Vale has signed a long-term contract with Tesla Inc to supply Class 1 nickel in the United States from its operations in Canada. This agreement is in line with Vale's strategy to increase exposure to the electric vehicle industry.

Silica aerogels are gaining traction as thermal barriers in lithium-ion batteries. This premium article will provide further analysis of the trends and players in this field.

Anglo American unveils a prototype of the world's largest hydrogen-powered mine haul truck designed to operate in everyday mining conditions at its Mogalakwena PGMs mine in South Africa.

ChargedEVs is an online conference featuring various talks and presentations on the electric vehicle (EV) market. They are largely given by companies involved in the supply chain or componentry relating to the EV industry. The event is often a good way to keep up to date with the latest products and developments from these companies, as well as some more general EV charging component and engineering trends. This article covers several presentations relating to the EV charging infrastructure.

The Volkswagen Group and SEAT SA will mobilise 10 billion euros, together with their partners in the Future: Fast Forward project, in the event of a positive resolution of the PERTE VEC. The Gigafactory will have an annual production capacity of 40 GWh, supplying the total volume of cells to Martorell and Pamplona. It will employ more than 3,000 people by 2030 and occupy an area of 200 hectares. Construction of the Gigafactory will begin in the first quarter of 2023, and production will start in 2026.

Clean trucks will be used to clean more cities around Europe, as Volvo Trucks and Bucher Municipal have now entered into a collaboration to electrify sewer cleaner trucks. By the end of 2023, Bucher Municipal expects to deliver up to 80 fully electric sewer cleaner trucks to cities in Europe.

The promise of silicon anodes in providing a step change improvement to Li-ion battery energy density has led to considerable interest from the industry. Around 30 start-ups, or early stage companies, are developing silicon anode technology and approximately US$2 billion of funding has been secured by these companies, with some into their second decade of development. New companies are still being founded, lured by the massive opportunity afforded by the battery and electric vehicle markets, while others are at the early stages of commercialisation. This premium article gives an introduction into some of the key start-ups in the silicon anode space.

Thursday 12 May 2022, presented by IDTechEx Technology Analyst Yulin Wang - Service Robots: Automate People's Lives and Multiple Industries - Who Are the Winners?

Recently, implementing mobile robots in warehouses for automation has been increasingly popular, and the market of logistic mobile robotics attracts millions or even billions of dollars of investments every year, according to IDTechEx's report "Mobile Robotics in Logistics, Warehousing and Delivery 2022-2042". There are some forms of mobile robotic systems that can complete the "goods-to-person" operations in a more flexible, scalable, and efficient way.

Auckland harbour ferries are set to get quieter, cleaner and greener, thanks to two new fully-electric ferries for commuters and sightseers to travel on. Auckland Transport will operate the two electric fast ferries across all major inner and mid-harbour services, and the new ferries will provide a pathway for further ferry electrification in the future.

The Indy Autonomous Challenge racecar, a Dallara AV-21, set a new land speed world record of 192.2 MPH / 309.3 KPH at the historic Kennedy Space Center.

Current Direct is demonstrating a swappable battery solution for powering inland waterway vessels, with one or more lithium-ion batteries installed in a swappable container, or e-house. Project estimates indicate that the use of swappable batteries connected to an energy-as-a-service platform could reduce European water transport emissions by 482 000 metric tonnes of CO2 equivalents each year.

Legacy DC fast charging stations are time- and capital-intensive to install. Battery-integrated fast charging units require no civil work and can operate without a grid connection (in some cases) or only require connection to the medium voltage grid (much like level 2 chargers). This also introduces a new business model — infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) — which caters to grid constraint urban areas where demand for fast charging exists. Portable, mobile charging units are also offering roadside assistance to stranded EVs. This article explores the commercial activity happening in these two segments and outlines some prominent companies and their products.

The general public in Beijing, China, will be able to experience driverless robotaxis for the first time. Two robotaxi operators have been awarded a permit by Beijing city authorities to offer driverless services in southeastern Beijing. To ensure safety during this pilot program, a safety supervisor will sit in the front passenger seat.

LEVC (London Electric Vehicle Company) announces another significant milestone with 5,000 TX taxis sold in London. As the world's most advanced electric taxi, the TX delivers the best possible experience for drivers and passengers, substantial savings for operators and reduced urban emissions for the capital.

AFC Energy is pleased to announce that one of its hydrogen fuel cells is being showcased at Air One - the world's first fully operational Urban-Air Port, situated in Coventry, which opened last week. The hydrogen fuel cell being supplied by the Company is being used to charge Air One's fleet of EV service vehicles.

Torqeedo today announced a collaboration with Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH to integrate hydrogen fuel cell charging into Torqeedo's industry-leading propulsion systems for electric boats. The two companies will work together on an innovative marine hydrogen hybrid building kit integrating Torqeedo's existing Deep Blue battery-electric drive systems and Proton Motor's advanced fuel cell technology.

MOL Group has teamed up with Plug Power Inc to build one of Europe's largest-capacity green hydrogen production facilities at MOL's Danube Refinery in Százhalombatta, Hungary. Green hydrogen will reduce the carbon footprint of the Danube Refinery operation and enable emission-free mobility in the longer term.

After selling more than 100 units in the US and Europe, Candela is now entering the French market thanks to an exclusive partnership with the leading recreational boat reseller Sud Plaisance. Candela C-8 will make its French debut with the aim to change boating for the better on the Côte d'Azur.

This IDTechEx premium article discusses how electric vehicle markets fared in 2021 compared with the past few years, drawing from the latest IDTechEx research. A snapshot of the following markets are given: electric cars, electric buses, electric light commercial vehicles (eLCVs), electric trucks, electric two-wheelers, electric boats and ships, and electric air taxis.