Battery Technology

The latest version of the Xos Hub mobile charging unit has been approved for California’s Clean Off-Road Equipment Voucher Incentive Project, administered by the California Air Resources Board. This approval makes the Xos Hub eligible for a $110,000 incentive, allowing fleet customers to acquire the unit for under $100,000. Xos says this pricing is less than half the cost of many comparable DC fast charging systems, which often exceed $200,000.

The Xos Hub features 282 kilowatt-hours of energy storage and four integrated DC fast chargers. The unit is designed for rapid deployment without permanent infrastructure or major utility upgrades. This flexible solution targets fleet operators who need mobile charging at multiple, remote or grid-limited sites.

Xos says current Hub users include large fleets and utilities such as Caltrans, Duke Energy, Xcel Energy, TECO Energy and Highland Fleets.

Xos Hub has also been deployed in a variety of off-highway settings, including seaports for powering electric forklifts in cargo operations, airports for supporting electric aircraft and ground support equipment, construction zones as an energy source for electric machinery, and retail or logistics facilities for charging yard hostlers and material handling equipment.

“Securing CORE approval for our most advanced Hub yet is a major milestone in our mission to accelerate fleet electrification,” said Aldan Shank, Director of Mobile Charging. “By getting the cost below $100,000 per unit, we’ve made high-capacity, fast charging easier to deploy than ever before. This changes the economics for off-road fleet operators and removes many of the common obstacles to fleet electrification and charging.”

Source: Xos

Flux Power, which develops lithium-ion energy storage solutions and software-driven electrification for commercial and industrial equipment, has been awarded a patent by the US Patent and Trademark Office for its battery charging technology.

The patent covers a breakthrough approach to battery charge balancing centered on a technology called Predictive Quantum Balancing, which is designed to optimize performance, extend battery life and reduce operational downtime.

The system advances Flux Power’s proprietary Battery Management System (BMS) by introducing a data-driven method of managing charge distribution at the cell level, learning from past behavior to guide future performance. Rather than relying solely on reactive balancing during charge cycles, the system stores imbalance patterns in memory and assigns permanent discharge durations to overperforming cells, to improve stability and long-term efficiency.

Predictive Quantum Balancing addresses a core challenge in lithium-ion systems—maintaining 100% of the total pack capacity by balancing the battery 24/7. Flux Power’s system continuously monitors cell behavior, logs imbalance trends in a histogram and when long-term discrepancies are detected, assigns custom “bleed-off” durations to specific cells during each charge cycle.

Benefits include extended battery life to lower total cost of ownership (TCO); faster, smarter charging; predictive maintenance capabilities for more proactive fleet management and fleet performance optimization for enhanced productivity and strategic business insights.

“This patent reflects our commitment to innovation where it matters most: real-world uptime, battery longevity, and total cost of ownership for our customers,” said Mark Barmettler, VP of Engineering at Flux Power. “This type of intelligence makes a measurable difference for our partners in material handling, GSE, and logistics operations where every minute counts.”

Source: Flux Power Holdings

UNICO’s inverter test system combines an active AC load and battery emulator to provide a cost-effective solution for full power validation and life testing of traction inverters. By emulating both the motor and the battery pack, the inverter test system enables accurate performance under real-world conditions but eliminates the need for a physical motor and battery pack.

Join this webinar at our September Virtual Conference on EV Engineering, presented by UNICO, to learn more about how this integrated system reduces complexity, improves repeatability, and empowers testing across a wide range of DC voltage and load conditions.

September 18, 2025, 11:00 am EDT
Register now—it’s free!

See the complete session list for the Virtual Conference on EV Engineering here.

Broadcast live from September 15 to 18, 2025, the conference content will encompass the entire EV engineering supply chain and ecosystem, including motor and power electronics design and manufacturing, cell development, battery systems, testing, powertrains, thermal management, circuit protection, wire and cable, EMI/EMC and more.

Canadian developer Focus Graphite Advanced Materials has shipped two battery-grade samples to prospective offtake partners in the US for evaluation.

Focus worked in collaboration with American Energy Technologies (AETC), a US-based graphite processing and R&D firm, to produce two high-purity graphite materials sourced from its Lac Knife deposit for lithium-ion battery applications.

Its spherical coated natural graphite (CSPG, Batch GN250619002) anode material meets the standard grade CSPG specification of D50 ~23.9 µm and >99.95% purity, aligning with specifications used by leading battery producers.

Its non-spherical graphite fines (Batch GN250601001) is a highly conductive additive designed for lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery cathodes. The particle size distribution of D50 ~3.4 µm and BET surface area of 15.8 m²/g enable the additive to be used in a 50:50 blend with carbon black to improve cathode conductivity and enable thicker electrode designs, enhancing energy capacity for stationary energy storage systems, according to the company.

The battery-grade spherical graphite sample forms part of Focus Graphite’s portfolio of anode-grade offerings, including its Standard, Fine and Ultra Fine CSPG grades. These materials are designed to meet the needs to various battery segments from energy storage to fast-charging and high-power EV applications.

The non-spherical graphite additive aligns with the needs of developers targeting the rapidly expanding LFP battery market, which currently accounts for 99.9% of energy storage systems used in solar and wind installations.

AETC has completed modern batch production of the Standard grade CSPG with high quality control, enabling Focus to accelerate discussions with battery cell developers as well as cathode and anode manufacturers. Electrochemical testing of the cathode additive is underway to further demonstrate its performance advantages over conventional carbon black-only systems.

