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Scientists have developed a long-lasting battery made with nickel.
The discovery could reduce or even eliminate the use of cobalt in the batteries that power electric cars and other products.
Cobalt is often mined using child labor.
“Nickel doesn’t have child labor issues,” says Huolin Xin, professor of physics and astronomy at the University of California, Irvine.
The method could usher in a new, less controversial generation of lithium-ion batteries.
Until now, nickel wasn’t a practical substitute because large amounts of it were required to create lithium batteries, Xin says. And the metal’s cost keeps climbing.
To become an economically viable alternative to cobalt, nickel-based batteries needed to use as little nickel as possible.
“We’re the first group to start going in a low-nickel direction,” Xin says. “In a previous study by my group, we came up with a novel solution to fully eliminate cobalt. But that formulation still relied on a lot of nickel.”
To solve that problem, Xin’s team spent three years devising a process called “complex concentrated doping” that enabled the scientists to alter the key chemical formula in lithium-ion batteries as easily as one might adjust seasonings in a recipe.
The doping process, Xin explains, eliminates the need for cobalt in commercial components critical for lithium-ion battery functioning and replaces it with nickel.
“Doping also increases the efficiency of nickel,” says Xin, which means EV batteries now require less nickel to work—something that will help make the metal a more attractive alternative to cobalt-based batteries.
Xin says he thinks the new nickel chemistry will quickly start transforming the lithium-ion battery industry. Already, he says, electric vehicle companies are planning to take his team’s published results and replicate them.
“EV makers are very excited about low-nickel batteries, and a lot of EV companies want to validate this technique,” Xin says. “They want to do safety tests.”
The study appears in the journal Nature Energy.
Source: UC Irvine
The post Can new batteries eliminate need for cobalt mined by kids? appeared first on Futurity.
Battery materials and recycling startup Redwood Materials is expanding a partnership with Volkswagen of America in its bid to collect more end-of-life batteries from consumer electronics and strip out the valuable materials so they can be used to make batteries for electric vehicles.
Redwood has said its technology can recover more than 95% of the critical minerals from batteries (like nickel, cobalt, lithium and copper) and then manufacture the metals into battery components that are supplied to U.S. battery manufacturers for new electric vehicles and energy storage products. Co-founder and CEO JB Straubel, who was formerly the co-founder and CTO at Tesla, has long argued that creating a closed-loop system will reduce battery costs and the need to mine and ship raw materials.
Volkswagen of America and sibling brand Audi contracted with Redwood last year to recover and recycle end-of-life EV battery packs from its thousand-dealership network in the United States. Audi then expanded its partnership with Redwood to launch a consumer-focused recycling program.
Now Volkswagen of America has agreed to set up bins at certain dealerships to collect consumer electronics. The batteries and devices, including cell phones, cordless power tools, electric toothbrushes, wireless headphones and other lithium-ion-powered devices that are collected in the bins, will be sent to Redwood’s Nevada facility to be repurposed as EV batteries.
The consumer recycling program officially launches at 14 dealerships April 22, including locations in New Jersey and Wisconsin. Volkswagen will also set up a bin during the New York International Auto Show, which will be held from April 5 to April 16. Additional dealerships will be added throughout the year.
Redwood has largely been a B2B enterprise since its founding. The company has locked in deals with companies like Panasonic to recycle and process the scrap to recycle scrap from battery cell production. In early 2021, Redwood quietly opened a recycling program to everyday consumers and all of the old electronics sitting in their junk drawers. Redwood posted a “recycle with us” tab on its website, along with an address, where consumers can send their e-waste, and a “contact us” button.
The program has collected tens of thousands of pounds of electronics from consumers, according to Redwood.
VW and Redwood want to turn your old laptops into EV batteries by Kirsten Korosec originally published on TechCrunch
UPDATE: Tesla tweaks Model 3 page of U.S. website encouraging buyers to take delivery now in anticipation of reduced tax incentives by March 31.
The U.S. Treasury Department’s guidance on battery sourcing requirements for the electric vehicle tax credits will result in fewer vehicles being eligible for full or partial credits, reports Reuters, citing an unnamed U.S. official.
The proposed EV credit guidance as included in the Inflation Reduction Act says that in order for vehicles to qualify for $3,750, which is half of the total credit, 50% of the value of battery components must be produced or assembled in North America. To get the remainder of the credit, 40% of critical minerals must be sourced from the U.S. or a country with which it has a free trade agreement.
The guidance on battery sourcing was meant to kick in on January 1, 2023, but in December the Treasury Dept. decided to hold off until March to give some EV-makers a grace period to meet the requirements.
