Reuters
Updated Wed, October 11, 2023
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TOKYO (Reuters) -Toyota Motor and Idemitsu Kosan have formed an alliance to develop and mass-produce all-solid-state batteries for electric vehicles, the companies said on Thursday.
The partnership follows an announcement in June by Toyota, the world's biggest automaker by sales, that it would introduce the high-performance batteries to improve the driving range and reduce costs of future EVs in a strategic pivot.
Toyota, which has been slow in adopting pure-battery powered EVs, trumpeted at the time a "technological breakthrough" that addresses durability problems in solid-state batteries and said it is developing means to mass produce those batteries.
Idemitsu and Toyota said in a statement on Thursday they would aim to commercialise the next-generation batteries in 2027-28, followed by full-scale mass production.
Toyota President Koji Sato and Idemitsu President Shunichi Kito will hold a press conference at 3 p.m. (0600 GMT) on Thursday.
Solid-state batteries can hold more energy than current liquid electrolyte batteries and automakers and analysts expect them to speed transition to EVs.
An EV powered by a solid-state battery would have a range of 1,200 km and charging time of just 10 minutes, according to Toyota.
Still, such batteries are expensive and likely to remain so for years.
Idemitsu, Japan's second-biggest oil refiner, has been expanding into EV battery supply chains, increasing its stake in Australian lithium developer Delta Lithium to 15% earlier this year amid a global push by automakers to electrify their fleets.
(Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
Honda, Mitsubishi Corp sign pact to optimise use of EV batteries
Reuters
Wed, October 11, 2023 at 11:38 PM MDT·1 min read
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese automaker Honda Motor and trading house Mitsubishi Corp have signed a pact to explore new businesses using electric vehicle (EV) batteries, the companies said on Thursday.
The move comes as car makers worldwide embrace battery-driven electric vehicles, but struggle with questions such as tackling the environmental impact after the batteries run out.
"Honda will not only sell EVs, but take a proactive approach to energy management, where EV batteries will be utilised as an energy source," its chief executive, Toshihiro Mibe, said in a statement.
Under their memorandum of understanding, the companies look to set up a business in monitoring usage of Honda's mini-EV model battery and transferring the auto battery to stationary energy storage, they said.
Honda will begin sales of the EV model in Japan in 2024.
They will also seek to co-operate in "smart charging" that automatically adjusts the timing of EV charge for efficiency and the "Vehicle to Grid" system, a technology that supplies electricity stored in EVs to the grid.
The deal would eventually pay off in lower electricity bills for customers and better use of battery material, the companies said.
(Reporting by Satoshi Sugiyama; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Leading automaker announces plans to develop EV with 50% lighter battery: ‘A vehicle that just about any member of our societies can afford’
Stephen Proctor
Wed, October 11, 2023
The third-largest automaker in the world by revenue in 2022, Stellantis, recently made an announcement that could have a huge impact on the electric vehicle marketplace worldwide.
Ned Curic, technology chief at Stellantis, said at the company’s new Battery Technology Center in Italy that the company plans to develop an EV battery that weighs half as much as current batteries, per Reuters.
“So what I have in mind and a very hard goal for my team by 2030 is to change the battery weight to at least 50% lighter battery,” Curic said at an event, as reported by MarketScreener.
Curic admitted, though, that he isn’t quite sure how the company will achieve that goal.
“We will have to think about completely new materials, new chemistry, new way of replacing this heavy, heavy, heavy materials to something much lighter,” Curic said.
While Stellantis may not yet know how it plans to achieve this goal, it’s certainly putting forth the resources to try. Stellantis invested $43 million in the new battery facility, as MarketScreener reported, which will strengthen the company’s capabilities to design, develop, and test every component of the batteries it manufactures, according to CleanTechnica.
Stellantis is also in the process of constructing another Battery Technology Center in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, per CleanTechnica. The company’s global network of battery development facilities also includes six gigafactories.
The company, whose brands include Fiat and Jeep, also recently shared plans for a more affordable EV in the very near future. According to Fiat CEO Olivier Francois, a new economically priced EV will cost less than $27,000.
The upfront cost of many EVs is a main reason why many consumers don’t consider buying one. A recent survey showed that 46% of buyers in the United States earning less than $30,000 a year cited the cost as a reason not to go that route.
Stellantis hopes to change that.
Curic said that the goal for Stellantis is to create “a vehicle that just about any member of our societies can afford to buy.”
UK
Heavy EV batteries force overhaul of driving licence rules on vehicle weight
Howard Mustoe
Tue, October 10, 2023
Heavy electric vehicle batteries are due to spark a government overhaul of driver’s licence rules that will allow motorists to operate weightier vehicles.
