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

SES joined the New York Stock Exchange in 2022. Photo: Sipa/AP

The Electric: In a Deal With Hyundai, SES Widens Lithium-Metal Lead

By Steve LeVine · Apr 25, 2024 4:30am PDT

Next-generation battery developer SES AI pushed further ahead in the race to commercialize lithium-metal anodes, moving to the B Sample qualification stage with South Korea’s Hyundai Motor. The automaker has not committed to deploying the anodes in its electric vehicles, but the deal sets SES on the path of putting its anodes in Hyundai test... Next-generation battery developer SES AI pushed further ahead in the race to commercialize...

Graphite processing in Hegang City, China. Photo: Xie Jianfei/Xinhua/Getty

The Electric: A Driving Range Booster, Silicon May Also Ease China’s Iron Grip

By Steve LeVine · Apr 22, 2024 4:30am PDT

Chinese companies dominate the processing of virtually every metal in an electric vehicle battery and make more batteries and EVs than anyone. But in no area of the battery and EV industries are they more dominant than in the production and processing of graphite, a material used in every commercial EV battery anode on the planet. China produces... Chinese companies dominate the processing of virtually every metal in an electric vehicle battery...

Photo: Shutterstock

The Electric: Wall Street Analysts Press Musk to Get Back on Script

By Steve LeVine · Apr 18, 2024 4:30am PDT · 2 comments

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is vowing accelerated development of the fully driverless Robotaxi, brushing aside calls from analysts and investors to walk back his abrupt postponement of a long-awaited $25,000 electric vehicle. “Going balls to the wall for autonomy is a blindingly obvious move,” Musk said in a tweet Tuesday. “Everything else is like... Tesla CEO Elon Musk is vowing accelerated development of the fully driverless Robotaxi, brushing...

Former President Donald Trump and Jigar Shah, director of the Loan Programs Office in the U.S. Energy Department. Photo: Shutterstock; Energy Department.

The Electric: Under Trump, a Possible Welcome Mat to China

By Steve LeVine · Apr 15, 2024 4:30am PDT

Former President Donald Trump and Jigar Shah, director of the Loan Programs Office in the U.S. Energy Department. Photo: Shutterstock; Energy Department.

The Electric: Under Trump, a Possible Welcome Mat to China

By Steve LeVine · Apr 15, 2024 4:30am PDT

Virtually no one expects Donald Trump—should he win election in November—to be able to fulfill his threat to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act and other programs supporting the U.S. electric vehicle and battery industries. But Trump’s history and recent statements suggest he might flip the script on the EV transition, slowing the Biden... Virtually no one expects Donald Trump—should he win election in November—to be able to fulfill...

Wright Electric CEO Jeff Engler, whose company is a contestant in Arpa-E's competition to invent a 1,000 watt-hour per kilogram battery. Photo: Luke MacGregor/Bloomberg/Getty

The Electric: 13 Teams Compete to Invent the Most Powerful Superbattery

By Steve LeVine · Apr 11, 2024 4:30am PDT

Amid grave investor doubts about the viability of next-generation batteries, a half-dozen U.S. companies and seven universities are competing in a government-sponsored contest to quadruple the energy density of the world’s best commercial electric vehicle batteries. Amid grave investor doubts about the viability of next-generation batteries, a half-dozen U.S....

Randy Parker, CEO of Hyundai America. Photo: Bing Guan/Bloomberg/Getty

The Electric: Hyundai’s U.S. CEO Criticizes Rivals for EV Pullback

By Steve LeVine · Apr 8, 2024 4:30am PDT

For three years, General Motors, Ford and other automakers were all elbows, seeking to outdo one another in their commitment to electric vehicles, backed by tens of billions of dollars each in promised spending. But over the last five or so months, most did a U-turn: They had gotten EVs wrong, many said—customers were not lining up for them in... For three years, General Motors, Ford and other automakers were all elbows, seeking to outdo one...

Photo: Bloomberg/Getty

The Electric: Five Things Tesla Needs to Do—Now

By Steve LeVine · Apr 4, 2024 4:30am PDT

In November, Tesla released its long-promised, Matrix-styled Cybertruck pickup, and two months later a refurbished Model 3 sedan that Motor Trend called “something to get excited about.” Next year, the company aims to release a new version of its high-end Roadster that CEO Elon Musk calls a cross between a car and a rocket ship. And in case... In November, Tesla released its long-promised, Matrix-styled Cybertruck pickup, and two months...