The Treasury Dept. is expected to share its guidance Friday, and while the Reuters report doesn’t state exactly what it will be, we can guess that the full guidance will kick in, meaning many EVs will lose tax credits or see them cut. The Treasury Dept. is also expected to define key terms like processing, extraction, recycling and free trade deals.
The battery sourcing rules are aimed at helping the U.S. decrease its reliance on China for batteries. While most automakers have been reorganizing supply chains and bringing more processes onshore since COVID, not all will have had the chance to completely upgrade their battery sourcing in time to meet both the Treasury Dept.’s requirements and the increased demand for EVs.
China currently makes 81% of the world’s cathodes, 91% of the world’s anodes and 79% of the world’s lithium-ion battery production capacity, according to data from Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, a market research firm. For comparison, the U.S. has just 0.16%, 0.27% and 5.5% market share, respectively.
Despite the U.S., and most of its free trade agreement partners, being woefully behind China, the Biden administration has said it thinks over time, the tax credit will result in more EVs sold as automakers reorganize supply chains to meet the IRA rules, the source told Reuters.
In February, the Treasury Dept. updated the vehicle classification standard to redefine what makes a vehicle a sedan, an SUV, a crossover or a wagon. The change made more Tesla, Ford, General Motors and Volkswagen EVs eligible for up to $7,500 tax credits. Those vehicles stand to lose some or all of the tax credits once the battery sourcing guidance is out. In fact, Tesla on Wednesday evening updated the Model 3 page on its U.S. website to reflect this, saying the tax credit is expected to be reduced for the vehicle by March 31 and encouraging buyers to “take delivery now.”
Battery sourcing guidance might slash EV tax credits by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch
In time, infrastructure supporting the electrification of vehicles will become robust, reliable, and a wonderfully mundane reality, an evolution that will undoubtedly coincide with everyday vehicle range that will not only match, but exceed internal combustion engines. But even the most confident long range battery-equipped EV owner today has occasionally felt the twinge of range anxiety while roadtripping beyond your normal routine roads. That is, unless you set beyond city limits equipped with your very own EV-charging batteries doubling up as a teardrop 4-person camper to call your own.
The Boulder by Colorado Teardrops sports an attractive design, one evocative of the offspring of a Tesla paired with a retro teardrop camper your grandparents might have once explored the highways with in tow. The softly angular, Cybertruck-ish design is evidently designed to complement the most popular EV today, down to gull-wing doors and aerodynamic wheels.
The Boulder’s skateboard platform and powder-coated steel trailer design sits on top of a 3500 lb. rated suspension, holding a 75 kWh bank of EV batteries, allowing wanderers of the road to recharge their EV batteries with nary a charging station in site.
Other than being a sizable charging station on wheels, The Boulder offers cozy accommodations for a family of four, equipped with a fully insulated cabin with a seating arrangement during the day that easily converts into a queen-size bed with two additional bunk beds. The rear of the trailer reveals space for all of the necessities of the road camping lifestyle, with the option to upgrade to “glamping” grade accoutrements such as air conditioning, propane heater, patio umbrella mounts, awnings, side counters, espresso machine, and an assortment of optional colors.
The Boulder’s compact size belies its price, which will set you back $67,000, more than the starting price of a Tesla Model Y. But considering the double-duty capabilities of a trailer that can comfortably house four people and offer Level 3 or Combined Charging Standard (CCS1) to add an additional 100 miles of range in just ten minutes, those with electrified hearts stricken with wanderlust might find the price justifiable.
The European Parliament formally approved a law to ban the sale of new gas and diesel cars in the European Union starting in 2035 in a move designed to speed up the transition to electric vehicles.
The new legislation, which is part of a broader effort by the EU to combat climate change, says that by 2035, carmakers must achieve a 100% cut in carbon-dioxide emissions from new cars sold, which means no new fossil fuel–powered vehicles could be sold in the 27-country bloc.
With 340 votes in favor, 279 against and 21 abstentions, the new rules also set a path for more immediate emissions reductions targets. New cars and vans sold from 2030 will have to meet a 55% and 50% cut in emissions, respectively, compared to 2021 levels. The previous 2030 emissions target for new cars sold was 37.5%.
The law was first accepted by negotiators from EU countries, the European Parliament and the European Commission in October last year, so Tuesday’s approval is just a step before the law gets a formal rubber stamp and the rules begin to take effect. That’s expected to happen in March.
Member of the European Parliament Jan Huitema said these target revisions are crucial steps if Europe wants to reach climate neutrality by 2050.
