bosch GmbH to manufacture the S3 fuel cell stack for PowerCell. PowerCell thereby increases its production capacity significantly and focuses on scaling up the assembly and deliveries of fuel cell systems as well as development of the next generation of fuel cell stacks.... Read more →

Australia-based European Lithium Limited signed a binding term sheet for the joint development and operation of a lithium hydroxide processing plant in Saudi Arabia with Obeikan Group to convert lithium concentrate into lithium hydroxide. Tony Sage, Chairman of European Lithium, said the new facility, once operational, was expected to significantly... Read more →

Vitesco Technologies and onsemi announced a 10-year long-term supply agreement worth $1.9 billion (€1.75 billion) for silicon carbide (SiC) products to enable Vitesco Technologies’ ramp in electrification technologies. Vitesco Technologies, a leading international manufacturer of modern drive technologies and electrification solutions, is also providing an investment of $250 million (€230... Read more →

Honda celebrated production of the 30-millionth engine built at the company’s Anna Engine Plant in Ohio with the production of the newly refined 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine, which is part of the two-motor hybrid-electric system that powers Honda Accord and CR-V hybrid-electric models. The Anna plant, Honda’s largest engine plant... Read more →

Toyota will assemble an all-new, three-row, battery electric SUV at Toyota Kentucky starting in 2025. The company’s first US-assembled BEV will be powered by batteries from Toyota North Carolina. The new battery plant, which is currently under construction, will receive an additional $2.1 billion investment to support future expansion in... Read more →

The Government of Canada announced support for the latest cathode active materials (CAM) facility to be operational in Canada, to be built by a joint venture between General Motors (GM) and POSCO Future M in Bécancour, Québec (earlier post). CAM are key battery materials that consist of components such as... Read more →

Stellantis, TotalEnergies and Mercedes-Benz celebrated the inauguration of Automotive Cells Company’s (ACC) battery gigafactory in Billy-Berclau Douvrin, France—the first of three planned in Europe. ACC was founded by Stellantis and TotalEnergies/Saft in 2020; Mercedes-Benz became a partner in 2022. With an initial production line capacity of 13 gigawatt-hours (GWh), rising... Read more →

Stellantis N.V. and Vulcan Energy Resources Limited have signed a binding term sheet for the first phase of a multiphase project to develop new geothermal projects aimed at decarbonizing the energy mix of Stellantis’ Mulhouse industrial site in France, which is home to the DS 7, Peugeot 308 and 308... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced partnering opportunities for industry to work with National Laboratories on manufacturing scale-up and associated verification and validation for flow batteries and solid-state lithium batteries. (DE-LC-0000027.0001) Topic 1. Developing Innovative Solid-State Battery Manufacturing Capabilities: All Topic 1 projects require a cost share of at... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Group and LG Energy Solution (LGES) announced an EV battery cell manufacturing joint venture in the US. Hyundai Motor Group and LGES signed a memorandum of understanding to produce EV batteries in the US. Hyundai and LGES will each hold a 50% stake in the JV, which will... Read more →

Dürr is setting new benchmarks in sustainable production with its new EcoBell4 atomizer family. The innovative application technology achieves up to 98% efficiency for clear coat application. It reduces paint loss and rinsing agent consumption by 50% during color changes, or up to 91% in combination with the EcoProBooth modular... Read more →

A group of industrial stakeholders, including the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, have sent President Biden a letter urging “your administration to make it clear that electrical steel is critical to the national and economic security of the United States and to prioritize actions that will create a sustainable supply.” Electrical... Read more →

Li-Metal Corp., a developer of lithium metal and lithium metal anode technologies, has successfully produced its first lithium metal at its lithium metal piloting facility in Markham, Ontario. Domestic lithium metal production capacity is essential for the development of a sustainable supply chain for next-generation batteries. Li-Metal’s successful demonstration of... Read more →

Plug Power landed three containerized electrolyzer projects with Ardagh Glass Limmared AB, Hydro Havrand, and the APEX Group for the use of industrial-scale green hydrogen in glass manufacturing, aluminum recycling, and steel manufacturing processes. Plug is the only company offering 5MW containerized PEM electrolyzers today. The standardized turnkey system, with... Read more →

Sakuu Corporation launched its safer, high energy, high power density Li-Metal Cypress cell chemistry for licensing to battery manufacturers using roll-to-roll manufacturing technology. Sakuu said that Cypress delivers a combination of performance characteristics for battery manufacturers, notably: High power: 8C pulse discharge, 3C continuous discharge Energy density: 750+ Wh/l Industry-standard... Read more →

thyssenkrupp nucera is partnering with H2 Green Steel in constructing the first large-scale green steel plant in Europe. The standardized 20 MW alkaline water electrolysis (AWE) modules—now called by the product name “scalum”—will enable an installed capacity of more than 700 MW. This will also create one of the largest... Read more →

