PT Vale Indonesia Tbk and China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Co. announced an agreement with Ford Motor Co., creating a three-party collaboration to advance more sustainable nickel production in Indonesia and help make electric vehicle batteries more affordable. All three companies are making equity investments in the Pomalaa Block High-Pressure Acid... Read more →

FREYR Battery has entered into discussions on a potential strategic coalition with Glencore, Caterpillar, Siemens and Nidec to pursue the scale-up of sustainable battery solutions across Europe, North America, and beyond. The non-binding alliance may establish guiding principles including: A shared vision of battery technology as critical to the energy... Read more →

Supply chain disruption and rising material costs are causing the global automotive industry to re-evaluate lean manufacturing principles, according to a new survey commissioned by ABB Robotics. Shifting from ‘just-in-time’ to ‘just in case’ strategies, manufacturers are holding more stock to protect against unplanned disruptions. Produced in partnership with Automotive... Read more →

The European Commission (EC) unveiled two draft laws in response to the US subsidies that the Commission fears are luring European clean-tech companies to North America. The European Critical Raw Materials Act would help the bloc secure supply of the metals needed to build batteries, wind turbines and other green... Read more →

The SAFE Center for Strategic Industrial Materials (C-SIM) released the first report in a series of policy papers regarding the various issues impacting domestic primary aluminum production: The US Aluminum Industry’s Energy Problem and Energy Solution. Aluminum demand will continue to grow as the economy transitions to a more sustainable... Read more →

Li-Bridge, a public-private alliance representing the US battery ecosystem, convened by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and managed by Argonne National Laboratory, released an action plan to accelerate the creation of a robust domestic manufacturing base and comprehensive supply chain for lithium-based batteries. According to the report, the US... Read more →

Rio Tinto and Japanese trader and business conglomerate Marubeni Corporation have agreed a first sale under a new strategic collaboration agreement to secure a sustainable and reliable supply of Rio Tinto’s Responsible aluminum products to Japanese downstream manufacturers. The first sale is a batch of Rio Tinto’s RenewAl high purity... Read more →

Polestar and Rivia have collaborated on a ‘Pathway Report’ which concludes that the automotive industry is set to overshoot the IPCC’s 1.5-degree pathway by at least 75% by 2050. The report, which uses existing, open-source data to model the current trajectory for emissions stemming from the car industry, was carried... Read more →

Umicore has signed a long-term agreement with Finland-based Terrafame Ltd. for the supply of low-carbon, sustainable high-grade nickel sulfate. Following the successful completion of the qualification process, commercial deliveries have already started with further ramp-up of volumes to take place during 2023. Terraframe produces nickel and cobalt sulfates, which are... Read more →

The US Department of State released the signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on electric vehicle battery value chains signed by the United States on 13 December 2022, during the Africa Leaders Summit. Through this MOU, the United States will support the commitment between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and... 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 →

Mercedes-Benz will collaborate with Norwegian aluminum producer Hydro to reduce significantly the CO₂ footprint of aluminum in the automotive supply chain. Hydro and Mercedes-Benz will from 2023 to 2030 collaborate on a joint technology roadmap aiming to develop aluminium solutions approved for automotive applications with a CO2 footprint below 3.0... Read more →

Australia-based Provaris Energy has received class approval from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for the design of Provaris’ 26,000 m3 H2Neo compressed hydrogen carrier, the first of its kind to receive this level of approval. This milestone approval follows the completion of extensive Front End Engineering Design (FEED) work... Read more →

Continental and Security Matters (SMX), an innovative tech platform specializing in digital tracking using unalterable chemical-based barcodes, have succeeded for the first time in verifying beyond doubt a marker substance for natural rubber in a tire, and thus throughout the entire production process. The dedicated marker technology, which both companies... Read more →

UP Catalyst, an Estonia-based company developing a method to produce sustainable carbon nanomaterials and graphite from CO2 (earlier post), says that it can produce carbon-negative graphite, consuming 3.7 tons of CO2 per ton of graphite material produced. Conventional production of graphite not only takes place far away from battery manufacturing... Read more →

