(EV) batteries

Daimler is investing in the California-based producer of engineered materials, Sila Nanotechnologies, to boost development of “next generation lithium-ion battery materials”.

Daimler said it was making a “significant investment” in Sila Nano to forge a partnership that would speed up the development and commercialisation of lithium battery tech— to benefit future electric cars produced by its Mercedes-Benz subsidiary.

In addition to acquiring a minority equity stake in Sila Nano, Daimler also joins the board of the battery material specialist.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to “accurately predict” the remaining useful life of lithium-ion batteries before they start to wane, according to new research.

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and the Toyota Research Institute, said their work could speed up battery development and improve manufacturing to help new designs get to market faster.

Report co-lead author Peter Attia said potential applications of the research included shortening the validation time for new chemistries.

Indian Renewables developer Urja Global is investing the equivalent of US$28 million to build a combined electric vehicle and lithium-ion battery manufacturing plant in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

Urja’s has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board (APEDB) to build the facility in one of three shortlisted cities— Anantapur, Nellore, and Chittoor.

The APEDB said the plant will produce “high technology lithium-ion Batteries and EVs for the electric mobility ecosystem”.

Australia-listed mining firm AVZ Minerals has announced a “potentially massive” new lithium deposit discovery in the Democratic Republic of Congo to shore up moves to supply electric vehicle battery makers in China.

MD Nigel Ferguson said the discovery confirms Carriere de l’Este “as a significant lithium deposit to potentially exceed” AVZ’s nearby Roche Dure deposit in the Manono project— 500 kilometres north of Lubumbashi in the south of the country.

AVZ said initial drilling at Carriere de l’Este “confirms widespread, high-grade spodumene lithium mineralisation over thick intersections”.

Residential battery storage firm Moixa is working on a major project to expand electric vehicle smart charging and vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology in the UK.

Moixa, which won UK government funding in 2017 to expand its ‘GridShare’ batteries aggregator technology, is preparing a “scale proposition” for the project, BEST Battery Briefing has learned.

Moixa co-founder and chief technology officer Chris Wright told BBB the company was not yet able to divulge details. “I am limited to what I can say, but we have a big project in the UK that will demonstrate control of EV smart charging and also V2G technology.”