Electric Vehicles

Canadian startup Capsolar claims its flexible solar modules can be adapted to any type of low-speed electric vehicle with no extra modification and custom work. The panels have an efficiency of 21.3%.

In the US, Volkswagen partners with Tesla cofounder’s company Redwood Materials to recycle EV batteries; in Germany, Volkswagen launches renewables-powered fast-charging EV park with second-life batteries; and Polestar, Mercedes and BMW release fresh sales figures.

Volkswagen has started constructing its first battery cell factory in Germany, while Northvolt has raised $1.1 billion for a new battery gigafactory. Mercedes-Benz, meanwhile, has agreed to send second-life batteries to Canada for use in stationary storage applications.

With a strong focus on solar and battery energy storage and their role in decarbonization right throughout the European continent and economy, this year’s pv magazine Roundtables Europe focused on how green electrons, jobs, and manufacturing can deliver a cleaner, freer future for Europe. The first five sessions are now available to view on demand.

In other news, Mercedes-Benz ramps up investment in assembly plants for EVs and on-site solar, LG moves into the EV charging business, the newly elected Australian government launches EV incentives, and Electrify America attracts investments from Siemens and Volkswagen.

India’s Sanvaru is expanding its lithium battery production capacity to 400 MWh per year by setting up a new factory in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Its devices are used for stationary and EV storage.

In other news, Stellantis demonstrates wireless charging tech that transfers energy from road infrastructure to EVs, Toyota defies shareholder pressure to step up electrification efforts, and Volkswagen threatens to dethrone Tesla on EV sales by 2024.

A couple of weeks ago, Goldman Sachs sent shockwaves through battery metals markets, issuing a prediction that cobalt and lithium in particular were due for a sharp price decline in the next two years. But London-based Benchmark Mineral Intelligence is loudly pushing back, outlining its reasons why it believes the call on lithium was wrong. Meanwhile, US analyst Wood Mackenzie says that the battery raw material chain will remain tight, but notes that recycling could help to ease the supply deficit.

German VIPV specialist Sono Motors has signed an agreement with French refrigerated vehicle supplier Chereau to develop refrigerated vehicles powered by an integrated solar array. The two companies will build and test a prototype vehicle, and begin to evaluate mass production. Sono estimates that the concept could save around 3,400 liters of fuel and avoid 9 tonnes of CO2 emissions per vehicle, per year.

Enovix has shown that its US-made silicon anode lithium-ion batteries can charge from 0% to 80% in just five minutes.