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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

BMW will offer hands- and eye-free driving—within limits—in its electric i7 starting next year. Photo: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Photo
The Electric

The Electric: Hands-Free Driving Inches Closer, With Moves by BMW and Mercedes

By Steve LeVine · Oct 12, 2023 4:40am PDT
Germany’s BMW will become the second major automaker to deploy a sensor and computer system allowing motorists to drive hands-free in bumper-to-bumper highway traffic while conversing with a passenger, watching a video or reading a book. Almost all driver-assist systems such as Tesla’s attempt to prevent such distractions by requiring drivers to... Germany’s BMW will become the second major automaker to deploy a sensor and computer system...
Mercedes-Benz plans to offer a silicon carbon electrode made by Sila Nanotechnologies as an option in some of its mid-decade ultra-luxury G-class electric cars. Photo: Courtesy Mercedes-Benz
The Electric

The Electric: Fast-Charging Silicon Comes to EVs

By Steve LeVine · Oct 9, 2023 4:31am PDT
Engineers have improved lithium-ion batteries little by little since the debut of the first modern electric vehicles a decade and a half ago, making tweaks that together have tremendously reduced cell prices and boosted driving range. But a truly blockbuster breakthrough has evaded the industry, something that in a single stroke could make EVs... Engineers have improved lithium-ion batteries little by little since the debut of the first...
Enovix CEO Raj Talluri. Photo: Courtesy Enovix
The Electric

The Electric: Enovix Lays Off 185 Employees and Shifts Most of Its Operations to Malaysia

By · Oct 5, 2023 4:30am PDT
Silicon battery developer Enovix this week laid off 185 engineers and other staff at its Fremont, Calif., factory as it shifted the bulk of its operations to Asia, close to the smartphone manufacturers that it hopes will buy its cells.The moves, announced Tuesday, reflect a reality in the rapidly growing lithium-ion battery industry, which is... Silicon battery developer Enovix this week laid off 185 engineers and other staff at its Fremont,...
Golan. Photo: Courtesy Gil Golan
Exclusive from The Electric: GM’s New CTO Exits After One Month In the Job
By Steve LeVine · Oct 4, 2023 12:15pm PDT · 2 comments
Golan. Photo: Courtesy Gil Golan
The Electric

Exclusive from The Electric: GM’s New CTO Exits After One Month In the Job

By Steve LeVine · Oct 4, 2023 12:15pm PDT · 2 comments
General Motors’ chief technology officer, Gil Golan, is leaving the job after one month, according to an internal company memo distributed today, parts of which were seen by The Electric. Golan’s departure, effective Nov. 1, comes one week after a profile in The Electric in which he described a plan to aggressively expand the company’s work in... General Motors’ chief technology officer, Gil Golan, is leaving the job after one month,...
GOP presidential candidates lashed out at electric vehicle subsidies in last week's debate. Photo: Eric Thayer/Bloomberg/Getty
The Electric

The Electric: Some Republicans Want to Kill the IRA. The Industry Isn’t Worried. That’s a Big Risk

By Steve LeVine · Oct 2, 2023 4:30am PDT · 1 comment
Former President Donald Trump and other Republicans have united around a vow to gut President Joe Biden’s landmark laws supporting electric vehicles, which marshal more than $500 billion to build a U.S. battery industry. Industry hands foresee little threat to the nascent industry, even in a Republican landslide that wins the White House and... Former President Donald Trump and other Republicans have united around a vow to gut President Joe...
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
Ford CEO Jim Farley announcing the company's now-embattled $3.5 billion LFP plant licensing technology from China's CATL in February 2023. Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty
The Electric

The Electric: Ford’s Planned $3.5 Billion Battery Plant in Michigan May Be in Jeopardy

By · Sep 28, 2023 4:30am PDT
Ford’s plans for a $3.5 billion battery plant in Michigan may be in jeopardy amid fierce political criticism of a licensing agreement between the automaker and China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd., the world’s largest battery manufacturer. Ford’s plans for a $3.5 billion battery plant in Michigan may be in jeopardy amid fierce...
General Motors CTO Gil Golan. Photo: Courtesy Gil Golan
The Electric

Exclusive from The Electric: GM’s New CTO Says the Company Should Make Its Own Batteries

By · Sep 25, 2023 4:30am PDT · 3 comments
In 2003, General Motors killed the EV1, its first electric vehicle, and it has been branded a Luddite ever since. Gil Golan, who worked on the car as a young engineer, argues that the rap is unfair. Golan, named this month as GM’s chief technology officer and vice president of research and development, says canceling the EV1 was not a knock... In 2003, General Motors killed the EV1, its first electric vehicle, and it has been branded a...
A lithium brine operation in Chile's Salar de Atacama. Photo: Lucas Aguayo Araos/Anadolu/Getty
The Electric: Lower Metals Costs Invite Risky Forecasts of More-Robust EV Sales
By Steve LeVine · Sep 21, 2023 4:49am PDT
A lithium brine operation in Chile's Salar de Atacama. Photo: Lucas Aguayo Araos/Anadolu/Getty
The Electric