Following on from their joint presentation at the Future Battery Forum 2022, Ellen Carey, Vice President of Global Policy and Public Affairs at Circulor, and Fredrika Klarén, Global Head of Sustainability at Polestar, discuss the successful collaboration between their two companies, and how blockchain traceability will play a key role... Read more →

In Japan, JERA concluded memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) related to cooperation in transporting fuel ammonia for the Hekinan Thermal Power Plant, expected to begin commercial operation in the late 2020s. JERA is a 50-50 joint venture between TEPCO Fuel... Read more →

China continues to dominate BloombergNEF’s (BNEF) global lithium-ion battery supply chain ranking, for the third time in a row, for both 2022 and its projection for 2027, due to continued support for the electric vehicle demand and raw materials investments. China currently hosts 75% of all battery cell manufacturing capacity... Read more →

The global net zero transition can represent a $3.5-trillion investment opportunity for Indonesia, according to a new report published at the BNEF Summit Bali by research company BloombergNEF (BNEF) entitled Net-Zero Transition: Opportunities for Indonesia. Based on BNEF’s New Energy Outlook, its annual long-term scenario analysis on the future of... Read more →

Qorvo, a global provider of connectivity and power solutions, and SK Siltron CSS, a semiconductor wafer manufacturer, finalized a multi-year supply agreement for silicon carbide (SiC) bare and epitaxial wafers. This agreement will promote US semiconductor supply chain resilience and a greater ability to support the rapidly rising demand for... Read more →

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA‑E) will award $39 million in funding to 16 projects across 12 states to develop market-ready technologies that will increase domestic supplies of critical elements required for the clean energy transition. The selected projects, led by universities, national laboratories, and... Read more →

FREYR Battery announced a new service agreement with ITOCHU Corporation, the Japan-based global trading and import/export company. As part of this agreement, ITOCHU will serve as a direct materials supplier for FREYR’s procurement and supply chain operations. As the world moves towards decarbonization, we see FREYR as an integral part... Read more →

Digital transparency company Everledger launched a battery passport pilot with leading automotive manufacturer Ford Motor Company to ensure responsible recycling of EV batteries. The pilot leverages Everledger’s technology platform to track electric vehicle (EV) batteries throughout their lifecycle to ensure responsible management during use and recycling at the end of... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding a combined $2.8 billion to 21 projects to expand domestic manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and the electrical grid and for materials and components currently imported from other countries. (Earlier post.) Of that, $75,000,000 will go to one project in... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding a combined $2.8 billion to 21 projects to expand domestic manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and the electrical grid and for materials and components currently imported from other countries. (Earlier post.) Of that, $1.6 billion will go to 11 projects... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) will award a combined $2.8 billion to 20 companies for 21 projects—the first set of projects funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to expand domestic manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and the electrical grid and for materials and components... Read more →

China dominates the global Li-ion battery supply chain to the extent that removing the country in favor of European or North American alternatives will be difficult, according to analysis by Benchmark Minerals Intelligence. With the exception of mining, China controls at least half of the supply from every step needed... Read more →

Vitesco Technologies, a leading international supplier of advanced drive technologies and solutions for e-mobility has joined the Catena-X Automotive Network. Catena-X, founded in 2021, is the first comprehensive, collaborative and open data ecosystem along the entire automotive value chain. In June, Catena-X reported that it had grown to 104 members.... Read more →

BNSF Railway plans to invest more than $1.5 billion to construct a master-planned rail facility in Southern California—the first being developed by a Class 1 railroad. The Barstow International Gateway will be an approximately 4,500-acre new integrated rail facility on the west side of Barstow, consisting of a rail yard,... Read more →

Rio Tinto has started producing spodumene concentrate, a mineral used in the production of lithium for batteries, at a demonstration plant in its Rio Tinto Iron and Titanium (RTIT) Québec Operations in its metallurgical complex in Sorel-Tracy, Canada. The plant will demonstrate at industrial scale a new spodumene concentration process... Read more →

South Korea-based SK On (SKO), a global EV battery manufacturer, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Australia’s Global Lithium Resources to explore future business opportunities together in regard to stable supply of lithium. SK On ranked ninth in terms of global EV battery market share in 2019, but has... Read more →

