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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

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The Electric

The Electric: After Killing His Cheap EV, Musk May Also Ditch the Battery That Made It Special

By Steve LeVine · Jul 15, 2024 4:30am PDT
In 2020, Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the idea of a new battery that he said would change everything about electric vehicles. He called the battery unpoetically the 4680—a reference to its metric system dimensions—and said it would allow Tesla to finally produce a car almost anyone could afford. In 2020, Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the idea of a new battery that he said would change...
A Renault Scenic EV displayed during the Geneva Motor Show. Photo by Getty
The Electric

The Electric: Renault May Use Iron-Based Batteries in About Half Its EVs

By Steve LeVine · Jul 11, 2024 4:30am PDT
A Renault Scenic EV displayed during the Geneva Motor Show. Photo by GettyFollowing a pattern set by Tesla and Chinese carmakers, Renault plans to make a dramatic switch away from nickel-based batteries in future electric vehicles, instead using iron-based batteries in about half of them, a senior executive of the French automaker said.Philippe... A Renault Scenic EV displayed during the Geneva Motor Show. Photo by GettyFollowing a pattern set...
Photo: Courtesy Sila Nanotechnologies
The Electric

The Electric: Seven EV Makers Prepare to Use the First Silicon-Powered Batteries

By Steve LeVine · Jul 8, 2024 4:30am PDT
Amid a race to boost sales and compete with China, at least seven major electric vehicle and battery makers plan to deploy high-silicon battery electrodes in the coming two or so years, a move that would vastly increase the cars’ driving range and how fast they can recharge. Amid a race to boost sales and compete with China, at least seven major electric vehicle and...
Ford CEO Jim Farley. Photo: Getty
The Electric: Musk Has Quit $25,000 EVs, but His Rivals Haven’t
By Steve LeVine · Jul 4, 2024 4:30am PDT
Ford CEO Jim Farley. Photo: Getty
The Electric

The Electric: Musk Has Quit $25,000 EVs, but His Rivals Haven’t

By Steve LeVine · Jul 4, 2024 4:30am PDT
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has given up, at least for now, on his vision of a $25,000 electric vehicle, but rival Western carmakers have picked up his idea, and at least five of them plan to release EVs in that price range in the coming year or two. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has given up, at least for now, on his vision of a $25,000 electric vehicle,...
At the groundbreaking for a Northvolt gigafactory in Heide, Germany, in March. Photo: Getty
The Electric

The Electric: Northvolt’s Setback Points to a Broader Threat to EV and Battery Startups

By Steve LeVine · Jul 1, 2024 4:30am PDT · 2 comments
After two Tesla veterans launched Northvolt in 2017, the Swedish battery developer rapidly became Europe’s most prominent champion in the race to develop local electric vehicle and battery industries. Though it had never made a battery, the company announced a whirlwind of plans for vertical integration—plants across Europe and in Canada that... After two Tesla veterans launched Northvolt in 2017, the Swedish battery developer rapidly became...
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
Albemarle's lithium processing plant at Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Photo: Getty
The Electric

The Electric: Albemarle Wants a Premium Price for U.S.-Made Lithium

By Steve LeVine · Jun 27, 2024 4:30am PDT
A senior U.S. lithium industry executive has called for Western car and battery companies to pay a premium for lithium refined in the U.S., arguing that prices for the metal are too low to cover the cost of building and running processing plants there. A senior U.S. lithium industry executive has called for Western car and battery companies to pay...
Mutanda, the world's largest cobalt mine, in Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo: Emmet Livingstone/AFP/Getty
The Electric

The Electric: A New Geopolitical Melee Erupts Over Battery Metals

By Steve LeVine · Jun 24, 2024 4:30am PDT
Within days of taking office in 2021, President Joe Biden reversed a decision by the Trump administration to lift sanctions on one of the most controversial Western mining executives in central Africa. Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler didn’t merit a reprieve, Biden’s State Department said, alleging that in a two-year period he had corruptly... Within days of taking office in 2021, President Joe Biden reversed a decision by the Trump...
Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker introduces the Fisker Pear hatchback in August. Photo: Frederic J. Brown/AFP
The Electric: One Creditor Stands Above Others in Fisker’s Bankruptcy
By Steve LeVine · Jun 20, 2024 4:30am PDT
Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker introduces the Fisker Pear hatchback in August. Photo: Frederic J. Brown/AFP
The Electric

