lithium-ion batteries

CATL and Toyota finalise lithium-ion EV battery partnership

China battery making giant Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) will supply lithium-ion batteries to Japanese vehicle OEM Toyota following confirmation of a partnership between the two firms on 17 July.

As BEST Battery Briefing reported last month, the agreement includes the supply and future development of batteries for Toyota-branded electric vehicles to be released in China and other markets starting in 2020.

Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL)

toyota

lithium-ion batteries

LG Them

VolvoEVs

Asian Li-ion battery recyclers dominate global market

Asia cornered the lithium-ion battery recycling industry last year with an 87% market share, according to a report commissioned by The Swedish Energy Agency.

The State-of-the-art in Reuse and Recycling of Lithium-ion Batteries– A Research Review dispelled the industry myth that lithium-ion batteries were not being recycled— but it was sad reading for non-Asian firms.

The Swedish Energy Agency

Hans Eric Melin

lithium-ion batteries

recycling

Circular Energy Storage

Eurostate

european commission

sustainability

First lithium EV packs produced at expanded UK plant

The first lithium-ion electric vehicle battery packs began rolling off the production lines of UK battery system maker Hyperdrive Innovation’s expanded facility on 11 July.

Dubbed HYVE, the Sunderland-based facility will make 30,000 packs— the equivalent of 173MWh— a year incorporating modules from Envision AESC, the firm’s patented battery management system and licenced IP from Taiwan and India manufacturers.

Hyperdrive Innovation

lithium-ion batteries

chemistry

companies

Battery Packs

Anesco builds on BESS portfolio in UK

UK energy storage developer Anesco has completed work on a 20MW BESS near Manchester, taking the company’s storage portfolio to 147MW.

The facility (pictured), which comprises 16 1.25MW/1.25MWh lithium-ion battery energy storage systems, was built on a brownfield site in Lascar.

BESS

lithium-ion batteries

CATL plans cash boost for German EV gigafactory project

Chinese lithium giant Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) has revealed it is set to pour a total of up to €1.8 billion (US$2.1bn) of cash into its planned electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in Germany.

CATL said the proposed investment included €240 million already pledged for the project at Erfurt, in the east-central state of Thüringen.

Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL)

lithium-ion batteries

Jaguar Land Rover and PSA

Akasol motors into Detroit for first North American battery plant

Germany-based battery manufacturer Akasol is to build its first North American production plant in the Metro Detroit area of Michigan.

The company said the move is in response to “specific demand” for its lithium-ion battery systems for commercial vehicles— and is backed by a business development grant for an undisclosed sum from the state of Michigan.

AKASOL

lithium-ion batteries

companies

investment Michigan Metro Detroit

US trade probe into Korean battery secrets theft claims

The US’ international trade watchdog is investigating allegations that Korean battery maker SK Innovation was involved in the theft of trade secrets from manufacturing rival LG Chem.

The US International Trade Commission (USITC) probe follows a lawsuit filed in the US by LG Chem and its US manufacturing subsidiary, LGCMI, whose pouch-type lithium-ion battery tech underpins what the company said is a “significant share” of the American electric vehicle market.

US International Trade Commission (USITC)

LG Them

SK Innovation

lithium-ion batteries

trade secrets

LGCMI

companies

Audi unveils second-life BESS in Berlin

German car giant Audi has opened a 1.9MWh second-life battery energy storage system (BESS) in Berlin as part of a research project.

Audi said the facility on the EUREF campus— a “climate-neutral-powered” centre for start-ups and innovation— uses lithium-ion batteries from development vehicles to test “interaction scenarios between electric cars and the power grid”.

Audi

BESS

second-life

lithium-ion batteries

SK Innovation to expand battery production in China

South Korea’s SK Innovation (SKI) is to build a second battery manufacturing plant in China in response to increasing global demand from the electric vehicle sector.

CEO Kim Jun (pictured) said the company intends to invest 579.9 billion Korean won (US$488 million) in the lithium-ion batteries project, which will be a joint venture with the Beijing Automobile Works Company— a subsidiary of the state-owned BAIC Group.

SK Innovation

china

lithium-ion batteries

Kim Jun

Beijing Automobile Works Company

BAIC

Farasis Energy selects Germany for first European LIB plant

San Francisco-based lithium-ion tech company, Farasis Energy, plans to invest more than €600 million (US$672m) in building a battery cell, module and packaging production facility in the eastern German state of Saxony-Anhalt.

The company’s newly formed subsidiary, Farasis Energy Europe, will operate what will be its first European plant at Bitterfeld-Wolfen— which is expected to start making batteries for pure electric vehicles from around the end of 2022.

Farasis Energy

Farasis Energy Europe

Saxony-Anhalt

lithium-ion batteries

germany

Sebastian Wolf

Dr Jürgen Ude