The Electric: Lower Metals Costs Invite Risky Forecasts of More-Robust EV Sales

By Steve LeVine · Sep 21, 2023 4:49am PDT
Recent declines in the cost of batteries have persuaded some analysts to significantly increase their forecasts of electric vehicle sales later this decade. But the sales projections partly depend on the prices of battery metals like lithium and nickel staying comparatively low, a considerable risk given wild price swings over the last two... Recent declines in the cost of batteries have persuaded some analysts to significantly increase...
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, right, and Drew Baglino, Tesla's senior vice president of power train, on Battery Day on Sept. 22, 2020. Photo: Courtesy Tesla
The Electric

The Electric: Musk Promised a $25,000 EV by This Week. Why It’s Still Urgent He Produces It

By Steve LeVine · Sep 18, 2023 4:30am PDT
Three years ago this week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk presided over a spirited outdoor event that he called “Battery Day.” For years, Musk had teased plans to eventually introduce an affordable mass-market electric vehicle, and now, speaking to a parking lot full of honking fans sitting in Teslas, he explained how he would do it. For more than two... Three years ago this week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk presided over a spirited outdoor event that he...
Albemarle's Silverpeak, Nev. lithium brine operation. Photo: Bizuayehu Tesfaye/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Getty
The Electric

The Electric: Albemarle Will Continue to Refine Most of Its Lithium in China in 2030

By · Sep 14, 2023 4:30am PDT
North Carolina-based Albemarle, the world’s most valuable lithium producer by market cap, hopes to boost its global production of the metal more than threefold by the end of the decade. But the company expects just 30% of its output to qualify for subsidies under the Inflation Reduction Act, Eric Norris, the company’s president for lithium, said... North Carolina-based Albemarle, the world’s most valuable lithium producer by market cap, hopes...
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
UAW Shawn Fain threatens to strike Thursday at midnight if there is no contract. Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty
The Electric

The Electric: In Contract Talks, Detroit Avoids the Real Issue: Making Desirable EVs

By · Sep 11, 2023 4:30am PDT · 2 comments
Detroit’s Big Three carmakers and the United Auto Workers union are slugging it out over higher wages, pensions and shorter workdays as a deadline looms this week in their latest four-year round of contract negotiations. But the unseen driver in the strategies of the two sides is survival amid the shift to electric vehicles, the most fundamental... Detroit’s Big Three carmakers and the United Auto Workers union are slugging it out over higher...
China's Huayou Cobalt is trying to figure out how to supply battery nickel to the U.S. market despite U.S.-China tensions. Photo: VCG/Getty
Exclusive from The Electric: A Leading Chinese Nickel Producer Tries Its Luck in the U.S.
By Steve LeVine · Sep 7, 2023 4:30am PDT
China's Huayou Cobalt is trying to figure out how to supply battery nickel to the U.S. market despite U.S.-China tensions. Photo: VCG/Getty
The Electric

Exclusive from The Electric: A Leading Chinese Nickel Producer Tries Its Luck in the U.S.

By Steve LeVine · Sep 7, 2023 4:30am PDT
The Inflation Reduction Act was meant to keep companies like Huayou Cobalt, a leading Chinese supplier of battery-grade nickel to Western carmakers including Tesla, Ford and Volkswagen, out of the U.S. battery supply chain. But the company is attempting to break into the U.S. market anyway and qualify for IRA tax credits.In a conversation this... The Inflation Reduction Act was meant to keep companies like Huayou Cobalt, a leading Chinese...
Nikola Tesla's alternating current illuminated the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. Photo: Chicago History Museum/Getty
The Electric

The Electric: The U.S.-French Race to Electrify the Skies Above the Olympics

By Steve LeVine · Sep 4, 2023 4:31am PDT
In 1876, millions of visitors to the World’s Fair in Philadelphia saw the first typewriter, the largest steam engine ever, and arguably the showstopper—the telephone, demonstrated by Alexander Graham Bell. Seventeen years later, visitors to the Chicago World’s Fair witnessed Nikola Tesla’s system of alternating electric current and the “City of... In 1876, millions of visitors to the World’s Fair in Philadelphia saw the first typewriter, the...
When they crash, like the Tesla above, EVs take an average of 58 days to be repaired and cost $6,587 to fix. Photo: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu/Getty
The Electric

The Electric: The Nightmare Cost of Repairing Your Wrecked EV

By · Aug 31, 2023 4:30am PDT
When considering an electric vehicle, a motorist will typically focus on its looks, how fast it accelerates and how far the vehicle will go on a charge. What the motorist will almost certainly not contemplate: the average of 58 days they will have to wait for repairs should they wreck that brand-spanking-new car, and the average $6,587 it will... When considering an electric vehicle, a motorist will typically focus on its looks, how fast it...
A battery oversupply from CATL and other major Chinese companies may flood the West this decade, according to Goldman Sachs. Photo: CFOTO/Future/Getty
The Electric

The Electric: A Coming Chinese Battery Deluge?

