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

Johnson Matthew's eLNO business is up for sale. Photo: Courtesy Johnson Matthey

The Electric Flash Analysis: Amid the Nickel Crisis, EV Makers Inexplicably Ignored the Only Non-Nickel Battery Plant in the West

By Steve LeVine · Mar 9, 2022 1:48pm PST

Last fall, Johnson Matthey, a U.K. chemical company, said it was selling its Canadian lithium-iron-phosphate cathode plant, the only one of its kind in the U.S. or Europe. The divestment seemed propitious: Tesla and several major Western electric vehicle makers had already announced a massive shift to cheap iron-based batteries (known as LFP),... Last fall, Johnson Matthey, a U.K. chemical company, said it was selling its Canadian...

Photo: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg

Why EV Battery Makers Need to Start Using Machine Learning

By Steve LeVine · Mar 6, 2022 2:00pm PST

Welcome back to The Electric! At a time of fast transformation of the transportation system, the lithium-ion battery industry is still largely mired in decades-old ways of invention and development. This week, we look at companies that are using “small data” to create artificial intelligence algorithms and accelerate battery development.In... Welcome back to The Electric! At a time of fast transformation of the transportation system,...

Tesla CEO Elon Musk and deputy Drew Baglino on Battery Day in September 2020. Photo: Screenshot

Three EV Battery ‘Reinvention’ Startups That Tesla’s Rivals Should Buy or Mimic

By Steve LeVine · Feb 27, 2022 2:00pm PST

Welcome back to The Electric!This week we look at attempts by a small number of U.S. and Canadian companies to leapfrog China’s hold on the battery manufacturing industry—by reinventing how batteries are made.Aaron Bent, CEO of 6K, a battery materials manufacturer, says his company has vastly compressed the laborious two to three days of work... Welcome back to The Electric!This week we look at attempts by a small number of U.S. and Canadian...

In the 1910s and 1920s, the Ford Model T cracked open the automobile market for the masses. Photo: Courtesy William Creswell/Creative Commons

Tesla and Its Rivals Don’t Want to Make Cheap EVs. That Choice Will Come Back to Haunt Them

By Steve LeVine · Feb 20, 2022 2:00pm PST

In the 1910s and 1920s, the Ford Model T cracked open the automobile market for the masses. Photo: Courtesy William Creswell/Creative Commons

Tesla and Its Rivals Don’t Want to Make Cheap EVs. That Choice Will Come Back to Haunt Them

By Steve LeVine · Feb 20, 2022 2:00pm PST

Welcome back to The Electric!Be sure to register for the live chat at noon on Thursday: “The Straight Dope on the New Oil—Lithium.” My guest will be Joe Lowry, CEO of Global Lithium and one of the world’s foremost experts on the metal. Is there a shortage of lithium? Joe says the answer is yes—and that it will last through the decade. Tune... Welcome back to The Electric!Be sure to register for the live chat at noon on Thursday: “The...

At a Hero Electric charging station in New Delhi. Photo: Anindito Mukherjee/Bloomberg

The $50 Billion Electric Van Bonanza That Western Automakers Are Ignoring

By Steve LeVine · Feb 13, 2022 2:00pm PST

Welcome back to The Electric!We have two big live chats scheduled: At noon ET on Feb. 17, I’m delighted to welcome Dan Blondal, CEO of Nano One Materials, for a pop-up chat, “Reinventing the Battery Supply Chain,” on how the U.S. and Europe can leapfrog China and its lock on the refining of battery metals and manufacture of electrodes. Register... Welcome back to The Electric!We have two big live chats scheduled: At noon ET on Feb. 17, I’m...

Jagdeep Singh, CEO of QuantumScape. Photo: Courtesy QuantumScape

QuantumScape’s Fast-Charging Claims Have Sparked a Backlash

By Steve LeVine · Feb 6, 2022 2:00pm PST

Welcome back to The Electric! Save the date: As it has done for decades with oil and OPEC, the world is relying on a single point of supply for its future electric vehicle batteries—China. But how can the U.S. and Europe catch up and establish their own, competitive battery metals supply chain? One answer: by reinventing how battery metals... Welcome back to The Electric! Save the date: As it has done for decades with oil and OPEC,...

Left to right, Redwood Materials' JB Straubel, Northvolt's Paolo Cerruti and Peter Carlsson, American Battery's Ryan Melsert, and QuantumScape's Celina Mikolajczak. Photos: Bloomberg, Northvolt, ABTC, QuantumScape. Art by Mike Sullivan.

