The Electric by Steve LeVine — The Information

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The Electric

By Steve LeVine

The Electric is a publication from Steve LeVine and The Information focused on crucial industries for the energy transition, including next-generation batteries, electric vehicles and autonomous driving. The newsletter is only for subscribers of The Information.

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Recent Editions

A Byd showroom in Beijing. The company led all automakers in sales in China in the first half of 2022. Photo by Bloomberg

The Electric: Foreign Automakers Prepare to Challenge Chinese Brands on Their Home Turf

By Steve LeVine · Jul 28, 2022 11:37am PDT

Today's column is from Dalibor Petkovic, a researcher specializing in Chinese industrial policies. Since 2017, he has focused on the Chinese EV market, as well as smart cities, urban logistics and battery recycling management.Chinese makers of electric vehicles are enjoying their best year for domestic sales in three years, as foreign EV... Today's column is from Dalibor Petkovic, a researcher specializing in Chinese industrial...

Goodenough, seated, last Friday at his birthday celebration. Photo: Venkat Viswanathan

The Electric: The Battery Industry Threw a 100th Birthday Party For Its Father

By Steve LeVine · Jul 24, 2022 2:00pm PDT

In 1991, the first portable electronic device hit the market. It was a Sony hand-held video camera, and it was an immediate sensation. The secret behind the camera was a powerful new battery—lithium-ion. Since then, the battery and others like it have revolutionized how we live, enabling devices like the iPhone, laptops, ear buds, and of course... In 1991, the first portable electronic device hit the market. It was a Sony hand-held video...

Starting late next year, Ford will introduce a lithium-ion-phosphate battery with cell-to-pack technology in its flagship electric Mustang Mach E SUV. Photo: Courtesy Ford

The Electric: Ford Tries to Allay Supply Chain Worries, but Some Are Skeptical

By Steve LeVine · Jul 22, 2022 4:00am PDT

Amid an acute shortage of key metals for electric vehicle batteries, Ford wants to show that it has assured its needed supplies. But many of its key deals are a lot less than certain. In a call with analysts and reporters on Thursday, Ford announced a slew of signed and potential supply chain deals—negotiations for nickel from Indonesia, a... Amid an acute shortage of key metals for electric vehicle batteries, Ford wants to show that it...

The Hongguang Mini is one of the world's best selling electric vehicles.

The Electric: China Tweaks Its Incentives for EVs

By Steve LeVine · Jul 21, 2022 5:00am PDT

The Hongguang Mini is one of the world's best selling electric vehicles.

The Electric: China Tweaks Its Incentives for EVs

By Steve LeVine · Jul 21, 2022 5:00am PDT

Today's column is from Dalibor Petkovic, a researcher specializing in Chinese industrial policies. Since 2017, he has focused on the Chinese EV market, as well as smart cities, urban logistics and battery recycling management. China looks like a success story in the global move to electric vehicles. More EVs were sold in China last year... Today's column is from Dalibor Petkovic, a researcher specializing in Chinese industrial...

Much of Indonesia's nickel processing is conducted at Morowali Industrial Park on Sulawesi island. Photo: Dimas Ardian/Bloomberg

The Electric: Playing Unapologetic Hardball, Indonesia Creates a Global Battery Hub

By Steve LeVine · Jul 17, 2022 2:00pm PDT

Welcome back to The Electric! On Thursday: The auto and battery industries have been struck by a stark shortage of lithium and nickel, so how will they make enough lithium-ion batteries to meet anticipated demand for their electric vehicles? One option is a different kind of battery—such as a surprising one containing Prussian blue... Welcome back to The Electric! On Thursday: The auto and battery industries have been struck...

How China Outmaneuvered the West to Control the EV Battery Industry

How China Outmaneuvered the West to Control the EV Battery Industry

By Steve LeVine · Jul 14, 2022 4:00am PDT

Next week: When we speak of batteries, we usually mean lithium-ion powered by nickel- or iron-led cathodes. But the yearslong metals shortage ahead of us means the industry must broaden its outlook beyond the usual metals. That's why I'm excited about the next Live Chat, in which I'll host Colin Wessells, CEO of Stanford spinoff Natron... Next week: When we speak of batteries, we usually mean lithium-ion powered by nickel- or...

Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Drew Baglino, senior vice president for power train, introduce dry battery electrodes on Battery Day in September 2020. Photo: Tesla

The Little-Known U.S. Company Challenging Tesla on Batteries

By Steve LeVine · Jul 10, 2022 2:00pm PDT

Welcome back to The Electric!Save the date: Three centuries ago, Prussian blue was a revolutionary hue for painters. Now it’s the main component of one of the most interesting new batteries. For the next Live Chat, I’m excited to host Colin Wessells, CEO of Stanford spinoff Natron Energy, to discuss the past and future of Prussian blue,... Welcome back to The Electric!Save the date: Three centuries ago, Prussian blue was a...