The Electric: One Creditor Stands Above Others in Fisker’s Bankruptcy

By Steve LeVine · Jun 20, 2024 4:30am PDT
Its cash reserves dwindling, electric vehicle maker Fisker last year obtained $510 million in funding from Heights Capital Management, a San Francisco–based investor in distressed assets. But when Fisker missed a November deadline for a securities filing, Heights gained the rights to all the company’s assets. Its cash reserves dwindling, electric vehicle maker Fisker last year obtained $510 million in...
Apple released AI functions for the iPhone15 Pro. Photo: Graham Hughes/Bloomberg/Getty
The Electric

The Electric: Apple’s AI-Infused iPhone Should Worry Next-Gen Battery Developers

By Steve LeVine · Jun 17, 2024 4:30am PDT · 1 comment
Apple released AI functions for the iPhone15 Pro. Photo: Graham Hughes/Bloomberg/GettyApple CEO Tim Cook and his lieutenants spoke for two hours last week about the jazzed-up artificial intelligence features they plan to integrate into the newest iPhone. But they left out what ought to be one of the most critical words in the consumer AI... Apple released AI functions for the iPhone15 Pro. Photo: Graham Hughes/Bloomberg/GettyApple...
At a Samsung display at a battery exhibition in Seoul, South Korea in March. Photo: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg/Getty
The Electric

The Electric: In a Switch, EV Makers Favor Iron-Based Batteries Over Nickel

By Steve LeVine · Jun 13, 2024 4:30am PDT
Since they began seriously building electric vehicles around 2020, Western automakers have stubbornly clung to nickel-based batteries despite their relatively high cost and vulnerability to supply chain snarls. But in a growing shift, more Western players are moving to lower-cost iron-based batteries, which are likely to be the world’s dominant... Since they began seriously building electric vehicles around 2020, Western automakers have...
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 Mercedes-Stellantis gigafactory in the northern French region of Hauts-de-France. Photo courtesy ACC.
The Electric

The Electric: Half the West’s Planned Gigafactories Are Uncertain to Be Built

By Steve LeVine · Jun 10, 2024 4:30am PDT
Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis last week froze construction of two European battery gigafactories they were building through a joint venture. The companies want to take a fresh look at the plants in hopes of reducing the price of their electric vehicles, driven in large part by the cost of the batteries, the most expensive component in an EV. If... Mercedes-Benz and Stellantis last week froze construction of two European battery gigafactories...
Photo: Getty
The Electric: Mercedes Goes to Advanced Tests of Factorial’s Solid State Batteries
By Steve LeVine · Jun 6, 2024 4:31am PDT
Photo: Getty
The Electric

The Electric: Mercedes Goes to Advanced Tests of Factorial’s Solid State Batteries

By Steve LeVine · Jun 6, 2024 4:31am PDT
Mercedes-Benz, aiming to introduce next-generation solid state batteries into its electric vehicles by 2026, said it has moved into advanced tests of a battery developed by Massachusetts-based Factorial Energy. The move comes amid increasing industry and investor skepticism about the mass-market potential of most next-gen EV batteries. Mercedes-Benz, aiming to introduce next-generation solid state batteries into its electric...
China's CATL displays a sodium-ion battery at a Beijing exposition in December. Photo: Li He/Xinhua/Getty
The Electric

The Electric: AI Chatbots Get a Boost From a Sodium-Ion Battery

By Steve LeVine · Jun 3, 2024 4:30am PDT
Artificial intelligence chatbots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini consume several times as much power as an ordinary Google search, and the insatiable tech companies are demanding yet more from them at a scale that can overwhelm the grid. Artificial intelligence chatbots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini consume several...
The $9,600 Byd Seagull. Photo: Lillian Suwanrumpha/AFP/Getty
The Electric

The Electric: A U.S. Official Plots a $16,000 U.S.-Made Electric Vehicle

By Steve LeVine · May 30, 2024 4:30am PDT
For a year, one electric vehicle has stood out as an emblem of China’s yawning lead in EVs and batteries—the Byd Seagull hatchback, which at $9,650 in China has made some U.S. industry watchers worry whether the West can ever catch up. Now, a program manager for the Department of Energy’s technology incubator says U.S. entrepreneurs should stop... For a year, one electric vehicle has stood out as an emblem of China’s yawning lead in EVs and...
Freyr's plant in Mo-i-Rana, Norway. Photo: Courtesy Freyr
The Electric