A team led by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) researcher Yan Wang has developed a solvent-free process to manufacture lithium-ion battery electrodes that are greener, cheaper, and charge faster than electrodes currently on the market. In an open-access paper in the journal Joule, the group reported on a dry-print (DP) manufacturing... Read more →

The Orano group, a global player in the recovery, reuse and transformation of nuclear materials, and China-based XTC New Energy group, a specialist in the production of cathode materials for batteries, signed agreements to create two joint ventures devoted to the production of critical materials for electric vehicle batteries. Under... Read more →

To mark the 20th anniversary of the BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd. (BBA) joint venture, Milan Nedeljković, member of the Board of Management of BMW AG responsible for Production, announced local production of the NEUE KLASSE in China. Following the market launch in 2025, models of the next vehicle generation will... Read more →

Eaton’s eMobility business is now offering specialized high-power lock box (HPLB) power connectors for use in current and future electrified and internal combustion vehicle solutions. The HPLB connectors, a component of eMobility’s Power Connections portfolio, offer a space-saving profile, superior performance, cost savings and reduced manufacturing complexity. The HPLB connectors... Read more →

Toyota’s portfolio approach to providing customers with carbon-reducing options reached another milestone with a new flexible engine line at Toyota Kentucky. The flex line, representing a $145-million previously announced investment, can now produce three different engine types simultaneously on one line, making Toyota Kentucky the only Toyota plant in North... Read more →

US-based advanced materials company Anovion Technologies has selected Decatur County in Southwest Georgia as the location of the company’s first large-scale expansion of manufacturing capacity for production of its premium synthetic graphite anode materials. Anovion plans an initial $800-million investment in the plant. Anovion employs proven, reliable, scalable graphitization technology... Read more →

Faurecia, a company of the FORVIA group, Michelin and Stellantis signed a binding agreement for Stellantis to acquire 33.3% stake in Symbio, a developer of hydrogen fuel cell systems for light- and heavy-duty vehicle applications. Faurecia and Michelin will remain shareholders with 33.3% holding each. The addition of Stellantis as... Read more →

NuScale Power Corporation and Nucor Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore co-locating NuScale’s VOYGR small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) power plants to provide clean, reliable baseload electricity to Nucor’s scrap-based Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) steel mills. The companies will also explore an expanded manufacturing partnership through which... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has selected Arizona State University to lead the seventh Clean Energy Manufacturing Innovation Institute. The Electrified Processes for Industry without Carbon (EPIXC) Institute will mobilize a coalition of private companies, National Labs, universities, labor unions, and community partners and will allocate up to $70... Read more →

For the first time, chassis and drive component production in Plant 02.10 at the BMW Group site in Dingolfing is operating an electrically heated ring hearth furnace. Compared with its conventional gas-powered equivalent, the latest electric furnace currently saves some 300 tonnes of CO2 a year. With its innovative power-to-heat... Read more →

Taiwan-based ProLogium has chosen France as the location for its first large-scale solid-state battery manufacturing facility outside of Taiwan. ProLogium will invest a total of €5.2 billion to set up a 48 GWh gigafactory and an R&D center. This major investment project aims to facilitate supply chain localization, R&D activities,... Read more →

The SAFE Center for Strategic Industrial Materials (C-SIM) released a report examining how recent domestic policies designed to promote the energy transition and reduce carbon emissions are increasing demand for aluminum used in many of the needed technologies but without addressing supply-side challenges—specifically the affordable electricity generation and distribution required... Read more →

Honda Motor and GS Yuasa signed a joint venture agreement toward the establishment of a new company. The two companies have been discussing specifics for collaboration on high-capacity, high-output lithium-ion batteries, mainly for EVs. (Earlier post.) To address the rapidly growing demand for batteries, the new joint venture company, which... Read more →

Advent Technologies Holdings announced a new contract with a prominent fuel cell manufacturer specializing in truck applications in the East Asian market. Under this contract, Advent will supply High-Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane (HT-PEM) Membrane Electrode Assemblies (MEAs) to support the development of advanced fuel cell solutions for trucks. The contract,... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing amendments to the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for taconite iron ore processing plants that include new emission standards for mercury as well as revising the existing emission standards for hydrogen chloride and hydrogen fluoride. Taaconite is a low-grade... Read more →

Following a successful testing phase of low-carbon aluminum with a minimum 25% share of post-consumer scrap, Mercedes-Benz is beginning series production of demanding structural cast components made of the more sustainable material this year. The tested aluminum comes with a carbon footprint of 2.8 kg CO2 per kg of aluminum.... Read more →

Eaton is continuing to expand and evolve its European eMobility business design capabilities, technologies and operations to support global electrified vehicle manufacturers. These upgrades will support Eaton’s efforts in delivering electric vehicle solutions to passenger car, commercial vehicle and off-highway OEMs globally. Eaton’s eMobility business has invested in a production... Read more →

