US-based silicon battery materials manufacturer Group14 Technologies has received a $200-million grant from the US Department of Energy (DOE) through the Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains to build a silane plant in the US to diversify and strengthen the US battery supply chain. Silane is a key component in the materials for lithium-ion… Read more…

Japanese chemical company Asahi Kasei is introducing a new flame-resistant and highly flexible nonwoven fabric, LASTAN, for thermal runaway protection in top covers, busbar protection sleeves and other applications within an EV battery pack. Mineral-based materials are typically used for thermal runaway protection, but they tend to be heavy and brittle, making them difficult to… Read more…

US-based Terawatt Infrastructure will provide charging infrastructure, including software, operations and maintenance support, at six of its charging hubs along the I-10 corridor to a shipper-carrier coalition that aims to accelerate heavy-duty EV deployment. The coalition, under the Netherlands-based Smart Freight Center, a global non-profit organization focused on climate action in the freight sector, includes… Read more…

The Megawatt Charging System (MCS), a standard for high-power charging of commercial EVs, is steadily moving from the pilot stage toward commercial implementation. The latest EVSE provider to present an MCS charger is Portuguese manufacturer i-charging, which unveiled a new Megawatt charger called i-light at the recent IAA Transportation show in Hanover. The name i-light… Read more…

Italian EV charger manufacturer Alpitronic has opened a new US headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina as it looks to expand across North America. Alpitronic’s Hyperchargers boast an average efficiency rate above 97.5% and support all EV brands. The company’s repair and service network can service chargers anywhere in the country. Alpitronic America has tested pre-production… Read more…

Sponsored by EnergyHub. Adoption of electric vehicles is accelerating rapidly, posing challenges to aging distribution infrastructure. Fortunately, managed charging offers a compelling solution. In this eBook, EnergyHub explores how growing residential EV load affects utility power distribution networks, and how utilities can use managed charging programs to both delight customers and defer or defray the… Read more…

Swiss energy storage provider Leclanché has developed a new Li-ion battery cell called XN50, which features Echion Technologies’ XNO, a niobium-based active anode material. “The cell provides integrators and OEMs with a differentiated battery option that outperforms existing chemistries in heavy-duty e-mobility, rail and marine applications,” says the company. Leclanché is set to replace its… Read more…

US motorcoach company MTRWestern has acquired two new CX45E electric buses manufactured by ABC Companies and Van Hool, as well as two new Ford E-Transit electric shuttle vans. The 45-foot CX45e models from ABC can carry up to 56 passengers each, while the two Ford E-Transit electric shuttle vans can transport up to 11 passengers… Read more…

Danish charging operator Clever is working with parking operator APCOA to convert parking spaces into EV charging hubs. APCOA Denmark will advise site owners on integrating charging with parking, while Clever will handle the installation, maintenance, and day-to-day operation of their charging stations at the sites. “Our ambition is to establish more than 5,000 public… Read more…

European registrations of new battery EVs dropped sharply in August. According to JATO Dynamics, monthly sales fell by 36% compared to 2023, the largest drop recorded since January 2017. BEV market share fell from 21.8% in August 2023 to 16.6% in August 2024. Time to close up shop here at Charged, and go back to… Read more…

Petaluma Egg Farm, a family-run egg farm that serves grocery stores across Northern California, has placed an order for Range Energy’s electric-powered trailer system (ePTS), and plans to deploy the trailers in its California-based operations starting next year. The ePTS kit can be installed on any dry van or refrigerated trailer and provides propulsion assistance… Read more…

Impact Clean Power Technology, which manufactures custom battery systems for heavy-duty transport, machinery and large-scale energy storage, has launched a new automated lithium-ion battery production line at its GigafactoryX site in Poland. The new line will allow the company to increase its annual production capacity from 2,500 lithium-ion batteries, totaling 0.6 GWh, to at least… Read more…

Sponsored by Intertek. Unlock the secrets of battery cell design, manufacturing quality, and degradation by downloading Intertek’s Top-12 FAQ sheet on Battery Cell Teardown (also known as Battery Cell Autopsy or Disassembly). This critical process can help identify manufacturing defects, assess material composition, and uncover aging and degradation mechanisms. Understand the key insights gained from… Read more…

Brooklyn-based electric mobility and infrastructure platform Revel has formed a partnership with California-based startup Juice to integrate its automatic charging technology across Revel’s public fast charging stations in New York City. Juice uses computer vision to identify a user’s unique vehicle, and can then initiate charging sessions and complete payments with no need for physical… Read more…

NXP Semiconductors has introduced a battery junction box integrated circuit (IC) that combines critical pack-level functions into a single device. The MC33777 consolidates essential BMS functions, unlike conventional pack-level monitoring systems that require multiple discrete components, external actuators and processing support, according to the company. The MC33777 can help protect high-voltage batteries from overcurrent by… Read more…

Manufacturing innovation cluster Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGen) is investing C$40 million ($29.7 million) in five new advanced manufacturing projects involving 10 companies under its Electric Vehicle Manufacturing Value Chain Program. One of the pairs is battery materials developer Nano One Materials and professional services company Worley Chemetics, which will receive C$2.8 million. Nano One… Read more…

UK-headquartered EO Charging has agreed to potentially integrate US-based InductEV’s inductive high-power wireless charging technology into its EV charging suite for depot-based commercial fleets. The companies will work together to evaluate the joint commercialization of their technologies to offer fleet operators a seamless and cost-effective means to keep their vehicles powered during routine operations. “We… Read more…

Australian mining company Renascor Resources has completed equipment trials for its planned purified spherical graphite (PSG) manufacturing facility in South Australia. The trials produced graphite of the quality required for lithium-ion battery anodes across all targeted product specifications up to 99.99% carbon—compared with the anode industry standard of 99.95% carbon. The tests were also below… Read more…

Texas-headquartered power conversion technology company Ideal Power, developer of the B-TRAN bidirectional semiconductor power switch, is collaborating with its third global automaker on the use of B-TRAN-enabled contactors to potentially replace electromechanical contactors in the automaker’s EVs. Contactors play a critical role in isolating the battery, inverter and onboard charger to ensure safety when an… Read more…

Chemists at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have developed a new type of gel that could help to make lithium-ion batteries safer. The gel is designed to prevent the highly flammable electrolyte fluid from leaking, and initial lab studies show that it could also improve battery performance and service life. The researchers report on their… Read more…