News

Mazda has agreed to partner with ELIIY Power and Ube Industries to jointly develop 12-volt lithium-ion starter batteries by 2021. Lithium-ion batteries offer a promising alternative to conventional lead-acid car batteries, because of their lower weight, and because of environmental regulations in some regions that restrict the use of lead. […]

In order to meet growing demand for lithium ore, the global lithium industry will require at least $10–12 billion in investments over the next decade — primarily due to rising demand for plug-in electric vehicles — the Chile-based lithium mining firm SQM has reported. Relating to those figures, the senior […]

It’s hard to not bump into a story relating some sort of Siemens-supported electric vehicle (EV) these days. From trains to electric vehicle (EV) motors, the German international giant seems to be everywhere. When it comes to electric aircraft, Siemens seems particularly aggressive and ahead of the game, almost to the point […]

Researchers at the DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have discovered that the “special sauce” of batteries is all about the salt concentration. By getting the right amount of salt right where they want it, they’ve demonstrated that a lithium-metal battery can undergo about seven times more charge/discharge cycles than batteries with conventional […]

Germany’s Economy Minister Peter Altmaier was quoted in an interview published earlier this week as saying that the country’s auto manufacturers need to invest in the “two-digit billion amounts” into electric car tech, and that he wasn’t sure why there has been such a holdup to date on the matter. […]

Scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have pioneered a method that enables reversible chemistry of magnesium metal in noncorrosive carbonate-based electrolytes. The technology has several potential advantages over lithium-ion batteries, including higher energy density, improved stability and lower cost. Magnesium batteries can theoretically store almost twice as much […]

Dutch charging provider Fastned has won a tender from the North East Combined Authority (NECA) and Newcastle University to deploy two fast charging stations in the city centers of Newcastle and Sunderland (where Nissan manufactures LEAFs for the UK market). Each “Go Ultra Low Filling Station” will house six DC fast chargers, […]

Way back at the dawn of the electric car era — about 10 years ago now — the knock on electric cars was that their batteries wouldn’t last 100,000 miles. Owners would be forced to pay many thousands of dollars to replace them every few years. What’s the point of […]

More than a dozen shipping-related organizations, including flag states, research institutions, battery and propulsion suppliers, fire extinguishing system providers and ship operators, have formed a joint development project to advance the understanding of the use of lithium-ion batteries in the shipping industry. The new project aims to create a deep […]

Battery manufacturer Northvolt has announced a partnership with the two Swedish towns of Skellefteå and Västerås to establish a battery manufacturing facility. Skellefteå, part of a raw material and mining cluster in the north of Sweden, will be the location of Northvolt’s main production site, which will include material preparation, […]

The prominent auto parts supplier Bosch has now introduced a new 48-volt battery product intended for use in hybrids, and designed to be easily integrated into new vehicle models. The new 48-volt hybrid battery packs were designed with carbon dioxide emissions reductions in mind, as a way of providing auto […]

Cummins (NYSE: CMI), best known as a manufacturer of heavy-duty diesel engines, recently unveiled a prototype electric truck. Now the company has taken another step towards electrification with the acquisition of Brammo, which develops electric drivetrains and battery packs. Brammo was founded in 2002 to build electric motorcycles (and was featured in […]