China wants to increase production of lithium from Qinghai province, shown here. Photo by Qilai Shen/Bloomberg

The Electric: How China Responded to EV Supply-Chain Problems

By Steve LeVine · Jul 7, 2022 11:37am PDT

China wants to increase production of lithium from Qinghai province, shown here. Photo by Qilai Shen/Bloomberg

The Electric: How China Responded to EV Supply-Chain Problems

By Steve LeVine · Jul 7, 2022 11:37am PDT

Today's column is from Dalibor Petkovic, a researcher specializing in Chinese industrial policies. Since 2017, he has focused on the Chinese EV market, as well as smart cities, urban logistics and battery recycling management.Supply chain disruptions over the past two years have prompted big changes in China’s market for electric vehicles and... Today's column is from Dalibor Petkovic, a researcher specializing in Chinese industrial...

The Electric Quarterly: Should the West Subsidize LFP Production?

The Electric Quarterly: Should the West Subsidize LFP Production?

By Steve LeVine · Jul 3, 2022 2:00pm PDT

Save the date: In the battery industry, attention is tightly fixed on nickel, manganese and iron as the basis for batteries, but now a very different material has pushed to the surface: Prussian blue, a material usually associated with famous paintings. To discuss this much-ignored electrode, I'm thrilled to host Colin Wessells, CEO of... Save the date: In the battery industry, attention is tightly fixed on nickel, manganese and iron...

A prototype nine-seat electric jet made by Eviation, an Israeli company. Photo: Courtesy Eviation

The Electric: A Search For a Powerful New Battery To Help Electric Planes Fly

By Steve LeVine · Jun 29, 2022 4:00am PDT

Save the date: For three centuries, Prussian blue has been the hue behind some of the world's most famous paintings, including Gainsborough's The Blue Boy and Picasso's Blue Period works. Now, it's the material in one of the most inventive new batteries. For the next Live Chat With The Electric, I'm excited to welcome Colin Wessells, CEO of... Save the date: For three centuries, Prussian blue has been the hue behind some of the world's...

Byd's cell-to-pack Blade battery, clashing with the typical boxy or cylindrical cell shape. Photo: Kyodo/AP

The Electric: China Engineers a Lead on an Important Battery Technology

By Steve LeVine · Jun 26, 2022 2:00pm PDT

Welcome back to The Electric! For years lithium-iron-phosphate was a has-been battery—once heralded by automakers but then left behind by nickel-based chemistries that delivered greater electric vehicle range. Then Chinese companies figured out how to pack LFP densely into cells, and the iron-based chemistry staged a comeback. This week, we... Welcome back to The Electric! For years lithium-iron-phosphate was a has-been battery—once...

Nio plans to offer a car with solid-state batteries by the end of the year. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Electric: Solid-State Batteries Are All the Rage—Except in China

By Steve LeVine · Jun 24, 2022 5:00am PDT

Nio plans to offer a car with solid-state batteries by the end of the year. Photo by Bloomberg.

The Electric: Solid-State Batteries Are All the Rage—Except in China

By Steve LeVine · Jun 24, 2022 5:00am PDT

Today's column is from Dalibor Petkovic, a freelance researcher specializing in Chinese industrial policies. Since 2017, he has focused on the Chinese EV market, as well as smart cities, urban logistics and battery recycling management.Investors worldwide are pouring billions of dollars into companies such as QuantumScape, Solid Power and... Today's column is from Dalibor Petkovic, a freelance researcher specializing in Chinese...

Buyers of the coming Sony-Honda electric vehicle should have access to Sony's film library, including the James Bond franchise. Photo: Courtesy MGM

The Electric: Inside the Battle Over the EV Dashboard

By Steve LeVine · Jun 19, 2022 2:00pm PDT

Welcome back to The Electric! Automakers and tech companies are at war for who will control the profit from the sale of electric vehicles this decade. The assumption is that paid monthly subscriptions for software delivered over the air to EVs will generate much of the earnings. This week, we interrogate that assumption, and point out that... Welcome back to The Electric! Automakers and tech companies are at war for who will control...

