Tesla has quietly acquired Ontario-based Hibar Systems, which specializes in battery manufacturing. The California carmaker has made no official announcement, but Electric Autonomy Canada learned from federal lobby registration documents that Hibar became a subsidiary of Tesla sometime between July and October. Hibar Systems was founded in the early 1970s to make small cell batteries,… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "Panasonic"
Fraunhofer’s dry coating process for electrodes could make cell production in Europe economical
Researchers at Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS have developed a new battery cell production process that coats electrodes with a dry film instead of liquid chemicals. This simplified process saves energy and eliminates toxic solvents. The Fraunhofer researchers, with colleagues from Samsung, describe their findings in a new paper, “Overcoming binder… Read more »
Toyota accelerates its electrification plans, teases six new EVs
EV advocates have long been puzzled by the policies of Toyota. The company that initiated vehicle electrification in 1997 with the Prius, and that currently makes the second-best-selling plug-in vehicle in the US (the Prius Prime) has consistently dismissed the benefits of pure EVs, insisting that hybrids are superior, and diverting resources to fuel cell… Read more »
Battery testing start-up Novonix has spun off PUREgraphite to manufacture anode material in the US
Batteries are ubiquitous in our modern lives. Take a look around you and count how many items need be plugged in and recharged. If you’re at your desk, the answer might be four or five. If you’re out for a run, perhaps two or three. If you’re in a garage, there may only be one,… Read more »
Maxwell’s Teflon-fibrilizing electrode process could save Tesla big bucks on battery manufacture
Tesla has completed the acquisition of Maxwell Technologies, a company that’s known for its pioneering work with supercapacitors. However, Electrek’s Fred Lambert and others have noted that Tesla’s interest in Maxwell probably has less to do with supercapacitors than with the company’s “dry electrode” technology. Randy Carlson, in an article posted on Seeking Alpha, provides… Read more »
Tesla to acquire ultracapacitor developer Maxwell Technologies
Tesla plans to acquire Maxwell Technologies at a price of $4.75 per share, or approximately $218 million. The merger, which was unanimously approved by Maxwell’s board of directors, is to be finalized around the second quarter of 2019. Maxwell is based in San Diego and has about 380 employees. The company will be familiar to… Read more »
Electric truck maker Workhorse secures $35 million in new financing, works with Duke on battery leasing program
Workhorse Group (NASDAQ: WKHS), which manufactures electric delivery vans for UPS, FedEx and other fleet operators, has secured $35 million in new financing from Marathon Asset Management. Workhorse will use the proceeds to repay a July 2018 round of senior secured notes, and to acquire parts to fulfill customer orders. Marathon will provide the funds… Read more »
Analysts share a behind-the-scenes tour of Tesla’s Gigafactory
Can Tesla produce Model 3s in volume, and make a profit? That’s the question of the day (or maybe, of the century). Investment management firm Worm Capital (among others) believes that the answer depends on how efficiently the company is able to manufacture its battery packs, and it recently sent a team to visit Tesla’s… Read more »
VW aims to produce solid-state batteries by 2025
The Volkswagen Group has invested approximately $100 million in California battery QuantumScape, following six years of collaboration with the firm. VW also announced that it aims to have a production facility for solid-state batteries by 2025. VW estimates that solid-state battery technology could more than double capacity compared with its current batteries, for example boosting… Read more »
Workhorse reports 2017 earnings, receives $7-Million electric truck order
Workhorse Group (NASDAQ: WKHS) has received a $7-million repeat order for all-electric delivery trucks, to be deployed by “a major delivery company in the San Diego area.” Workhorse all-electric trucks are powered by Panasonic batteries, and deliver a 100-mile range. According to Workhorse, its e-trucks can improve fuel efficiency from an average of 5.5 MPG… Read more »