The UK government has unveiled its first battery strategy. The roadmap should improve domestic electric vehicle supply chains and reduce reliance on Chinese industries for securing and processing critical raw materials, manufacturing batteries, and recycling batteries on scale…The battery strategy is embedded in the £4.5 billion investment program for key manufacturing industries unveiled a few days ago, of which £2 billion is earmarked for the automotive and battery industries…The UK government intends to attract investment and collaboration and counter the industrial support that other governments, and most significantly, the Chinese government, are investing in their battery industries. “The strategy focuses on international cooperation and market access for critical minerals and aims to create an environment that welcomes foreign investment while carefully considering the impact on national security,” the strategy statement says…Like the rest of continental Europe and most places in the world outside of China, the supply of critical raw materials for batteries is in urgent need of attention. The UK will turn to its traditional trade partners here, with the USA, “such as the ‘Atlantic Declaration for a Twenty-First Century US-UK Economic Partnership,’ which committed to cooperation on diverse, resilient, and secure critical mineral and battery supply chains, including negotiations on a Critical Minerals Agreement,” – noting here that critical raw materials are still in negotiation…The UK benefits from historical connections with Australia, the world’s largest supplier of raw lithium, although 50-60% of all lithium – including Australian lithium – is still processed in China. Australia also has significant deposits of nickel and cobalt…Otherwise, besides the existing agreements with Australia and the impending negotiations with the USA, the UK Government has signed agreements on critical minerals with Canada, Japan, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Zambia…Recycling and the reuse of batteries is acknowledged in several parts of the strategy, including a section regarding the circular economy…Batteries are not only important for industries serving domestic and commercial products and services, but also military services and products – one of the UKs main industries. The report notes that “Batteries are also important to the UK’s national security and underpin the UK’s ability to develop innovative defence capabilities – including communication systems, fighter jets and nuclear submarines.”…Besides countering China’s dominance in all aspects of the industries around the battery life cycle, the UK strategy is also a counter to similar strategies of its historic trading partners, stating that “international competition is significant, particularly following the introduction of the US’s Inflation Reduction Act and the EU’s Green Deal Industrial Plan.”

Honda Motor Co. will invest ¥500 billion ($3.4 billion) in its electric motorcycle business by 2030 and has raised its target for their annual sales to 4 million units for that year, up from a previous goal of 3.5 million…The company plans to introduce 30 new electric motorcycle models worldwide by 2030 and will start operating dedicated electric motorcycle plants globally from around 2027, it said in a statement Wednesday…“We aim to sell electric motorbikes at the same price as ICE models,” Daiki Mihara, head of Honda’s motorcycle electrification development division, said during an online press briefing, referring to internal combustion engines…“Having a variety of batteries, each with different strengths in terms of output range and cost, will enable Honda to accommodate a wider range of use applications and expand the range of product variations,” the Japanese company said in the statement. In the mid- to long-term, Honda will explore batteries with high energy density, with an eye toward using all-solid-state batteries that are under development.

Toyota is selling a part of its stake in components maker Denso to raise cash for its drive toward electric vehicles and other innovations, Japan's top automaker said Wednesday…The move is estimated to raise about 290 billion yen ($2 billion), given recent share prices. The number of shares Toyota Motor Corp. plans to sell total more than 124 million shares, lowering its stake in Denso Corp. from 24.2% to 20%, while remaining the top stakeholder…Toyota said the money will also go into developing smart-driving technology and a wide range of other initiatives ongoing in the industry…All the world’s major automakers are working on strengthening their lineup of electric vehicle and other green cars, as concerns grow about climate change. That requires a great deal of investment…Toyota officials have acknowledged they have fallen behind in the industry shift toward electric vehicles, and they have been aggressively playing catch-up…Toyota, which makes the Camry sedan, Lexus luxury models and the Prius hybrid, leads the world in hybrids, which switch back and forth between a gas engine and electric motor to deliver a fuel-efficient drive. It also has a strong lineup in fuel cells, which run on hydrogen and are zero-emission.

A group of US auto dealers is calling on the Biden administration to pull back on federal regulations that will mandate that two out of every three vehicles sold in the US in 2032 will be battery electric. Calling themselves EV Voice of the Customer, a group of almost 3,900 dealerships signed a letter to President Joe Biden released Tuesday that said most US car buyers are not now interested in buying battery electric vehicles — even with government incentives — and the US should not force them to do so…The dealers said customers cited the high cost of EVs, no garages equipped for home charging, the time it takes to charge and loss of driving range in cold or hot weather. Truck owners also pointed to a dramatic loss of range when towing…In July, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed a fleetwide average mandate of about 58 miles (93 kilometers) per gallon by 2032. According to the most recent data from the Environmental Protection Agency, carmakers achieved a record 25.4 mpg in model year 2021. Automakers have said the stricter fuel economy standards “exceeds maximum feasibility” and will cost manufacturers $14 billion dollars in fines…At the same time, the EPA has proposed caps on carbon dioxide emissions at 82 grams per mile in model year 2032…Both proposals are part of the Biden administration’s effort to cut emissions and accelerate the country’s transition to EVs. As part of its environmental goals, the Biden administration aims to decarbonize transportation as part of its target of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050…A White House spokesperson responded to the auto dealers’ letter by saying the EPA’s proposed standards are not a mandate since “they do not force anyone to manufacture, sell or buy EVs” and they do not ban gas-powered vehicles. Instead, the spokesperson said, manufacturers can meet the performance-based targets “in ways that make the most sense for them.”…“More Americans are buying EVs every day — with EV sales rising faster than traditional gas-powered cars — as the President’s Inflation Reduction Act makes EVs more affordable and helps Americans save money when driving,” the White House spokesperson said.