Dear battery enthusiast,
Welcome to Battery Associates’ October Newsletter. We have summarised some of the month’s most relevant battery news, highlighting technology and research development, and updates from Battery Associates.
Battery Newsletter structure:
Battery Industry Highlights
EU Battery Regulations Services
Battery Insiders Podcast
B.A Updates & Events
Battery Industry Highlights
In this section, we have summarised relevant battery news from the past month.
On October 6, the German automaker Volkswagen and the European chemical company Umicore announced their joint venture, IONWAY. IONWAY's primary business is to produce Cathode Active Material (CAM) and Precursor Cathode Active Material (p-CAM) in Nysa, Poland. They will supply these products to PowerCo, a battery manufacturing subsidiary of Volkswagen. IONWAY has announced plans to ramp up production capacity to 160 GWh per year by the end of this decade. This joint venture has also received 300 million Euros in grants from the Polish government under the Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework for a total investment of up to €1.7 billion (€1.35 billion after grants) by the end of the decade.
B.A Commentary: Volkswagen Group announced its subsidiary battery business, PowerCo, in July 2022, revealing plans to establish 240 GWh of battery production capacity by 2030. The company has already unveiled three Gigafactory battery manufacturing facilities – two in Europe (Germany and Spain) and one in the North American region (Canada). To ensure a steady supply of raw materials for their facilities, Volkswagen Group stated plans to collaborate with various upstream players in the market. The joint venture between Volkswagen and Umicore is one such partnership. This plant will provide raw materials for PowerCo's European Gigafactories.
Stellantis and Samsung SDI have announced the establishment of a battery manufacturing joint venture in Kokomo, Indiana, with an investment exceeding $3.2 billion. This facility is projected to have an annual production capacity of 67 gigawatt hours (GWh) and is expected to commence production by 2027.
B.A Commentary: On July 2021, during its EV Day, Stellantis announced plans to establish six Gigafactories worldwide to meet battery demand for its electrification plan. Three joint ventures with ACC in Europe, one with LG Energy Solutions (announced for Ontario, Canada in March 2022 ), and one with Samsung SDI (announced for Indiana, USA in May 2022). Stellantis recently revealed an additional Gigafactory in the USA in partnership with Samsung SDI. In total, Stellantis has so far announced six factories. Upon completion, the overall production capacity is expected to exceed 400 GWh per year.
On October 3, Foxconn signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the French-based solid-state battery manufacturer Blue Solution, a subsidiary of the Bolloré Group, to jointly develop solid-state batteries. Foxconn will utilize Blue Solution's Gen4 technology and materials from SolidEdge Solutions, a subsidiary of Foxconn, for manufacturing solid-state batteries. Foxconn's initial market entry is planned for Indonesia.
B.A Commentary: We have seen announcements made by OEMs regarding their solid-state plans in the EV segment. It is widely considered that solid-state batteries will first be introduced in premium segment cars before being rolled out to lower-budget cars as the price drops. Now, Foxconn has announced its plan to bring solid-state batteries to the two-wheeler market. According to McKinsey’s estimates, the global two-wheeled vehicle market will be worth about $218 billion by 2029, with a CAGR of 8.7%. The global south has a robust and growing two-wheeler market. Foxconn plans to enter the Indonesian market and then expand to other Asian markets.
On October 4, Toyota announced a long-term battery supply agreement with the Korean battery manufacturer LG Energy Solution. According to the agreement, LG Energy Solution (LGES) will supply Toyota with 20 GWh of high Nickel Cobalt Manganese Aluminium (NCMA) cells annually. These cells are planned to be manufactured at LGES's facility in Michigan. LGES also announced an investment of approximately USD 3 billion to establish production lines specifically for Toyota.
B.A Commentary: This battery supply agreement is a single large-volume agreement in addition to its joint venture agreement. As of now, LG Energy Solutions is supplying to the 5 major global automakers. The produced cells in LGES Michigan facility will be sent to Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky to be assembled into battery packs and integrated into Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs).
On October 26, Factorial Energy opened a 200MWh solid-state production facility in Massachusetts, USA, with a total investment of USD 50 million. This facility is considered the first large-volume solid-state production facility in the USA. Factorial Energy has announced its plans to produce automotive-sized battery cells at pre-production speeds and volumes to assess the economics of scale
B.A Commentary: On October 5, Factorial Energy announced the shipment of a sample of its lithium-metal batteries to automotive partners, marking the first global shipment of 100+Ah lithium-metal cells to pass UN 38.3 safety tests. Subsequently, Factorial Energy disclosed the opening of its production facility in Massachusetts, USA. Stellantis has partnerships with automotive manufacturers, including Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai Motor, and Stellantis.
