Umicore invests in battery maker Blue Current
Blue Current, a silicon elastic composite solid-state battery manufacturer, has a new investor on board. Umicore is investing a minority stake in the US-based start-up.
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PowerCo & Umicore receive regulatory approval for joint venture
PowerCo, a battery company from the Volkswagen Group, and the Belgian materials technology group Umicore have received all regulatory approvals for their joint venture announced in September 2022.
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LiCORNE: Fully European lithium supply chain
The EU-funded project LiCORNE (Lithium Recovery and Battery Grade Materials Production from European Resources) aims to set up the first complete European supply chain for lithium processing resources available in Europe.
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Greening Corporate Fleets initiative calls on EU to quicken EV transition
In an open letter to the EU Commission, some 30 companies like Uber, Ikea, Coca-Cola, or Leaseplan demand that only electric company cars and delivery vans be allowed in the European Union from 2030. From then, no new ICE cars or vans should be allowed in company fleets.
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Umicore to bring HLM batteries to market in 2026
Umicore is starting the industrialisation of its manganese-containing HLM technology for active cathode materials. The company is aiming for commercial production and use of this technology in electric vehicles in 2026.
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EU project designs life-cycle assessment concept for zero-emission transport
The EU-funded TranSensus LCA project aims to develop the basis for a harmonised life cycle assessment approach for electric vehicles across Europe. According to the organizers, such a uniform LCA approach is a key element for achieving the goals of the Green Deal.
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Umicore to source nickel from Terrafame
In Europe, the materials technology and recycling group Umicore and the Finnish state mining company Terrafame have signed a long-term supply agreement for nickel sulphate. According to both companies, deliveries have already started and are to be increased further in the course of this year.
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Nano One & Umicore to jointly develop Li-Ion production processes
Canadian battery developer Nano One and Belgian materials technology group Umicore announce the signing of a non-exclusive agreement to jointly develop production process technologies for lithium-ion battery active cathode materials.
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Volkswagen commits to searching a Gigafactory site in Canada
The Volkswagen Group and its battery subsidiary PowerCo have started the search for a location for the first battery cell factory in North America, namely in Canada. PowerCo and Umicore simultaneously agreed on a strategic supply agreement for cathode material in North America.
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VW subsidiary PowerCo & Umicore launch battery joint venture
The Volkswagen Group’s new battery subsidiary PowerCo and the Belgian materials technology group Umicore have established a joint venture for cathode and prematerial production in Europe. From 2025, the joint venture is to supply PowerCo’s European battery cell factories with key materials.
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Umicore opens cathode material plant in Poland
The materials technology and recycling group Umicore has opened its first European plant for the production of cathode materials for electric car batteries in Nysa, Poland. In the following years, the plant is to be expanded to up to 200 GWh.
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Canadian Government funds 6,000 EV charging stations
Canada has announced funding for 6,000 EV chargers as part of a series of announcements during the national EV Week. Investments total CAD 45 million (nearly €34Mn), with local governments and companies such as Hydro Québec or Shell Canada benefitting from the funds.
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Umicore invests $1.2 billion in Ontario battery materials plant
The Belgian materials technology and recycling group Umicore is investing C$1.5 billion ($1.2 billion) to build its first factory in North America for the mass production of cathode and precursor materials for electric vehicle batteries. This is to be built in the community of Loyalist in the Canadian province of Ontario.
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Umicore & Idemitsu Kosan join solid-state battery race
Belgian materials technology and recycling group Umicore and Japan’s energy company Idemitsu Kosan have agreed to develop high-performance materials for solid-state batteries jointly. Umicore will bring its expertise in cathode active materials (CAM) and banks on Idemitsu Kosan’s know-how in solid electrolytes.
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ACC places major cathode order with Umicore
Materials technology and recycling group Umicore and the Automotive Cells Company (ACC) battery cell joint venture between Stellantis, Total and Mercedes-Benz have signed a long-term supply agreement for cathode materials in Europe.
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Umicore signs recycling agreement with ACC
The materials technology and recycling group Umicore has signed an agreement with the battery cell joint venture Automotive Cells Company (ACC) of Stellantis, Total and Mercedes-Benz for battery recycling services for the needs of the ACC pilot plant in Nersac, France.
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VW signs battery deals with Umicore, 24M and Vulcan Energy
The Volkswagen Group has concluded three further strategic partnerships in the field of electric car batteries. The new partners are the materials technology group Umicore, the battery specialist 24M Technologies and the lithium supplier Vulcan Energy Resources.
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Umicore signs supply deal with Ganfeng & Vulcan Energy
Materials technology and recycling group Umicore has signed long-term lithium supply agreements with Ganfeng Lithium and Vulcan Energy Resources. Both contracts have an initial term of five years and can be extended by mutual agreement.
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Solid Power fuses with holding company for IPO
US solid-state battery specialist Solid Power, backed by Ford and BMW, announced its IPO. For the targeted listing on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol SLDP, Solid Power is merging with SPAC company Riverstone Holdings LLC’s Decarbonization Plus Acquisition Corporation III.
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Blockchain solution to tracking ethically sourced cobalt
The metals and mining companies CMOC, Eurasian Resources Group (ERG), Glencore as well as the battery material supplier Umicore are testing the blockchain solution “Re|Source” as part of a pilot project to “track responsibly produced cobalt from the mine to the electric car”.
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BASF and Umicore sign patent agreement
BASF and Umicore have entered into a non-exclusive patent agreement covering a broad range of cathode materials and their precursors. The cross-licensing deal covers more than 100 patent families filed in Europe, the USA, China, Korea and Japan.
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Research project starts for electric ships in the EU
A group of 13 partners from the entire value chain of ship electrification have launched ‘Current Direct’, a research project that aims, among other things, to reduce the cost of battery-electric propulsion systems in shipping and build an ‘Energy as a Service’ platform.
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Audi and Umicore use recycled cobalt and nickel
Audi and Umicore have completed the test phase of their research cooperation. According to this, more than 90 per cent of the cobalt and nickel from e-tron batteries can be recycled. Starting in January, the recycled materials will be used in new battery cells.
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EU Commission approves €3.2 billion for battery research
The European Commission has now approved funding totalling 3.2 billion euros for pan-European research and innovation projects by seven Member States in all segments of the battery value chain. Among others, Opel and BMW will benefit from the funds.
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Umicore to supply Samsung SDI with NMC
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.
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Umicore and LG Chem enter cathode supply deal
Umicore and LG Chem have entered into a multi-year strategic supply agreement for NMC (Nickel-Manganese Cobalt) cathode materials to meet LG Chem’s needs from Umicore plants in Poland, South Korea and China.
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ECO COM’BAT: High power battery by Fraunhofer
As part of the EU-funded ECO COM’BAT, ten partners from industry and research have been working on more sustainable high-voltage lithium-ion batteries since April 2016. As the project coordinator Fraunhofer ISC now communicates: apparently with success.
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EU battery cell production: First funding in June
The German BMBF, that is the Ministry for Education, plans to decide on the location of a research factory for cell production on June 7. Moreover, the German government is also planning to pay the first half of the money for the planned cell production factories this June as well.
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Umicore recycles batteries from Formula E race cars
Formula E enters a partnership with Umicore of Belgium to implement a battery recycling programme. The batteries from electric cars of the first two seasons of the electric racing series are currently processed by Umicore.
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Audi and Umicore develop closed loop battery recycling
Audi and Umicore are developing a closed loop for the recycling of high voltage batteries from electrified vehicles, which can be reused again and again. Particularly valuable materials, including cobalt, nickel and copper, will be stored in a resource bank.
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