Researchers from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Western Michigan University (WMU) have enabled standard raised pavement markers to transmit GPS information that helps autonomous driving features function better in remote areas or in bad weather. Working with partners, ORNL engineers are placing low-powered sensors in... Read more →

At an Investor Day event in Seoul, Hyundai Motor said that it will accelerate its transition toward becoming a smart mobility solution provider by securing a large-scale investment of KRW 109.4 trillion (US$85 billion) over the next 10 years, including KRW 35.8 trillion (US$27.8 billion) for electrification. The company aims... Read more →

Airbus and STMicroelectronics signed an agreement to cooperate on power electronics Research & Development to support more efficient and lighter power electronics, essential for future hybrid-powered aircraft and full-electric urban air vehicles. The collaboration builds on evaluations already conducted by both companies to explore the benefits of wide bandgap semiconductor... Read more →

Stellantis N.V. and Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) announced the creation of SiliconAuto, a 50/50 joint venture dedicated to designing and selling a family of state-of-the-art semiconductors to supply the automotive industry, including Stellantis, starting in 2026. The joint venture is the product of a December 2021 agreement between Stellantis... Read more →

Toyota Research Institute (TRI) unveiled a generative artificial intelligence (AI) technique to amplify vehicle designers. Currently, designers can leverage publicly available text-to-image generative AI tools as an early step in their creative process. With TRI’s new technique, designers can add initial design sketches and engineering constraints into this process, cutting... Read more →

Volvo Trucks is now introducing new, more powerful batteries for its medium-duty electric truck range (the Volvo FL and Volvo FE Electric). The new batteries offer 42% extra energy capacity and can as a result deliver up to 450 km (280 miles) total range from one charge. This means that... Read more →

Torqeedo GmbH announced a new battery option for its Deep Blue series of marine electric drives: Deep Blue Battery 80. The new battery leverages lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry and delivers 80 kWh of energy storage, twice the capacity of the previous generation of Deep Blue batteries. The new battery... Read more →

Rivian Automotive signed an agreement with Tesla to provide Rivian drivers access to Tesla’s Supercharger network across the United States and Canada. Central to its mission to electrify and decarbonize transportation, Rivian will also continue to expand its own Rivian Adventure Network. An adapter will be available to enable Rivian’s... Read more →

Rio Tinto is investing in its Kennecott operation near Salt Lake City, Utah, to strengthen its supply of copper in the United States by increasing production from underground mining and improving the health of key assets. The Kennecott integrated copper mining operation includes a concentrator, smelter and refinery and tailings... Read more →

Airbus UpNext has launched a new demonstrator programme to explore, on the ground and in flight, a new architecture for the generation of non propulsive energy through the use of hydrogen fuel cells. On conventional airliners, the APU (Auxiliary Power Unit), a small additional engine that runs on traditional jet... Read more →

MTU Aero Engines and aerospace company MT Aerospace are jointly developing a complete liquid hydrogen fuel system for commercial aviation. The partners announced the project today at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget. The first application will be MTU’s Flying Fuel Cell. (Earlier post.) The two companies began jointly... Read more →

Mercedes-Benz presented a new sports car study, the Vision One-Eleven. Its technical highlights include the extremely powerful and highly efficient axial-flux motor developed by electric motor specialist YASA. The British company has been a 100% subsidiary of Mercedes-Benz AG since July 2021. (Earlier post.) YASA axial flux electric motor (left)... Read more →

Archer Aviation and Stellantis announced progress in their strategic manufacturing partnership at the 2023 Paris Air Show. (Earlier post.) With construction now well underway on the first high-volume eVTOL aircraft manufacturing facility located on an approximately 100-acre campus in Covington, Georgia, Stellantis recently increased its strategic shareholding through a series... Read more →

Rolls-Royce announced its new small gas turbine that has been specifically developed to power hybrid-electric flight is set to begin testing. The engine is part of a turbogenerator system that is being developed for the Advanced Air Mobility market. This includes electrical vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) Aircraft for Urban... Read more →

MTU Aero Engines is developing fuel cell technology for aviation, initially targeting shorter commuter and regional flights. MTU’s Flying Fuel Cell (FFC) converts liquid hydrogen into electricity to power an electric motor driving the propeller. Among other things, we are forging ahead with the full electrification of the powertrain. We’ve... Read more →

Rheinmetall now offers a new heat pump as a plug-and-play solution. This compact component comes completely preassembled and filled. Using intelligent thermal management, the new coolant system can increase the range of vehicles and lifespan of materials while simultaneously enhancing passenger comfort. It was developed specifically to enable precision climate... Read more →

Globally, the battery industry needs to invest at least $514 billion across the whole supply chain to meet expected demand in 2030, and $920 billion by 2035, according to a new analysis by Benchmark. Demand for lithium ion batteries is forecast to grow to 3.7 terawatt-hours by 2030, up from... Read more →

