Newswire

Ford CEO: US government needs to support domestic battery production

Ford CEO Jim Farley says the US government needs to support domestic battery production and the rollout of public charging infrastructure. “We need to bring large-scale battery production to the US,” Farley said at a recent financial conference, adding that he planned to bring up the issue in upcoming talks with government leaders. The coming… Read more »

Oshkosh partners with Microvast to strengthen electrification capabilities

Oshkosh, a maker of specialty trucks and equipment, has announced an investment in Microvast, a provider of battery technologies for commercial and specialty EVs.  Oshkosh will make a $25-million private investment in public equity, or PIPE, in Microvast, which announced a merger with Tuscan Holdings on February 1. Oshkosh and Microvast have also entered into… Read more »

New report assesses the state of the global battery market

In its latest biannual report, Adamas Intelligence provides an overview of the global EV market over the past half-year (2020 H2) and its implications on the battery and battery materials supply chains. Among the findings: In 2020 H2, global passenger EV registrations grew by 58% versus the same period the year prior, amounting to 3.53… Read more »

As ChargePoint debuts on the NYSE, investors ponder the prospects of charging infrastructure providers

ChargePoint Holdings, one of the largest players in the EV infrastructure field, has gone public through a business combination with Switchback Energy Acquisition. The company now trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CHPT. In honor of the historic moment, CEO Pasquale Romano got to (virtually) ring the NYSE opening bell. The… Read more »

Battery developer Enevate raises $81 million in Series E funding round

Enevate, a pioneer in silicon-dominant Li-ion battery tech, has secured $81 million in a Series E funding round led by Fidelity Management & Research. Existing investors Mission Ventures and Infinite Potential Technologies also participated. The latest round brings Enevate’s total funding to $191 million. Enevate will use the investment to significantly expand its pre-production line… Read more »

Eaton launches e-drive gearing design services

Eaton has announced that its Vehicle Group is developing EV gearing solutions, drawing on its experience in producing transmissions and contract-manufactured gear sets for passenger and commercial vehicles. The company’s new technology complements its eMobility power electronics portfolio in the EV powertrain market. “We are partnering with OEM customers to leverage our expertise in simulation,… Read more »

Volvo to go fully electric by 2030, announces new C40 Recharge EV, online sales

Volvo became the latest automaker to announce a phaseout of fossil-fuel vehicles, and it did so with a stronger statement than GM, Ford and Jaguar have done. No “aspirations,” no plug-in hybrids, no exceptions for profitable models, and no geographic carve-outs: “Volvo Cars is committed to becoming a leader in the fast-growing premium electric car… Read more »

Magna’s new Michigan plant to supply battery pack parts for Hummer EV

Magna has broken ground on a new manufacturing facility in St. Clair, Michigan, that will build battery enclosures for the upcoming 2022 GMC Hummer EV. Construction of the 345,000-square-foot facility, named Magna Electric Vehicle Structures, represents an investment of over $70 million. The new plant is expected to bring more than 300 jobs to the… Read more »

JAIST packs more juice into Li-ion batteries with silicon anodes and polymeric coatings

Although silicon anodes could greatly boost the capacity of Li-ion batteries, their performance rapidly degrades with use. Polymeric coatings can help solve this problem, but few studies have explored the underlying mechanisms. In a recent study, scientists from the Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST) investigated how a poly(borosiloxane) (PBS) coating stabilizes the… Read more »