Batteries

• [New] With companies like GM, Ford and a slew of start-ups ramping up their electric vehicle ambitions, current battery production in the US will not be able to keep up with demand.
• [New] The emissions behind electric vehicles do not end with the making of batteries: without major shifts in how China makes its electricity, electric vehicles driven in China will be effectively charged with coal.
• [New] Big battery settlement: Two South Korean manufacturers have settled a legal dispute that threatened the global supply of EV batteries.
• [New] Amid a global shift to electric vehicles, the production of EV batteries is expected to rise.
• [New] SK Innovation surged 12% in Seoul after reaching a legal settlement with LG Energy Solution that won praise from the White House, relieved that the supply of batteries for electric vehicles to Ford Motor Co. and Volkswagen will not be disrupted.
• [New] Further research will be conducted to increase energy density of the dual carbon battery, so that it can be introduced as a cheaper alternative to lithium-ion battery.
• [New] SK Innovation can now complete work on US manufacturing facilities costing $2.6 billion which will employ 1,000 workers by the end of 2021 and 2,600 by 2024, when they expect to produce batteries for more than 300,000 electric vehicles annually.
• [New] The settlement over a trade secrets dispute between LG Energy Solution and SK Innovation will allow two plants in Georgia to move forward with plans to produce lithium ion batteries for Ford and Volkswagen.
• [New] Ford and Volkswagen both are slated to start production on electric vehicles in 2022, using batteries made at SK's plant in Georgia.
• [New] As the world begins to move away from petrol and diesel-power cars, there are questions over how the metals needed for batteries in electric vehicles will be sourced.
• [New] The Liberal state government in South Australia is betting the future on batteries and says it will be 100% net renewable by 2030.
• [New] Researchers at Cornell University in New York have developed a new method for incorporating aluminium in zinc-anode batteries that will produce rechargeable batteries that can be used for up to 10 thousand error-free cycles.
• [New] Fearing future shortages, carmakers such as Volkswagen AG are demanding more batteries and even pushing to manufacture their own.
• [New] Battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids are just 13% of light vehicle sales today and need to reach 97% by 2030 - a very tall order, and with the requisite charging infrastructure and power supply to boot.
• [New] Tesla recently started building cars at its new Shanghai plant and will likely benefit from a local supply of batteries rather than having to deliver them through Tesla and Panasonic's batteries in Nevada.
• [New] Fearing future shortages, carmakers such as Volkswagen Group are demanding more batteries and even pushing to manufacture their own.
• [New] The practical effects of the ITC's decision will be to limit the supply of batteries available for electric vehicles, limiting consumer choice and the U.S.'s ability to meet ambitious climate targets.
• [New] Demand for lithium is forecast to increase significantly over the next decade driven using lithium ion batteries in automotive applications.
• [New] Li-Cycle's process creates safer waste streams for individuals working in waste management as it reduces the risk of fires by removing lithium-ion batteries from the traditional waste streams.
• Though the U.S. has a handful of large-scale battery manufacturing facilities, including Tesla's Gigafactory that operates in partnership with Panasonic, a trade dispute between two Korean battery makers, LG Chem and SK Innovation, threatens the future of a new battery factory in Georgia.

Last updated: 18 April 2021