Current UK rules mean those who passed their driving test after 1997 can drive cars and vans weighing up to 3.5 tonnes.
This includes the biggest diesel-powered vans such as a Mercedes Sprinter or Ford Transit. However, electric versions that carry lithium batteries are heavier.
Drivers have been able to take five hours of extra training to drive electric or hydrogen vans weighing up to 4.25 tonnes.
The Government said it will now scrap this requirement, meaning drivers can switch to large zero-emissions vehicles without any extra expense or inconvenience.
A recent consultation report published by the Government found that the “zero-emission van market continues to face challenges”, as it called for further measures to support uptake.
The Department for Transport said 72pc of industry groups and other interested parties had urged policymakers to scrap the extra five hours of training.
“Several respondents noted that some characteristics of electric vehicles, such as regenerative braking and a low centre of gravity due to the weight of the battery, can support safer driving,” the consultation document said, although others warned that extra weight could make crashes worse.
It also found that without relaxing the rules, fleet operators trying to switch diesel vans to electric will be lumbered with extra training costs.
Turning vans electric is the next major step for carmakers in their quest to go green.
While batteries may not be the best solution for the weightiest freight carriers like articulated lorries, they are seen as a good option for vans.
Stellantis recently converted its factory in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, to make a range of battery-powered vans, including the Vauxhall Combo electric, the Opel Combo electric, Peugeot e-Partner and Citroen Berlingo.
However, van-making is growing in popularity among smaller companies hoping to make their mark and take on the incumbents.
In the UK, Arrival and Tevva are both trying to overcome hurdles to produce electric alternatives for delivery companies looking for zero-emissions trucks.
Essex-based Tevva Motors had been due to shift its headquarters to Arizona and float on in the US under a deal with Canada’s ElectraMeccanica.
However, ElectraMeccanica said last week it had terminated the deal due to “multiple incurable breaches of the arrangement agreement by Tevva”, including failures to disclose “material information”.
Tevva said it was “disappointed” by the move.
Arrival, which is listed on the US stock market, has been hit by two winding-up petitions from suppliers this year, though the company insisted it has paid its bills.
Both firms have recently laid off staff in a bid to cut costs.
Scientists use household material to revolutionize EV batteries: ‘Could potentially outperform its lithium-ion counterpart’
Tina Deines
Tue, October 10, 2023
A new technology may soon give lithium-ion batteries a run for their money — and it’s all thanks to some clever scientists … and aluminum foil.
Lithium-ion batteries, used in everything from laptops to electric vehicles, have dominated over the past three decades, as CleanTechnica reports. However, we have started to reach our limits with lithium-ion technology, especially as long-range EVs and electric aircraft enter the market.
That’s where the foil comes in. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology are using it to develop a battery that boasts higher energy density and greater stability — the two qualities a good battery needs.
The team’s new battery system could help EVs run longer on a single charge and would be cheaper to manufacture than the lithium-ion variety. Plus, “it’s cost-effective, highly recyclable and easy to work with,” lead researcher Matthew McDowell said, per CleanTechnica.
In the past, aluminum was disregarded as a viable battery material, according to the outlet. That’s because aluminum fractures and fails within a few charge-discharge cycles when used in conventional lithium-ion batteries. This is due to the expansion and contraction that occurs as the lithium travels in and out of the aluminum.
However, the emergence of solid-state batteries has changed the game — they are non-flammable and enable the integration of new high-performance active materials. In this case, researchers added small amounts of other materials to aluminum to create different foils with particular arrangements.
Ultimately, they found that the aluminum anode (one of the essential parts of a battery) can store more lithium than traditional anodes, which helped the researchers create a high-density battery that “could potentially outperform” its lithium-ion counterpart.
“One of the benefits of our aluminum anode is that it enables performance improvements, and it can be very cost-effective,” McDowell told CleanTechnica. “When using a foil directly as a battery component, we actually remove a lot of the manufacturing steps that would normally be required to produce a battery material.”
Electric vehicles and aircraft are crucial to a transition toward a greener future, as they emit far less planet-warming gas than conventional transport options. But these technologies face one big hurdle — range.
For instance, short-range electric aircraft are in development, but current batteries just can’t hold enough energy for these planes to fly distances greater than about 150 miles. Electric automakers are hard at work trying to find innovative ways to extend range limits as well.
Though it’s unclear when this battery technology might hit the market, it could help EVs and electric aircraft go the distance in the future.
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