Ford CEO Jim Farley is no stranger to EVs—before he joined Ford, he worked at Toyota, and was deeply involved in bringing the Prius to the US market. In a wide-ranging recent interview with Fully Charged’s Robert Llewellyn, Farley talks about how he is shepherding his company through the process of electrification. Farley understands that… Read more »
Search Results Found For: "raw material"
Australia invests in lithium refining to reduce dependence on China
Australia is a lithium mining powerhouse—the country mines about 53 percent of the world’s supply of lithium. However, lithium must undergo several processing steps before it’s ready for use in batteries, and almost all of Australia’s lithium is sold to China, which dominates lithium processing. Moving the processing closer to the mines is important not… Read more »
Ford signs lithium and nickel deals to secure IRA-compliant supply
One way to gauge how serious an automaker is about electrification is to consider whether it’s securing supplies of the raw materials that will be required to build large quantities of EVs (as opposed to just issuing press releases about EVs). The US Inflation Reduction Act, which includes strong incentives to use raw materials sourced… Read more »
European HEFT project targets cheaper, more efficient, power-dense motor for EVs
In a €4-million HEFT research project directed by Mondragan University, eight EU partners including GKN Automotive will create a “lower-cost, more efficient and power-dense” permanent magnet motor for EVs. HEFT is an EU Horizon 2020 project focused on designing and manufacturing EV motors with reused and recycled permanent magnets. HEFT recommends energy-efficient rare earth synchronous… Read more »
Volkswagen introduces a new electric drive for ID. EVs
Volkswagen is launching a new APP550 rear-wheel electric drive for its ID. series of electric models. The first EV with the new drive generation in a 210 kW (286 PS) variant will be available by year’s end. The powertrain’s maximum torque is roughly 550 Nm, depending on the vehicle’s gear ratio, improving power development at… Read more »
Motiv Power Systems launches next-gen electric trucks with new LFP battery system
Motiv Power Systems has been in business for 14 years, providing electric step vans, box trucks and shuttle buses with payloads of 2-6 tons. The company has deployed more than 150 vehicles with fleets across North America. Now the company has announced its next-generation electric trucks for medium-duty fleets. The new generation features a new… Read more »
Chinese automakers are forging ahead with sodium-ion batteries
Sodium-ion batteries, which could offer significant cost and raw material procurement advantages over the lithium-ion kind, have been much discussed in the press of late. Chinese battery behemoth CATL unveiled its first-generation sodium-ion battery in July 2021. At the time, analysts predicted that Na-ion cells, which are expected to offer only modest energy density, would… Read more »
How NI plans to innovate in the EV test and measurement industry and unlock the power of data
Q&A with NI CEO Eric Starkloff (Full interview) The sense of urgency in the auto industry is palpable as it undergoes the transition to EVs. Governments have been implementing stricter emissions regulations for about a decade now and, more recently, they’re upending supply chain plans and forcing automakers to source and build locally. There is… Read more »
ABTC describes huge lithium deposits at its Tonopah Flats property in Nevada
American Battery Technology Company (ABTC) has identified what it calls “one of the largest known lithium deposits in the United States” at its Tonopah Flats Lithium Project in Big Smoky Valley, Nevada. The ABTC Tonopah Flats Lithium Project encompasses 517 unpatented lode claims covering approximately 10,340 acres. ABTC began surface sampling of these claims in 2021,… Read more »
Bechtel to deliver electric school bus charging infrastructure to First Student
First Student, a major provider of student transportation services in North America, has selected Bechtel to design and build charging stations for one of First Student’s electrification projects. The two companies intend to partner on more EV deployments in the future, for which Bechtel will provide engineering, procurement and construction services. Bechtel provides a range… Read more »