Nissan has introduced a fully automated vehicle towing system at its Oppama Plant in Japan. The Intelligent Vehicle Towing (IVT) system uses a modified LEAF with autonomous capability to tow trollies carrying finished vehicles between loading and unloading points at the plant. The plant’s existing logistics system uses human drivers to transport finished vehicles from… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "battery plant"
Is improved formation cycling the key to lower battery costs?
European conglomerate thyssenkrupp, BMW and several other firms and research institutions are collaborating on a project called EffiForm, which aims to make a detailed study of the solid electrolyte interface (SEI) layer formation process in Li-ion batteries. While the ins and outs of forming an SEI layer may seem arcane, in fact there’s a highly practical… Read more »
Kreisel Electric builds new battery factory in Austria
Battery manufacturer Kreisel Electric has started construction on a new factory in Rainbach, Austria, which it calls 3K One. When the 67,000-square-foot plant comes online in March 2017, it will have the capacity to produce 800,000 kWh worth of batteries per year. The new facility will feature a fully automated production line, and will also… Read more »
SK Innovation considers China EV battery factory
SK Innovation, South Korea’s largest oil refiner and chemical supplier, says it is having talks with several companies about jointly establishing an EV battery factory in China. “An investment announcement will likely be made in the near future,” said Chief Executive Chung Chul-khil, adding that the joint venture in China may be with a battery… Read more »
SK Innovation to supply Li-ion battery cells for Mercedes EVs
Korea-based SK Innovation has been selected as a Lithium-ion battery cell supplier for Mercedes-Benz EV projects. SK Innovation released no details of the arrangement, saying only that its battery cells “will be deployed in multiple electric vehicle models in diverse segments.” SK Innovation says it has recently doubled capacity at its plant in Seosan, Korea,… Read more »
Porsche workers agree to pay cut at EV production plant
Times are tough at the Volkswagen Group these days, and some rank-and-file workers are surely wondering about their job security, even in labor-friendly Germany. This may explain why workers at Porsche’s Zuffenhausen plant have agreed to concessions worth several hundred million euros in order to secure production of the company’s battery-electric Mission E. Earlier this… Read more »
Nemaska Lithium to collaborate with Johnson Matthey to build lithium plant
Nemaska Lithium has signed a memorandum of understanding with Johnson Matthey Battery Materials, under which Nemaska will build a commercial lithium plant in Shawinigan, Québec with a capacity of about 500 tons per year of lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate, and will supply the lithium salts to Johnson Matthey for its battery material products. “We… Read more »
Elon Musk: Tesla is tracking 60 battery development efforts around the world
Tesla CEO Elon Musk covers a lot of ground in a recent interview with Investment icon Ron Baron. He explains how, as a young man, he identified the five tech areas that would have the greatest impact on mankind’s future, and set out to make his mark. He also gives propers to early partner AC… Read more »
Vacuum maker Dyson acquires solid-state battery pioneer Sakti3
Dyson, the manufacturer of high-tech vacuum cleaners and restroom hand dryers, has acquired Michigan startup Sakti3 for $90 million in cash, as reported by Quartz. Founder and CEO Ann Marie Sastry will oversee development of her company’s solid-state battery technology as an executive for Dyson. UK-based Dyson, which invested $15 million in Sakti3 last March, also… Read more »
Panasonic shutters Beijing battery factory to focus on high-end market
Battery behemoth Panasonic has announced that it will stop making lithium-ion batteries at its factory in Beijing, eliminating 1,300 jobs. A sign of waning demand for EVs? Nope, just the opposite. The 15-year-old plant produces batteries for mobile phones and digital cameras, and Panasonic plans to move away from these products (which are steadily being… Read more »