Meet the 12 Tesla Diaspora Members Building Battery Supply Chains That Carmakers Won’t

By Steve LeVine · Jan 30, 2022 2:00pm PST

Welcome back to The Electric! For months, I’ve been discussing the shortage and price spike in battery metals, and how it puts the U.S. and Europe at a sharp competitive disadvantage to China. But I have not mentioned a particular group of companies that’s attempting to tackle this problem. Today I profile these three companies and the... Welcome back to The Electric! For months, I’ve been discussing the shortage and price spike...

VW is aiming the ID.4 at mainstream consumers. Photo: Liesa Johannssen-Koppitz/Bloomberg

What GM, Ford and VW Need to Do to Avoid Selling EVs At a Loss

By Steve LeVine · Jan 23, 2022 2:00pm PST

VW is aiming the ID.4 at mainstream consumers. Photo: Liesa Johannssen-Koppitz/Bloomberg

What GM, Ford and VW Need to Do to Avoid Selling EVs At a Loss

By Steve LeVine · Jan 23, 2022 2:00pm PST

Welcome back to The Electric! The spiking cost of battery metals is wreaking havoc on the expected economics of early electric vehicles. This week, we look at some of the strategies the automakers will have to undertake to avoid huge losses on their sales. Major automakers seem prepared to proceed on schedule with the collective launch... Welcome back to The Electric! The spiking cost of battery metals is wreaking havoc on the...

Syrah gets its graphite from Balama, Mozambique. Photo: Courtesy Syrah

A rare, little-noticed bright spot of nimble producers of graphite—the most prominent ingredient in EV batteries—has bubbled up in the U.S. and Europe.

By Steve LeVine · Jan 16, 2022 2:00pm PST

Welcome back to The Electric! This Friday: Who is the Most Aggressive EV Company Not Named Tesla? It’s Volkswagen. For the next Live Chat, I’m excited to welcome Thomas Schmall, VW’s head of technology and member of the company’s board of management. Friday at 10:30 a.m. ET. Register here to get your link. For weeks we’ve been... Welcome back to The Electric! This Friday: Who is the Most Aggressive EV Company Not Named...

Exploration drilling at the Tamarack nickel deposit. Photo: Courtesy Talon Metals

The Electric Flash Analysis: Tesla Strikes First U.S. Nickel Deal, Increasing Its Battery Lead Over Ford, GM

By Steve LeVine · Jan 10, 2022 6:17pm PST

In one of the first deals to break China’s almost total grip on the global supply of battery metals, Tesla on Monday agreed to buy enough nickel from a Minnesota mine to equip about 1 million electric vehicles—roughly the same number of EVs it delivered to customers last year. The mine will also become one of the first U.S.-based sources of EV... In one of the first deals to break China’s almost total grip on the global supply of battery...

Li-Cycle's recycling plant in Kingston, Canada. Photo: Christinne Muschi/Bloomberg

Tesla’s Scrap Hell Helps Explain Battery-Recycling Deals by Ford and GM

By Steve LeVine · Jan 9, 2022 2:00pm PST

Welcome back to The Electric! Save the date and register: One establishment automaker stands out in its determination to compete with runaway industry leader Tesla. It's Volkswagen. In that spirit, I'm excited to welcome VW's Thomas Schmall, chief of technology for the company as a member of its Board of Management, as my guest for the next... Welcome back to The Electric! Save the date and register: One establishment automaker stands...

Polestar's first model, the Polestar 1, released in 2018. Photo: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg

How Chinese EV and Battery Makers Will Break Into the U.S.

By Steve LeVine · Jan 2, 2022 2:00pm PST

Polestar's first model, the Polestar 1, released in 2018. Photo: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg

How Chinese EV and Battery Makers Will Break Into the U.S.

By Steve LeVine · Jan 2, 2022 2:00pm PST

Happy 2022 and welcome back to The Electric! In response to the end-year reader survey, we will be adding features to your subscription as the year unfolds. One of them will be The Electric Quarterly, a four-times-a-year special edition making sense of the quarter and year to date, and looking forward to what comes next. Stay tuned for... Happy 2022 and welcome back to The Electric! In response to the end-year reader survey, we...

Salt mounds in the mining operations of Chile's lithium-rich Atacama Desert. Photo: Cristobal Olivares/Bloomberg

“Go F—ing Solve It Yourself”: Four EV Battery Startups Worth Watching

By Steve LeVine · Dec 19, 2021 2:00pm PST

Welcome back to The Electric!This is the last issue of 2021. Thanks so much for joining the beta, and for the many suggestions for improving The Electric. I'd be grateful if you don't mind taking a moment to complete this very brief survey so we can get even better. Finally, do tell your friends and colleagues about The Electric! Have a... Welcome back to The Electric!This is the last issue of 2021. Thanks so much for joining the beta,...

