Syrah Resources, an industrial minerals and technology company, has become an integrated natural graphite active anode material (AAM) supplier outside China, processing natural graphite from Syrah’s Balama Graphite Operation in Mozambique. The 11,250-ton-per-year AAM Vidalia operation in Louisiana is supported by high EV-driven demand internationally, the need for independent natural graphite AAM critical mineral supply, and industry concerns about the emissions intensity of production and provenance of supply. China’s recent export limits on natural and synthetic graphite and its products an ..read more

US severe-duty truck maker Autocar is collaborating with automated EV charging company Rocsys, headquartered in the Netherlands, to provide hands-free charging capabilities to Autocar’s electric terminal tractors at logistics facilities, including distribution centers and inland ports. Rocsys says its hands-free charging system will undergo final development through a pilot order secured from an Autocar customer. It uses soft robotics, computer vision technology and AI to streamline the charging process while also minimizing wear and tear on charging cables and connectors. The system is compa ..read more

Sponsored by Knowles Precision Devices. It’s becoming more common to see power supply circuits with wide-bandgap semiconductors rather than traditional silicon insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). There are clear performance benefits to this switch, and with costs coming down, silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors are more accessible than ever before. While the fundamental circuit design process doesn’t change, substituting a component as vital as a semiconductor causes a domino effect in the component selection process. With the shift towards wide-bandgap semi ..read more

DGeo, the packaging division of US-based Labelmaster, has expanded its large-format lithium battery packaging solutions to include collapsible, clippable wooden crates. Part of DGeo’s Obexion line of protective packaging, Obexion MAX crates are UN-certified and offer a repeatable fastening system that delivers a simple and cost-efficient packaging solution for transporting large lithium batteries. The crates are designed to be easy to assemble and disassemble by snapping and unsnapping the wooden pieces together using Clip-Lok metal clips and no screws, bolts or nails. The crates are flat-pac ..read more

Nissan, Japan’s third-biggest automaker by volume, plans to begin producing solid-state batteries for EVs at scale by early 2029, and will also use Tesla-style gigacasting machines in order to increase efficiency and drive down costs on its future EV models. Solid-state batteries are expected to deliver faster charging and longer lifespans than current Li-ion designs. Even as some automakers begin to deploy them in limited numbers, battery suppliers such as Samsung SDI and CATL disagree over their potential. Nissan says it will develop solid-state batteries at a new pilot plant in Yokohama be ..read more

As the Megawatt Charging System (MCS), a new charging standard for heavy-duty EVs, enters the final stages of standardization, automakers and EVSE manufacturers are busily putting the new system through its paces. Commercial implementations of MCS, which industry experts are calling a game-changer for electric trucks, are expected to begin later this year. The latest testing milestone was announced by Siemens Smart Infrastructure, which completed its first successful one-megawatt charge, in a pilot using a prototype Siemens MCS charging station and “a long-haul prototype eTruck from a well-es ..read more

Battery manufacturer ZAPBATT has developed its Battery Operating System (bOS) in a strategic partnership with Toshiba, initially focused on Toshiba’s battery SCiB lithium titanium oxide (LTO) chemistry for integration across several applications, including EVs. ZAPBATT’s bOS is a battery management system, which enables the adoption of optimal battery chemistries without significant investment in battery infrastructure or modifications to existing electrical components. It acts as a universal adapter, integrating SCIB and other advanced battery chemistries into various applications—from cordl ..read more

Milence, an EV charging joint venture of Daimler Truck, the TRATON Group and Volvo, has expanded its operations to the French and Swedish markets. In late 2023, Milence opened its first charging hub in Venlo, the Netherlands. Now the company has opened a charging hub in Heudebouville, 40 km south of the city of Rouen. The new heavy-duty EV charging hub is located along an important route for heavy-duty vehicles travelling between Paris and logistics hubs in the Normandy Region, such as Le Havre (France’s largest container port), Caen, Dieppe and Rouen. The new charging hub features four CCS ..read more

EV fleet solution provider Synop has launched a new app designed to further streamline EV charge management for its customers. The new Fleet Driver Mobile App will provide Managed Access Charging functionality to EV fleets. Synop’s fleet customers typically give their drivers RFID cards that grant them access to on-site chargers. However, these cards are easily lost or damaged. The Synop Fleet Driver Mobile App allows drivers to add their RFID card information to their profiles, making authorization and instant payments easier. Drivers can securely save their payment details in the app. They ..read more

As driver uncertainty about access to EV charging remains a barrier to broader EV adoption, researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) are developing algorithms and multilayered communication and control systems designed to make EV chargers operate more reliably, even during electrical grid voltage drops or disturbances. Researchers have identified two key causes of charger failure: When small faults in the electric grid cause a fleeting drop in voltage, EV charging stops. And the failure of one internal component can shut everything down. Reactivating the chargers often requires ..read more