On October 11, LG Chem announced that it had signed an MoU with Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America to supply cathode materials worth USD 2.1 billion dollars. According to the estimate, the supply will be enough to manufacture batteries to power 600,000-700,000 electric vehicles (EV) per year. This deal will expire in 2030.
B.A Commentary: LG Chem has secured its second major deal, aiming to supply cathode materials for electric vehicle (EV) batteries. Following a previous agreement with General Motors for 950,000 tons, LG Chem now seeks to raise its share of cathode material sales to non-affiliated buyers, targeting a 40% market share through additional global contracts.
EU Battery Regulation Services
Visit our updated EU Battery Regulation Briefings website (batteryregulation.eu).You are able to request an expert call and also access our AI-powered tool to understand the passed EU Battery Regulation. For any additional questions, please do not hesitate to reach out via info@batteryregulation.eu.
Website: Link
Battery Insiders Podcast Summary
Battery Associates runs a monthly podcast called Battery Insiders. Battery Insiders covers the role of batteries for sustainable development and battery-relevant topics featuring a range of battery experts and enthusiasts. Our podcast also includes the recordings of the Battery Revolution Clubhouse sessions co-hosted live by Mariam Awara. Battery Insiders is hosted by Bhavya Jha and Dr. Simon Engelke.
Talk on: Closing the loops in the battery value chain on the example of Catena-X automotive network
Speaker: Dr. Maria Fay, Sustainability & AI Director at SAP and Marius Pohl, Business Development Manager at Cofinity-X
Session Summary: Dr. Simon Engelke from Battery Associates hosted Dr. Maria Fay and Marius Pohl who spoke on Closing the loops in the battery value chain on the example of Catena-X automotive network. Listen to the episode here.
Talk on: Trends in Battery Materials and Regulatory Perspectives
Speaker: Shirly Wang head of SMM new energy analyst
Session Summary: The episode delves into the trends in the battery market, focusing on nickel sulfate, cobalt sulfate, and lithium carbonate. Shirley Wang highlights the concerns about the demand for EVs and energy storage systems (ESS) affecting the market dynamics. The podcast episode also engages on the impact of the European Union Battery Regulation, presenting challenges and opportunities for enterprises, including the potential construction of new capacities in Europe or North America. Listen to the conversation here.
Battery Associates Updates & Events
BatteryMBA January Cohort- Apply by 15 December
Battery101
Battery Associates has successfully awarded 1000 scholarships for Battery101, an on-demand entry-level course to a diverse group of students dedicating scholarships to 41.2% females, 55.9% males, and 2.9% with other gender identities. This represents our dedication to fostering diversity, inclusivity, and excellence in the world of energy storage. Check out a heatmap below which highlights the 90+ countries where the scholars are based.
This online and on-demand course is perfect for anyone eager to learn or refresh the basics of battery technology. Purchase and access the course here.
Battery Day 2024 Registrations are now open for Battery Day 2024, which will take place on Thursday, September 26, 2024. Battery Day 2024 will feature panels, deep dive sessions, keynotes and networking breaks to facilitate up-to-date knowledge of different battery technologies, future chemistries, applications, and market insights from leading battery experts. If you are interested in being involved in the event, please contact info@battery.associates.
BatteryMBA January Cohort - Apply by 15 December
BatteryMBA’s tenth cohort kicks off on January 8 - March 30, 2024! BatteryMBA offers a combination of in-depth technical and business knowledge on a range of battery topics aligned with the sector's dynamic growth. BatteryMBA alumni have affiliations with Tesla, Farasis Energy, JLR, Airbus, Hitachi High-Tech Europe, Schlumberger, Bertrandt Group, AMTE Power, University of Birmingham, European Parliament, and many others.
The course consists of an exciting battery case study track (with case studies from leading business schools). Enroll here! If you have any queries, reach out to us via email at info@battery.mba. Need-based scholarships and group discounts are available.
Battery Associates services
Battery Associates offers consultancy, innovation, and education services on a wide range of topics. Please get in touch if you're interested in any of our services!
About Battery Associates
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