Photo: Courtesy QuantumScape

QuantumScape Claims Another Breakthrough For Lithium Metal Batteries

By Steve LeVine · Dec 17, 2021 4:25am PST

QuantumScape, a next-generation battery company backed by Volkswagen, is years away from a fully scaled-up product and achieving any revenue. But it has attracted persistent industry and investor attention with a drumbeat of claimed breakthroughs to fundamental battery problems that have long stumped everyone else. The latest was last week,... QuantumScape, a next-generation battery company backed by Volkswagen, is years away from a fully...

Rivian's IPO in November was one of the biggest of the year in any category. Photo: Bing Guan/Bloomberg

Good Bet or High Risk? The Electric’s Prognosis For 16 EV and Battery Stocks

By Steve LeVine · Dec 12, 2021 2:00pm PST

Welcome back to The Electric! The last year and a half has been a maelstrom in the automotive industry as the Tesla juggernaut finally persuaded mainstream carmakers that they had to go electric, igniting a boom of electric vehicle and battery startups. Today, I assess 16 companies that went public during this period. Over the last 18... Welcome back to The Electric! The last year and a half has been a maelstrom in the...

The Monroney sticker

Why a Car Window Sticker is America’s Best Weapon Against Chinese Battery Domination

By Steve LeVine · Dec 5, 2021 2:00pm PST

The Monroney sticker

Why a Car Window Sticker is America’s Best Weapon Against Chinese Battery Domination

By Steve LeVine · Dec 5, 2021 2:00pm PST

Welcome back to The Electric! Non-Chinese electric vehicle makers are putting themselves at risk of a repeat of the semiconductor crisis: For at least the 2020s, they will be largely reliant on a single source of supply for lithium-ion battery materials—China. Today I examine a proposed strategy to address this vulnerability to a future... Welcome back to The Electric! Non-Chinese electric vehicle makers are putting themselves at...

Cathode powder. Photo: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg

The Electric Flash Analysis: The Truth About GM’s New Battery Cathode Factory—It Will Rely on China

By Steve LeVine · Dec 2, 2021 5:27am PST

General Motors on Wednesday framed its plan to build a North American plant to process battery metals for electric vehicles as a giant step toward supply chain independence. “We need to control our own destiny, especially when it comes to battery production. That’s why we’re pursuing a North America-focused vertical integration... General Motors on Wednesday framed its plan to build a North American plant to process battery...

Nickel and copper ore. Photo: Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg

The Electric Flash Analysis: As EV Battery-Metal Prices Rise, Automakers Must Decide: Eat Cost or Charge More?

By Steve LeVine · Dec 1, 2021 9:14am PST

A massive increase in the price of metals for lithium-ion batteries is jeopardizing the economics of future electric vehicles just as established combustion automakers get ready to launch dozens of new models to catch up to Tesla. A massive increase in the price of metals for lithium-ion batteries is jeopardizing the economics...

Photo: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg

The 7 Things That Changed the Game for EVs and Batteries in 2021

By Steve LeVine · Nov 28, 2021 2:00pm PST

Welcome back to The Electric!The next Live Chat is this Tuesday at noon E.T.: Will the U.S. Control Its Own Battery Fate? At the cusp of the new age of batteries and electric vehicles, China starts with a potent strategic advantage—possession of some 80% of the global battery metals supply chain. For the entirety of the 2020s, it will... Welcome back to The Electric!The next Live Chat is this Tuesday at noon E.T.: Will the U.S....

At COP26, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson with Envision Virgin Racing's Formula 1 race car containing Johnson Matthey's eLNO battery. Photo: Courtesy Envision Racing

The Demise of Johnson Matthey’s Battery Business Doesn’t Worry the Industry. It Should.

By Steve LeVine · Nov 21, 2021 2:00pm PST

At COP26, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson with Envision Virgin Racing's Formula 1 race car containing Johnson Matthey's eLNO battery. Photo: Courtesy Envision Racing

The Demise of Johnson Matthey’s Battery Business Doesn’t Worry the Industry. It Should.

By Steve LeVine · Nov 21, 2021 2:00pm PST

Welcome back to The Electric!Save the Date for the next Live Chat: Will the U.S. Control Its Own Battery Fate? At the cusp of the new age of batteries and electric vehicles, China starts with a potent strategic advantage—possession of some 80% of the global battery metals supply chain. For the entirety of the 2020s, it will supply most of these... Welcome back to The Electric!Save the Date for the next Live Chat: Will the U.S. Control Its Own...