Every Monday and Thursday

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.

By providing your email, you agree to The Information’s Privacy Policy

Recent Editions

SES AI CEO Qichao Hu. Photo: Courtesy SES AI
The Electric

Exclusive From The Electric: After a Topsy-Turvy Year, SES AI Surprises With a Silicon-Based Battery

By Steve LeVine · Jan 6, 2025 4:30am PST
Last year was tough for Western makers of electric vehicles and batteries. Industry leader Tesla sold fewer cars than in 2023. Upstart battery makers declared bankruptcy and shifted their attention to solar panels or smartphones. Last year was tough for Western makers of electric vehicles and batteries. Industry leader Tesla...
Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty
The Electric

The Electric: Tesla Struggled to Sell Cars in 2024, and That May Continue in 2025

By Steve LeVine · Jan 2, 2025 4:30am PST · 4 comments
Two of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s big bets in 2024 paid off in spades: Investors pushed up Tesla shares 63% on Musk’s claim that the company was no longer a mere carmaker, but a developer of artificial intelligence applications like driverless cars and humanoid robots. And, on the back of some $250 million in campaign donations, Musk became the most... Two of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s big bets in 2024 paid off in spades: Investors pushed up Tesla...
Photo: Getty
The Electric

The Electric: While Musk Rides High With Trump, His Empire Faces a Multifront Challenge

By Steve LeVine · Dec 16, 2024 4:30am PST
Tesla is always out to sell cars, but this month it’s really out to sell cars: In both the U.S. and China, customers can take a five-year, Tesla-financed loan on one of its electric vehicles at 0% interest. They can get three months of free charging at its Supercharger stations and three months of free use of its autonomous driving software, not... Tesla is always out to sell cars, but this month it’s really out to sell cars: In both the U.S....
Photo by Gary Hershorn via Getty
The Electric: Low-Cost Batteries Have Made Some EVs as Cheap as Gas Cars
By Steve LeVine · Dec 12, 2024 4:30am PST
Photo by Gary Hershorn via Getty
The Electric

The Electric: Low-Cost Batteries Have Made Some EVs as Cheap as Gas Cars

By Steve LeVine · Dec 12, 2024 4:30am PST
The price of lithium-ion batteries fell below a long-sought threshold this year—but prices need to fall still further to make most electric vehicles competitive with similar gas-powered cars, according to BloombergNEF, a renewable energy research firm.BNEF said in its annual price survey that the average global price for EV battery packs fell... The price of lithium-ion batteries fell below a long-sought threshold this year—but prices need...
Group14's coming silicon anode production plant in Moses Lake, Wash. Photo: Courtesy Group14
The Electric

The Electric: AI Mania Provides Welcome Demand for Struggling Next-Gen EV Battery Developers

By Steve LeVine · Dec 9, 2024 4:30am PST
The slowdown in sales of electric vehicles has led to smaller and postponed orders for next-generation batteries. But some next-gen battery makers are eyeing a lifeline from an unexpected source: artificial intelligence. The slowdown in sales of electric vehicles has led to smaller and postponed orders for...
The Electric Newsletter
An exclusive publication covering the nascent battery and electric vehicle revolutions.
By providing your email, you agree to The Information’s Privacy Policy
The 2024 Chevrolet Blazer, displayed in March at the New York International Auto Show. Photo: Bing Guan/Bloomberg/Getty
The Electric

The Electric: U.S. Auto and Battery Makers Are Poised to Fight Trump’s Anti-EV Plans

By Steve LeVine · Dec 5, 2024 4:30am PST
U.S. auto and battery makers are challenging President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to eliminate or curtail federal subsidies on electric vehicles and battery materials. If Trump proceeds with his plans, they say, he would cost consumers thousands of dollars per vehicle and hurt their efforts to compete with Chinese rivals. U.S. auto and battery makers are challenging President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to eliminate or...
Byd introduces its electric Shark pickup in Mexico City in May. Photo: Photo: Mariceu Erthal/Bloomberg/Getty
The Electric

The Electric: How Trump Set the Stage for a Grand EV Bargain With China

By Steve LeVine · Dec 2, 2024 4:30am PST
Last March, President-elect Donald Trump, addressing a campaign rally in Dayton, Ohio, dove into a recurring theme: Chinese automakers were planning to build plants in Mexico and export their electric cars into the U.S. tariff free, exploiting a loophole in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade treaty. Trump said that if elected, he would stop them... Last March, President-elect Donald Trump, addressing a campaign rally in Dayton, Ohio, dove into...
Northvolt CEO Peter Carlsson announces his resignation last week. Photo: Getty
The Electric: Northvolt’s Blunt Message to Fellow Battery Startups—Don’t Expect a Bailout
By Steve LeVine · Nov 25, 2024 4:30am PST · 2 comments
Northvolt CEO Peter Carlsson announces his resignation last week. Photo: Getty
The Electric

