LG Chem looks for location for second US battery factory

2019 Audi e-tron battery packWith more automakers lining up to buy lots of batteries for electric cars, leading battery supplier LG Chem is planning to build a second battery factory in the U.S., according to a Reuters report citing three people familiar with the matter. The company is considering sites in Kentucky and Tennessee among other locations. LG Chem already operates...

Volkswagen says its battery supplies are secure

VW ID familyDespite its plans to become the biggest EV-maker in the world by 2023, Volkswagen says it won't be affected by the tightening battery supplies that have roiled the industry, including Audi, the company's Volkswagen Group partner. VW plans to build up to 3 million all-electric vehicles a year by 2025 and plans to produce 22 million EVs in total by...

Volkswagen says EV batteries to last “the life of the car”

Volkswagen ID Buzz ConceptIn an announcement last month, Volkswagen joined Nissan and Tesla as the only automakers to explicitly warranty not just the batteries in its cars but specifically how much life it expects them to retain. Frank Blome, the head of VW's Center of Excellence in Battery Cells, said in an outward facing internal marketing interview that the company...

Volvo announces battery suppliers for upcoming EV lineup, including Polestar

Polestar 2Volvo, one of the first automakers to announce it would add electric power to its whole lineup, on Wednesday took the unusual step of formally announcing who will supply the batteries for all those electric cars. The company stated that it will source $1 billion worth of lithium-ion batteries from two suppliers, LG Chem and Contemporary Amex...

Volkswagen plans $1.1 billion battery partnership in Germany

2019 Audi e-tron first drive  -  Abu Dhabi UAE, December 2018Volkswagen announced plans on Tuesday to build a large new battery factory—with an unspecified partner or partners—in its home state of Lower Saxony in Germany. Volkswagen has announced plans to build 22 million new electric cars by 2029, and has announced battery contracts for up to 50 million electric cars, without specifying a date...

Tesla Model Y production will strain battery supplies: Panasonic

Tesla Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada [CREDIT - YouTube user California Phantom]Tesla's main battery supplier, Panasonic, says the two companies won't have enough battery-building capacity to support production of the Model Y. In a conference announcing the company's annual earnings last Thursday, Panasonic CEO Kazuhiro Tsuga told reporters that "batteries will run out if Tesla starts to sell the Model Y and expands its...

Could battery lawsuits, material shortages delay some EVs?

2019 Audi e-tron battery packShortages of raw materials for batteries, as well as a new lawsuit among battery suppliers, may lead to delays in some upcoming electric cars. On Thursday, according to Reuters, Tesla's global supply manager for battery metals, Sarah Maryssael, told a conference of mining executives and lawmakers in Washington that the company expects global...

Report: Battery shortages lead to Audi E-tron production delays

2019 Audi e-tron first drive  -  Abu Dhabi UAE, December 2018Building electric cars is harder than it looks. According to a report last week in the Brussels Times, Audi is delaying the production of its planned E-tron Sportback and slowing production of its E-tron SUV following battery shortages from supplier LG Chem. The factory that builds the e-tron has cut back from eight hours of production a day to...