Photo: Getty

The Electric: ‘Good Enough’ Batteries Threaten Lithium-Metal Startups

By Steve LeVine · Apr 1, 2024 4:35am PDT

Photo: Getty

The Electric: ‘Good Enough’ Batteries Threaten Lithium-Metal Startups

By Steve LeVine · Apr 1, 2024 4:35am PDT

In 2020, a mania erupted around next-generation electric vehicle batteries, especially lithium-metal batteries that promised 500 miles of driving range, twice as far as most EVs could go on a charge at the time. Investors mobbed QuantumScape, a California lithium-metal battery developer, whose share price rose almost sixfold in the month... In 2020, a mania erupted around next-generation electric vehicle batteries, especially...

The electric Lightning LS-218, with Enevate's dominant metallurgical silicon anode. Photo: Courtesy Lightning Motorcycle

The Electric: The First Commercial Silicon-Dominant Battery Powers This Motorcycle

By Steve LeVine · Mar 28, 2024 4:30am PDT

California-based Lightning Motorcycle has released a new electric bike that it says accelerates from zero to 60 mph in two seconds, delivers 335 miles of range, and adds about 200 miles of charge in 12 minutes. The secret behind Lightning’s LS-218 is the first commercial electric vehicle battery anode dominated by silicon, a material that... California-based Lightning Motorcycle has released a new electric bike that it says accelerates...

In March 2023, Musk and his 16 top executives on Tesla Investor Day. Photo: Via YouTube

The Electric: Thinking the Unthinkable—Tesla Without Elon Musk

By Steve LeVine · Mar 25, 2024 4:30am PDT · 1 comment

For months after Elon Musk’s 2022 acquisition of Twitter, investors voiced increasing concerns about his capacity to juggle the leadership of both the social media platform and Tesla, the electric vehicle manufacturer where he is CEO. So in March 2023, Musk organized a live demonstration of why he could effectively run both companies: At Tesla’s... For months after Elon Musk’s 2022 acquisition of Twitter, investors voiced increasing concerns...

Photo: Shutterstock

The Electric: A Sign of EV Regulatory Easing to Come

By Steve LeVine · Mar 21, 2024 4:30am PDT

In a first sign of a softening of electric vehicle mandates, the Biden administration and the state of California this week both eased the way for carmakers to meet stringent emissions and EV rules, extending timelines and allowing companies to sell plug-in hybrids to comply with regulations. The moves align with a general slowing of the... In a first sign of a softening of electric vehicle mandates, the Biden administration and the...

Photo: Scott Olson/Getty

The Electric: In Slashing EV Production, Carmakers Jumped the Gun

By Steve LeVine · Mar 18, 2024 4:30am PDT

Photo: Scott Olson/Getty

The Electric: In Slashing EV Production, Carmakers Jumped the Gun

By Steve LeVine · Mar 18, 2024 4:30am PDT

In 2021, Western auto and battery companies seemed headed toward a massive convergence: As I reported at the time, major automakers said that by 2025 or 2026 they would each be selling dozens of models of electric vehicles each, many of them powered by next-generation batteries that would cut the price of the vehicles, charge fast and take the... In 2021, Western auto and battery companies seemed headed toward a massive convergence: As I...

Harbinger's first commercial electric chassis for RV maker Thor Industries. Photo via Harbinger/PR NewsWire.

The Electric: Investors Remain Interested in Commercial EVs

By Steve LeVine · Mar 14, 2024 4:30am PDT

Amid increasing Wall Street skepticism toward the makers of passenger electric vehicles, investors are still funding companies making commercial EVs. Among them, California-based Harbinger Motors last week delivered the first of its stripped-down electric chassis to recreational vehicle manufacturer Thor Industries, which will design and install... Amid increasing Wall Street skepticism toward the makers of passenger electric vehicles,...

