EV batteries

Global battery giant CATL and Vietnamese EV automaker Vinfast announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding to expand upon their current battery supply agreement. With this new “strategic cooperation,” the companies will explore CIIC skateboard platforms for EVs and “other areas” surrounding EV and battery technology.

Later today, the Biden administration is expected to announce $2.8 billion that will be awarded in grants around the US in support of EV battery manufacturing and mineral production domestically. The White House is also launching what is being called the “American Battery Material Initiative” to bolster mineral supply chains for automakers operating in the US.

Since the beginning of 2021, more than 15 new US lithium-ion battery gigafactories or expansions have been announced in a region becoming known as the Battery Belt. Combined, these facilities represent a potential investment of at least $40 billion, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. All but one gigafactory exceeds 10 GWh of capacity, and the largest will exceed 40 GWh.

A new ” battery belt” is emerging in the United States as automakers from around the globe race to meet the overwhelming demand for fully electric, zero-emission vehicles. With limited production ability, planned investments to ensure the US has an adequate supply of critical EV battery components exceeds $40 billion.

BMW Group has come out and publicly stated that its future success in a competitive EV market relies heavily on “powerful, innovative, and sustainably produced” battery cells. When BMW’s Neue Klasse (new class) EV architecture launches in 2025, the German automaker says the EV platforms will utilize newly developed 46-mm-diameter battery cells, the same larger design Tesla is using.

In March, electric vehicle battery startup StoreDot said it would produce battery cells that will be able to achieve a charge of 100 miles of range in just five minutes. The Israel-based company has delivered: It’s now shipping production-ready “100in5” EV cell samples to its strategic EV OEM partners and potential customers.

Kia Europe has announced a new partnership with encore Deutsche Bahn to reuse former EV batteries to create scalable energy storage systems. The prototype has already been implemented in Germany using Kia Soul EV batteries and marks the start of the automaker’s Europe-wide initiative.

Although it has only explored 1% of its 55,000 acre site in Canada, carbon-conscious mining company Snow Lake Lithium believes it can enable a massive domestic supply of the chemical element to EV automakers when it begins commercial mining. The company expects its all-electric mine to source enough lithium to power up to 500,000 EVs in North America each year, which could prove vital in the US as the automotive industry shifts its supply chains domestically in order to qualify for revised federal tax credits.

Japanese automaker Toyota continues to delve deeper into a Bizarro-mirrored universe in which it actually (sort of) behaves like an EV automaker. Following news earlier this week in which the EV laggards laid out an $5.6 billion investment plan to build batteries, Toyota is already making moves to convert two engine and powertrain plants near its Japanese headquarters to produce EV batteries instead.

GM has officially begun Ultium EV battery production in the US as part of its $2.3 billion joint venture with LG Energy Solution. The JV’s 2.8-million square foot facility in Ohio is now assembling battery packs for the GMC Hummer EV, but remains hush on what other EVs in the GM family will receive them. Meanwhile, the American automaker continues to work through disputes as its battery factory employees look to unionize.

Following last week’s signing of the Inflation Reduction Act in the US, German legacy automakers Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz have sealed agreements with the Canadian government to acquire raw materials for EV battery manufacturing at their US facilities. This move could help EVs from both automakers qualify for US tax credits under the revised terms of the recently signed bill.

Commercial EV manufacturer Nikola Corporation announced it has signed an agreement to acquire EV battery developer Romeo Power Inc. Nikola will absorb Romeo’s battery manufacturing facility in Southern California and begin engineering its own EV packs in-house.

Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt is exploring the possibility of developing batteries that utilize carbon contained in locally sourced wood, to help lower their environmental impact and cost. Together with Finnish forestry company Stora Enso, Northvolt looks to scale this wood battery anode technology.

Solid state batteries have the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of EV batteries by up to 39% compared with liquid lithium-ion batteries, according to the Brussels-based campaign group Transport and Environment (T&E).

Kokomo, Indiana, may not be the location the Beach Boys were singing about, but its definitely the current tune of both Stellantis and Samsung SDI, as the two announced a joint venture to build a US EV battery plant there. Together, the global automaker and battery manufacturer will invest over $2.5 billion to bring a slew of new EV jobs to Kokomo and its surrounding areas.

Building off its 2019 investment in battery materials company Sila, Mercedes-Benz announced a supply agreement to incorporate the former’s silicon anode chemistry into batteries to offer extended range to the upcoming G-Class which includes an electric G-Wagon.

A recent report states that global battery conglomerate CATL is in the final stages of vetting potential sites to bring EV battery production to the US. The move would mark the company’s first entry into the second largest automotive market in the world, and the new facilities would provide cells to BMW AG and Ford Motor Company for their EV production stateside.

The US Department of Energy announced today a new $3 billion program going toward battery manufacturing and supply chain to support the transition to electric vehicles.

Fresh off news of its first expansion outside of China into Germany, CATL is expanding further as part of a new $6 billion dollar battery chain project in Indonesia. Through its subsidiary and an agreement with Indonesia PT AnekaTambang (ANTAM) and PT Industri Baterai Indonesia (IBI), CATL will have a majority stake in five of the six planned battery projects.

As Vietnamese EV automaker VinFast looks to open its order books for US customers, it has gotten more specific on the pricing consumers can expect stateside. During the New York International Auto Show, Vinfast broke down its US pricing for the VF 8 and VF 9, which will include a two-tiered battery subscription that will be mandatory through 2023.

Burlingame, California-based Proterra, which designs and manufactures electric transit buses and electric charging systems, today announced that it has become the first EV maker to achieve multiple TRUE-certified zero waste facilities. That distinction got the stamp of approval from Green Business Certification Inc (GBCI), which independently recognizes excellence in green business industry performance and practice globally.