The separator that QuantumScape claims prevents dendrites. Photo: QuantumScape

The Electric: An Executive Departure Rocks a Highly Touted Battery Maker

By Steve LeVine · Jun 14, 2022 3:37pm PDT

For almost two years, QuantumScape, a prominent U.S. next-generation battery company, has counseled investors to be patient while it builds factories to manufacture lithium-metal batteries that would increase electric vehicle range by up to 50%. By 2024 or 2025, it said, its batteries will be ready to power electric automobiles made by... For almost two years, QuantumScape, a prominent U.S. next-generation battery company, has...

The Mercedes-Benz electric EQS. Photo: Bernd Wei'brod/picture-alliance/dpa/AP

Mercedes and the Knife Fight That’s Coming to the Luxury EV Market

By Steve LeVine · Jun 12, 2022 2:00pm PDT

Welcome back to The Electric!After a pioneer blazes a trail, copycats follow, hoping to reap the same riches. So it is in the nascent electric vehicles industry, which is crowded with ultra-luxury models hoping to replicate Tesla's success with the expensive Roadster. But one automaker's foray into the top end is not imitation, because it can... Welcome back to The Electric!After a pioneer blazes a trail, copycats follow, hoping to reap the...

Rendering of the battery inside the chassis of Leapmotor's C01. Courtesy of Leapmotor.

The Electric: Chinese EV Makers Move to Pack More Batteries Into a Car

By Steve LeVine · Jun 7, 2022 5:30am PDT

Rendering of the battery inside the chassis of Leapmotor's C01. Courtesy of Leapmotor.

The Electric: Chinese EV Makers Move to Pack More Batteries Into a Car

By Steve LeVine · Jun 7, 2022 5:30am PDT

Today's column is from Dalibor Petkovic, a freelance researcher specializing in Chinese industrial policies. Since 2017, he has focused on the Chinese EV market, as well as smart cities, urban logistics and battery recycling management.Makers of batteries for electric vehicles have made tremendous strides in the past decade by adjusting battery... Today's column is from Dalibor Petkovic, a freelance researcher specializing in Chinese...

Massive volumes of lithium are found amid the salt of Calama, Chile, but a huge shortfall of the metal is still forecast for the 2020s. Photo: Cristobal Olivares/Bloomberg

The Electric: The World of EVs and Batteries Is in Chaos. So Why Are These Analysts So Darn Optimistic?

By Steve LeVine · Jun 5, 2022 2:00pm PDT

Welcome back to The Electric! For a year, the electric vehicle and battery industries have faced a growing list of troubles, especially over snags in their respective supply chains. But through the industries' ups and downs, one voice has remained bullish—that of BloombergNEF, the renewable energy research firm. This week, we explore ... Welcome back to The Electric! For a year, the electric vehicle and battery industries have...

The Lilium Jet. Photo: Courtesy Lilium Air Mobility

The Electric: A Troubled Air Taxi Company Attempts to Answer Its Critics

By Steve LeVine · Jun 3, 2022 4:00am PDT

On Sunday, we discussed the race to commercialize air taxis, and the challenges that make it likely that the industry will be smaller than a lot of the companies suggest. One particularly challenged company is Germany’s Lilium Air Mobility, which has been plagued by doubts over whether the unusual design of its electric air taxi makes the... On Sunday, we discussed the race to commercialize air taxis, and the challenges that make it...

The Byd Seal, part of its Ocean line of EVs.

The Electric: How Byd Became the Best-Selling Carmaker in China

By Steve LeVine · May 31, 2022 5:30am PDT

Today's column is from Dalibor Petkovic, a freelance researcher specializing in Chinese industrial policies. Since 2017, he has focused on the Chinese EV market, as well as smart cities, urban logistics and battery recycling management.Chinese automaker Byd in April became the first homegrown brand in 36 years to lead the nation in sales,... Today's column is from Dalibor Petkovic, a freelance researcher specializing in Chinese...

The Archer Maker eVTOL. Photo: Courtesy Archer

The Electric: Electric Air Taxis Are Coming, but Not How Backers Envision Them

By Steve LeVine · May 29, 2022 2:00pm PDT

The Archer Maker eVTOL. Photo: Courtesy Archer

The Electric: Electric Air Taxis Are Coming, but Not How Backers Envision Them

By Steve LeVine · May 29, 2022 2:00pm PDT

Welcome back to The Electric!On Thursday: The most-consulted compendium of data on batteries and electric vehicles is the annual BloombergNEF New Energy Outlook. This week, BNEF will release its 2022 industry forecast. Right afterward, we will discuss it with Colin McKerracher, BNEF’s head of auto and transport analysis, who leads the analytical... Welcome back to The Electric!On Thursday: The most-consulted compendium of data on batteries and...