Vitesco Technologies has secured strategically important capacities in energy-efficient silicon carbide power semiconductors through a long-term supply partnership with ROHM – worth more than one billion US dollars until 2030. The development partnership with the manufacturer ROHM, which began in 2020, created the basis for the supply partnership. Vitesco Technologies’... Read more →

Luca de Meo, CEO of Renault Group, will also lead the executive team of Ampere, its electric vehicles and software subsidiary. This will be effective upon completion of the carve-out of Ampere, which is envisioned in H2 2023. Luca de Meo will retain his current responsibilities as Chief Executive Officer... Read more →

Opel announced that the successor to the Opel Crossland B-SUV will also be offered with all-electric drive in 2024. This means that every model in the product portfolio of the brand will be available as a battery-electric variant as early as next year. The wide range of battery-electric Opel models... Read more →

BMW will showcase its BMW H2R Record Car alongside the new BMW iX5 Hydrogen at the upcoming Goodwood Festival of Speed 2023 in the UK in addition to the latest models from its range, including the all-electric drive versions of the BMW 5 Series. BMW Record Car H2R BMW anticipated... Read more →

More than 1,000 units of the Mercedes-Benz eCitaro low-floor electric bus have rolled off the production line in Mannheim in the nearly five years since its start of series production at the end of 2018. The Mercedes-Benz eCitaro combines the tried and tested platform of the best-selling Mercedes-Benz city bus... Read more →

Constellium SE and TARMAC Aerosave, a company dedicated to storage, maintenance and recycling of aicraft and engines (CFM56 & Leap), will explore the development of technologies and processes to recover aluminum from end-of-life aircraft, and reutilize it within the aerospace value chain, while maintaining material properties and performance. The footprint... Read more →

H2FLY (earlier post) announced the next generation of its proprietary fuel cell system H175—a high-performance and modular power unit designed to be used in commercial aircraft applications. The H175 program will provide a series of fuel cell systems that can be combined and upscaled to power hydrogen-electric aircraft in the... Read more →

Airbus Ventures has invested in Venus Aerospace, a Houston-based hypersonic flight startup seeking to enable cost-effective one-hour global transport. Venus has developed—as part of a technology portfolio aimed at producing its envisioned Stargazer hypersonic aircraft—a liquid-propellant rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) with a double-digit percentage increase in efficiency over standard... Read more →

Lightning eMotors announced the production launch of its next generation General Motors (GM)-based Lightning ZEV4 work trucks. This announcement follows the company’s recent announcements of accelerated ZEV4 production to meet customer demands for Class 4 school buses and shuttle buses built on the same popular platform. Lightning is offering the... Read more →

Maersk has purchased 25 Volvo FH Electric trucks in Germany. This strategic investment highlights the company’s commitment to decarbonizing global logistics and to becoming a net-zero company by 2040 across all business areas and all modes of transport. Volvo’s FH Electric offers battery capacities from 180 - 540 kWh (2-6... Read more →

Nordic energy company Fortum and battery chemicals producer Terrafame have signed an agreement for an experimental project in which metals recovered from the black mass of EV batteries by Fortum will be utilized in Terrafame’s battery chemical production. Under the agreement, Fortum will supply nickel and cobalt recovered from the... Read more →

JAL has signed an agreement with Shell Aviation which will see aircraft refueled in Los Angeles with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from 2025, supporting JAL’s ESG target of replacing 1% of its whole jet fuel amount with SAF in fiscal year 2025 set in its GX strategy. Under the agreement,... Read more →

Lithium Power International Limited has entered into a binding agreement to sell its wholly-owned Australian subsidiary, Western Lithium Ltd (WLI) (100% owner of a number of tenements, including through its subsidiary, CMC Lithium Pty Ltd, in Western Australia) to Albemarle Lithium Pty Ltd (an Australian subsidiary of Albemarle Corporation). WLI... Read more →

Volkswagen’s PowerCo SE plans to introduce an electrode dry-coating manufacturing process in its battery cell production plants in Europe and Northern America. The new technology will significantly boost efficiency and sustainability in volume battery cell production. A subsidiary of Volkswagen Group and based in Salzgitter, the battery company aims to... Read more →

Silicon nanotechnologies company OneD Battery Sciences (earlier post) and Germany-based battery developer Customcells (earlier post) have entered into a strategic, project-based partnership. The companies have agreed to optimize, manufacture, and deliver BEV prototype cells to a global automotive manufacturer in an initial joint project. Currently, most electric vehicles are either... Read more →

Japan’s Nidec Corporation and Brazil’s Embraer agreed to establish a joint venture company, called Nidec Aerospace LLC, to develop electric propulsion systems for the aerospace sector. To be unveiled at the 54th biennial Paris Air Show this week, the JV aims to unlock new opportunities by providing an agnostic portfolio... Read more →

