Glencore and Samsung SDI have now signed a contract to supply Samsung with cobalt between 2021 to 2024. The contract covers an amount of 21,000 tonnes of cobalt from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The BMW Group has awarded the two battery cell manufacturers CATL and Samsung SDI further orders worth several billion euros. The German carmaker intends to cover their battery cell requirements until 2031.

Umicore and Samsung SDI have signed a strategic agreement to supply nearly 80,000 tonnes of NMC (Nickel Manganese Cobalt) cathode material from 2020. The supply will come from Umicore plants in various regions, most of them initially from Korea.

The European Commission has opened an investigation against Hungary to assess whether Hungary’s plans to grant €108 million in subsidies to Samsung SDI for the expansion of its battery cell production plant in Göd follow EU rules on regional state aid.

The automotive supplier Webasto has started the production of batteries for electric vehicles in Germany. The production of battery packs for a European bus manufacturer has begun at the Schierling site in the Regensburg district – albeit with purchased cells.

German battery system manufacturer Akasol has significantly expanded its cooperation with Samsung SDI. Akasol has nominated the Korean company as a supplier for lithium-ion battery cells and modules for two large series orders with commercial vehicle manufacturers.

BMW Group, BASF, Samsung SDI and Samsung Electronics launch “Cobalt for Development”, a cross-industry initiative to promote responsible cobalt mining in micro-mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

With immediate effect, BMW is installing more powerful battery cells in the plug-in hybrid version of the 5 Series. The aim is to increase the electric range to up to 57 kilometres and reduce CO2 emissions by 20 per cent.

The Volvo Group and Samsung SDI have formed a strategic alliance to develop battery packs specifically for Volvo electric trucks. Samsung SDI will supply the battery cells and modules to the Volvo Group that will assemble these in its facilities.

There are concerns at Volkswagen that a supply contract with Samsung SDI worth around 50 billion euros could be called off. The Koreans are said to have originally agreed to supply battery cells with a total capacity of just over 20 GWh to VW.

Thank you for waiting – the VW Passat GTE is making a comeback. In the run-up to the Geneva Motor Show, Volkswagen held a technology workshop, in which the Passat got an update that will benefit the plug-in hybrid version GTE as well. By the time of delivery in late summer, more than a year […]

BMW, BASF, Samsung SDI and Samsung Electronics have launched a cooperative pilot project to support sustainable and fair cobalt mining initiatives in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The German development agency GIZ will coordinate the project.

Analysts from UBS teamed up with engineers to figure out which electric vehicle batteries made by established manufacturers offer the best value. They concluded that cells made by Panasonic in Tesla’s Gigafactory are 20 per cent more cost efficient than the next best on offer from LG Chem.

Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, Peter Altmaier, wants to have about 30% of global battery production in 2030 take place in Europe. What this would entail in terms of factories is described below.

Korea’s three largest battery manufacturers announce the creation of a 100 billion won fund (about €78M). SK Innovation, LG Chem and Samsung SDI thus aim to promote R&D of battery technologies and to support promising start-ups.

Jaguar Land Rover will be investing in Samsung battery cells soon, according to insiders. Apparently the Brits are interested in the cylindrical battery cells from Samsung SDI for future models as of 2020. The Korean battery manufacturer will reportedly upgrade their Hungary factory with a new production line for 21700 cells.

Korea’s largest battery makers LG Chem and Samsung SDI are losing market shares to competitors from China, SNE Research finds. They pin the loss to increased domestic demand in China from electric buses and trucks. CATL appears to have benefitted the most.

Indian company Mankame is working on an electric motorcycle with a spec that appears dreamy almost. Their EP-1 got a range of 500 km on paper, while its 40 kW motor manages a top speed of 250 kph. Their base price is 8,500 euros for a less powerful version but even the top trim is […]

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.

Samsung SDI and Webasto have signed a letter of intent to build high voltage batteries together for the commercial vehicle sector. Samsung is to develop a battery module using its prismatic battery cells for Webasto to integrate.

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.

Leading EV battery maker Samsung has announced plans to revise its cobalt strategy. Not only will the Koreans reduce the amount of the rare resource by using nickel instead but Samsung is also working on cells that do not require any cobalt. Recycling is another measure.

Leading battery manufacturers and procurement managers warned of a pending battery shortage in Europe, mainly due to the boom of wireless technology and the planned electrification campaigns by the automobile industry.

Samsung SDI’s presence at NAIAS means they made real advances in battery tech. And so the Koreans display includes solid-state as well a novel material solutions for increased capacity.

Chinese manufacturer such as BYD and Great Wall are starting to headhunt battery specialists from South Korean companies like Samsung SDI, LG Chem and SK Innovation on a large scale, The Korea Herald has learnt.

