Industry news

Battery maker Varta has laid the foundation stone at its lithium-ion production facility at the company's production site in Nördlingen, Germany. 

Researchers from the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin say they’ve cracked the code to a cobalt-free high-energy lithium-ion battery.

Norwegian firm Freyr has secured NOK 130 million ($13 million) of pre-construction financing to build the country’s first lithium-ion battery cell facility.

Vehicle OEM BMW Group has signed a €100 million supply deal to secure a ethically sourced cobalt supply from Morocco as the company extends its electric vehicle fleet.

A six-month feasibility study at Portsmouth, UK, port has demonstrated how flow batteries offer a more cost effective solution to reducing the shipping industry’s emissions than conventional lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries. 

Battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) is partnering with vehicle OEM Honda to develop new lithium-ion batteries for use in electric vehicles as well as recycling. 

Finnish energy storage solution firm Wärtsilä has named the new president of its energy division who will have global is responsible for the business.

The US’ largest battery storage resource to date was connected to the California Independent System Operator’s (ISO) grid in June— with the 62.5MW lithium-ion system supplying more than a quarter of the area’s battery capacity.

Consumer cell maker Varta has received up to €300 million ($341 million) funding to help transfer its technology to larger format batteries for use in energy storage and mobility applications.

A three-year project by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, in collaboration with Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has made a breakthrough in improving lithium-ion batteries.