LG Energy Solution will invest approximately KRW 7.2 trillion (US$5.5 billion) to construct a battery manufacturing complex in Queen Creek, Arizona. The complex will consist of two manufacturing facilities—one for cylindrical batteries for electric vehicles (EV) and another for lithium iron phosphate (LFP) pouch-type batteries for energy storage systems (ESS).... Read more →

Following months of promising test results, battery researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory are recommending that the solid-state battery industry focus on a technique known as isostatic pressing as it looks to commercialize next-generation solid-state batteries. In an open-access focus review paper for ACS Energy Letters,... Read more →

Porsche will manufacture the future all-electric version of the fourth-generation Cayenne at Volkswagen Slovakia’s multi-brand location in Bratislava. After the Taycan (since 2019), the Macan (in 2024) and the 718 (middle of the decade), the Cayenne will become the sports car manufacturer’s fourth model line with an all-electric powertrain. Prototype... Read more →

PowerCo, the new battery company of the Volkswagen Group, and Belgian circular technology group Umicore have obtained full regulatory approvals for their joint venture announced in September 2022. The partners can now swiftly proceed to prepare for large-scale industrial production of cathode active materials (CAM) and precursor materials (PCAM) in... Read more →

Alkegen has begun commercial production of its silicon fiber anode material platform, SiFAB. The company’s new SiFAB production line is an extension of its established large-scale manufacturing facility in New Carlisle, Indiana. SiFAB features micron-sized silicon fiber with an engineered structure that enables higher energy density through a nanoporous fiber... Read more →

Albemarle Corporation plans to locate its previously announced lithium hydroxide Mega-Flex facility in Chester County, South Carolina. (Earlier post.) Plans for the facility include an initial investment of at least $1.3 billion to help meet the surging demand for domestic and international electric vehicles and lithium-ion batteries. The term Mega-Flex... 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 →

EKPO Fuel Cell Technologies GmbH (EKPO), an entity fully consolidated within the Group of majority shareholder ElringKlinger AG, and operated in partnership with French automotive supplier Plastic Omnium, which holds the remaining ownership interests, secured a contract from a global automotive manufacturer to supply mass-produced bipolar plates for the carmaker’s... Read more →

The US Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) intends to issue a funding opportunity announcement (DE-FOS-0003023) that will boost the domestic production of large metallic near net shape (NNS) components. This FOA will impact a broad cross-section of the US manufacturing sector including clean... Read more →

Emerging lithium producer Sayona Mining Limited reported the successful production of the first saleable spodumene (lithium) concentrate at its North American Lithium (NAL) operation in Québec, Canada. NAL is a brownfield open pit mining operation with a concentrator, with more than C$400 million having been invested in the operation by... Read more →

The Volkswagen Group’s PowerCo broke ground for construction of its second PowerCo cell factory. Gigafactory Valencia will start production of the unified cell in 2026 and will directly employ more than 3,000 people in the future, with a further up to 30,000 indirect jobs potentially being created at suppliers and... Read more →

Volvo Buses is changing its business model in Europe and will apply the same successful model as it has in several other markets. This means that Volvo Buses will focus its production on chassis and together with external bodybuilders offer customers in Europe a complete range of city and intercity... Read more →

Nikola Corporation said that its move to transition battery manufacturing from Cypress, Calif. to its Coolidge, Ariz. manufacturing facility—following the acquisition of Cypres-based Romeo Power (earlier post)—is expected to be complete by April 2023, months ahead of the original schedule. T he ability to expedite this process further supports Nikola’s... 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 US Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy announced a $156-million funding opportunity (DE-FOA-0002997) that will advance high impact applied research, development, and demonstration (RD&D;) projects to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the US industrial sector. In 2020, the industrial sector accounted for 33%... Read more →

The Production Engineering of E-Mobility Components (PEM) of RWTH Aachen University has successfully completed the anfaHair research project after two years. The goal of the project, which was funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, was to make the production of new types of electric motors... Read more →

Honda announced key next steps in the establishment of its EV Hub in Ohio. In October 2022, Honda announced that it would invest $700 million to retool several of its existing auto and powertrain plants to establish the new EV Hub in Ohio, to prepare for the production of battery... Read more →

The Volkswagen Group and its battery company PowerCo have selected St. Thomas in Ontario, Canada to establish Volkswagen’s first overseas gigafactory for cell manufacturing. The plant will produce sustainable unified cells, with start of production planned for 2027. The decision to expand the PowerCo cell production ramp-up from Europe to... Read more →

Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile S.A. (SQM), one of the largest producers of lithium carbonate in the world, reported earnings for the twelve months ended 31 December 2022 of US$3,906.3 million—almost 7x the US$585.5 million for the twelve months ended 31 December 2021. Gross profit reached US$5,736.6 million (53.6%... Read more →

United States Steel Corporation and CarbonFree Chemicals Holdings, LLC (CarbonFree) recently signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) jointly to pursue the capture of CO2 emissions generated from US Steel’s Gary Works manufacturing plant using CarbonFree’s SkyCycle technology. If a definitive agreement is reached, the project is expected to capture... Read more →

ACC (Automotive Cells Company), a joint venture of Stellantis and TotalEnergies (together with its subsidiary Saft), joined by Mercedes-Benz, and strongly supported by France, Germany, and the European Union, said that its planned €2B gigafactory in Termoli, Italy was expected to start operations in 2026. (Earlier post.) The Termoli plant... Read more →

A global Automotive Manufacturing Outlook survey commissioned by ABB Robotics and industry publication Automotive Manufacturing Solutions found that more than half (59%) of respondents believe the shift to pure electric vehicle production is not achievable within current legislative timelines. The respondents surveyed highlighted challenges in adapting to a new battery... Read more →

The Stellantis Cassino Assembly Plant in Italy, producer of vehicles for the premium and luxury brands, Alfa Romeo and Maserati, will add production of vehicles, to be shared at a later date, based on the flexible, BEV-centric STLA Large platform. Cassino is the second Stellantis plant publicly named to produce... Read more →

Nissan unveiled its new approach to electrified powertrain development, which it calls “X-in-1”. Under the approach, core EV and e-POWER powertrain components will be shared and modularized, resulting in a 30% reduction, compared to 2019, in development and manufacturing costs by 2026. Through the X-in-1 approach, Nissan aims to increase... Read more →

A newly approved standard from ASTM International’s recovered carbon black committee (D36) provides a test that will help to differentiate products and provide a quality control tool for producers and users. Recovered carbon black (rCB) is a recycled product made from end-of-life tires. Recovered carbon black can reduce the tire... Read more →

Prairie Lithium is receiving $1,074,000 CAD from the Critical Mineral Research Development and Demonstration (CMRDD) program from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) for further development of its direct lithium extraction (DLE) technology. The funding, along with matching funds from Prairie Lithium, will be invested into the development of the Company’s proprietary... Read more →

More than two-thirds (68%) of lithium-ion battery production planned for Europe is at risk of being delayed, scaled down or cancelled, according to new analysis by the European NGO Transport & Environment. Tesla in Berlin, Northvolt in northern Germany and Italvolt near Turin are among the projects that stand to... Read more →

Amprius Technologies, a developer of silicon anode Li-ion battery cells with its Si-Nanowire platform, has signed a letter of intent for a 775,000 square foot facility in Brighton, Colorado. The factory, targeted to be operational in 2025, will be built in phases starting with an initial 500 megawatt-hours (MWh) with... Read more →

Cabot Corporation plans to establish a new technology center in Münster, Germany. The new technology center will focus on technical collaboration with customers in order to accelerate application innovation for Cabot’s battery materials product lines within Europe. The new EMEA Technology Center will enable Cabot to enhance its battery materials... Read more →

KORE Power, a US-based developer of battery cell technology, has chosen Siemens to support the company’s future 12-GWh lithium-ion battery cell production facility—the KOREPlex. Smart factory technology from Siemens and investment capital via Siemens Financial Services will help accelerate the build-out of KORE Power’s Buckeye, AZ-based facility, a plant that... Read more →

Rheinmetall’s Castings business unit recently booked a new order from a well-known truck manufacturer for gearboxes specifically designed for use in e-trucks.. The order is worth a figure in the lower-two-digit million-euro range. Production will begin in the first quarter of 2026 and will initially run for five years. However,... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz held its groundbreaking ceremony for a new battery recycling factory in Kuppenheim, Germany, which will help reduce resource consumption and establishing closed-loop recycling of battery raw materials. Mercedes-Benz lays the foundation for a sustainable battery recycling factory in Kuppenheim in southern Germany. The first stage of the plant—mechanical dismantling... Read more →

Ford is boosting production in the US of its popular EVs—Mustang Mach-E®, F-150 Lightning and E-Transit—along with other customer favorites such as Bronco Sport and Maverick. The company is also preparing to launch all-new versions of four significant vehicles in 2023: Super Duty, Ranger, Mustang and Escape. Ford’s Kansas City... Read more →

