Tesla Inc has begun assembling batteries in Germany but will focus cell production in the U.S. in light of Inflation Reduction Act incentives, the company said, making it one of the first firms to declare a strategy shift prompted by the package…The U.S. electric-vehicle maker is also preparing to produce cell components such as electrodes, some of which will be sent from its site in Gruenheide in the state of Brandenburg, to the United States, Tesla said on Wednesday…"The focus of Tesla's cell production is currently in the United States due to the framework created by the United States Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)," the company said…Tesla rival Stellantis (STLAM.MI) said on Wednesday it was already localising production in the U.S. prior to the IRA, while earlier this month industrial gases firm Air Liquide (AIRP.PA) pledged to take advantage of a historic opportunity to invest in clean energy helped by the IRA, but did not give specific details…Tesla has struggled to ramp up battery cell production in Fremont, California, and Austin, Texas, which experts have attributed to new and unproven techniques the company is having trouble scaling up…Tesla said in late January it would invest over $3.6 billion to expand its Nevada gigafactory complex with two new factories, one to mass produce its long-delayed Semi electric truck and the other to make its new 4680 battery cell.

Toyota Motor Corp will begin producing mid- to large-sized electric sports utility vehicles (SUVs) at its Kentucky plant as early as in summer 2025, aiming for monthly output of more than 10,000 by the year's end, the Nikkei business daily reported on Tuesday…The company aims to sell about 1 million electric vehicles globally by 2026, according to the report.

An ongoing debate within the auto industry about which type of battery to put in electric vehicles is not going in favor of the millions of Americans living in colder climates. Multiple brands are switching from the current standard, nickel cobalt manganese (NCM), to a cheaper, more abundant version, known as lithium iron phosphate (LFP)—primarily on their cheaper vehicles…There are plenty of pros and cons for both chemistries, though a known con of LFP batteries is their range drops faster in cold weather due to lower energy density. However, their lower cost and higher availability are appealing to car companies seeking to reduce vehicle wait times and keep prices down as the cost of NCM materials is at an all-time high…LFP's reduced energy density comes down to the material properties. All EV batteries comprise two main components: an anode and a cathode. Both LFP and NCM typically have the same anode, made of graphite, but different metals in the cathode. NCM uses lithium, cobalt, and manganese, and LFP uses lithium and iron…"NCM has a layered, densely packed crystal structure," Yushin explains. "This enables high lithium storage per unit volume. In contrast, LFP has a much more open, olivine crystal structure, which does not allow lithium storage to be dense."…He also notes that LFP batteries suffer from both lower battery voltage and smaller volumetric capacity, two main reasons for lower LFP energy density…Today, EV shoppers can see a vehicle's EPA-estimated range—i.e. 250 miles—but the EPA and auto industry lack a standard way to convey a range floor with repeated use in cold weather. The need for such a metric increases once LFP batteries become more commonplace. However, the companies already using them have chosen not to disclose battery type to future customers…For example, Rivian's online vehicle configurator makes no mention of LFP or NCM. Instead, buyers can choose a standard range truck (260 miles), which likely runs on an LFP, spend an extra $6,000 for a "large pack" (328 miles), or add $16,000 for a "max pack" (400 miles)…The same goes for Tesla, though Tesla offers a way for vehicle owners to check their battery type after the vehicle is in hand. "Some vehicles are equipped with a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP) Battery," says Tesla's website(Opens in a new window). "To determine if your vehicle is equipped with an LFP battery, navigate to Controls > Software > Additional Vehicle Information."…Ford is also not planning to disclose battery type to customers, even if its LFP announcement suggests customers can choose. "Offering LFP as a second battery chemistry—in addition to nickel cobalt manganese (NCM)—allows Ford customers to choose an electric vehicle with unique battery performance characteristics most aligned with their needs," Ford says(Opens in a new window)…Ford explains the main differences between NCM and LFP batteries, noting NCM is known for better power, range, and cold weather performance…There is another issue with LFP batteries: reduced pickup truck towing power. "For an F-150 Lightning customer [who] often tows or hauls, NCM batteries will be a great fit...because those customers value the power and longer range made possible by NCMs," Ooms says. Once Ford introduces LFP batteries, only the more expensive, extended range pickups will achieve the baseline capabilities customers switching from gas-powered trucks are expecting…LFP batteries are also less recycling-friendly than NCM. "NCM is more expensive only because it uses more expensive raw materials, particularly nickel," Yushin says. "When you recycle NCM, you can get nearly all the valuables, all the metals back, so there is a significant economic value in that. In contrast, iron is very cheap."…This makes it harder for recyclers to turn a profit on reselling the raw materials, so there's little incentive to create a recycling industry for LFP…Both battery types affect different customers for different reasons. But as the EV industry matures to include two distinct chemistries, car companies and the EPA owe consumers more concrete information on the trade-offs and what to expect from their vehicle.

