Researchers at Fraunhofer ISC have embarked on a collaborative effort to develop a low-cost method for mass production of solid-state batteries using sol-gel. Funded with 3.2 million euros, first results are due in a year with the project running until 2020.
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BMW is planning to introduce various sizes for its battery cells in order to design upcoming electric and plug-in hybrid models in whichever form they wish. A report by Autonews quotes BMW’s head of R&D, Klaus Fröhlich, detailing the differences.
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New data on battery degradation in Tesla vehicles suggests that the batteries could retain most of their capacity even after driving 300,000 miles. The analysis looks at 350 Teslas around the world and has been started by the Dutch-Belgium Tesla forum.
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The VW factory in Braunschweig has been chosen to develop and produce battery systems on the company’s MEB platform. VW is speaking of the bundling of battery competencies for all of Europe in Braunschweig and to set an example for global production too.
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In a move to secure its cobalt supply for lithium batteries, Korea’s LG Chem has agreed to build two joint ventures with China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt. The JVs are expected to start producing 40,000t a year of precursors and cathodes from 2020.
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Toyota plans to build a battery factory in Thailand to produce power packs for its hybrid vehicles from 2020. Unnamed sources say the Japanese corporation expects PEV sales to rise in the country due to tax incentives and that it also needs to fulfil its own forecasted demand.
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German SME Akasol is to deliver all battery systems for the Citaro electric bus by Daimler subsidiary EvoBus. The Citaro is scheduled for serial production before the year’s end while battery development has been running since 2015.
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News of the fast charging problems with Nissan Leafs has been spreading across the internet under the hashtag #rapidgate. To be exact, the drivers are complaining that the fast-charging significantly slows down after repeated uses over short time periods.
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The US American fuel cell producer Plug Power introduced their new GenDrive 2440-36R for electric forklifts. The new fuel cell system calls for larger hydrogen tanks, which now increase the forklift run-time by 56%.
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A new project, headed by battery experts Oxis Energy, is developing Lithium-Sulfur battery for the use in electric utility vehicles. The project, called LiSFAB, will mainly benefit trucks and bus technology.
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French battery specialist Forsee Power has announced it will make batteries in Grand Poitiers. The new factory that is set in an old diesel engine plant, is to produce up to 2,500 battery system for electric buses annually, starting this year.
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Germany’s battery maker Voltabox has acquired Texas-based engineering firm Concurrent Design. The acquisition is to add development capabilities to Voltabox and to strengthen its position in the U.S. market with further buy-ins planned.
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BYD is planning to solidify its battery and photovoltaic business under a new banner, which will be listed separately on the stock exchange. The move is almost certainly to be seen as a declaration of war with battery suppliers.
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Toyota is reportedly considering developing a battery exchange system, particularly for use in smaller EVs. The plan would entail the construction of a network of battery swapping stations all over Japan.
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The US American battery manufacturer Lithium Werks has announced their takeover of the Chinese factory of A123 Systems in Changzhou that is also in the battery market. The deal reaches far as it includes the workforce and clients too.
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PSA CEO Carlos Tavares throws his weight behind the ‘Battery Airbus’ for Europe as proposed by the EU Commission. He believes it crucial to operate independently from Asian suppliers but has yet to find the industry’s support.
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Korean battery part maker Shinheung SEC has opened a new factory in Hungary in the town of Monor close to Budapest. It is the firm’s first facility in Europe and has received funding from the Hungarian state that wants to see 300 new jobs by 2019.
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Fraunhofer ISE, Fraunhofer EMI, and the Association of German Electrical Engineers VDE are establishing a new competence center for batteries and energy storage systems in Freiburg. Their focus is on market-oriented R&D, testing and certification.
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Nissan has opened a new factory and says it is the first recycling plant to specialise in reutilising Li-ion batteries from EVs. They shall be refabricated to go back into electric cars or fork lifts and also serve as energy storage. The facility in Namie, Japan will be run by 4R Energy, a JV between […]
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Sila Nanotechnologies, a developer and producer of batteries from California, has announced a partnership with BMW. Together the partners will be working on lithium-ion batteries for the next generation for electric vehicles.
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Rolls-Royce has signed a collaboration agreement with Superdielectrics, a UK startup that has been working on novel polymers. Together they want to create what they call “very high energy storage technology,” in other words, supercapacitors.
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MAN Truck & Bus and Hamburg’s public transport provider VHH are jointly testing the second life of batteries first used in electric buses in a stationary storage facility. They signed a MoU in Munich.
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Volkswagen is pushing electric mobility and has to find batteries in order to scale up. After joining forces with CATL in China just days ago, the Germans have now turned to Korea, where VW announced a new partnership with LG Chem and Samsung SDI.
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Glencore has agreed to sell approximately one third of their global cobalt production to Chinese battery recycling company GEM for the next three years. This corresponds to about 52,800 tonnes of the sought after rare earth.
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The Chinese investment firm GSR Capital, who had wanted to buy Nissan’s battery section last year, has invested 500 million dollars in the Saab successor National Electric Vehicle Sweden (NEVS).
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Daimler is advancing its global EV offensive as it incorporates its Thai facility into its network of production hubs. Together with local partner Thonburi Automotive Assembly Plant (TAAP) they will invest 100 million euros in Bangkok.
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The Hydrogen Council, founded at last year’s summit in Davos, now counts another 11 members, among them Bosch, Great Wall Motor or 3m. They join the likes of ABB, BMW or Shell who all want to foster transport fuelled by hydrogen.
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Panasonics new battery factory for the serial production and delivery of prismatic lithium-ion battery cells for electric and hybrid vehicles has opened its doors in Dalian, China.
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SK Innovation has broken ground for the construction of its battery cell facility in Hungary. Battery cells worth 7.5 GWh will eventually be made here. Production is to begin by 2020 in the 430,000 sqm facility.
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A consortium led by South Korea’s POSCO and Samsung SDI has won a bid to build a cathode materials plant in Chile. They will jointly invest about 54 million dollars in the plant, which will produce 3,200t of cathode a year starting by 2021.
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