TRB Lightweight Structures has created a new production process to deliver continuous-fiber thermoset composite parts at high volume. This automated manufacturing process is now being used to supply a global Tier 1 powertrain manufacturer with battery components for electric buses. TRB’s manufacturing process combines proprietary snap-cure resins and in-house-produced prepreg materials with robotic production to… Read more »
A team from metals research institute SWERIM in Sweden has reported on a smelting reduction process to recover cobalt, nickel, manganese and lithium simultaneously from spent Li-ion batteries. A paper on their work was published in the Journal of Power Sources.
Oxfordshire tech company Saietta has won a grant through the UK’s Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC) to ramp up production of its Axial Flux Traction (AFT) motor. The APC research contract will enable Saietta to increase annual motor production capacity to 150,000 and enable the hiring of 150 to 250 engineers in the first round of… Read more »
Sponsored by TTI and TE Connectivity Automotive manufacturers have been building more electronic content into vehicles with powertrain electrification and increasingly sophisticated driver assist systems accelerating that trend. As a result, many sensor-driven control units with multiple printed circuit boards now have kilometers of new cabling and an exponential number of new connections all of which compete… Read more »
A group of state-owned companies in Indonesia will form a joint venture to produce Li-ion batteries. Partners in the new Indonesia Battery Holding joint venture include two mining firms: Mining Industry Indonesia (MIND) and PT Aneka Tambang; as well as state power utility Perusahan Listrik Negara (PLN), and state oil company Pertamina. Indonesia Battery Holding… Read more »
Lithium supplier Livent has announced its participation in a consortium to acquire the business and certain assets of Nemaska Lithium, located in Québec. Livent will invest in the company via a joint venture with The Pallinghurst Group. Livent has also extended its multi-year lithium hydroxide supply agreement with Tesla through 2021, and has committed to… Read more »
Ultracapacitor manufacturer Skeleton Technologies has announced the completion of a €41.3-million financing round. All the company’s existing investors participated in the equity raise, and were joined by European entrepreneurs and international investors. Skeleton CEO Taavi Madiberk said, “The roadmap to zero emissions needs innovation and a mix of enabling technologies. Ultracapacitors are a key enabler for… Read more »
Sponsored by Hesse Mechatronics Benefits of Smart Welding There are many types of welding used for the interconnection of battery packs. Laser, resistance, spot, etc. are just a few of the common types. Smart Welding was developed by Hesse Mechatronics to offer an alternative option. Smart Welding is “wire bonding without the wire” as it continues to… Read more »
PPG, a supplier of coatings and specialty materials, has received DOE funding for research into the use of two versatile, high-output processes for the production of Li-ion battery electrodes. The three-year, $2.2-million project—one of 13 selected through a DOE initiative focused on addressing engineering challenges for advanced battery materials and devices—will be conducted in collaboration… Read more »
6K announced that it has developed NMC 811 at 1-3 microns as well as the capability to produce single-crystal NMC. Smaller size ranges, desired in the industry but challenging to achieve with conventional methods, improve charge time, extend run time and increase power. 6K has received strong customer pull at all levels of the supply… Read more »