Battery Technology

The California Energy Commission (CEC) has launched a new $55-million program that offers rebates of up to 100% of the installation costs for EV fast chargers at businesses and public sites in the state.

The Fast Charge California Project is part of the California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project (CALeVIP), which has supported the deployment of nearly 10,000 EV chargers since 2017.

To qualify for incentives, sites must be publicly accessible, and offer DC fast charging. Up to 100% of the project cost may be covered, but awards are capped at $55,000 per port for chargers with capacities between 150 kW and 275 kW, and $100,000 per port for capacities over 275 kW.

Eligible locations include convenience stores, gas stations, retail centers, parking lots and other high-traffic destinations. Priority will be given to locations in tribal areas, disadvantaged communities and low-income communities—areas often underserved by fast charging infrastructure.

Before applying for incentives, charging projects must be ready to build, with a final utility service design and all required permits in hand. Applications will be accepted through October 29, 2025. Full eligibility requirements are available on the Fast Charge California Project web site.

“This is the biggest CALeVIP project ever. It’s the first to be statewide, and it’s the first to cover up to 100% of eligible costs,” said Hannon Rasool, Director of the CEC Fuels and Transportation Division.

“This program is designed to get fast chargers in the ground—fast,” said Evan Wright, Director of EV Infrastructure and Operations at the Center for Sustainable Energy, the program’s administrator.

Source: California Energy Commission

Shortly after bringing a line of electric semi-trucks into production, German truck manufacturer MAN Trucks, in cooperation with AW Automotive, has introduced a mobile battery energy storage system (BESS) designed to bring charging for heavy-duty vehicles to remote sites.

As Autoweek reports, MAN’s Smart Charging Cube is designed to be operated almost anywhere, with no need for a grid connection. It includes a stationary battery ranging in capacity from 500 kWh to 1,100 kWh, coupled with as many as four CCS charging ports with a power capacity of up to 400 kW.

The Smart Charging Cube can also support the Megawatt Charging System (MCS), which can deliver up to 1,000 kW of power (few current EVs can take advantage of such high charging speeds, but automakers and infrastructure providers have plans to roll out MCS rapidly over the next few years).

“The Smart Charging Cube can integrate self-generated electricity, for example from photovoltaic systems,” says MAN. “In addition, various charging functions are possible, including peak shaving, dynamic power consumption and bidirectional charging.”

The truck maker plans to sell, rent or lease these cubes to customers. A natural fit would be the construction industry, which often needs to operate excavators and other equipment at remote sites away from grid connections.

The cubes can be trickle-charged from grid power connections at currents from 32 A to 630 A, or paired with portable solar panels or other power sources.

Volvo has recently developed a similar cube aimed at the same sort of off-grid applications.

Source: MAN Truck & Bus via Autoweek

Amprius Technologies, which is developing lithium-ion batteries with its Silicon Anode Platform, has delivered SiCore battery cells to multiple drone and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) customers from its Fremont, California pilot line.

The deliveries include the supply of 450 Wh/kg high-energy cells to Airbus subsidiary AALTO and balanced energy-and-power cells to drone manufacturers supporting tactical and commercial missions. The newly-shipped cells are engineered to support longer-duration flights, where energy density and weight are mission-critical.

While Fremont enables rapid development and early-stage production, Amprius is scaling its global supply chain to meet growing commercial demand. The company has secured more than 1.8 GWh of manufacturing capacity through international contract partnerships, including a strategic agreement in South Korea, to support broader adoption across aerospace, defense, and electric mobility markets.

“Amprius’ SiCore cells represent a major advancement in energy performance, supporting the ultra-lightweight, long-endurance requirements of our high-altitude operations,” said Pierre-Antoine Aubourg, Chief Technology Officer at AALTO. “Their silicon anode technology has already enabled Zephyr to operate in the stratosphere overnight for months at a time, an unprecedented milestone in persistent flight. We look forward to working with Amprius as we qualify their next-generation cells to power the future of stratospace innovation.”

Source: Amprius Technologies

US EV manufacturer Lucid Motors has joined with critical mineral producers Alaska Energy Metals, Graphite One, Electric Metals and RecycLiCo to launch the Minerals for National Automotive Competitiveness Collaboration (MINAC).

