This Week in Batteries: Tesla, Graphite, BYD, CALB, and More.
In Case You Missed It
- Volta Foundation The 2023 Battery Report is now available (Link)
Top News
- Tesla Model Y sets records as Europe’s best-selling car for 2023 (Link)
- China’s natural graphite shipments plunged 91% in December from November after Beijing imposed controls (Link)
- BYD to stop making pouch batteries for its hybrid EVs on leakage concerns, converting lines to produce prismatic cells instead (Link)
OEMs & eVTOLs
- Ford CEO Jim Farley: “We see a bright future for electric vehicles for specific consumers” as the company reduces F-150 output (Link)
- Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares warns price reductions for EVs risk damaging carmakers’ financial health (Link)
- Rivian hires Jonas Reinke, ex-Porsche and Apple, to help launch R2 and R3 EV platforms (Link)
- NASA and Archer Aviation partner on advanced battery tech for eVTOLs (Link)
- Xpeng has undergone fresh team reshuffles led by Wang Fengying (Link)
Cells & Packs
- CALB plans to build a $2.2B Li-ion battery factory in Portugal (Link)
- Cummins, Daimler Truck, PACCAR selected Mississippi for battery cell production (Link)
- Northvolt's Quebec EV battery plant construction halted until Jan. 23 (Link)
- ACC partners with Circulor to check the carbon emissions associated with their EV batteries (Link)
- Panasonic may hold off on building a third battery plant in North America (Link)
- Solid Power and SK On deepen partnership with new agreements (Link)
Metals, Components, Recycling, Charging
- OneD Battery Sciences and Koch plan US factory for silicon graphite anodes (Link)
- Glencore CEO warns of an impending “massive copper deficit” (Link)
- Iveco partners with BASF for EV battery recycling (Link)
- LANXESS and IBU‑tec to develop iron oxides for LFP battery material (Link)
- Umicore enters AI platform agreement with Microsoft to accelerate and scale its battery materials technologies development (Link)
- Lamborghini licenses MIT’s new high-capacity, fast-charging organic battery tech: TAQ (Link)
Stationary Storage / BESS
- Strata breaks ground on 1GWh Arizona BESS (Link)
- Fluence: roll-out of ESS in Germany will save energy consumers in Germany $12B Euros (Link)
Capital & Deals
- InnoEnergy and Demeter Investment Managers plan to raise $500MM for battery raw materials fund (Link)
- BlackRock to invest $500MM in Canadian Solar Recurrent Energy unit (Link)
- ArcTern raises $335MM for third fund aimed at renewable energy and clean transportation (Link)
- U.S. DOE and DOT will invest $325MM to repair EV chargers and cut battery costs (Link)
- TotalEnergies agrees to acquire Kyon Energy with upfront payment of $98.2MM (Link)
- Instagrid raises $95MM in a Series C round led by TVG (Link)
- U.S. Advanced Battery Consortium receives $60MM from DOE for battery R&D (Link)
- Solid Power announces $50MM share repurchase authorization (Link)
- International Battery Company raised $35MM through a pre-Series A round led by RTP Global (Link)
- Oregon Department of Transportation will receive $10MM in federal funding to repair and replace EV chargers across Oregon (Link)
- Piedmont sells $7.8MM worth of equity in Atlantic Lithium to Assore International Holdings (Link)
- Land Moto raised $3MM to further develop the design of its eMotorcycle battery (Link)
Regulations
- US lawmakers banned the DoD from purchasing batteries from CATL and BYD (Link)
- Turkey imposes 30% duties on imported LFP (Link)
- Connecticut regulators provide up to $16k in incentives for residential battery purchases (Link)
- OSHA fined SK Battery America more than $75k after exposing employees to high levels of battery metals (Link)