After a hopscotch of price cuts over the past month, Tesla’s Model 3 sedan now sells for US$4,930 less than the average new vehicle sold in the U.S. That’s the cheapest price Tesla has ever had relative to the typical U.S. vehicle, according to a new Bloomberg analysis…Tesla’s first price cuts, on Jan. 12, were steep and sudden, and they continue to reverberate. Ford Motor Co. quickly followed by slashing prices of its electric Mustang Mach-E. Lucid Group Inc. offered Us$7,500 discounts, and Rivian Automotive Inc. announced more layoffs…General Motors Co. is slated to launch electric versions of its Chevrolet Blazer and Equinox SUVs later this year, right in the thick of America’s first EV price war. As Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas put it, “the EV market may be entering the ‘shake-out’ phase.”…At the same time, prices of gasoline-fuelled cars have moved in the opposite direction. The average cost of a new vehicle has risen more than US$10,000 since the start of the pandemic, to US$47,920 in January. This has been driven by a shortage of computer chips, raw material inflation and deliberate decisions by manufacturers to keep inventories low and prices high while they spend heavily on developing electric cars…After two more cuts to Model 3 prices, Tesla’s cheapest vehicle starts at US$42,990. That doesn’t include a US$7,500 U.S. tax credit for electric vehicles that went into effect in January, which for those who qualify would bring the price down to US$35,500 — almost US$12,500 less than the average price paid for a new vehicle in the U.S…For years, auto investors have placed bets on when electric cars would reach price parity with their combustion counterparts. It’s hard to determine exactly when that finish line is reached, as it depends on which types of cars are being compared and whether fuel savings are taken into account. But no matter how one measures it, the Model 3 has clearly crossed the line. The upfront sticker price, without credits or fuel savings, now sits US$800 below the cheapest BMW 3 Series, one of its closest competitors…For an even starker comparison, check out the cost of a three-year lease. The Model 3 now has almost exactly the same monthly payment as an entry-level Toyota Camry LE, when structured with similar lease terms.

Automaker Stellantis on Wednesday reported its earnings grew in 2022 from a year earlier and said its push into electric vehicles led to a jump in sales even as it faces growing competition from an industrywide shift to more climate-friendly offerings…Stellantis plans to convert all of its European sales and half of its U.S. sales to battery-electric vehicles by 2030. It said the strategy led to a 41% increase in battery EV sales in 2022, to 288,000 vehicles, compared with the year earlier…The company has “demonstrated the effectiveness of our electrification strategy in Europe,” CEO Carlos Tavares said in a statement. “We now have the technology, the products, the raw materials and the full battery ecosystem to lead that same transformative journey in North America, starting with our first fully electric Ram vehicles from 2023 and Jeep from 2024.”…The automaker is competing in an increasingly crowded field for a share of the electric vehicle market. Companies are scrambling to roll out environmentally friendly models as they look to hit goals of cutting climate-changing emissions, driven by government pressure…Stellantis' Jeep brand will start selling two fully electric SUVs in North America and another one in Europe over the next two years. It says its Ram brand will roll out an electric pickup truck this year, joining a rush of EV competitors looking to claim a piece of the full-size truck market…The company plans to bring 25 battery-electric models to the U.S. by 2030. As part of that push, it has said it would build two EV battery factories in North America.

Ford, LG Energy Solution and Koc Holding have signed a non-binding agreement to form a joint venture to create one of Europe's biggest electric vehicle battery cell facilities in Turkey, they said on Tuesday.

It’s been 64 years since Bombardier launched its first two-passenger Ski-Doo snowmobile for the masses, ushering in an era of adrenaline-pumping winter motorsports characterized by purring engines and speed. Now, the manufacturer it spawned is pitching something new to those seeking recreational nirvana on the snow: Silence…BRP Inc. will begin shipping out its first electric vehicles, Ski-Doo and Lynx snowmobile models, later this year as part of a wider, multiyear push to offer electric models in all of its product lines by 2026, the company said in a statement late Monday.