“These targets create clarity for the car industry and stimulate innovation and investments for car manufacturers,” Huitema said in a statement. “Purchasing and driving zero-emission cars will become cheaper for consumers and a second-hand market will emerge more quickly. It makes sustainable driving accessible to everyone.”
However, some automakers, industry players and countries have been giving the EU pushback ever since the law was proposed in July 2021. Renault, for example, said in 2021 that it would seek an extension to the proposed plan to ban internal combustion engine vehicle sales in the EU by 2035, instead hoping to push out the transition to 2040 so it could provide more affordable cars to EV buyers.
As a result of resistance, the final deal approved Tuesday includes flexibilities, including a caveat for small carmakers producing fewer than 10,000 vehicles per year to be able to negotiate weaker targets until 2036.
EU formally bans sale of gas and diesel cars from 2035 by Rebecca Bellan originally published on TechCrunch
“That doesn’t look safe.”
The statement would follow me for days. Every time I mentioned I was test driving Arcimoto’s Fun Utility Vehicle — an open-air, all-electric three-wheeler — a friend or co-worker would pipe up to state, what to them, seemed like the obvious.
After all, most cars have four wheels, not three. They also tend to have doors and airbags too.
Arcimoto’s FUV (or Fooove as I chose to pronounce it) has something most of those fully enclosed sedans and subcompacts do not: It’s a thrill to drive without feeling like a deathtrap.
Legally speaking, the FUV is a motorcycle. I think of it more as an electric go-kart that hits 75 mph on the highway. If you’re like my colleague Brian Heater, however, your first thought might be “Flintmobile.” Another colleague wondered if it was more like an ATV. While yet another friend later said the FUV reminded them of a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe.
Whatever you conclude on first blush, one thing’s for sure: If you want to drive something that everyone will hastily form an opinion of, then oh boy is this the car for you.
A quick, 10-minute walkthrough and lap around the block was apparently all the training I needed before an Arcimoto staffer sent me off on my own in the FUV.
I picked it up at GoCar Tours Las Vegas, and really that’s the rub. The FUV could be a neat little neighborhood cruiser, but in a town like Vegas, this three-wheeler screams touristic excursion. Arcimoto may as well’ve built it for soaking in the spectacle of the Strip, but I’d like to think the little guy also introduced some flavor of its own to the otherwise SUV-dominated roads.
Driving down the Strip in the Arcimoto FUV
The FUV features heated seats and handlebars to compensate for the wind chill. There’s also a steel panoramic roof (that GoCar filled in with ads), a hand and foot break (the former is regenerative), Bluetooth speakers and a projected 102-mile range in the city.
I adjusted to the handlebar throttle (and missing steering wheel) quicker than I expected. At a traffic signal, I queued a few songs I felt comfortable subjecting passersby to, sank deeper into the front seat and rode around like I had real errands to do.
I’m a habitual, smug pedestrian and don’t own a car, but as I pulled into a pharmacy parking lot and tugged my tote bag out of the trunk (a small, lockable “cargo box”), I thought: “Hey, three wheels are better than none.” I was riding high on Pixies‘ Doolittle album and the novelty of it all, cruising down virtually empty roads shortly before CES attendees and cabs would clog Sin City’s arteries.
The FUV is tiny, but it can’t exactly weave around traffic like a conventional motorcycle. Still, there were moments I deeply appreciated its small stature, and steered around stretches of cars that were taking up half the lane waiting to turn.
Another shot of Arcimoto’s FUV on the Strip
Plus, I could park just about anywhere. It takes up so little space that reserving an entire parking spot for the FUV seems almost wasteful.
Riding around with a passenger in the back was also a joy. You may not believe it, but the roof does a nice job of reflecting sound, so I could easily chat with my colleague Natalie Christman while she filmed from the rear seat.
Having someone along with you also means you’re bound to spot more reactions from pedestrians. In our case, they ranged from blank stares and upward nods to outright yelling. It isn’t easy to hear what someone’s shouting from the sidewalk across ultra-wide streets, but I made out some variations of, “what’s that!?” and “Is that new?!” (It isn’t. The FUV debuted in 2019.)
Parking the FUV with plenty of room to spare
My stay in Vegas was exceedingly wet, as rare storms dumped buckets on the city. I considered this a challenge for both myself and the FUV. I agreed to endure a couple days of chilled knuckles and wet pants, so long as the goofy little vehicle did not slip ‘n slide us beneath a hulking pickup. It didn’t!
The rain wasn’t too challenging. Sometimes my hands went a bit numb despite the heated grips. (If I owned a FUV, I would just keep a pair of gloves in the back.) Occasionally, I dodged puddles. It was a small hassle to brush rainwater off the seat and the roof mostly did its job.
