Author: Nathan Reed

CATL reported a sharp increase in first-half earnings and announced plans for a share buyback of up to 40 billion yuan, as the world’s largest electric vehicle battery manufacturer posted higher revenue across its core businesses. The company said net profit attributable to shareholders reached 43.28 billion yuan ($6.37 billion) during the first six months of 2026, an increase of 41.98% from the same period a year earlier. Revenue rose 54.80% year over year to 276.92 billion yuan, supported by continued growth in both its power battery and energy storage operations. Battery and Energy Storage Businesses Drive Growth CATL’s power…

Researchers from Ruhr-Universität Bochum, the Helmholtz Institute Ulm and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) have identified a previously unconfirmed mechanism that contributes to the aging of lithium-metal batteries, revealing that lithium ions become permanently trapped within the copper current collector during battery operation. The findings, published in Advanced Energy Materials, suggest that this hidden lithium loss may play a larger role in battery capacity degradation than previously recognized, particularly in next-generation lithium-metal and anode-free battery technologies. Lithium Becomes Trapped in Copper Collector Using atom probe tomography, the research team directly observed lithium ions penetrating the copper current collector during…

CATL has signed an agreement with renewable energy company Solarpro to supply 2 GWh of its Tener Sodium energy storage systems, expanding the deployment of sodium-ion battery technology in Europe. The Chinese battery manufacturer said the partnership will support what the companies describe as Central and Eastern Europe’s first large-scale sodium-ion energy storage project, with deployment scheduled to begin this year. https://evmagz.com/catl-signs-first-european-deal-for-sodium-ion-energy-storage-systems/ Second European Sodium-Ion Agreement The Solarpro agreement marks CATL’s second sodium-ion energy storage partnership announced in Europe this month. Last week, the company signed a memorandum of understanding with Dutch energy solutions provider Alfen NV to deploy 5…

U.S. battery materials company Sila has raised $300 million in private funding to expand production of its silicon-carbon (Si/C) anode technology, with the investment supporting additional manufacturing capacity at its facility in Moses Lake, Washington. The California-based company said the funding will be used to increase production of its Titan Silicon anode material and advance the second phase of expansion at the Moses Lake plant, which began operations in late 2025. https://evmagz.com/battery-startup-sila-opens-first-large-scale-silicon-anode-plant-in-u-s/ Funding Supports Manufacturing Expansion Sila said its Moses Lake facility currently has an annual production capacity equivalent to battery materials for approximately 2 GWh of batteries. The company…

Sumitomo Chemical is preparing to commercialize a new halide-based electrolyte for solid-state batteries, aiming to reduce manufacturing costs while maintaining the high performance required for next-generation electric vehicle batteries, according to Nikkei. The Japanese company said the material has been developed in collaboration with Kyoto University and Tottori University as an alternative to conventional sulphide- and oxide-based solid electrolytes that currently dominate solid-state battery research. https://evmagz.com/chinas-hylic-starts-operations-at-liquid-solid-state-battery-factory-in-jiangsu/ Halide Electrolyte Designed to Lower Production Costs The newly developed electrolyte is based on halide materials that include chlorine and is designed to deliver ionic conductivity comparable to sulphide electrolytes, which are widely regarded…

China will begin imposing a consumption tax on lithium-ion batteries from Sept. 1, 2026, ending an 11-year tax exemption for the country’s dominant battery technology while introducing temporary tax exemptions for several next-generation battery technologies. The policy was jointly announced by the Ministry of Finance, the General Administration of Customs and the State Taxation Administration. Under the new rules, lithium-ion batteries, lithium primary batteries, mercury-free primary batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries and vanadium redox flow batteries will be subject to a 2% consumption tax beginning Sept. 1, 2026. The rate will increase to 4% from Sept. 1, 2027. Next-Generation Batteries Receive…

The battery joint venture between SK On and Hyundai Motor Group has started mass production at its battery cell plant in Georgia, strengthening the companies’ electric vehicle supply chain in the United States. The facility, operated by Hyundai-SK Battery Manufacturing America (HSBMA), began producing battery cells in June and is already supplying Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) in Savannah, where the automaker manufactures electric vehicles. Georgia plant targets batteries for 300,000 EVs annually SK On and Hyundai Motor Group established the joint venture in 2023, investing approximately $5 billion in the Bartow County battery plant. The facility currently employs…

Researchers at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS), working with the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI), have developed a dry electrode manufacturing technology that eliminates the need for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a material commonly used in existing dry battery production processes. The research, published in Energy Storage Materials, could support the development of higher-energy-density batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage systems while reducing manufacturing emissions and production costs. New Electrode Design Eliminates PTFE The research team, led by Jihee Yoon of KIMS and Insung Hwang of KERI, developed Korea’s first shape-controlled graphite granule-based dry electrode process using a…

LG Energy Solution is expanding production of cylindrical battery cells at its manufacturing plant in Nanjing, China, as demand from electric vehicle customers continues to rise, according to a report by South Korean news outlet The Elec, citing industry sources. The report said the South Korean battery manufacturer is preparing to bring two newly installed production lines into operation during the second half of the year. Additional production lines are expected to be added in later stages as the company increases its manufacturing footprint. Each production line is expected to provide around 2 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of annual production capacity. With…

Volkswagen’s executive board is reportedly considering closing four German production plants between 2031 and 2034 as part of a wider restructuring plan aimed at reducing costs and improving competitiveness. According to Der Spiegel, citing supervisory board sources, the proposal led by Group Chief Executive Officer Oliver Blume would phase out production at the Zwickau and Emden plants by 2031, followed by the Hanover factory in 2032 and Audi’s Neckarsulm plant in 2034. The reported plan is expected to be presented to Volkswagen’s supervisory board and is likely to face strong opposition from board members and the company’s influential works council.…

