Researchers in India have simulated a 4 kW solar power-based hybrid electric vehicle charging station using a three-stage charging strategy and found that the station is capable of charging 10–12 EVs with 48 V 30 Ah lithium-ion batteries. Charging EVs with the help of on-site solar arrays and battery energy storage systems (BESS) is an attractive proposition as it reduces reliance on fossil fuels, optimises self-consumption, and minimises grid overload. Therefore, the interest in solar-plus-BESS-powered charging stations has been on the rise. Now, a group of researchers led by the J.C. Bose Un ..read more

Two major critical minerals projects in Queensland and South Australia are to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in federal government loans as the Commonwealth seeks to deliver the building blocks for a 'future made in Australia.' The federal government has announced it will provide new loans worth $400 million to aluminium materials manufacturer Alpha HPA to deliver the next stage of Australia’s first high-purity alumina processing facility in the Queensland port city of Gladstone. The company’s stage one precursor production facility, which features Alpha’s licensed solvent extrac ..read more

Queensland aluminium materials manufacturer Alpha HPA says it is on the brink of transforming lithium-ion battery safety, declaring its high-purity aluminium nitrate is capable of providing a solution to lithium-ion battery fires. Fires caused by lithium-ion batteries are expected to increase in the coming years as use of the energy storage solution continues to rise but Gladstone-based critical minerals company Alpha HPA said it has developed a high-purity aluminium nitrate that has the potential to deliver a safety breakthrough for the battery technology. Alpha, a producer of chemicals ..read more

Tesla’s global electric vehicle sales are plummeting, but its energy storage business is surging, with more than 4 GWh deployed in the first quarter of 2024 alone. From pv magazine Global Tesla‘s energy generation and storage business is booming, despite a dramatic slowdown in its electric vehicle (EV) sales. The company has reported its highest energy storage quarterly figures on record this week, with a cumulative 4,053 MWh of energy storage capacity deployed in the first quarter of 2024. It was the first time ever for Tesla to include its energy storage figures in a quarterly breakdown, whi ..read more

Australian miner Graphinex’s ambition to establish an integrated graphite mining and battery anode manufacturing business in Queensland has attracted the support of Japanese oil and gas giant Idemitsu Kosan. The Australian arm of Japanese resources and energy company Idemitsu Kosan announced it has acquired a “significant stake” in Queensland-based graphite resources company Graphinex as part of its global strategy to diversify its portfolio and invest in high-growth markets such as graphite that is a key component in the production of electric vehicles and energy storage systems. Gr ..read more

Australia is among the countries being considered to host a large-scale battery-grade lithium processing plant after Perth-based resources company Pilbara Minerals struck a deal with Chinese battery metals giant Ganfeng Lithium. Pilbara Minerals announced it has executed a binding term sheet with Ganfeng Lithium to complete a joint feasibility study for a proposed processing plant capable of manufacturing 32,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium chemicals per year. A key part of the study will be focused on identifying the location for a plant that will be capable of converting spodumene to ..read more

Mining and energy major Fortescue says the performance of an electric excavator operating at its Cloudbreak mine site in Western Australia’s is continuing to improve but is at times already performing better than its diesel equivalent. Fortescue said the capacity of Australia’s first electric excavator, which currently operates partially off solar and is powered by a 6.6 kV substation and more than two kilometres of high voltage trailing cable, has been clearly demonstrated with one million tonnes of ore moved since it commenced operations. Fortescue said the 400-tonne electric excavator had o ..read more

Rail freight company Aurizon is steering a project to develop the next generation of Australian freight trains, aiming to transition from diesel fuel to battery technology to power its fleet as it works to deliver zero-emissions capable freight locomotives. In a world-first proof of concept, Australia’s largest rail-based freight operator Aurizon will develop, test and trial a 1.8 MWh battery-electric tender (BET) to help power a modified diesel-fuelled locomotive for heavy haul, bulk and containerised freight operations. The electric tender will couple with the modified locomotive to operate ..read more

Battery technology company Lithium Australia’s 100%-owned subsidiary Envirostream is seeking to scale up its battery recycling efforts, signing an updated agreement with South Korean manufacturer LG Energy Solution in a move that could deliver 770 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries for recycling. Lithium Australia said the agreement with LG Energy Solution, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage systems is expected to significantly increase lithium-ion batteries collection volumes, leading to greater recycling revenues. “Our strategic ..read more

Australian electric vehicles could earn up to $12,000 in a single year using vehicle-to-grid technology to provide frequency regulation services to the National Electricity Market according to a report published by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. A new report from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) reveals that using vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology to provide Frequency Control Ancillary Services (FCAS) to the National Electricity Market (NEM) is a potentially lucrative way for fleet owners to monetise their electric vehicles (EVs). The Insights from the Realising Electric ..read more