NanoGraf, an advanced silicon anode battery material company enabling stronger, lighter, and longer-lasting lithium-ion batteries, has been awarded a $60-million grant from the US Department of Energy’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) to retrofit an existing manufacturing facility in Flint, Michigan. At full capacity, the advanced production... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced its new Battery Workforce Challenge Program, a comprehensive workforce development program designed to build and train a diverse, domestic workforce and to promote job creation for battery and electric vehicle (EV) technicians, electricians, skilled workers, and engineers. Managed by Argonne National Laboratory (ANL),... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced more than $3 billion for across 14 states to boost the domestic production of advanced batteries and battery materials nationwide. The portfolio of selected projects, once fully contracted, are projected to support more than 8,000 construction jobs and more than 4,000 operating jobs.... Read more →

Forge Battery, the commercial lithium-ion battery production subsidiary of Forge Nano, has been selected for award negotiations of up to $100 million in non-dilutive funding by the Department of Energy’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) to expand Forge’s North Carolina lithium-ion battery gigafactory production capacity to 3... Read more →

Group14 Technologies, a developer of advanced silicon battery materials, has been selected for an award negotiation of up to $200 million by the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) as part of the second set of projects funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law... Read more →

Solid Power, a developer of solid-state battery technology, was selected by the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) to begin award negotiations for up to $50 million in federal funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. With this project, Solid Power intends to install... Read more →

Urbix, a US-based developer of graphite processing technology, has been selected by the US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC) for final negotiations for an award of up to $125 million towards the construction of a commercial-scale graphite processing facility utilizing its proprietary methods... Read more →

Sila Nanotechnologies, a next-generation battery materials company, announced a multi-year supply agreement with a wholly owned subsidiary of REC Silicon ASA, a supplier of solar-grade silicon and silicon materials. Under the terms of the agreement, REC will supply Sila with high-quality, US-produced silane for use in the production of Sila's... Read more →

A new report by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) finds that only four of the 17 major automakers selling vehicles in Europe and North America have committed to start using any fossil-free steel by 2030. The commitments total an estimated 2% of the global steel used by all... Read more →

Group14 Technologies, the world’s largest global manufacturer and supplier of advanced silicon battery materials, is shipping its SCC55 material, produced from an EV-scale joint venture (JV) factory based in Sangju, South Korea. Group14 has completed shipments to more than 100 electric vehicle (EV) and consumer electronics (CE) battery manufacturing customers... Read more →

Nanoscale Components, a provider of electrochemical prelithiation technology, is commissioning its new modular GWh scale, roll-to-roll prelithiation line in North America. The unique underlying technology uses an inherently safe electrochemical reaction to eliminate the hazards posed by other prelithiation methods. The highly automated equipment is designed to operate 24 x... Read more →

REE Automotive, an automotive technology company and provider of full by-wire electric trucks and platforms, and Motherson Group, an engineering and manufacturing specialist and a major supplier to the automotive industry with long-standing relationships with global OEMs such as Mercedes Benz, Audi, Volkswagen, Suzuki, BMW, Porsche, GM, Ford, Stellantis, Daimler... Read more →

Subaru Corporation and Panasonic Energy, a Panasonic Group Company, plan to prepare for the supply of automotive lithium-ion batteries and joint establishment of a new battery factory in Oizumi, Gunma Prefecture, Japan. Panasonic Energy will supply its next-generation cylindrical automotive lithium-ion batteries for the battery electric vehicles (BEVs) Subaru plans... Read more →

General Motors and Hyundai Motor signed an agreement to explore future collaboration across key strategic areas. GM and Hyundai will look for ways to leverage their complementary scale and strengths to reduce costs and bring a wider range of vehicles and technologies to customers faster. Potential collaboration projects center on... Read more →

Stellantis is investing more than $406 million in three Michigan facilities to support its multi-energy strategy and confirmed that the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (SHAP) will be the company’s first US plant to build a fully electric vehicle. The Ram 1500 REV, the company’s first battery-electric light-duty pickup truck launching... Read more →

Volvo is increasing the use of low-CO2-emission steel in its trucks. This steel is produced with recycled material and fossil-free energy and will be used in tens of thousands of Volvo trucks starting next year. Volvo was the world’s first truck manufacturer to introduce this type of steel in its... Read more →

Volvo CE inaugurated new facilities to support the production of electric wheel loaders at its plant in Arvika, Sweden. The building in Arvika is the latest development for the Swedish site which specializes in manufacturing medium and large wheel loaders. Measuring approximately 1,500 sq m and constructed in less than... Read more →

Nissan Motor announced that its development and mass production of in-vehicle, lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries has been certified in Japan by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Through the development and mass-production of LFP batteries, Nissan intends to establish a base in Japan by strengthening the supply chain of... Read more →