MOL Clean Energy, US, LLC (MCE), a 100% subsidiary of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. (MOL), and Clean Hydrogen Works, LLC (CHW) announced MCE as a Joint Venture shareholder in Ascension Clean Energy (ACE), a proposed $7.5-billion, clean hydrogen-ammonia production and export facility in Ascension Parish, Louisiana. (Earlier post.) Other shareholders... Read more →

To accompany the Renault 5 launch, Mobilize, a Renault Group brand, is launching the Mobilize V2G service in partnership with The Mobility House, giving Renault 5 owners the ability to save on their home charging, reduce their overall electricity bill by feeding power from the vehicle back into their home... Read more →

A research team led by Dr. Minah Lee of the Energy Storage Research Center at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) has developed a chemical activation strategy of magnesium metal that enables efficient operation of magnesium batteries in common electrolytes that are free of corrosive additives and... Read more →

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) announced the publication of the Roadmap of Standards and Codes for Electric Vehicles at Scale developed by the Institute’s Electric Vehicles Standards Panel (EVSP). The roadmap’s primary focus is on light-duty, on-road plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) that are recharged via a connection to the... Read more →

After three years of intensive studies covering the entire lifecycle of an all-electric aircraft, Tecnam is halting development of the all-electric P-Volt aircraft, mainly due to concerns about current battery technology. The company will continue to explore new emerging technologies. In 2021, Rolls-Royce, Tecnam and Widerøe announced a partnership to... Read more →

Controlled Thermal Resources Holdings Inc. (CTR) has engaged Aquatech as its technology partner to deliver the engineering and process plants for the conversion of lithium chloride intermediate product to battery-grade lithium hydroxide monohydrate at the CTR’s Stage 1 Lithium Hydroxide Facility. (Earlier post.) Aquatech will utilize a high-purity lithium chloride... Read more →

As part of final test drives, the Volkswagen brand is announcing the first details of its currently best-selling model. The third generation of the new Tiguan will be available with a newly developed active suspension control system and full-size features such as HD Matrix headlights. It is based on the... Read more →

Peachtree Corners—one of the US’ first smart cities powered by real-world connected infrastructure—and Audi of America Inc. are collaborating to advance cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) practical deployment pathways as part of the city’s Curiosity Lab ecosystem. Both Audi and Peachtree Corners see this as an opportune time to further deployment of... Read more →

In a discovery that could reduce or even eliminate the use of cobalt—which is often mined using child labor—in the batteries that power electric cars and other products, scientists at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) have developed a long-lasting alternative made with nickel. In a paper published in the... Read more →

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued proposed rules under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) for 18 chemicals made from plastic waste-derived feedstocks that would ensure they are free from unsafe contaminants before they can be used to make transportation fuels. The proposed Significant New Use Rules (SNURs) would... Read more →

Neste has made the final investment decision to commence construction of upgrading facilities for liquefied plastic waste at its Porvoo refinery in Finland. With the investment of €111 million, Neste will build the capacity to upgrade 150,000 tons of liquefied waste plastic per year. Upgrading is one of the three... Read more →

As automotive manufacturers pour billions of dollars into their electrification strategies and roll out new fully electric vehicles (EVs), new-vehicle buyer consideration is increasing, albeit slowly, according to the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Electric Vehicle Consideration (EVC) Study. This year’s study reveals that 26% of shoppers say they are “very... Read more →

SK Signet is adding Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) connection capabilities to the product design of its ultra-fast chargers. SK Signet has started development of chargers that meet NACS standards and expects to release a compliant product in 2023. SK Signet is a top global manufacturer of electric vehicle... Read more →

by Dr James Jeffs, Senior Technology Analyst at IDTechEx Computer chips have been part of cars for a long time, but no one really cares about them until they stop working or they are late to the production line, grinding manufacturing to an industry-shaking halt. However, the research within IDTechEx’s... Read more →

IperionX Limited has agreed a Scope of Work (SoW) for the supply of titanium metal components for Ford Motor Company using IperionX’s 100% recycled, low-carbon titanium metal. Ford and IperionX have been actively collaborating to design, test and additively manufacture a series of high-quality titanium components for future Ford Performance... Read more →

Aisin Corporation is developing an ultrahigh-efficiency motor using NANOMET jointly with Tohoku Magnet Institute (TMI), in which Aisin invested in June last year. A prototype was exhibited at the Automotive Engineering Exposition 2023, in Yokohama in May. NANOMET is a nanocrystalline soft magnetic alloy that achieves both high saturation magnetic... Read more →

AISIN Corporation, the fifth-largest Tier 1 auto supplier in the world, announced today that it will launch two new production lines with a total anticipated investment of more than $200 million at its AISIN North Carolina Corporation (ANC) facility in Durham, North Carolina. The new lines will incorporate a high... Read more →