Are general-purpose robots impossible? Apptronik says no, pockets fresh NASA partnership
Robotics has made great strides in even just the last five years. But despite major advances in core technology such as sensing and computing, many of the robots populating industries like manufacturing are considered...
Ursa Major raises $85M to disrupt the vertically integrated launch sector
The launch sector is getting crowded. Many of the biggest players are building their own rocket engines, but space startup Ursa Major is betting that many new launch providers would rather outsource the engine than build it in-house. Six years after being founded by former SpaceX and Blue Origin propulsion engineer Joe Laurienti, the company is ready to scale up its ambitions, and it just closed its largest funding round to date to do...
Toyota will build its first US battery plant in North Carolina
Toyota Motor will build its first battery factory in the U.S. in North Carolina, the company and state officials confirmed Monday, as more automakers seek to take control of the supply chain with in-house battery manufacturing plants. Toyota will invest $1.29 billion in the plant, which will be called Toyota Battery Manufacturing, North Carolina (TBMNC), with production anticipated to commence in 2025. That investment is part of a...
SEC investigating Tesla over solar panel defect allegations
U.S. securities regulators have opened a probe into Tesla over allegations from a whistleblower that the company did not disclose to shareholders fire risks from its solar panel systems. The allegations were made by Steven Henkes, a former Tesla employee, who filed his complaint with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission back in 2019, Reuters reported. The probe only came to light after Henkes filed a Freedom of Information Act...
GM to form new joint venture with POSCO Chemical aimed at key battery component
General Motors is deepening its commitment to operate a vertically integrated battery supply chain with the announcement that it would form a joint venture with South Korea-based POSCO Chemical to build a new cathode active material facility in North America by 2024. Cathode active materials comprise around 40% of the cost of electric vehicle batteries, and the majority of both cathodes and anodes (the other building block of...
Stellantis, Mercedes-Benz invest in solid-state battery developer Factorial Energy
Factorial Energy, a startup working on solid-state batteries for electric vehicles, has added two more major automakers to its investor sheet: Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis, both of which plan to co-develop batteries in...
Stellantis locks in lithium supply agreement to secure EV battery materials
Stellantis, the global corporation formed through a merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and French automaker Groupe PSA, signed a binding agreement with a lithium producer as more automakers look to secure key parts of the battery supply chain. The agreement is one in a flurry of deals between automakers and suppliers as the demand for EVs rises. Vulcan Energy Resources will produce battery-grade lithium hydroxide from a brine...
Ionity lands €700 million investment from BlackRock, automakers to expand EV fast-charging network
Ionity, an electric vehicle fast-charging charging network provider whose owners include Daimler AG and Volkswagen Group, has scored a €700 million ($783 million) investment from BlackRock Global and existing shareholders to expand its footprint across Europe. The company, which was founded in 2017, installs ultra-high-speed EV charging stations. It was launched as a joint venture between a coalition of major automakers that includes...
EnerVenue raises $100M to accelerate clean energy using nickel-hydrogen batteries
In order to support a buildout of renewable energy, which tends to over-generate electricity at certain times of day and under-generate at others, the grid is going to need a lot of batteries. While lithium-ion works...
HyPoint and Piasecki reach $6.5M deal to develop hydrogen fuel cells systems for eVTOLs
A quick survey of many of the most highly valued electric vertical take-off and landing companies shows one thing in common: All of them are developing aircraft powered by batteries. But a growing suite of aviation...