The Electric: Northvolt’s Blunt Message to Fellow Battery Startups—Don’t Expect a Bailout

By Steve LeVine · Nov 25, 2024 4:30am PST · 2 comments
Around a year ago, Swedish batterymaker Northvolt was feted in Europe and North America as the West’s answer to China’s dominance of lithium-ion battery production. The Quebec and Canadian governments committed $1.9 billion in subsidies toward a Northvolt battery plant near Montreal, and the EU provided a $5 billion loan toward a Northvolt... Around a year ago, Swedish batterymaker Northvolt was feted in Europe and North America as the...
Photo: Getty
The Electric

The Electric: Does Tesla Really Stand to Prosper From the Trump Presidency?

By Steve LeVine · Nov 21, 2024 4:30am PST · 4 comments
Since Donald Trump won reelection as president, many investors have assumed that the chief beneficiaries would include businesses run by Elon Musk, his biggest financial backer and recently his frequent companion. Investors have pushed up the share price of Musk’s one listed business—Tesla—36% since the Nov. 5 election. Since Donald Trump won reelection as president, many investors have assumed that the chief...
Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson. Photo: Andrey Rudakov/Getty
The Electric

The Electric: Lucid, Rivian Cut Licensing Deals to Save Themselves—and Struggling Rivals

By Steve LeVine · Nov 18, 2024 4:30am PST
Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson is hoping to license the technology behind the electric vehicles he is developing as an additional source of revenue beyond the sale of the company’s premium EVs.In interviews I conducted with Rawlinson for a Big Read profile, he said Lucid was developing a drivetrain to power a mainstream $25,000 EV. But he said... Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson is hoping to license the technology behind the electric vehicles...
The Electric Newsletter
An exclusive publication covering the nascent battery and electric vehicle revolutions.
By providing your email, you agree to The Information’s Privacy Policy
Novonix's new graphite factory in Chattanooga, Tenn. Photo: Courtesy Novonix.
The Electric

The Electric: A Stellantis Contract With a Startup Shows Rare Confidence in EVs

By Steve LeVine · Nov 14, 2024 4:30am PST
In a rare sign of confidence in the future of electric vehicles under President-elect Donald Trump, Stellantis has agreed to buy a six-year supply of battery-grade graphite from a new Chattanooga, Tenn., plant, enough to make roughly 300,000 EVs. In a rare sign of confidence in the future of electric vehicles under President-elect Donald...
Trump in Detroit. Photo: Getty
The Electric: Trump Invited China’s EV Makers to Build in the U.S. Will He Follow Through?
By Steve LeVine · Nov 11, 2024 4:30am PST · 2 comments
Trump in Detroit. Photo: Getty
The Electric

The Electric: Trump Invited China’s EV Makers to Build in the U.S. Will He Follow Through?

By Steve LeVine · Nov 11, 2024 4:30am PST · 2 comments
Campaigning for a second term as president, Donald Trump vowed repeatedly to kill laws and regulations promoted by President Joe Biden to build a U.S. electric vehicle and battery industry. Campaigning for a second term as president, Donald Trump vowed repeatedly to kill laws and...
Former President Donald Trump with Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Photo by The Washington Post via Getty
The Electric

The Electric: Elon Musk May Be an Ace in China’s Pocket in Its Dealings With Trump

By Steve LeVine · Nov 7, 2024 5:15am PST
Donald Trump’s election could put Tesla CEO Elon Musk in a tough spot, caught between his support for the president-elect and Trump’s tough stance toward China, Tesla’s second-biggest market. But Musk could instead thrive by proving a valuable bridge between Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, I write today in a piece with my colleagues Rachel... Donald Trump’s election could put Tesla CEO Elon Musk in a tough spot, caught between his support...
Rept's booth at a recent industry conference. Photo: Courtesy Rept
The Electric

The Electric: How One Chinese Battery Company Views the U.S. Election

By Steve LeVine · Nov 4, 2024 4:30am PST
Chinese metals giant Tsingshan Holding Group has roiled the world of nickel, selling enormous volumes of the metal at cheap prices that have prompted several rivals to shut mines in Australia. Now it is seeking a share of the U.S. battery market, selling iron-based batteries for energy storage and electric vehicles through its Irvine, Calif.,... Chinese metals giant Tsingshan Holding Group has roiled the world of nickel, selling enormous...
The Byd Qin L, a plug-in hybrid that the company claims delivers 780 miles of driving range. Photo: VCG/Getty
The Electric