DENSO Corporation will start inverter production at DENSO Fukushima Co., Ltd., to reinforce its manufacturing capability in Japan and enhance the DENSO Group’s competitiveness in the electrification field. DENSO Fukushima is a DENSO Group company that manufactures automotive thermal products, such as air conditioners and engine cooling modules (ECMs), and... Read more →

Constellium announced the results of its collaborative research project ALuminum Intensive Vehicle Enclosures (ALIVE). Constellium’s University Technology Center (UTC) at Brunel University London was the lead partner of the project focused on developing structural aluminum battery enclosures for electric vehicles. The £15-million project, half funded by UK government subsidies through... Read more →

Chinese car manufacturers have been forced to accelerate plans and build local facilities to localize their supply chain in light of various EV tariffs announced this year, according to EV research-house, Rho Motion. This comes as Canada announces a 100% import tariff on Chinese EVs, in line with its trade... Read more →

Topsoe and its partners Skovgaard Energy and Vestas have inaugurated a new green ammonia plant in Ramme, Denmark. The plant will demonstrate a dynamic approach, which entails that the plant will adapt to the inherent fluctuations in power output from the renewable power sources in integration with the plant’s electrolysis... Read more →

The Volvo Group will build its new Mexican heavy-duty truck manufacturing plant in Monterrey. As announced on 11 April, the plant will supplement the Group’s US production and provide additional capacity to support the growth plans of both Volvo Trucks and Mack Trucks in the US and Canadian markets, and... Read more →

China-based BTR Group, a manufacturer of lithium-ion battery materials, announced a strategic investment in Morocco, marking a significant step forward in its international expansion. Following the successful launch of operations in Indonesia, BTR Group, through its subsidiary BTR Mediterranean New Material Technology (MNMT), is embarking on an integrated project with... Read more →

The US Department of Defense has awarded Canada-based Electra Battery Materials Corporation $20 million to support the construction and commissioning of North America’s only cobalt sulfate refinery, capable of producing battery grade materials for lithium-ion batteries. Today, more than 80% of battery grade cobalt is produced in China. The award... Read more →

Sibanye-Stillwater executed a €500-million green loan financing facility (Green loan) for its Keliber lithium project in Finland, through its subsidiary Keliber Technology Oy. The Green loan secures the final capital expenditure funding required for the construction and development of its lithium mining, processing and refining facilities in Kaustinen, Kronoby and... Read more →

Nippon Steel has entered into an equity participation agreement with Whitehaven Coal Limited (WHC) to acquire a 20% interest in the Blackwater coal mine (BW Coal Mine) in the State of Queensland, Australia for $720 million. In addition, Nippon Steel has entered into long-term coal offtake rights agreement with WHC,... Read more →

Ford is adjusting its electrification product roadmap in the hopes of offering a range of electrification options that might speed customer adoption—including lower prices and longer ranges. Among the changes are the cancellation of the previously announced three-row all-electric SUV in favor of leveraging hybrid technologies for the next three-row... Read more →

Estonia-based UP Catalyst, a developer of sustainable carbon material production directly from CO2 emissions, has successfully closed a €2.36-million seed extension round. This follows the initial seed round raised last December which amounted to €4 million, bringing the total seed funding to €6.36 million. The funding round saw equal participation... Read more →

The Michigan State University Industrial Training Assessment Center and University of Michigan Economic Growth Institute have been awarded $500,000 by the US Department of Energy to launch the Michigan Automotive Supply Chain Technical Assistance Program. This two-year initiative will help small and medium-sized manufacturers in Michigan’s automotive sector transition to... Read more →

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Technology Transitions (OTT) and the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED), with support from the Industrial Efficiency & Decarbonization Office, and the Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains, announced approximately $15 million in funding to address adoption challenges preventing later stage... Read more →

The United States Council for Automotive Research LLC (USCAR) announced a new standard for “Industrial Data Communication for Automotive Manufacturing.” The new data standard, SAE/USCAR-53, establishes a common methodology for data communication, machine language, and reporting to and from manufacturing devices in the automotive production or Smart Manufacturing environment. The... Read more →

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) released a request for information (DE-FOA-0003426) to solicit feedback from stakeholders on the Energy Efficiency Scaling for Two Decades (EES2) Initiative and the draft EES2 Research and Development (R&D) Roadmap that accompanies this RFI. The roadmap outlines... Read more →

Fortescue has started works at its Green Metal Project in the Pilbara region of Western Australia (WA). Located at the Green Energy Hub at Christmas Creek, the US$50-million project is expected to produce more than 1,500 tonnes per annum of green metal, with first production anticipated in 2025. The plant... Read more →

