News

Korean battery maker LG Chem will supply the 16 kWh Li-ion battery pack system and controls for the 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivan. LG Chem Power CEO Denise Gray recently noted that LG Chem’s cells, modules and batteries are currently powering some 490,000 vehicles, spanning all levels of electrification from […]

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has prohibited shipments of lithium-ion batteries as cargo on passenger aircraft, responding to concerns by pilots and airplane manufacturers that they pose a fire risk. A 2015 paper published by an aircraft manufacturing trade group found that existing fire-fighting systems on airliners could not […]

Spiers New Technologies (SNT) is just over a year old, but its founder has been focused on developing the market and technology for secondary-use batteries as long as anyone in the business. Dirk Spiers is one of the more passionate figures in the EV industry. Like many entrepreneurs, he seems to […]

Enphase Energy has long been a key provider of microinverter and wiring solutions for residential solar photovoltaic (PV) installations and has built on that success with another important component of a holistic energy solution — storage. Before we dive into the company’s recently updated product, let’s talk a bit about the Enphase approach […]

If you buy an EV this year, chances are next year’s model will offer a slightly better battery for the same price. As a result, resale values for most EVs are terrible (or wonderful, if you’re looking to buy a used car). Three-year-old Nissan LEAFs are going for around a […]

Maxwell Technologies has introduced a new addition to its K2 family of ultracapacitor cells. A 3-volt, 3,000-farad cell is now available in sample quantities. The new cell offers 31% higher power than Maxwell’s existing 2.7-volt, 3,000-farad cell, and is packaged in the same industry-standard 60 mm cylindrical form factor. Maxwell […]

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 […]

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has published a new report that found that Proterra’s battery-electric buses are nearly four times more fuel-efficient than comparable compressed natural gas (CNG) buses. The study focuses on a pilot project for California’s Foothill Transit, in which 12 Proterra e-buses logged nearly 400,000 miles […]

The business of prospecting for lithium is still tiny compared to the worldwide oil exploration industry, but some companies are already buying up tracts of land that may contain motherlodes of the light white stuff. The lithium exploration and development company Lithium X Energy has announced its acquisition of the […]

Much research in the battery world focuses on finding a replacement for graphite as an anode material. One candidate is hard carbon, which can be formed in various morphologies to deliver the desired properties. But in fact, there are already millions of tiny factories around the world, cranking out as […]

Daimler, in partnership with its subsidiary ACCUmotive and Hannover-based utility enercity, is planning a new stationary energy storage system with a unique twist. The 15 MWh installation will be marketed on the German energy balancing market, and will also serve as a storage facility for new EV battery packs. The […]

The impending deployments of Tesla Powerwalls in the US appears to be starting, with surveys having been sent out to early reservation holders. No firm details are included, but with Tesla already releasing the user manual and installing Powerwalls in the UK and Australia, the timing of the surveys seems like a […]