The Swedish carmaker considers adding electric-powered trucks to its portfolio. While Volvo is experienced in producing electric buses, South Korea’s technology giant Samsung could supply the batteries.

New chassis for EVs: ZF has taken the wraps off its intelligent rolling chassis (IRC), offering a flexible platform for urban electric vehicles. The first EV to build on it, will be Rinspeed’s Oasis (we reported), which was shown at the CES 2017.
zf.com

Pushing range: Samsung SDI presented its battery pack featuring new cells at the NAIAS in Detroit. The battery is said to allow for up to 600 km of range and can be charged up to 80 percent in just 20 minutes. Serial production start is scheduled for 2021.
yonhapnews.co.kr, businesswire.com

Battery price drop: According to the new study “Electrifying insights: how automakers can drive electric vehicle sales and profitability” by McKinsey, the cost for EV batteries dropped around 80 percent between 2010 and 2016. It currently lies by about 230 dollars per kWh. Moreover, 75 percent of German buyers have more confidence in established carmakers as opposed to newcomers when considering buying an electric car.
mckinsey.de (complete study)

Mysterious order: Castings specialist KS HUAYU AluTech GmbH, a member of German Rheinmetall Automotive, will manufacture components for battery boxes made from aluminium diecastings for an unnamed premium supplier. The boxes will be used in an all-electric SUV, as well as in an electric sportscar. The contract is said to be worth 65m euros, with production to kick off mid-2018.
rheinmetall-automotive.com

No VW battery plant: VW CEO Matthias Müller snubbed the possibility of setting up a VW battery production plant, telling German Handelsblatt that they would not do something “that foolish.” Cell production is highly automated and would therefore only create few jobs, while costing “an arm and a leg.”
handelsblatt.com

Yes to Samsung battery plant: Samsung SDI meanwhile decided to set up shop in Hungary. It will invest some 358m dollars in a battery plant, said to churn out battery packs for some 50,000 EVs per year. The factory near Budapest is said to open its doors in the second half of 2018.
reuters.com, koreaherald.com

In the army now: GM is working with the U.S. army on the development of fuel-cell-powered Chevrolet Colorado for military purposes. A first prototype of the H2 pick-up is said to be unveiled in October.
freep.com, thedetroitbureau.com

Non-flammable electrolytes: Cornell University spin-out NOHMs Technologies has collected 5m dollars in funds to commercialize its non-flammable electric vehicle (EV) battery electrolyte technology. The NanoLyte Electrolytes contain ionic liquids, making them more resistant without compromising battery power.
greencarcongress.com

“We said before that if you are too early, you lose money. Now the view is if you are too late, you lose the market.”

Alexander Hilliger von Thile, a senior graphics and rendering manager at Mercedes-Benz North America, says Daimler is changing its stance on whether or not a carmaker can make money with EVs. Advances in battery technology and Tesla’s success have shown that you can.
reuters.com

“For the first time, the fastest accelerating production car in the world is an electric car. I think this sends a great message to the public about the future of transportation.”

Tesla CEO Elon Musk comments on the carmaker’s latest battery upgrade. The Model S P100D with Ludicrous can go from 0 to 60 in just 2.5 seconds.
electrek.co

“We are continuing talks with local governments, but the final destination has not yet been decided.”

According to a Samsung SDI spokesperson, the battery maker has not yet decided on where to set up a battery factory in Europe. Reports that the company is narrowing down options and that Hungary has its nose in front, are said to be false.
koreaherald.com

Polish cells: Details are emerging about LG Chem’s plans to be built an EV battery factory in Poland (we reported). It will be LG Chem’s second largest battery facility, and have a production capacity of 229,000 EV batteries per year. The plant should be completed in 18 months.
reuters.com

One trillion won: Samsung’s chemical unit, Samsung SDI, plans to invest nearly 1tr won (875m dollars) in new facilities, including those required for EV batteries. The company has two EV battery plants in South Korea and China, and is eying Europe for a third.
koreanherald.com

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www.e-mobilbw.de (PDF)

BAIC research: Chinese energy automaker BAIC BJEV has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Dresden University of Technology to research lightweight automotive technologies for new energy automobiles. Academician Hufenbach, known as the “father of light weighting in Europe” at TUD, was named chief scientist in lightweight technology.
prnewswire.com

Skeleton Tech exclusive: Adgero has signed a 3.5m euro agreement to use Skeleton Technologies’ ultracapacitor in their road freight KERS. SkelMod 160V modules will be sourced exclusively to Adgero for their hybrid system. The Adgero KERS with Skeleton modules will be road tested next month.
greencarcongress.com