The consortium aims to help accelerate the development of domestic critical mineral resources and the procurement of minerals for use in automotive manufacturing by US-based automakers and Tier 1 suppliers.

The companies will work together to complete offtake agreements for critical minerals for use in US automobiles, identify and resolve barriers, accelerate commercialization and customer adoption, expand coordination between the mining and automotive sectors and support the qualification and procurement of domestically produced materials by US-based automakers and Tier 1 suppliers.

Alaska Energy Metals is developing a large-scale nickel project in the interior of Alaska. Electric Metals is developing its Emily manganese project in Minnesota. Graphite One is developing facilities to produce graphite in various locations across the US, including synthetic graphite in Ohio and natural graphite in Northern Alaska. Both of the sites are expected to start producing graphite by 2028. Lucid and Graphite One have previously announced agreements to supply these synthetic and natural graphite materials to Lucid once production begins.

RecycLiCo specializes in the use of advanced hydrometallurgical technologies for processing mined ore and the upcycling of lithium-ion battery materials. from end-of-life batteries and manufacturing scrap, supporting energy storage as well as broader industrial applications.

“Domestic supply chains strengthen manufacturing resilience, fortify sustainable supply chains, and accelerate job growth. Following in the footsteps of our previous agreements, today we are doubling down on our commitment to powering American innovation and look forward to working with our partners as we built the next generation of automotive manufacturing in the United States,” said Marc Winterhoff, Interim CEO of Lucid.

Source: Lucid

US-based materials and manufacturing firm Estes Energy has raised $11 million in seed capital to finalize development of its multi-chemistry battery pack platform and establish manufacturing operations in the US. The platform is capable of using either nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) and lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells.

The round was co-led by BMW i Ventures and Fortescue. New System Ventures and early investor DCVC also participated. The company has raised $20 million to date. It will deploy its capital to expand the development team, build out its pilot manufacturing capability, and begin deploying battery systems to early customers during the fourth quarter of 2025.

Estes says mass-sensitive applications will benefit from its NMC pack variant, which boasts an energy density of 380 Wh/L, while cost-sensitive applications will be addressed by the company’s LFP-powered variant. Both systems are suitable for heavy-use applications and are seamlessly interchangeable, offering OEMs the ability to serve broad markets from a single integration effort, the company said.

Estes is seeing strong interest from commercial partners and OEMs across multiple sectors. The pilot manufacturing line enabled by the new funding will allow Estes to begin fulfilling these strategic opportunities while supporting the US-based battery supply chain.

“We’re seeing the electrification market open up from the initial wave of passenger car and commercial vehicle growth, expanding rapidly into defense, aviation, marine, rail, port, construction and mining sectors, as well as novel robotics and autonomy applications,” said Dustin Grace, CEO of Estes. “The need for the next generation of battery systems is accelerating, and this funding propels us towards serving these markets at the level of performance, economics, and domestic resilience necessary for sustainable growth.”

Source: Estes Energy Solutions

Smart infrastructure specialist Siemens has made a strategic investment in Emporia Energy, a pioneer in smart home energy management solutions aimed at helping homeowners to optimize their energy consumption and costs.

Siemens, in collaboration with Emporia, previously launched the Inhab Energy Monitor solution, which provides real-time insights into home energy usage. The device enables homeowners to track power consumption across appliances, including EV chargers and solar generation systems, and offers recommendations to reduce costs and improve efficiency.

The advent of EVs, solar installations and home energy storage systems has increased the complexity (and costs) of the traditional electrical system, and homeowners need to manage multiple power sources and devices to optimize their energy consumption. Inhab is designed to give homeowners more transparency and control over their energy systems.

“Our evolving relationship with Emporia underscores our commitment to driving innovation and creating greater value for our residential customers that have a growing need for smart home energy management,” said Jacob Middleton, Head of Residential Electrical Products at Siemens Smart Infrastructure USA. “Combining our strength in power distribution and circuit protection with Emporia’s expertise in developing a suite of Smart Home Energy Management hardware and software offerings allows both companies to advance our combined commitment to transform smart home energy management.”

Source: Siemens

Hallcon, a North American provider of transportation and infrastructure services, has broken ground on its newest Electric Vehicle Operations Center (EVOC) in Redmond, Washington. The facility will be built in phases to align with client needs, and is scheduled for completion by the end of 2025.