Tesla broke ground on its in-house $375-million, 50 GWh/year lithium refinery outside of Corpus Christi, Texas. According to Elon Musk, Tesla hopes to complete construction next year and reach full production a year later. The Tesla Lithium refinery will suport about 1 million EVs worth of battery-grade lithium per year.... Read more →

Cleveland-Cliffs has successfully completed a hydrogen injection trial at its Middletown Works blast furnace. This introduction of hydrogen gas as an iron-reducing agent in the blast furnace is the first use of this carbon-friendly technology in the Americas region. The successful use of hydrogen gas represents a significant step toward... Read more →

Constellium SE announced that its Aheadd CP1 aluminum additive manufacturing powder was approved for use in Formula 1 cars beginning in the 2024 season. Constellium has partnered with Velo3D and PWR Advanced Cooling Technology to start providing highly efficient, compact, and lightweight heat exchangers for Formula 1 vehicles along with... Read more →

By Mark Boyle, AMADA WELD TECH Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) algorithms are widely used in our modern, digital society to monitor our habits, serve “appropriate” advertising, suggest which new television series to watch, and more. AI/ML is also being implemented, less visibly, in industrial environments to determine... Read more →

Albemarle Corporation announced its decision to build two additional processing trains at the Kemerton lithium hydroxide plant in Western Australia. The additional trains will be wholly owned and operated by Albemarle and would increase the facility’s production by 50 kilo-tonnes per annum (50,000 metric tonnes per annum). Operating at full... Read more →

In accordance with its ambition to reach carbon-neutral production by 2035, Neste is working on a 120 MW electrolyzer project to produce renewable (i.e. green) hydrogen at its Porvoo refinery in Finland. The company has now decided to proceed to the basic engineering phase with the project. The investment decision... Read more →

Lithium-ion battery recycling company Aqua Metals (earlier post), and 6K Energy, a developer of microwave plasma technology for the production of advanced materials for energy storage and additive manufacturing powders (earlier post), announced a partnership to develop the next generation of low-carbon battery materials as well as plans to establish... Read more →

SK On, a leading electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturer, signed a joint development agreement (JDA) with US graphite company Westwater Resources (WWR) as part of efforts to strengthen its battery raw material supply chain in North America following the enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Under the agreement, the... Read more →

SK IE Technology (SKIET) signed an MOU with Sunwoda, the 9th largest battery manufacturer in terms of global market share (according to SNE Research in 2022), to strengthen cooperation in supplying battery separators. The MOU signing ceremony took place at Sunwoda Group’s headquarters in Shenzhen, China. SKIET plans to supply... Read more →

INFICON, a global manufacturer of leak testing devices and instruments, has introduced its new electrolyte leak detector, the ELT3000 PLUS. Built on the technology of the ELT3000, the ELT3000 PLUS incorporates innovations that make it especially well-suited for in-line leak testing of lithium-ion battery cells with high throughput and heightened... Read more →

REE Automotive revealed P7-C, a Class 4 chassis cab offering a new cabin design built on REE’s P7 modular electric platform. (Earlier post.) The P7-C is a Class 4 chassis cab designed to meet the requirements for the Inflation Reduction Act incentives, which are more substantial for EVs Class 4... Read more →

Volta Trucks announced a partnership with EAVX, a business unit within J.B. Poindexter & Co., Inc. (JBPCO) the business units of which lead North America’s commercial vehicle body market, to build the truck bodies for the upcoming Pilot Fleet of all-electric Volta Zeros in the US for the Driving Experience... Read more →

America Makes and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) released a draft of the Standardization Roadmap for Additive Manufacturing (Version 3.0) for public review and comment. Developed by the America Makes and ANSI Additive Manufacturing Standardization Collaborative (AMSC), the roadmap was last published in June 2018. It identifies key issues,... Read more →

Bosch is expanding its semiconductor business with silicon carbide chips. The technology company plans to acquire assets of the US chipmaker TSI Semiconductors, based in Roseville, California. With a workforce of 250, the company is a foundry for application-specific integrated circuits, or ASICs. Currently, it mainly develops and produces large... Read more →

Porsche AG and Norsk Hydro ASA will work together to further reduce the carbon footprint of Porsche’s car models by using low-carbon aluminum and extrusions from Hydro. In addition, the two companies will collaborate on an innovative value chain concept for battery materials and its recycling. Hydro will deliver to... Read more →

Constellium SE will work with Renault Group to establish a closed-loop aluminum recycling process for the all-new Megane E-TECH Electric. Renault Group has developed a recycling process to bring manufacturing scrap from the stamping process directly back to Constellium, resulting in a reduced CO2 footprint. Based on best practices to... Read more →