To plug the gap between today’s battery industry and 2040 battery demand will require at least $1.6 trillion of investment, according to Benchmark. This is almost triple the $571 billion needed to meet 2030 demand. Such large investments are needed as battery demand is forecast to grow from 937 gigawatt-hours... Read more →

Natron Energy, a developer of sodium-ion battery technology, announced plans to build the first sodium-ion battery gigafactory in the United States. The facility will be located in Edgecombe County, NC, and is expected to produce 24GW of Natron’s sodium-ion batteries annually at full capacity. Natron’s sodium-ion batteries offer higher power... Read more →

As part of an ongoing push around renewable energy, GM announcED a 15-year renewable energy purchase agreement with NorthStar Clean Energy for three GM assembly plants. NorthStar’s Newport Solar project in Newport, Arkansas, will support the electricity needs of GM’s Lansing Delta Township Assembly and Lansing Grand River Assembly in... Read more →

Polestar has begun production of its luxury SUV, Polestar 3, in South Carolina. This makes the Polestar 3 the first Polestar to be produced on two continents. The factory in South Carolina produces cars for customers in the US and Europe, complementing existing production in Chengdu, China. Manufacturing Polestar 3... Read more →

Tirupati Graphite has begun production at its Vatomina mine in Madagascar. (Earlier post.) Steady state 24/7 production has been ongoing since 6 August 2024, with production of 165 tons in seven (7) consecutive working days. With the 330 days per annum operational design, this run rate equates to 7,778 tons... Read more →

A team of researchers from Hydro-Québec’s Center of Excellence in Transportation Electrification and Energy Storage has used plasma vapor deposition (PVD) to deposit a think LixSny alloy layer of the surface of a lithium foil. The layer has a much higher hardness than bare Li and can withstand aggressive cycling... Read more →

A decarbonized steel industry that includes carbon dioxide removal techniques in its net zero arsenal could use lower-grade iron ore, according to a new study by researchers from Heriot-Watt University in the UK. Steel accounts for 5-8% of carbon dioxide emissions globally. Its total emissions have risen over the past... Read more →

Nissan has been trialing an innovative automotive paint aimed at helping lower a vehicle’s ambient cabin temperature in summer and reduce the energy usage of the air-conditioning system. Developed in partnership with Radi-Cool, a specialist in radiative cooling products, the paint incorporates metamaterial, synthetic composite materials with structures that exhibit... Read more →

The BMW Group is exploring the use of humanoid robots in production for the first time. During a trial run lasting several weeks at BMW Group Plant Spartanburg, the latest humanoid robot Figure 02 from California company Figure successfully inserted sheet metal parts into specific fixtures, which were then assembled... Read more →

DENSO Corporation signed a manufacturing license agreement with Ceres Power Holdings, a leading developer of solid oxide cell stack technology. DENSO aims to advance the early practical application of Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells (SOECs) that produce hydrogen through water electrolysis. Cell stacks are one of the components of SOECs, playing... Read more →

The auto industry can eliminate more than 95% of greenhouse gas emissions from producing the steel for passenger vehicles by switching to fossil fuel-free steel, according to a new report released by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). Primary steel, a critical component of today’s auto sector supply chain,... Read more →

Leapmotor International, a 51/49 Stellantis-led company between Stellantis and Leapmotor (earlier post), has shipped the first batch of Leapmotor electric vehicles—C10 SUVs and T03 cars—from Shanghai, China, to European ports this month, marking a significant milestone in the partnership and demonstrating the shared commitment to providing sustainable mobility and innovation... Read more →

The BMW Group is expanding its production network for the next generation of high-voltage batteries significantly, with five facilities on three continents to produce sixth-generation high-voltage batteries. Across the globe, the principle of “local for local” will apply. This helps the BMW Group increase the resilience of its production. The... Read more →

Metafuels and PSI, the developers of a technology for sustainable aviation fuel compatible with existing aircraft, announced a CHF 4.4-million funding grant from the Swiss Government’s Federal Office of Energy to support the implementation and operation of a pilot facility based on Metafuels’ sustainable aviation fuel (e-SAF) technology (earlier post)—aerobrew—which... Read more →

Ceylon Graphite has entered into a purchase and distribution agreement with GES Europe GmbH (GES), specialist in the manufacture, trade, and processing of synthetic and natural graphite Ceylon’s graphite has uniquely high natural carbon characteristics that exceed those of any other natural graphite suppliers we have seen. The extremely high... Read more →

C-BATT, a joint venture between X-BATT and CONSOL Innovations, a wholly-owned subsidiary of CONSOL Energy Inc., has launched the next phase of its effort to accelerate the development and commercialization of next-generation battery anode materials. C-BATT is combining X-BATT’s battery technology with CONSOL Innovations' domestically sourced carbon resources to bring... Read more →