In a sprinkle, I sipped an iced latte and jotted down notes on how cold I felt. Why am I this way?
Other FUV downsides included the extra-heavy steering. It really made me work to get around turns from a full stop, handling almost like a car without power steering. I was told when I picked it up that the latest iteration of the FUV addresses this and steers lighter.
After a while, the attention got old, too. I’m an introverted trans lady, so I’m not here for the stares that accompany a visually loud vehicle. I don’t see this as a deal breaker, though — just an observation. I also love very goofy cars, so this is more of a personal contradiction than anything else.
The FUV is certainly goofy. However, in normally dry locales like Las Vegas or say, Los Angeles, it struck me as, dare I say, practical. I would prefer a teeny city car with doors and windows, and there are three-wheelers on the market that offer just that, including Electra Meccanica’s SOLO.
With room for a passenger (unlike the SOLO) and an overall breezy driving experience on a single charge, I still think Arcimoto’s FUV is less silly than it initially lets on.
The name makes it seem like a car best left for tourists; I’d happily ride it around my neighborhood for light errands. It seemed sturdy and dependable in the three and a half days I spent with it, and riding on three wheels seemed just as natural to me as four. (Side note: I did take it on the highway, reaching around 60 mph, and that was a bit too thrilling for my taste.)
There are plenty of reasons to opt for an extra-small vehicle, especially if you live in a dense area. For one, smaller vehicles require fewer materials and smaller batteries, which at least in theory should translate to lower emissions. Smaller vehicles are also less likely to kill pedestrians.
If you have any safety concerns, you can check out what Arcimoto has to say about that here. A spokesperson for the company told TechCrunch that the FUV’s “steel upper frame meets the FMVSS 216a Roof Crush Resistance standard.”
The car also includes a crash-sensor that disconnects the battery on impact and “dual 3-point safety seatbelts.” That means you have to buckle up twice when you get in.
If you want to try the FUV out for yourself, you may want to hurry. After laying off dozens of staffers, Eugene, Oregon-based Arcimoto alerted investors in January that it was running out of cash.
“We have halted our production of vehicles and will require substantial additional funding to resume production,” the automaker said.
Without fresh funds, Arcimoto warned at the time that it “will be required to cease our operations and/or seek bankruptcy protection.” The startup’s market cap sat around $13.5 million when this story was published, a far cry from its $1 billion-plus high two years ago.
The FUV starts at $17,900 before subsidies, but the price creeps above $25,000 with upgrades like fancier seats, half doors, a rear cargo box and cup holders. Arcimoto also sells used FUVs; on its site, the company has one listed for $16,800.
If you know something about Arcimoto, reach out to this reporter via email or Twitter DM.
[gallery ids="2483830,2483831,2483829,2483832,2483834"]The Arcimoto Fun Utility Vehicle is a blast (that might not last) by Harri Weber originally published on TechCrunch
Buy an electric car. Invest in a heat pump. Install an induction stove. They’re all measures that people can take to reduce their daily carbon emissions, and they’re all pretty significant cash outlays.
Over the next three decades, as the world lurches toward net zero emissions, expenditures like these will be unavoidable. For many people, they’ll happen when its time to swap out a car or when the old stove dies. Others will want to move more quickly. But no matter what, the experience can give a person sticker shock.
In the long run, though, many of those expenses can save people money. EVs are cheaper to own and operate after several years despite higher upfront costs. Induction stoves and heat pumps may cost more than natural gas equivalents, but they allow people to eliminate the monthly expense of a gas hookup.
Now, fintech startup Future wants to tip the scales further, TechCrunch has exclusively learned. The Techstars Boston alum currently offers a debit card that incentivizes climate-friendly purchasing behavior, and today it’s introducing a way to let people sell their own carbon credits.
Buying an EV? Switching to induction? Installing solar? A different reduction that’s similarly verifiable? FutureCoins will let people track each metric ton of carbon they save and either sell it or retire it (meaning no one can use it to offset their emissions). The coins, which will be tracked on a to-be-determined public blockchain, will sell at an initial price of $90 per metric ton.
“Part of what we want to do is make it crystal clear to consumers that carbon has a price. It’s valuable,” co-founder at CEO Jean-Louis Warnholz told TechCrunch. “Every action that you take — and you don’t see it — but somebody is paying that price. The price is external, and we’re basically bringing it front and center to consumers to inform everyday decisions.”
