Author: Daniel Whitmore

San Francisco-based EV charging roaming provider Emobi has raised $3.4 million in seed funding to expand its cloud-based Plug & Charge solution, as the company seeks to simplify electric vehicle charging across both modern and legacy infrastructure in North America. The funding round was led by Florida Funders, with participation from existing and returning investors including Y Combinator, Collaborative Fund, and Goodwater Capital, Emobi said. The capital will be used to scale technical infrastructure and accelerate deployment of its JustPlug technology through commercial partnerships. See also: Emobi, HeyCharge Partner to Bring Offline EV Chargers Into Roaming Network Emobi operates what…

Wallbox has partnered with Eneco eMobility to expand commercial electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the Benelux region, with initial deployments focused on the Netherlands, the companies said. Under the agreement, Wallbox will supply its eM4 Twin commercial AC charger as the primary hardware solution for installations delivered through Eneco eMobility’s Dutch installation network. The partnership targets high-utilization environments such as office buildings, retail locations, public parking facilities and shared-access sites, where grid-aware load management and durable hardware are required. See also: Wallbox, Codale Expand Partnership to Deploy NEVI-Compliant Fast Chargers Across Mountain West Eneco eMobility ranks among the top three…

Researchers at Germany’s Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) have developed a new anode design that could significantly improve the efficiency and storage capacity of sodium-ion batteries, a technology widely viewed as a lower-cost and more sustainable alternative to lithium-ion cells. Sodium-ion batteries have long been constrained by high energy losses during their first charging cycle, known as formation. During this step, reactions between the electrolyte and the anode create a protective boundary layer that is essential for long-term operation but consumes a large share of sodium ions, sharply reducing usable capacity. See also: Accurec Opens New Lithium…

U.S. electric commercial vehicle maker Xos has expanded its mobile charging portfolio, introducing three higher-capacity configurations of its Xos Hub energy storage and charging system aimed at accelerating electrification across commercial vehicle fleets. The Los Angeles-based company said on Jan. 26 that it will offer the Xos Hub in 210 kilowatt-hour, 420 kWh and 630 kWh versions, with prices starting at $158,000. Customer deliveries are expected to begin in the first quarter of 2026. See also: GM Deploys Hydrogen-Powered Gensets and Mobile Charging Stations for California Wildfire Recovery The new lineup is designed to serve a broad range of fleet…

German battery materials specialist IBU-tec and research partners including TU Braunschweig have developed an industrial-scale concept for dry coating lithium-ion battery cathodes, outlining a production line capable of delivering 1 gigawatt-hour of annual capacity. The concept is detailed in a new whitepaper produced under the ProLiT research project, which is funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The initiative brings together industrial and academic partners including BMW, Daikin Chemicals, the University of Münster, Maschinenfabrik Gustav Eirich, Coperion K-Tron, Matthews International/Saueressig Engineering and battery maker CustomCells. Electrodes are among the most cost- and energy-intensive elements in lithium-ion cell manufacturing.…

Keysight Technologies has introduced two electric vehicle charging test systems aimed at supporting high-power and megawatt-level charging development, as automakers and infrastructure providers prepare for heavier-duty electric transport and increasingly complex global standards. The company said the new SL2600A Megawatt Charging Discovery System and the enhanced SL1047A Scienlab Charging Discovery System are designed to validate charging performance, safety and interoperability at voltages and currents reaching up to 1,500 volts and 1,500 amperes. Both platforms support a wide range of international charging standards, including Megawatt Charging System (MCS), Combined Charging System (CCS), ISO 15118, China’s GB/T, CHAdeMO and the North American…

Australia’s Lynas Rare Earths reported a 43% rise in second-quarter revenue on Wednesday, as sharply higher selling prices more than offset a production shortfall caused by power disruptions at its Western Australia processing facility. The world’s largest producer of rare earths outside China recorded sales revenue of A$201.9 million ($136.0 million) for the quarter ended Dec. 31, up from A$141.2 million a year earlier. The increase came despite output being hit by outages at the company’s Kalgoorlie processing plant, which reduced production by about 30% from the previous quarter. Average selling prices across Lynas’ rare earths products climbed to $85.60…

North Northamptonshire Council has agreed a partnership with chargepoint operator Connected Kerb to install more than 1,500 new public electric vehicle charging sockets over the next three to five years, expanding local infrastructure as part of the UK’s transition to cleaner transport. The programme is co-funded by Connected Kerb and supported by £2.9 million from the UK government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund. Once completed, the rollout is expected to increase the council’s public charging network by a factor of three, from around 525 sockets currently available to at least 2,000 by 2030. Under the agreement, Connected Kerb will…

Fastned has introduced a new pricing incentive for electric vehicle drivers, offering a 10% discount per kilowatt-hour on all charging sessions across its European network for customers who pay via the Fastned app using a debit or credit card. The discount, which took effect immediately, applies at all of Fastned’s roughly 400 fast-charging stations spanning nine European countries. To qualify, registered users must set a debit or credit card as their default payment method in the app. The company said the offer is available to both existing and new customers and does not require a monthly subscription fee. Fastned did…

LG Energy Solution is moving forward with plans to build a pilot production line for sodium-ion batteries at its factory in Nanjing, eastern China, as it evaluates the feasibility of mass production, South Korean media outlet ETNews reported on Tuesday. According to the report, the company will carry out research and development for next-generation batteries at its technology research institute in Daejeon before producing an initial prototype, known as Sample A, at its main “mother plant” in Ochang, North Chungcheong Province. Subsequent samples — including Sample B, described as a finished product, and Sample C, a version designed for mass…

Australia-based Syrah Resources and Tesla have agreed to extend, for a third time, the deadline to resolve an alleged breach of their graphite offtake agreement, as the companies continue to address technical challenges at Syrah’s US processing facility. According to Reuters, the revised “cure” deadline has been pushed to March 16, 2026, extending the original September 2025 timeline under the contract signed in 2021. The agreement covers the supply of 8,000 metric tons of active anode material per year over four years from Syrah’s Vidalia facility in Louisiana. Syrah said the extension reflects ongoing collaboration with Tesla to qualify battery-grade…

Ningbo Ronbay New Energy Technology said it is under investigation by China’s securities regulator following scrutiny of a recent major contract announcement involving CATL, the world’s largest producer of electric vehicle batteries. Ronbay disclosed in a stock exchange filing on Monday that it received an investigation notice from the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) on January 18 over suspected misleading statements related to its disclosure of a major supply agreement. The company said it will cooperate fully with the investigation and that its business operations are continuing as normal. See also: Changan Auto Group, CATL Deepen Strategic Partnership With Five-Year…