Hallcon offers turnkey EV infrastructure development, including Charging-as-a-Service (CaaS). The company already operates EV Operations Centers in San Jose and Fremont, California. The new charging site will support customers across the region, serving fleet clients with valet-style charging and vehicle staging facilities.

The EVOC spans nearly four acres, and features 60 DC fast charging ports served by over 5 megawatts of power capacity. The facility can charge more than 300 vehicles daily. To ensure uninterrupted operations during emergencies, the site will also feature 1.5 megawatts of backup battery power.

“With our EV Operations Center’s world-class charging capacity and fleet electrification capabilities, we aim to position Redmond and the state of Washington as a hub for sustainable transportation and forward-thinking mobility,” said John R. Stoiber, Hallcon President and CEO.

“Our Economic Development Strategic Plan, which was adopted last year, outlines goals to attract companies that align with our commitment to sustainability,” said Redmond Mayor Angela Birney. “Hallcon is doing impressive work in this area, and we are grateful to see an EV charging facility of this caliber choosing to call Redmond home.”

Source: Hallcon

bp pulse, the EV charging subsidiary of oil giant bp, has opened a new EV charging hub, the company’s largest in the US. Located within two miles of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), the new hub features 48 EV charging bays equipped with a mix of 400 kW and 150 kW DC fast chargers with CCS and NACS connectors. Amenities including a lounge, vending machines, restrooms, and free WiFi will also open to the public “soon.”

The LAX hub is designed to serve ride-hail drivers and rental car customers, as well as local EV drivers. bp pulse has announced plans to build EV charging hubs near airports and other high-demand locations in collaboration with car rental agency Hertz.

“EVs are often the preferred choice for our rideshare drivers, and charging infrastructure like the new bp pulse hub near LAX is essential to supporting their daily operations,” said Doria Holbrook, EVP Mobility at Hertz. “This prime location near the airport combined with ultrafast charging capabilities will help drivers stay powered up and on the road, supporting one of the nation’s busiest transportation hubs.”

The new charging hub was partially funded by a $2-million grant award from the California Energy Commission (CEC). “The LAX hub marks another important milestone in California’s journey to a clean, electric transportation future, providing fast charging infrastructure precisely where it is needed most,” said CEC Chair David Hochschild. “This project serves as a successful model for the kind of the public-private partnerships we need to accelerate our innovation economy, create new jobs and improve air quality.”

Source: bp pulse

Sensata Technologies has launched a High Efficiency Contactor (HEC) designed to simplify the transition from 400 V to 800 V electric vehicle architectures.

The HEC enables seamless compatibility with legacy and next-generation charging infrastructure, according to the company, allowing 800 V EVs to charge at 400 V charging stations without the need for costly boost converter systems.

In addition to standard 400 V/800 V switching, the HEC supports independent access to either of the two 400 V battery packs, enabling functions like battery balancing and limp-home mode. This addresses key challenges in 800 V EVs, such as pack imbalance due to aging or uneven usage and loss of drive capability if one pack fails.

By allowing selective isolation of each pack, the HEC helps extend battery life, improves reliability and reduces the risk of stranding in critical situations.

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The HEC integrates three high-voltage contactor poles into a design featuring mechanically synchronized contacts, providing a safe and highly efficient switching mechanism.

The design removes the risk of short circuits that can occur in traditional battery switching systems with multiple contactors, which may be caused by software errors, welded contacts, or mechanical shocks. Energy loss and heat generation are negligible due to its bi-stable design and ultra-low contact resistance (<50μΩ).

The contactor reduces system component count by over 50%, as no extra cooling or special equipment are required. It can withstand short-circuit events up to 25 kA and mechanical shocks over 90 g.

Engineered for high-performance and safety-critical applications, the HEC supports continuous currents over 1,000 A. Real-time diagnostics are enabled through an integrated ASIL-D compliant position sensor. Beyond battery reconfiguration, the contactor is also compatible with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) systems, megawatt (MW) charging, and the North American Charging Standard (NACS/J3400).

“The launch of the HEC reflects Sensata’s commitment to solving real-world electrification challenges with innovative, efficient solutions,” said Brian Wilkie, EVP, Vehicle Business at Sensata Technologies. “Our HECs power safer, more efficient vehicles with seamless charging, making EVs more practical and accelerating the adoption of next-generation platforms.”

Source: Sensata Technologies