LG Energy Solution (LGES) signed separate partnership agreements with three major critical mineral suppliers in Canada. The latest arrangements to secure lithium and cobalt from Snow Lake Resources Ltd., Electra Battery Materials Corporation and Avalon Advanced Materials Inc. are in line with LG Energy Solution’s strategic vision to reinforce its... Read more →

Amogy, a developer of energy-dense ammonia power solutions (earlier post), and Trafigura, one of the largest physical commodity trading groups in the world, are partnering to study the use of ammonia as a carrier to transport clean hydrogen from point of production to point of consumption. The findings of this... Read more →

Polestar is welcoming twelve new partners to the Polestar 0 project to develop a climate-neutral car. (Earlier post.) Each partner will focus on certain materials, components and processes involved in the production of cars. New partners, listed below, cover areas such as plastics, composites, chemicals and metals. The transport sector... Read more →

Enviva, the leading producer of sustainably sourced woody biomass, and Alder Fuels, a clean tech developer and greencrude producer, signed a contract for the long-term, large-scale supply of woody biomass from Enviva, which sources low-value fiber, such as forest byproducts such as tree tops, limbs, and commercial thinnings, to commercialize... Read more →

Honda Motor has established a strategic partnership with Hanwa, a major Japan-based trading company, toward stable procurement of essential metals for batteries necessary for its electrified vehicles. Honda is striving to make battery-electric vehicles (EVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCVs) represent 100% of its global vehicle sales by 2040.... Read more →

JFE Steel Corporation, Itochu Corporation and Emirates Steel Arkan, the largest steel company in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), will conduct joint detailed feasibility studies on the establishment of a supply chain of ferrous raw material for green ironmaking with low-carbon emission at the project site in Abu Dhabi. Emirates... Read more →

Volkswagen Group (Volkswagen AG) and the Government of Canada signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote e-mobility in the country and to explore opportunities across Canada’s automotive and battery supply chain. Both parties will investigate opportunities for Canada to contribute to Volkswagen’s global and regional battery supply chains. PowerCo,... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz Group AG and the Government of Canada signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote cooperation and to explore ways to advance opportunities across Canada’s electric vehicle supply chain, including, but not limited to, securing sustainable sources of raw materials. As part of Mercedes-Benz’s Ambition2039, the focus is on... Read more →

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) recently signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with the Chengdu Municipal Government. The two parties will carry out all-round cooperation in the fields of battery swap operation, research and development, comprehensive utilization of resources, manufacturing of key battery materials, new energy and energy storage.... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) issued a Request for Information (RFI) (DE-FOA-0002794) on the development and implementation of a $675-million Critical Materials Research, Development, Demonstration, and Commercialization Program. The program will address vulnerabilities in the domestic critical materials supply chain. Critical materials, which include rare-earth elements, lithium, nickel, and... Read more →

The Kaohsiung City (Taiwan) government has teamed up with Taiwan-based Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) to work on projects such as smart electric buses and smart city development, with the aim of becoming an arena that offers a comprehensive business and service model to attract global manufacturers to invest in... Read more →

Neste, the world’s leading producer of renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel produced from waste and residue raw materials, has agreed to acquire 100% of Walco Foods, an Irish trader of animal fats. The transaction is subject to the fulfillment of customary closing conditions and regulatory approval. This is another... Read more →

General Motors announced two major Li-ion battery supply chain agreements, one with LG Chem for cathode active material (CAM), and one with Livent for the supply of battery-grade lithium hydroxide. GM now has contractual commitments secured with strategic partners for all battery raw material to support our goal of 1... Read more →

Gevo has entered into a partner agreement with Google Cloud to measure and verify the efficacy of next-generation biofuels across the supply chain via full lifecycle sustainability data tracking. Utilizing technology developed by Verity Tracking , a division of Gevo, the collaboration is expected to enable users to track and... Read more →

Components for the production of batteries at Audi’s Brussels plant will no longer be delivered by truck from Hungary, but by rail with DB Cargo. The move will significantly reduce Audi’s carbon emissions and also save money. The switch in means of delivery between Hungary and Brussels, which was started... Read more →