By · Aug 28, 2023 4:30am PDT · 4 comments
On Aug. 15, a California-based executive of Chinese battery company Gotion posted a message on LinkedIn, offering lithium-ion batteries at a “significant” markdown. “If you are interested in cells, modules, packs, or systems and would like to take deliveries in the next 6 months—let’s talk,” wrote Vikash Venkataramana, Gotion’s vice president of... On Aug. 15, a California-based executive of Chinese battery company Gotion posted a message on...
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
Gotion's facility in Fremont, Calif. Photo: Courtesy Gotion
Exclusive From The Electric: China’s Gotion Expects U.S. Tax Credits for Its U.S. Battery Production
By Steve LeVine · Aug 24, 2023 4:30am PDT
Gotion's facility in Fremont, Calif. Photo: Courtesy Gotion
The Electric

Exclusive From The Electric: China’s Gotion Expects U.S. Tax Credits for Its U.S. Battery Production

By Steve LeVine · Aug 24, 2023 4:30am PDT
For the first time, Chinese battery manufacturer Gotion has said it expects lithium-ion batteries it plans to make in the U.S. to qualify for millions of dollars in U.S. tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act, a law designed to create a U.S.-led battery supply chain. For the first time, Chinese battery manufacturer Gotion has said it expects lithium-ion batteries...
Freyr's battery gigafactory "Giga Arctic," where it hopes to begin production next year. Photo: Courtesy Freyr Battery
The Electric

The Electric: A Battery CEO on Why He’s Stepping Down and Moving His Company to the U.S.

By Steve LeVine · Aug 21, 2023 4:30am PDT · 1 comment
On Aug. 10, Norwegian battery maker Freyr Battery announced a dramatic shake-up: CEO Tom Jensen stepped aside and became executive chair, effective today, replacing founder Torstein Sjøtveit, who retired. In the same announcement, the board said it was moving Freyr’s headquarters from Luxembourg to the U.S.Investors hardly noticed, but the moves... On Aug. 10, Norwegian battery maker Freyr Battery announced a dramatic shake-up: CEO Tom Jensen...
In September, Lucid Motors plans to release the 419-mile, rear-wheel-drive Air Pure, whose battery efficiency will be 4.7 miles per kilowatt hour, the highest in the industry. Photo: Courtesy Lucid
The Electric

The Electric: Lucid Touts Its Vehicles' Efficiency

By · Aug 17, 2023 4:30am PDT · 1 comment
Most auto companies and their customers are obsessed with how far electric vehicles will go on a charge. To be taken seriously, most carmakers think an EV should have 250 to 300 miles of range; 400 to 500 miles on a charge is the ultragold standard. EVs that deliver such long range are kings of the hill.Lucid Motors says this thinking is all... Most auto companies and their customers are obsessed with how far electric vehicles will go on a...
Toyota's first hybrid Land Cruiser, to be distributed in North America and China.
The Electric

The Electric: Is Toyota Right to Be Skeptical About EVs?

By · Aug 14, 2023 4:30am PDT
On Aug. 2 in Tokyo, Toyota unveiled the first hybrid electric Land Cruiser, a refreshed version of a large SUV previously known for its off-road muscle-bound chops, now containing both a gasoline engine and a small electric motor. Toyota, which had pulled the Land Cruiser from its U.S. lineup in 2021 after Americans began to balk at its $85,000... On Aug. 2 in Tokyo, Toyota unveiled the first hybrid electric Land Cruiser, a refreshed version...
Proterra's bus manufacturing factory in Greenville, S.C. Photo: Courtesy Proterra
The Electric: The Valley of Death Takes Out Another EV Maker
By Steve LeVine · Aug 10, 2023 4:30am PDT
Proterra's bus manufacturing factory in Greenville, S.C. Photo: Courtesy Proterra
The Electric

The Electric: The Valley of Death Takes Out Another EV Maker

By Steve LeVine · Aug 10, 2023 4:30am PDT
In May, Michael Shlisky, an analyst with investment bank D.A. Davidson, listened to electric truck and bus manufacturer Proterra’s first-quarter earnings call and was impressed: Just a few months earlier, the Burlingame, Calif., company’s share price had been in free fall, plunging 79% in six weeks, in part because it had been burning through... In May, Michael Shlisky, an analyst with investment bank D.A. Davidson, listened to electric...