How do you solve a problem like cobalt? The blue metallic element is used in significant quantities in EV batteries, but half the world’s supply of comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a war-torn land in which child labor is common. Several automakers are already taking steps to reduce their use of the costly… Read more »
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Tesla on the way to eliminating cobalt from its batteries
Battery makers are keen to reduce their use of costly and controversial cobalt. Half the world’s supply of the metallic element comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a war-torn land in which child labor is common. Worse yet, the stuff is getting expensive – cobalt prices have climbed to their highest level in a… Read more »
Wildcat sorts through the avalanche of new battery materials to find the best
As automakers and cell manufacturers begin to realize the complexity of benchmarking new battery materials, Wildcat Discovery Technology is using its high-speed R&D technology to help find clarity If you follow battery technology news on a regular basis as we do, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the volume of new announcements. There are… Read more »
Between the wheels: AxleTech goes electric
Can a company that’s 100 years old be called a startup? Mary Petrovich, Executive Chairman of AxleTech, certainly thinks so. AxleTech was founded in 1919 as Wisconsin Custom Built Axles, and has seen a century’s worth of sales, acquisitions, and rebrandings since then. Petrovich herself brought AxleTech back from the brink of failure not once,… Read more »
Polish city orders 30 battery-equipped trolleybuses
The city of Gdynia in Poland has ordered 30 battery-equipped trolleybuses from the Polish firm Solaris Bus & Coach, at a total cost of around $28 million. In addition to traditional trolleybus drivelines, which draw power from overhead wires, the new Solaris buses will be fitted with batteries that enable driving off the traction line…. Read more »
Recycling worn cathodes to make new batteries
As lithium-ion batteries proliferate, the question of what to do with them when they wear out is becoming a major environmental concern. Less than five percent of used batteries are recycled today. Nanoengineers at the University of California San Diego have developed an energy-efficient recycling process that restores used cathodes from spent batteries and makes… Read more »
New report analyzes global market for recycled lithium and cobalt
In a new analysis of the global end-of-life value chain for lithium-ion batteries, consultancy Creation Inn predicts that the total amount of recycled lithium could reach 5,800 tons (30,000 tons lithium carbonate equivalent) in 2025, 9 percent of the total lithium battery supply, while the amount of cobalt from recycled batteries is expected to reach… Read more »
New study: EVs emit less greenhouse gases than diesels, even in coal-heavy regions
The myth of the “long tailpipe” – the idea that, because EVs are partially powered by dirty coal, they are no cleaner than legacy vehicles – just won’t go away. In 2012, a detailed study from the Union of Concerned Scientists found that even if it were charged 100% from coal, an EV would still… Read more »
Korean battery-makers to introduce NCM 811 cells
There’s a new battery cell in town, and everybody’s talking about its better energy density and lower costs. South Korean cell maker SK Innovation recently announced that its new NCM 811 cells would be available in December for stationary storage systems, and in the third quarter of 2018 for EVs. SK’s current cells use an… Read more »
New control strategy enhances battery performance in cold weather
Researchers at Penn State, with a colleague from EC Power, have devised a new control strategy that can rapidly restore EV battery power and permit full regeneration while driving at temperatures as low as -40° C. The strategy involves heating the battery internally during regenerative braking and rest periods. In “Rapid restoration of electric vehicle… Read more »