INVISTA, an industry leader in the nylon 6,6 value chain, is licensing its nitrous oxide (N2O) abatement technology at three adipic acid production facilities in China; those licenses will help companies in the automotive industry achieve material supply chain emissions reductions. INVISTA—which produces its own adipic acid, along with a... Read more →

Li-Cycle Holdings and Glencore International, a leading producer, recycler, and marketer of nickel and cobalt which is required for the production of lithium-ion batteries, are now planning a two-phase approach to the Portovesme Hub project in Sardinia, Italy (earlier post) to expedite the production of battery-grade lithium carbonate. Phase 1... Read more →

OCSiAl, a leader in graphene nanotube technologies (earlier post), has been granted a construction permit for a nanotube production facility near Belgrade, Serbia. (Earlier post.) The new nanotube synthesis plant will be launched in 2024 and will have a planned annual capacity of 120 tonnes per year. The project will... Read more →

BASF and Nanotech Energy, a developer and manufacturer of graphene-based energy storage products, have agreed to partner to reduce the CO2 footprint of Nanotech’s lithium-ion batteries for the North American market. The agreement aims to close the loop for lithium-ion batteries in North America, with BASF producing cathode active materials... Read more →

The Nikkei reports that Japan and the UK are set to make joint investments in critical minerals in Africa and other places. The two countries will also establish a framework for discussing economic security at the ministerial level, with a focus on supply chains. The two countries reportedly aim to... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced a $15.5-billion package of funding and loans primarily focused on retooling existing factories for the transition to electric vehicles (EVs). This includes making available $2 billion in grants and up to $10 billion in loans to support automotive manufacturing conversion projects that retain... Read more →

An analysis by Nikkei in Japan concludes that nearly 40% of the suppliers for materials used in Tesla’s electric vehicle batteries are Chinese companies. Nikkei sent a letter to Tesla asking about its dependence on Chinese suppliers but said that it had received no reply by the publication deadline. China... Read more →

The US Department of Energy (DOE) released its 2023 Critical Materials Assessment (2023 CMA), which evaluated materials for their criticality to global clean energy technology supply chains. Based on the results of the Assessment, DOE has determined the 2023 DOE Critical Materials List of energy-specific critical and near-critical materials through... Read more →

Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corporation introduced the AI-enabled, blockchain-based Supplier CO2 Emission Monitoring System (SCEMS) to manage the carbon emissions of its cooperative business partners. SCEMS is designed to compute carbon emissions at every stage of a cooperative partner’s supply chain while assuring data transparency and integrity. Hyundai Motor... Read more →

Nikola Corporation and BayoTech, Inc., an innovator in hydrogen production, transportation and storage solutions, announced an agreement to advance reliable hydrogen supply for zero-emission commercial fuel cell electric vehicle fleets. The strategic supply agreement includes the purchase of up to 50 Nikola Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks, up... Read more →

The energy transition requires a massive increase in the supply of critical materials, yet supply chains remain vulnerable to a range of geopolitical risks. Although there is no scarcity of reserves for these energy transition minerals, global capabilities for mining and refining them are limited. Supply disruptions could impact the... Read more →

Stellantis N.V. and NioCorp Developments Ltd. have signed a rare earth offtake term sheet. The objective is to enter into a definitive rare earth supply agreement to support Stellantis’ commitment to build resilient supply chains and reach carbon net zero by 2038 and to help accelerate NioCorp’s path to commercial... Read more →

BASF has opened Europe’s first co-located center of battery material production and battery recycling in Schwarzheide, Germany. The inauguration of a production facility for high-performance cathode active materials (CAM) and the unveiling ceremony for a battery recycling plant for the production of black mass represent steps toward closing the loop... Read more →

General Motors and Australia-based Element 25 Limited announced an agreement for Element 25 to supply up to 32,500 metric tons of manganese sulfate (MnSO4) annually to support the annual production of more than 1 million GM EVs in North America. Under the agreement, GM will provide Element 25 with a... Read more →

Saudi Arabia has cut a number of deals recently that coud make the country’s lithiu-ion supply chain the most developed in the Middle East, according to an analysis by Benchmark Mineral Intelligence. Saudi Arabia’s ambitions for an EV supply chain are part of the diversification of the national economy away... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz has signed a supply agreement with Swedish start-up H2 Green Steel (H2GS) (earlier post) over approximately 50,000 tonnes almost CO₂-free steel per year for its European press shops and deepened its partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the aim to establish a sustainable steel supply chain in... 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 →

The global professional services firm KPMG and Circulor, a leading supply chain traceability solution, announced a new alliance to offer a complete package that enables customers to trace, monitor and control critical raw materials throughout their battery and other industrial value chains, from extraction to the end of a product’s... Read more →

BASF Environmental Catalyst and Metal Solutions, a global leader in precious metals and catalysis, and Advent Technologies Holdings, a developer and manufacturer of hydrogen fuel cell systems, have concluded the terms of a new agreement to join efforts in building a full-loop component supply chain for fuel cells and to... 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 →

One of the challenges of constructing a global hydrogen economy is hydrogen transportation by sea. A new approach developed by researchers from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria and international colleagues proposes using solid air (nitrogen or oxygen) as a medium for recycling cooling energy across... Read more →

GTT, TotalEnergies, LMG Marin and Bureau Veritas have signed an agreement for a Joint Development Project (JDP) to develop a 150,000 m3 capacity liquid hydrogen (LH2) carrier concept design fitted with GTT’s membrane-type containment system. Low-carbon hydrogen offers a promising solution to decarbonize hard-to-electrify industries as well as heavy-duty terrestrial... 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 →

Arnold Magnetic Technologies, a subsidiary of Compass Diversified and global manufacturer of high-performance magnets and more for mission critical applications, is partnering with Cyclic Materials, a pioneer in developing more sustainable domestic supply chains for rare earth elements. Arnold and Cyclic will work together to develop a rare earth recycling... Read more →

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 →