Researchers at Kiel University have developed a new communication system that enables sensor data from inside battery cells to be transmitted through existing power connections, eliminating the need for dedicated communication cables. The technology, described by the research team as a “talkative battery,” allows measurement data from internal sensors to be sent to external monitoring systems using the same electrical connections employed for charging and discharging the battery. The findings have been published in the journal Communications Engineering. Improving Battery Monitoring Conventional battery systems typically monitor temperatures using sensors mounted on the outside of battery cells. However, potentially hazardous conditions,…

A research team led by the University of Cambridge has found that maintaining lithium-ion batteries under a carefully controlled level of physical pressure could significantly extend their operational lifespan. The findings, published in Nature Energy, indicate that keeping batteries at a consistent pressure during charging and discharging cycles may potentially double their service life by reducing mechanical degradation. Study Focuses on Battery Mechanics Rather than modifying battery chemistry, the researchers examined how mechanical pressure affects battery performance over time. The team tested commercially available lithium-ion pouch cells using a specialized setup that applied constant pressure through pneumatic bellows while monitoring…

Researchers at Tohoku University have developed a molecularly engineered battery interface that enables lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries to maintain stable performance over 1,000 charge-discharge cycles, addressing one of the technology’s biggest obstacles to commercial deployment. Developed with collaborating institutions, the new graphene-enhanced covalent organic framework (COF) interlayer suppresses the polysulfide shuttle effect—a major cause of rapid capacity degradation in lithium-sulfur batteries. The research was published in the journal Small. Battery Maintains Performance for 1,000 Cycles Lithium-sulfur batteries offer significantly higher theoretical energy density than today’s lithium-ion batteries while using sulfur, an abundant and low-cost material. Their widespread adoption, however, has been…

Researchers at the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) have developed South Korea’s first PTFE-free dry electrode manufacturing technology, offering a new approach to producing high-performance lithium-ion batteries with improved fast-charging capability and lower environmental impact. The research, conducted in collaboration with the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI), was published in the journal Energy Storage Materials. PTFE-Free Process Improves Battery Performance The team, led by Jihee Yoon of KIMS and Insung Hwang of KERI, developed a dry electrode manufacturing process that eliminates the need for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), a fluorinated binder widely used in conventional dry-electrode production. Instead, the researchers employed…

Researchers at the University of Michigan have developed an adaptive battery management approach that could significantly extend the lifespan of electric vehicle batteries by intelligently controlling operating temperatures as batteries age. The technology uses voltage and charging information already collected by existing battery management systems, eliminating the need for additional sensors while potentially doubling battery service life and reducing replacement costs. The findings were published in the journal Joule. Smarter Battery Temperature Control Rather than relying on fixed charging and temperature limits, the new system continuously estimates how battery materials are aging and adjusts heating and cooling strategies accordingly. The…

Researchers at Cornell University have unveiled a battery regeneration process that restores lithium-ion battery electrodes to up to 95% of their original capacity, offering a potential alternative to conventional recycling methods. The technique, called Direct Electrode-to-Electrode Regeneration (DEER), focuses on rejuvenating existing battery electrodes rather than breaking batteries down into raw materials. Direct Electrode Restoration Traditional lithium-ion battery recycling involves dismantling batteries, shredding their components into black mass and recovering critical minerals such as lithium, nickel and cobalt before manufacturing new electrode materials. The DEER process takes a different approach. Instead of destroying the electrodes, researchers carefully disassemble battery cells…

Germany’s Economy Minister Katherina Reiche is reportedly accelerating plans to transfer Northvolt’s unfinished battery project in Heide to U.S.-based battery manufacturer Lyten, according to a report by Der Spiegel. The publication reported that the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs has placed Northvolt Drei Project GmbH, the German project company behind the planned battery factory, under state control as an interim step before completing the proposed sale. According to the report, the shares of Northvolt Drei Project GmbH are currently being held in trust for the German government through LG Batterie GmbH and another intermediary company. The move has not…

NextStar Energy has begun production on a new battery pack manufacturing line at its Windsor, Ontario, facility, completing full cell-to-pack vertical integration at a single site for the first time as it expands its focus on the growing energy storage system (ESS) market. The addition of battery pack production complements the plant’s existing battery cell and module manufacturing operations, enabling the company to produce complete battery products from a single location. Cell-to-Pack Production Completed The Windsor facility, Canada’s first commercial-scale battery manufacturing plant, officially opened earlier this year after commercial battery cell production began in November 2025. The plant reached…

Volkswagen Group’s battery subsidiary PowerCo has selected nanotechnology company OCSiAl to supply carbon nanotube additives for its Unified Cell battery platform, supporting the development of the automaker’s next-generation standardized battery cells. Under the agreement, Luxembourg-based OCSiAl will manufacture its TUBALL single-wall carbon nanotube additives at its production facility in Serbia for use in the graphite anodes of PowerCo’s battery cells. Nanotubes for Battery Performance PowerCo said the nanotube additives are expected to improve the safety, charging performance and service life of its lithium-ion batteries. According to OCSiAl, the TUBALL additives create a conductive three-dimensional network within the battery’s graphite anode,…

Rock Tech Lithium is facing financing challenges that are delaying progress on its planned lithium converter in Guben, Germany, raising further uncertainty over the timeline for one of Europe’s largest battery materials projects. Financing Remains the Main Obstacle According to statements made by company representatives during a Guben city council meeting, the project’s biggest hurdle is securing the estimated €750 million required to build the facility. The company said it continues to seek private investors, whose participation is considered essential before public funding can be unlocked. Although Rock Tech remains committed to constructing the converter, company representatives were unable to…