The Electric: Automakers Are Turning to ‘Good Enough’ EVs

By Steve LeVine · Oct 28, 2024 4:30am PDT
For 13 years—from 2010 until 2022—General Motors sold more vehicles in China than anywhere else in the world. The ace in GM’s pocket was its premium Buicks, which Chinese consumers snapped up year after year, with sales peaking at 1.3 million cars in 2016. For 13 years—from 2010 until 2022—General Motors sold more vehicles in China than anywhere else...
The Electric Newsletter
An exclusive publication covering the nascent battery and electric vehicle revolutions.
By providing your email, you agree to The Information’s Privacy Policy
Photo: Adobe
The Electric: Musk Warns Rivals They Will Regret Not Making Fully Autonomous EVs
By Steve LeVine · Oct 24, 2024 4:30am PDT · 1 comment
Photo: Adobe
The Electric

The Electric: Musk Warns Rivals They Will Regret Not Making Fully Autonomous EVs

By Steve LeVine · Oct 24, 2024 4:30am PDT · 1 comment
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has staked the company’s future more clearly than ever on autonomous vehicles, saying Tesla would not make a driver-controlled car costing $25,000. In remarks to analysts Wednesday evening, he urged rivals to follow Tesla’s example and develop their own autonomous vehicles, but offered few new details on Tesla’s... Tesla CEO Elon Musk has staked the company’s future more clearly than ever on autonomous...
Optimus, Tesla's prototype robot. Photo: Getty
The Electric

The Electric: Behind the Threat to Tesla’s Optimus Robot From Toyota and Boston Dynamics

By Steve LeVine · Oct 21, 2024 4:30am PDT
At the 1939 World’s Fair in New York, Westinghouse Electric unveiled Elektro, a 7-foot-tall robot that walked, spoke, smoked cigarettes and gestured with its arms. It was all a show—Elektro’s witty conversation flowed from phrases recorded on a vinyl disc inside its massive body. But the robot wowed crowds that piled in to witness its apparent... At the 1939 World’s Fair in New York, Westinghouse Electric unveiled Elektro, a 7-foot-tall robot...
An Arcadium Lithium brine operation in Argentina. Photo: Courtesy Arcadium.
The Electric

The Electric: Rio Tinto Gets a Big Lithium Asset but No Relief From Price Woes

By Steve LeVine · Oct 10, 2024 4:30am PDT
Rio Tinto’s proposed $6.7 billion acquisition of Arcadium Lithium follows a monthlong surge in the share prices of lithium producers, a rare bright spot in the battered battery metals sector, where raw ore prices have dropped almost 90% over the last two years. But any euphoria over the deal could prove short-lived: It won’t address the global... Rio Tinto’s proposed $6.7 billion acquisition of Arcadium Lithium follows a monthlong surge in...
GM's secretive prototyping center, in Warren, Mich. Photo: Courtesy GM
The Electric

Exclusive From The Electric: Inside GM's Secretive Battery Lab

By Steve LeVine · Oct 7, 2024 4:30am PDT
In 2020, General Motors CEO Mary Barra told investors, analysts and journalists how the company planned to transform itself into an electric vehicle powerhouse. The key, the executives said in a two-hour presentation, was Ultium, a proprietary new battery they said would make GM’s EVs profitable almost from the get-go. In 2020, General Motors CEO Mary Barra told investors, analysts and journalists how the company...
GM plans to produce the consumer version of its electric Silverado here in 2026. Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty
Exclusive From The Electric: Inside GM’s Do-Over
By Steve LeVine · Sep 30, 2024 4:30am PDT · 2 comments
GM plans to produce the consumer version of its electric Silverado here in 2026. Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty
The Electric

Exclusive From The Electric: Inside GM’s Do-Over

By Steve LeVine · Sep 30, 2024 4:30am PDT · 2 comments
Last November, Ed Duby took over battery production at General Motors. He found an effort in crisis: The company was on track to sell fewer than a quarter of the 400,000 electric vehicles it had predicted for 2023, and the numbers were unlikely to improve anytime soon. The problem wasn’t consumer demand. Rather, GM had fumbled production of... Last November, Ed Duby took over battery production at General Motors. He found an effort in...