Warnholz was inspired to start Future when he was thinking about how to reduce his household’s carbon emissions. The easiest and most obvious answer would be to buy offsets, which are most often tree-planting schemes. He quickly soured on the idea, though.
“I realized that I could either figure out how to credibly plant over 7,000 trees and make sure that they thrive, they don’t burn and they don’t get cut down. Or I could just take decisive steps to reduce my carbon footprint and save money at the same time.”
He chose the latter. He bought an EV, installed solar panels and started buying devices, clothing and more secondhand.
Want to buy an EV or heat pump? New coin will help you defray the costs by Tim De Chant originally published on TechCrunch
Toyota’s president, Akio Toyoda, surprised the automotive world this week by announcing he would resign his position and hand the reins over to Koji Sato, who currently helms the company’s Lexus and Gazoo Racing divisions.
But Toyoda isn’t going far. The 66-year-old isn’t retiring outright, but instead retiring to the boardroom, where he’ll take over the role of chair.
Insiders aren’t expecting Toyoda to be hands-off, either. One executive said that Toyoda was about to embark on a period of “cloister rule,” a period in Japan’s history where the emperor retired to a monastery without actually ceding power.
If that’s the case, then the shakeup in Toyota City might not be much of a shakeup at all.
Toyota’s surprise executive shakeup may disappoint investors by Tim De Chant originally published on TechCrunch
Enlarge (credit: Greg Vaughn/VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Legislators of the nation's least-populous state are taking a brave stand against modernity and climate action. They're sponsoring SJ0004, "Phasing out new electric vehicle sales by 2035," an uncomplicated bill that expresses the state's goal to phase out sales of new EVs by 2035 and asks Wyoming's industries and citizens to do their civic duty in resisting the EV. Copies of the resolution would be sent to the White House, leaders in Congress, and the governor of California.
The motivation, according to the bill's preamble, is that the oil and gas industry is important to the state, a state with fewer than 600,000 residents. Wyoming is proud of its oil and gas industry, and that gas—here presumably meaning "gasoline" and not the natural gas referred to in the bill's early sentences—powers vehicles that drive on the state's vast stretches of highway.
The bill's authors think Wyoming's interstate network is too desolate for electric vehicles, particularly since there is no existing EV charging infrastructure, they claim.
From day one, Polestar has made a concerted effort to stand out among the competitively crowded EV segment. The brand’s stable of minimalist-modern vehicles have silently blazed their own aesthetic route; each Polestar model is easily identifiable even at a glance from the herds of similarly sculpted silhouettes of other brands, electric or otherwise. Add Polestar’s commitment toward achieving closed circle sustainability and engineering industry-leading safety, and you’ve got one of the most compelling automotive brands associated with the future of electric vehicles.
Polestar’s effort to stand from the crowd has also been expressed with numerous projects distinct, yet complementary to the brand. Last year Polestar commissioned artist Thijs Biersteker to help lead in the creation of the interactive We Harvest Wind, an installation inspired by Polestar’s LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) data spotlighting “information about emissions from materials production, manufacturing, how the type of electricity used when charging affects use phase emissions, and so on.” Suffice to say, the brand isn’t hesitant to use design in a multitude of mediums to further communicate the values and motivations behind their ethos.
While Biersteker’s kinetic polymer sculpture might be perceived more as a conceptual exercise, the brand’s latest showroom doesn’t require all too much explanation. It’s simply cool. Cold even.
Constructed in Rovaniemi, Finland by Frozen Innovation in a collaborative effort between Polestar and the Arctic Design Week, the Polestar Space stands as a 12-meter-high cube with 2-meter-thick walls of ice, an Arctic Circle showroom supplemented by ice sculptures of Polestar parts carved by local artists. You can even take a car out on a test drive around an Arctic Circle course.
The city of Rovaniemi is known for its wonderful design. We wanted to honor this by creating a beautiful work that was inspired by our brand’s minimalistic and pure design language. The choice of building material was easy due to the location and our desire to use circular materials: of course, it had to be built from snow.
– Polestar Finland’s Marketing Manager Martin Österberg
Despite its rectilinear architecture, the Polestar Space was conceived as the epitome of circular material design, built with snow and ice, materials in great abundance in the city located just 6 miles south of the Arctic Circle. The Snow Space took approximately 20 days to build with 3,000 cubic meters of snow sourced and transported by electric trucks from the nearby Ounasvaara ski resort.
While Polestar could conceivably close the loop by simply allowing the Snow Space to slowly merge back into the snowy landscape, the showroom is planned to be deconstructed and returned to grace the landscape from where it was sourced after the Arctic Circle Space closes its polar doors in late February.
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