As EV demand steadily grows, automakers and their suppliers are wisely hustling to increase battery production capacity—preferably close to their auto plants and markets. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence reports that there are currently over 300 battery gigafactories in the construction or planning stages around the world. This represents some 6,388 GWh worth of battery capacity, a… Read more »
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Are nickel-based batteries on the way out?
Is a new standards war—or rather, a chemistries war—developing? There are several important differences between the NMC and LFP battery chemistries, but the most salient points seem to be that batteries based on NMC (nickel, manganese, cobalt) offer higher energy density, but those based on LFP (lithium iron phosphate) tend to be cheaper. Chinese automakers… Read more »
Auto CEOs and Biden administration officials call for charging interoperability
The White House recently held a virtual meeting with representatives of most of the major automakers to discuss electric vehicles and charging. According to Reuters, senior Biden administration officials and automotive leaders agreed on the importance of interoperability for charging infrastructure. “There was broad consensus that charging stations and vehicles need to be interoperable and… Read more »
A look inside LG Energy Solution’s massive Polish battery plant
As demand for EVs soars, US and European automakers are racing to establish localized battery production, and break the long-standing reliance on supply chains originating in Asia. There are currently at least a dozen battery “gigafactories” under construction or planned in Europe. LG Energy Solution claims that its battery cell factory in Wrocław, Poland, is… Read more »
Electreon and Jacobs partner to deploy wireless charging infrastructure
Wireless charging specialist Electreon has announced a strategic collaboration with Jacobs, a global provider of technical professional services. The companies will join forces on selected wireless EV charging projects for fleet operators across the US, including city and state authorities. The two companies are already cooperating on a project to implement a public in-road charging… Read more »
NHTSA raises fines for automakers that violate fuel economy rules
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reinstated a previously-enacted increase in penalties for automakers whose vehicles don’t meet fuel efficiency standards for model years 2019 and beyond. Federal fuel efficiency requirements have proven to be an effective incentive for legacy automakers to begin selling EVs (they have also saved drivers millions of dollars… Read more »
Ford to spin off its EVs into separate “Model e” business unit
Ford has announced plans to spin off its EV efforts as a separate business unit called Model e. Automakers often seem to choose names that we pundits dislike (see Stellantis and the Chevy Bolt), and this one is doubly daffy because of a historical association with a certain California-born carmaker. Tesla originally wanted to call… Read more »
Will Fiat’s new Panda take the title of least expensive EV?
If there’s one thing that the EV market sorely needs, it’s more low-priced, entry-level models, and rumor has it that an upcoming electric version of the Fiat Panda will be aimed at the unglamorous but potentially profitable bottom end of the market. We can only call this a rumor at this point, as Fiat’s web… Read more »
Factorial Energy raises $200 million for solid-state battery tech
Massachusetts-based solid-state battery developer Factorial Energy raised $200 million in a Series D funding round from Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis. It will use the funding for research and development, commercial production and the deployment of batteries with its Factorial Electrolyte System Technology (FEST) electrolyte. While Stellantis announced 2026 as its goal for introducing the first competitive… Read more »
Chrysler says it will go from no EVs to all EVs in six years
The current headlines assure us that automakers are “racing” to go electric (woohoo!), and it surely sounds like the race is on at Chrysler. The brand, which currently sells no pure EVs, has announced that it will make the transition to all-electric by 2028—one of the most ambitious timelines yet announced by any automaker. In… Read more »