Exclusive From The Electric: Two Battery Startups Shade the Truth on Their Progress

By Steve LeVine · May 27, 2024 4:30am PDT · 1 comment
Six months ago, Freyr Battery announced that the next-generation battery it was developing had hit a snag: The equipment it had ordered to automate production wasn’t working properly, and it wasn’t clear when it would be. So Freyr wouldn’t begin to sell batteries—and generate revenue—as soon as it had planned. Investors walloped Freyr’s shares,... Six months ago, Freyr Battery announced that the next-generation battery it was developing had...
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
CATL's lithium-iron-phosphate Shenxing battery. Photo: Zhou Chengfeng/VCG/Getty
The Electric: China’s Iron-Based Batteries Are Even Cheaper Than We Thought
By Steve LeVine · May 23, 2024 4:30am PDT · 1 comment
CATL's lithium-iron-phosphate Shenxing battery. Photo: Zhou Chengfeng/VCG/Getty
The Electric

The Electric: China’s Iron-Based Batteries Are Even Cheaper Than We Thought

By Steve LeVine · May 23, 2024 4:30am PDT · 1 comment
On Monday, we reported that the going rate for iron-based batteries in China had plunged to an astonishing $56 per kilowatt hour, 40% below last year’s average outside the country. But we have since learned that the average price is even lower—$47/kWh, half as much as such batteries outside China, according to a survey last month by... On Monday, we reported that the going rate for iron-based batteries in China had plunged to an...
A Chinese worker stores electric vehicle batteries. Photo: Getty
The Electric

The Electric: How the China Playbook Has Changed the Rules in EVs and Batteries

By Steve LeVine · May 20, 2024 4:30am PDT
In January, China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd., the world’s largest battery manufacturer, slashed the price of its iron-based battery cells 40% below the global industry average. Western battery industry veterans told me at the time that the price had to be a one-off promotion for CATL’s best customers. It was not possible to make... In January, China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd., the world’s largest battery...
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden announces tariffs on China. Photo by Getty.
The Electric

Exclusive From The Electric: Biden to End Tariff Exemption on Synthetic Graphite from China

By Steve LeVine · May 16, 2024 4:30am PDT
In a new move meant to protect the nascent U.S. electric vehicle battery industry, the Biden administration will announce a 25% tariff on Chinese-made synthetic graphite later this month, to be imposed in stages over the next two years, a U.S. official said. In a new move meant to protect the nascent U.S. electric vehicle battery industry, the Biden...
Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Photo: Getty.
The Electric

The Electric: The Tesla Model 2 Was Nearly Ready for Production When Musk Scrapped It

By Steve LeVine · May 13, 2024 4:30am PDT · 4 comments
Early this year, a team of Tesla engineers was working out stubborn kinks in the Model 2, the company’s long-awaited $25,000 electric vehicle, which was to be ready for pilot production later this year and high-volume manufacture in 2025. The engineers believed they would surmount the technical difficulties, including with the car’s signature... Early this year, a team of Tesla engineers was working out stubborn kinks in the Model 2, the...
CATL shows off its 375-mile Shenxing Plus battery at the Beijing Auto Show. Photo by Zhou Chengfeng/VCG/Getty
The Electric: Should Iron-Based Batteries Be a National Security Priority?
By Steve LeVine · May 6, 2024 4:30am PDT · 2 comments
CATL shows off its 375-mile Shenxing Plus battery at the Beijing Auto Show. Photo by Zhou Chengfeng/VCG/Getty
The Electric

The Electric: Should Iron-Based Batteries Be a National Security Priority?

By Steve LeVine · May 6, 2024 4:30am PDT · 2 comments
Last week, the Biden administration released its final rules attempting to cut China out of the U.S. battery supply chain and encourage American companies to build battery and electric vehicle manufacturing capacity in the U.S. It left one conspicuous opening for Chinese companies: For two years, they could continue to supply graphite to U.S.... Last week, the Biden administration released its final rules attempting to cut China out of the...