Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt has assembled the first battery cell at its Northvolt Ett gigafactory in northern Sweden. According to Northvolt, the prismatic cell is “the first to have been fully designed, developed and assembled at a gigafactory by a homegrown European battery company.” The company developed the cell at its factory in Västerås, Sweden,… Read more »
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Niron Magnetics raises $21 million to commercialize rare earth-free magnets
Niron Magnetics has raised $21.3 million in new financing from the Volvo Cars Tech Fund and Volta Energy Technologies. Existing investors include Anzu Partners and the University of Minnesota. Niron will use the funding to build a pilot production facility in Minnesota. Niron’s Clean Earth Magnet technology eliminates the need for rare earth minerals in… Read more »
Three perspectives on China’s EV industry (spoiler alert: legacy brands are toast)
Jeremiads lamenting China’s takeover of the global auto industry are everywhere these days. Three recent accounts stand out from the pack. These articles cover three different aspects of the tragic tale, but all are authoritative, fact-filled pieces written by journalists with first-hand knowledge of what’s going on in the Middle Kingdom, and I recommend that… Read more »
EVs reach 90% market share in Norway as the overall auto market falters
The days of ICE vehicles in Norway are numbered. Some years ago, the government set a goal of 100% electric sales by 2025, and that goal is well within sight. In the month of February, plug-in vehicles took 92.1% of the market, up from 90.1% year-on-year. Battery EVs took a 90% share, as recent tax… Read more »
China’s EV brands are coming to bury US automakers—or are they?
We EV pundits have been writing about the rise of the Chinese EV industry for years. In recent weeks, the mainstream press has picked up on the story—many articles describe the coming wave of Chinese exports in apocalyptic terms. A recent headline in the New York Times warned of a “wrecking ball” heading for Detroit…. Read more »
Polestar 3 goes into production in China, production to start in South Carolina later this year
Things are moving along briskly at electric automaker Polestar. The company has begun production of its third model, the Polestar 3 SUV, in Chengdu, China. Importantly for US buyers, production is also slated to begin in South Carolina in mid-2024. The company has successfully completed a production test series at its Carolina plant. “This stunning… Read more »
The US and EU take different approaches to the threat of Chinese EV imports
Governments in North America and Europe are seriously concerned about China’s growing dominance of the EV industry. Chinese automaker BYD recently surpassed Tesla as the world’s leading seller of EVs, and it’s only one of several Chinese-owned brands that are already selling cars in the US and the EU. However, the world’s #2 and #3… Read more »
Phoenix completes purchase of Proterra’s electric transit vehicle business
Proterra’s filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection took the EV industry by surprise, but the blow was softened by the company’s plan to sell off its business units: Proterra Powered (powertrain and battery technology); Proterra Transit (electric buses); and Proterra Energy (charging infrastructure). In November, the Volvo Group was selected as the winning bidder for Proterra Powered…. Read more »
GM’s rosy year-end figures obscure the fact that legacy automakers are in deep trouble
Duplicitous doublespeak has become de rigueur dialect in the auto industry. “We remain committed to an all-electric future,” says GM as it announces a rollback of its electrification plans. “We strongly believe in EVs,” say auto dealers as they support efforts to slow the EV transition. “The greatest responsibility for us as a company is… Read more »
Range Energy’s smart trailers boost electric truck range
Towing has always been a sore point with EVs—towing a trailer inevitably eats into range, and towing a massive semi-trailer requires a tractor with a massive battery pack. But what if the trailer itself could share the burden? That’s the idea behind Range Energy, which is developing a trailer that’s equipped with a battery pack,… Read more »