The Electric: Why Tesla Veterans Dominate the EV and Battery Industries

The Electric: Why Tesla Veterans Dominate the EV and Battery Industries

By Steve LeVine · Mar 11, 2024 4:30am PDT · 1 comment

In 2013, Landon Mossburg, then 29, was hired by Tesla to work on its supply chain team. Tesla threw him into negotiations with the senior executives of cellphone, internet and tech companies to secure internet connectivity deals that would feed Tesla’s over-the-air software updates. Mossburg had a bachelor’s degree in business and had worked as... In 2013, Landon Mossburg, then 29, was hired by Tesla to work on its supply chain team. Tesla...

Battery making in Germany. Photo: Getty

Exclusive From The Electric: A Battery Startup Proposes Souped-Up CT Scans to Prevent Fires

By Steve LeVine · Mar 7, 2024 4:30am PST

Two Tesla veterans have formed a startup to apply X-ray technology to one of the biggest problems for the makers of electric vehicle batteries: finding defects in the batteries as they’re made—and before they cause bigger problems. Two Tesla veterans have formed a startup to apply X-ray technology to one of the biggest problems...

Cuberg founder and ex-CEO Richard Wang. Photo: Getty

The Electric: Why Next-Gen Battery CEOs Are Dropping Like Flies

By Steve LeVine · Mar 4, 2024 4:30am PST

Cuberg founder and ex-CEO Richard Wang. Photo: Getty

The Electric: Why Next-Gen Battery CEOs Are Dropping Like Flies

By Steve LeVine · Mar 4, 2024 4:30am PST

On Feb. 16, Paolo Cerruti, co-founder of Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt, visited the company’s California-based subsidiary, lithium-metal battery developer Cuberg. In recent years, Northvolt had racked up $55 billion in orders for conventional electric vehicle batteries and broken ground on three gigafactories. But Cerruti was displeased... On Feb. 16, Paolo Cerruti, co-founder of Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt, visited the...

A CATL battery pack in a chassis at the Munich Motor Show. Photo: Getty

The Electric: China Digs In With Iron-Based Batteries, Wrong-Footing Western Automakers

By Steve LeVine · Feb 29, 2024 4:30am PST

A new, ultracheap battery, a $233,000 electric supercar and a big five-year deal for iron-based batteries all deliver a single, pointed message—a fresh threat to Western auto and battery manufacturers already struggling to compete with their Chinese rivals. A new, ultracheap battery, a $233,000 electric supercar and a big five-year deal for iron-based...

Our Next Energy CTO Mujeeb Ijaz. Photo: Courtesy ONE

The Electric: Why ONE’s Pitch for a Cheap 600-Mile Battery Remains Compelling

By Steve LeVine · Feb 26, 2024 4:30am PST · 1 comment

For four years, Mujeeb Ijaz has argued that the world needs a mainstream-priced electric vehicle with 600 miles of driving range. While that seemed excessive to rivals—much greater than the 300 or so miles that most motorists consider sufficient—Ijaz argued that few were considering how people really drive and how EVs really perform. Real people... For four years, Mujeeb Ijaz has argued that the world needs a mainstream-priced electric vehicle...

Photo: Frank Molter/dpa/Getty

Exclusive From The Electric: Northvolt Fires the Top Leadership of Battery Subsidiary Cuberg

By Steve LeVine · Feb 23, 2024 8:38pm PST

Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt fired the senior leaders of its California-based lithium metal battery subsidiary, Cuberg. Those let go included Cuberg’s founder and CEO, Richard Wang, who sold the startup to Northvolt in 2021 as a spinout from Stanford University, chief operating officer Reza Nikfar and chief strategy officer... Swedish battery manufacturer Northvolt fired the senior leaders of its California-based...

The DOE's David Howell. Photo: Courtesy David Howell

Exclusive From The Electric: David Howell, an Architect of the U.S. Battery Invention Machine, Is Retiring

By Steve LeVine · Feb 22, 2024 4:30am PST · 1 comment

The DOE's David Howell. Photo: Courtesy David Howell

Exclusive From The Electric: David Howell, an Architect of the U.S. Battery Invention Machine, Is Retiring

By Steve LeVine · Feb 22, 2024 4:30am PST · 1 comment

In an unexpected move, David Howell, for two decades one of the most consequential behind-the-scenes players in U.S. battery development, will retire next week from the Department of Energy, where he helps to lead the multibillion-dollar U.S. challenge to China’s dominance of the battery industry. One of Howell’s most lasting legacies is... In an unexpected move, David Howell, for two decades one of the most consequential...