$2.5B DOE loan backs GM’s Ultium EV plan

Possible electric Chevrolet Camaro in GM Ultium teaser videoThe U.S. Department of Energy confirmed Monday morning a $2.5 billion federal loan to Ultium Cells LLC, for financing the construction of plants to supply many millions of future GM electric vehicles. The loan will fund the construction of joint-venture GM and LG Energy Solution battery plants in Ohio, Tennessee, and Michigan, and the confirmation...

Tech update may boost range of future Hyundai and Kia EVs

2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5Hyundai and Kia EVs may soon get new silicon-carbide power modules aimed at boosting range. Semiconductor firm STMicroelectronics (ST) said last week in a press release that it has been chosen by Hyundai to supply its silicon-carbide power modules for EVs based on the automaker's E-GMP platform, which underpins the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6, and...

EV battery cost soared in 2022, hampering EV affordability

Mercedes-Benz Alabama battery factoryEV battery costs have soared in 2022 due to rising raw material and battery component prices, according to a Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) report. The volume-weighted average for lithium-ion battery pack prices reached $151/kwh this year, a 7% increase over 2021, according to the report. It marks the first time average pack prices have...

Hyundai, battery supplier SK ally to meet US EV sourcing rules

Hyundai N Vision 74 ConceptHyundai and battery supplier SK On are partnering to meet the new battery sourcing requirements of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The IRA continues the $7,500 federal EV tax credit, but to qualify for the full amount, it stipulates that EVs and their battery packs must be assembled in North America, and certain minerals used in batteries must...

LG Chem plans $3B EV battery material plant in Tennessee

2022 Bolt EV assembly - battery marriageLG Chem announced Tuesday that it’s planning a mammoth cathode material plant in Tennessee that will aid U.S. domestic electric vehicle battery production. According to LG, the plant will be the largest of its kind in the U.S., and once running at capacity it will be able to produce 120,000 tons of the cathode battery material—enough...

Freyr’s Georgia battery factory will focus on energy storage

Rendering of proposed Freyr Norwegian battery firm Freyr recently confirmed plans for a Georgia factory that will supply batteries for energy storage. Dubbed "Giga America," the factory will be located on a 368-acre tract in Coweta County, on the western edge of the Atlanta metropolitan area, according to a Freyr press release. Production will be stepped up in phases, with a...

Bollinger commercial EVs will use batteries from Michigan’s ONE

Bollinger B4 chassis cabBollinger Motors will source battery packs for its commercial EVs from Michigan-based startup Our Next Energy (ONE), Bollinger announced Thursday in a press release. Bollinger plans to use ONE's Aries line, which consists of cell-to-pack technology and a modular design that allows for linking multiple packs together, in its vehicles as an apparent...