“Engaging potential offtake customers with tailored materials that meet industry standards—and in some cases exceed them—positions us to participate in high-growth battery segments, particularly those supporting renewable energy storage,” said Dean Hanisch, CEO of Focus Graphite. “Additionally, the updated product information bulletins for both our anode and cathode materials enhance our visibility to other prospective customers that prioritize North American supply.”

Source: Focus Graphite Advanced Materials

Join Pickering Interfaces’ Kyle Voosen and Christopher Kolbe for an insightful webinar on advancing 800 V battery pack testing. They will explore how testing packs with optimized battery simulation can help ensure safety, enhance efficiency, and minimize the size and cost of test setups.

This session will delve into the benefits of modular, industry-standard COTS components in creating flexible HIL test rigs and how they stack up against proprietary turnkey systems in terms of scalability, integration, and long-term value. Don’t miss this opportunity to deepen your understanding of battery testing solutions.

Key Takeaways:

• Build future-ready HIL test rigs that adapt to rapidly evolving EV technologies.
• Enhance safety, speed, and efficiency in high-voltage battery testing with low-current simulation.
• Reduce costs and space constraints with scalable, modular COTS-based solutions for tight budgets and limited lab space.
• Overcome integration challenges by leveraging the flexibility over proprietary systems.
• Access actionable best practices to tackle EV battery testing complexities.

September 17, 2025, 11:00 am EDT
Register now—it’s free!

See the complete session list for the Virtual Conference on EV Engineering here.

Broadcast live from September 15 to 18, 2025, the conference content will encompass the entire EV engineering supply chain and ecosystem, including motor and power electronics design and manufacturing, cell development, battery systems, testing, powertrains, thermal management, circuit protection, wire and cable, EMI/EMC and more.

Finland-based Kalmar has introduced a second-generation lithium-ion battery system for its range of electrically powered counterbalanced equipment, including reach stackers, empty container handlers and forklifts.

The new battery system delivers enhanced energy capacity, improved thermal stability, and a longer, more predictable performance curve across a wide range of operating environments, according to the company. The technology is now available globally to meet the European standard, while versions for the US and Chinese standards will follow in 2026.

Building on the success of its previous Li-ion solution, Kalmar’s Gen 2 technology features a new cell chemistry that extends battery life cycle. Delivering more energy throughput than the previous generation, it provides consistent and reliable performance over the long term. This results in reduced battery replacement costs and easier shift planning, contributing to lower total cost of ownership.

Kalmar electric reach stackers will be able to operate for up to 10 hours in a heavy-duty application, allowing for greater flexibility and uptime in demanding terminal environments. The battery also offers improved thermal resilience for enhanced operational safety and stability, especially in hot climates.

“Our second-generation battery is a major step forward in helping our customers transition to fully electric fleets without compromising performance. The enhanced safety, longer lifespan and improved operating times provide a high level of predictability and peace of mind when it comes to managing their operations,” said Peter Berndtson, Vice President, Counterbalanced Product Line at Kalmar.

Source: Kalmar

GM plans to import EV batteries from Chinese battery giant CATL. The arrangement is a temporary one, meant to tide GM over for a couple of years until it establishes its own domestic supply of lower-cost batteries made with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry, “a source familiar with the matter” told Reuters.

“For several years, other US automakers have depended on foreign suppliers for LFP battery sourcing and licensing. To stay competitive, GM will temporarily source these packs from similar suppliers to power our most affordable EV model,” GM said, obviously referring to the upcoming next-gen Chevrolet Bolt, which will use an LFP battery chemistry.

GM aims to establish LFP battery production in the US in 2027, and shortly thereafter to begin producing even cooler LMR (lithium-manganese-rich) prismatic cells.

Charged and just about everyone else in the EV industry has been sounding the alarm about Chinese dominance in battery materials, and the need to bring production to the US, for a decade. Automakers are now finally beginning to take steps in this direction, ironically in response to tariffs instituted by a staunchly anti-EV administration.

Still, as Reuters reports, automakers are continuing to import parts and full vehicles due to lower production costs or more advanced technology in “other countries” [ahem, ahem…China].

Ford is also using technology from CATL to make its battery cells. Ford feared that this would put the kibosh on federal production tax credits for its planned Michigan battery factory. However, the automaker now says it is “on track” to receive the tax credits under recently revised rules, and the Michigan LFP plant is expected to begin production in 2026.

Source: Reuters

ZAPI GROUP has announced that it has acquired a majority stake in Stercom Power Solutions, a Germany-based provider of intelligent charging and energy storage systems. The company says that this acquisition broadens its technical capabilities in high-voltage on-board charging and energy storage, with specific emphasis on electric mobility markets.

Stercom Power Solutions brings technologies for energy storage and charging systems targeted at electric mobility, as well as industrial energy systems. ZAPI GROUP claims the deal will expand its ability to deliver advanced charging solutions and reinforce its offerings in electric drive systems and industrial automation.

Stercom Power Solutions will continue operating as an independent entity in Bavaria, Germany, and will maintain business alignment with other ZAPI GROUP companies. The acquisition is part of ZAPI GROUP’s strategy to expand its portfolio for electric vehicle manufacturers and related sectors.

“The acquisition of Stercom Power Solutions represents an important milestone in our growth strategy and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to expanding our capabilities to better serve our customers,” said Giannino Zanichelli, founder and owner of ZAPI GROUP. “This acquisition strengthens ZAPI GROUP’s ability to deliver next-generation charging solutions as demand accelerates for advanced technologies in electric drive applications. The addition of this company’s innovative product portfolio and talented team will help drive continued growth and market leadership.”

Source: ZAPI GROUP