QuantumScape Corp., a Volkswagen-backed solid-state battery technology company, announced Dec. 5 that its in-house-developed heat treatment equipment for its separator production process, named Cobra, has been developed, delivered, installed and released for initial separator processing. According to the company, achieving this milestone on schedule puts it on track to deliver higher-volume samples of its first planned commercial product, QSE-5, in 2025, which is a major step toward the comme...

Volkswagen-backed solid-state battery technology company QuantumScape has started producing and shipping the first set of its B-sample cells for automotive customer testing. In a letter to shareholders released Oct. 23, the company said that it has begun producing low volumes of its first B-sample cells, accomplishing its most important goal for 2024. These B-sample cells are of QuantumScape’s first commercial product, QSE-5, and carry an energy density of over 800 watt-hours per liter (Wh/...

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL), the world’s largest battery manufacturer, has launched a specialized battery for hybrid vehicles, which are witnessing a sharp surge in global demand as consumers are staying away from battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) owing to concerns around range anxiety, slow charging and lack of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. At a high-profile event organized in Beijing on Oct. 24, CATL launched its Freevoy Super Hybrid battery, which it c...

Hyundai Mobis has unveiled 65 new innovative technologies that are expected to be commercialized within the next two to three years on the sidelines of its R&D Technology Day in Seoul, South Korea, on Oct. 4. Hyundai Mobis organized the 2024 R&D Tech Day at its Uiwang Research Center in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea on Friday (Oct. 4). The company said that it was able to develop multiple new innovative solutions for vehicles due to its record-high research and development investment...

LG Chem’s Platform Technology research and development team has developed an innovative material designed to suppress thermal runaway in batteries, the company announced Oct. 1. LG Chem calls its all-new innovative material as the temperature-responsive Safety Reinforced Layer (SRL). The company said that the innovative thermal resistant material was analyzed in collaboration with Professor Lee Minah’s team from the Department of Battery Science at Pohang University of Science and Technol...

In a press release on July 9, Renault Group detailed its strategy for autonomous vehicles for 2024, aiming for a pragmatic approach by dividing research efforts between passenger cars and public transport vehicles. For passenger vehicles, Renault is focusing on Level 2 automation, exemplified by its Active Driver Assist system. This system features adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist and geolocation data for predictive road adaptation. Renault plans to continue developing vehicles wi...

South Korean battery company SK On has successfully co-developed a polymer electrolyte for lithium-metal batteries that can operate at room temperature, the company announced June 17. The milestone was achieved in collaboration with a research team led by the late Professor John B. Goodenough from the University of Texas. The development of polymer electrolyte for lithium-metal batteries is expected to contribute significantly to improving solid-state battery performance and accelerate the de...

Factorial Inc., a leading solid-state battery technology company, has delivered B-samples of its 106+Ah lithium-metal solid-state battery cells to German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz as part of its ongoing joint development agreement, the company announced June 5. Factorial claims that the milestone marks the world’s first announced B-sample shipment of solid-state battery cells to a global automotive original equipment manufacturer, indicating remarkable progress toward product maturity a...

Honda has signed a memorandum of understanding with IBM to collaborate on a long-term joint research and development of next-generation computing technologies such as chips for software-defined vehicles (SDVs), the company said in a press release May 15. The partners believe that SDVs will significantly increase the design complexity, processing capability and power consumption of semiconductors compared to conventional vehicles today. To overcome these anticipated challenges, it is critical ...

In a move to revive its electric vehicle portfolio and strengthen its market share in the world’s largest EV market, Japanese automaker Honda Motor Co. has introduced an all-new electric car brand — the Ye Series — for mainland China. On April 16 in Beijing, the company unveiled the first electric cars that will be launched under its Ye Series product lineup, namely the Ye P7, Ye S7 and a concept model called Ye GT Concept. Honda plans to launch a total of six EVs under its Ye Seri...

Vulcan Energy Resources Ltd. has commenced the production of the first lithium chloride (LiCl) product at its lithium extraction optimization plant (LEOP) based in Landau, Germany, the company announced April 11. It said that the production of LiCl at LEOP in Germany marks a milestone as it is the first time that lithium chemicals are fully produced from a locally sourced raw material, including extraction, and then processed locally at plant scale in Europe. Vulcan Energy said that t...

Israel-based extreme fast charging (XFC) battery technology company StoreDot has achieved more than 2,000 consecutive XFC cycles, with the silicon dominant battery cells still maintaining over 80% of their initial capacity, the company announced on April 4. These exceptional results, demonstrating high energy density, are from cells achieving at least 330Wh/kg and 860Wh/L at stack level. The cells were charged consecutively from 10% to 80% in 10 minutes, demonstrating a charge rate of 4.2C, w...

In its first major milestone achieved, the European Union-funded Helena project has successfully developed the assembly of the first complete cells for solid-state batteries with halide electrolyte, the consortium announced on March 20. The achievement, which entails significant advancements linked to the electrochemical properties of the electrolyte, has been made possible after 20 months of exhaustive work by 15 European companies and entities coordinated by the CIC energiGUNE research cent...

South Korean battery-maker LG Energy Solution (LGES) has signed an agreement with US technology company Qualcomm Technologies, with an initial plan to jointly develop advanced battery management system (BMS) diagnostic solutions for electric vehicles, LGES announced March 12. As part of this collaboration, the two companies intend to explore developing advanced solutions that can combine LGES’ battery diagnostic software with certain features and functionalities of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon D...

South Korean battery-maker Samsung SDI plans to begin mass production of all-solid-state batteries (ASBs) in 2027, the company confirmed in a press note on March 5. Samsung SDI said that it is moving closer to the mass production readiness for its ASB with an energy density of 900 Wh/L. The company said that the energy density of its ASB jumps up by 40% from the level posted by P5, which is its own prismatic battery that is currently under production. Samsung SDI plans to implement the ind...

Harman, a global leader in connected vehicle solutions, is showcasing its latest product designs that are aimed at democratizing automotive connectivity at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024. The key product at display includes the Harman Ready Connect 5G Telematics Control Unit (TCU), which helps automakers reduce the overall cost of deployment with superior consumer experiences at automotive grade. The company said the new Ready Connect serves as the critical underlying technology to...

Italian carmaker Fiat, owned by Stellantis, plans to launch multiple new models across different body types, derived by its popular Panda brand in an attempt to expand and consolidate its global reach, Fiat CEO Olivier Francois announced via Fiat’s official YouTube channel on Feb. 25. “Panda will start a whole new family,” Francois said, adding that the new concepts derived from Fiat’s best-selling car in Italy will be based on Stellantis’ multi-energy platform. Fiat leads in com...