Scout Motors, the recently formed independent company backed by Volkswagen Group (earlier post, is establishing its first manufacturing plant near Columbia, South Carolina, where it will build electric next-generation trucks and rugged SUVs harkening back to the iconic Scout vehicles produced from 1960 to 1980. The $2-billion investment has the... Read more →

Tesla hosted its Investor Day on Wednesday at its Texas plant, and livestreamed the event. The 3+-hour presentation focused first on the macro transition to a sustainable economy, supported by some 240 TWh of energy storage. Such a transition is definitely achievable, said Elon Musk. Tesla will be publishing a... Read more →

Dürr’s new EcoDC MACS (Electrocoating Direct Current Modular Anode Control System) rectifier for cathodic electrocoating provides 50% more power with the same space requirement, making it possible to design the layout of new plants more flexibly and easily increase existing plants’ capacity. The new rectifier also saves energy and cuts... Read more →

Stellantis will invest a total of $155 million in three Kokomo, Indiana, plants to produce new electric drive modules (EDM) that will help power future electric vehicles assembled in North America and to support the goal of 50% battery-electric sales in the US by 2030. With more than 25 battery-electric... Read more →

Honda and LG Energy Solution held the official groundbreaking ceremony for a new joint venture EV battery plant more than 2 million square feet in size, to be located in Fayette County, near Jeffersonville, Ohio—about 40 miles southwest of Columbus. (Earlier post.) The two companies have committed to invest $3.5... Read more →

Tesla and its affiliates have signed a $2.9-billion order for high-nickel cathode materials with South Korea’s L&F; Company, according to an L&F; regulatory filing. The contract runs for two years, from 1 Jan 2024 through 31 December 2025. The value of the deal is calculated on the basis of L&F;’s... Read more →

Stellantis announced a $155-million investment in a copper project located in Argentina, which will make a major contribution to the company’s plan to become carbon net zero by 2038. The company is acquiring a 14.2% equity stake in McEwen Copper, a subsidiary of Canadian mining company McEwen Mining, which owns... Read more →

The BMW Group’s light metal foundry in Landshut has once again been certified by an independent party for its sustainable use of aluminum—meeting the standards of the aluminum Stewardship Initiative (ASI), an international non-profit organisation supported by environmental and industrial associations, aluminum producers and processing companies. The ASI defines sustainability... Read more →

Honda Motor has reached a basic agreement with Ascend Elements, a US-based company with expertise in technologies for recycling of battery resources. (Earlier post.) The companies intend to collaborate toward stable procurement of resources from recycled lithium-ion batteries in North America necessary for Honda electrified vehicles, including EVs. Through this... Read more →

Evonik is investing in a production plant expansion for fumed aluminum oxide at its site in Yokkaichi, Japan. The facility will be the company’s first alumina plant in Asia, focusing on the production of specialty solutions for lithium-ion battery technologies, used for electric vehicles. Evonik’s AEROXIDE, an aluminum oxide for... Read more →

SEAT S.A. is leading the development of the Small BEV family for the Volkswagen Group and will start producing fully electric vehicles by 2025 for different brands. SEAT will invest €3 billion in the conversion of its Martorell plant for the production of small EVs. About 12,000 people work in... Read more →

Valmet Automotive has started the series production of battery systems in Kirchardt, the Finnish company’s first battery plant in Germany. The plant near Heilbronn manufactures high-voltage systems for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. The current first program for the Kirchardt plant is a small-series production of modules, packs and the... Read more →

Ford Motor Company, LG Energy Solution and Koç Holding signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MoU) to form a new joint venture subject to final agreement by all the parties to create one of Europe’s largest commercial electric vehicle battery cell facilities near Ankara, Turkey. The new joint venture will... Read more →

Belgian solid-state Lithium battery technology company SOLiTHOR and aerospace company Sonaca signed a bilateral Memorandum of Agreement jointly to develop safe, high-density rechargeable solid-state Lithium battery systems for Regional Aircraft and Urban Air Mobility. This partnership will also expand to satellite systems as well as defense systems. This alliance will... Read more →

Battery and advanced materials company Talga Group (earlier post), with 100% owned graphite resources in Sweden, has received firm commitments for a placement of new fully paid ordinary Talga shares to raise A$40 million (US$27.3 million) before costs. Proceeds will be used to fund the Vittangi Anode Project early works,... 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 →

The BMW Group intends to source aluminum with significantly reduced CO2 emissions from Rio Tinto’s hydro-powered operations in Canada starting in 2024 and has signed a memorandum of understanding to this effect. Compared to conventionally manufactured aluminum, this approach can save around 70% of CO2 emissions. The planned supply volumes... Read more →