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The first EV with a lithium-free sodium battery hits the road in January
JAC Motors, a Volkswagen-backed Chinese automaker, unveiled the first mass-produced EV with a sodium-ion battery through its new Yiwei brand. Although sodium-ion battery tech has a lower density than lithium-ion, its lower costs, simpler and more abundant supplies and superior cold-weather performance could help accelerate mass EV adoption.
GM’s latest investment could speed development of cheaper EV batteries
GM has boosted its investment with Mitra Chem, a company focused on building batteries in the US using iron-based cathodes, with a new $60 million financing round.
Lucid will power Aston Martin's future EVs
Aston Martin plans to build "ultra-luxury high-performance" EVs using Lucid's electric motors, batteries and other technology.
CATL’s new battery tech could inch electric planes closer to reality
With the world gradually moving toward electric cars, it’s only a matter of time before EVs take to the skies, at least for shorter trips. Inching us closer to that milestone is Chinese battery maker CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited), which on Wednesday launched a battery at the Shanghai Auto Show that it claims can power electric passenger aircraft.
BMW will spend $1.7 billion to build EVs in the US
BMW will spend $1.7 billion to build more EVs in the US
Solid-state silicon batteries could last longer and charge faster
Researchers have created a solid-state battery with an all-silicon anode that could potentially deliver long life, high energy density and fast charging.
Chinese battery maker says it's ready to produce cobalt-free EV power packs at scale
A Chinese company called SVOLT claims it’s ready to start producing a cobalt-free battery at scale.
Rivian reportedly plans to invest $5 billion in its second US assembly plant
Rivian plans to invest $5 billion initially in a second manufacturing plant, dubbed Project Tera, with construction slated to start in the fall of 2021
Ducati backs away from electric motorcycle production plans
After saying in 2019 that it was "not far from starting production" on an electric motorcyle, Ducati is doing a U-turn on those plans.
GM unveils plans for lithium-metal batteries that could boost EV range
GM has released more details about its next-generation Ultium batteries, revealing that it's betting on lithium-metal technology to boost performance and energy density.
Lime’s old e-bike batteries are being upcycled into portable speakers
Gomi, a company that makes sustainable chargers and other devices, has launched a line of portable speakers built from retired Lime e-bike batteries.
Biden will review tech supply chains to reduce dependence on China
President Biden is reviewing supply chains for processors, batteries and other key tech companies to reduce dependence on China.
Hyundai will replace 75,680 Kona EV batteries over potential fire risks
Hyundai will replace the batteries in 75,680 Kona EVs and 82,000 electric vehicles in total at a cost of around 1 trillion won ($900 million).
Samsung is using quantum computing to research better batteries
Samsung is using a Honeywell quantum computing system in its quest to improve batteries for phones and other devices.
Ikea will stop selling non-rechargeable alkaline batteries by October 2021
The days of strolling into an Ikea and plopping down a few dollars for a 10-pack of Alkalisk batteries are coming to an end. The Swedish furniture-and-meatball purveyor announced earlier this morning that, due to concerns over waste and sustainability, it plans to stop selling nearly all non-rechargeable batteries around the world by October 2021.
This super strength body battery is made with discarded Kevlar
Today’s robot-mounted batteries provide electrical power but at the expense of added mass that in turn requires added power to move and use. Lithium-Ion batteries can go for around 500 cycles without noticeably degrading, however zinc batteries begin to decline after just 100.
Chrome will start blocking resource-demanding ads in August
Beginning this summer, Google will cap the resources a display ad can use in Chrome in order to protect users’ batteries and data plans.
Toyota and Panasonic will start producing EV batteries in April
Toyota and Panasonic have announced a new agreement to start jointly developing and manufacturing electric vehicle batteries. The two Japanese companies say they're creating a company called Prime Planet Energy and Solutions that will begin producing square-shaped prismatic cells on April 1st. The company will employ approximately 5,100 people initially.
IBM’s cobalt-free EV battery uses materials extracted from seawater
Electric vehicles will play an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but they are not yet a perfect solution. Today, most EVs run on lithium-ion batteries made with heavy metals like cobalt, of which there is a limited supply and less than ideal mining conditions. The IBM Research Battery Lab may have a solution: a new battery built without heavy metals. It's made, instead, with materials that can be extracted from seawater.
BMW spends billions to secure batteries and drivetrains for its EVs
BMW has announced its plans to make electric variants of all its most popular cars, in addition to high-end EVs like the upcoming all-electric i4 sedan. All of these cars will need batteries, and the company has just inked a deal to secure its supply from manufacturers CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited) and Samsung SDI.
