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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

Manganese-rich nodules on the seafloor 2.5 miles below the surface of the northeast Pacific Ocean. Photo: Courtesy The Metals Co.

The Electric: An Undersea Drama Could Roil the EV Industry

By Steve LeVine · Mar 19, 2023 2:00pm PDT

More than 30 countries including France, Spain, Singapore and Brazil fiercely oppose deep-sea mining, warning of irreversible damage to one of the world’s few remaining pristine areas. But they may not be able to overcome the wishes of the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru. The island country is sponsoring a bid by The Metals Co., a Canadian mining... More than 30 countries including France, Spain, Singapore and Brazil fiercely oppose deep-sea...

Electric vehicle and battery production may be speeded up by applying the lessons of semiconductor manufacturing. Photo: VCG/Getty

The Electric: The Chip Industry’s Production Hell Has Lessons for EVs

By Steve LeVine · Mar 14, 2023 4:51am PDT

The auto industry, beset by painful cost overruns and delays in its rollout of electric vehicles, is confronting some of the same problems that semiconductor companies had to overcome decades ago, industry executives say.On Live Chat With The Electric last week, Michael Yu, vice president of the advanced solution group of semiconductor analytics... The auto industry, beset by painful cost overruns and delays in its rollout of electric vehicles,...

On Investor Day on March 1, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he was giving up on nickel batteries for all but very long-range cars and trucks. Photo: Courtesy Tesla

The Electric: The Race to Make a Better Iron-Based Battery

By Steve LeVine · Mar 12, 2023 2:00pm PDT

Until 2020, Tesla only used batteries with nickel-based cathodes. Then the company began to equip some Model 3s it sold in China with an iron-based chemistry called lithium-iron-phosphate. Industry hands derided LFP as a cheap alternative that offered limited range—good only for entry-level economy cars. But Tesla CEO Elon Musk saw LFP as his... Until 2020, Tesla only used batteries with nickel-based cathodes. Then the company began to equip...

Tonopah Flats, NV, where American Battery Technology is mining lithium from claystone. Photo: Courtesy American Battery Technology Co.

The Electric: A Big New U.S. Source of Lithium? Maybe.

By Steve LeVine · Mar 9, 2023 4:30am PST

Tonopah Flats, NV, where American Battery Technology is mining lithium from claystone. Photo: Courtesy American Battery Technology Co.

The Electric: A Big New U.S. Source of Lithium? Maybe.

By Steve LeVine · Mar 9, 2023 4:30am PST

A new report claims that Nevada land leased by lithium developer American Battery Technology Co. could contain the largest lithium deposit in the U.S., enough to equip 1.5 million electric vehicle batteries a year. The claim carries two big caveats: American Battery must do more work to confirm the size of the deposit, and it must perfect a... A new report claims that Nevada land leased by lithium developer American Battery Technology Co....

Last month, Ford CEO Jim Farley describes the company's new battery-building association with Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd, China's largest battery manufacturer. Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty

The Electric: How States And Companies Are Frustrating Efforts to Create a China-Free U.S. Battery Industry

By Steve LeVine · Mar 5, 2023 2:00pm PST

Over the last five months, Joshua Hundt and his Michigan negotiating team have outcompeted a dozen U.S. states to land two multibillion-dollar battery factories. But there’s a catch: Both plants involve Chinese companies, clashing with a new U.S. law that aims to exclude them from the U.S. battery industry. Hundt, chief projects officer for... Over the last five months, Joshua Hundt and his Michigan negotiating team have outcompeted a...

A direct lithium extraction pilot in Amboy, CA. There is no commercial-scale DLE production anywhere in the world. Photo: David McNew/Getty

The Electric: The Rock Inside the Debate Over the Future Price of Lithium

By Steve LeVine · Mar 1, 2023 5:01am PST

A crackdown on illegal lithium mining and pollution in the Southern Chinese province of Jiangxi, the source of about 10% of the world’s supply of the metal, adds fresh drama to a raging debate in the battery industry and on Wall Street: Is lithium in a decadelong shortage or a surplus?Last week, Chinese authorities shut down most lithium mining... A crackdown on illegal lithium mining and pollution in the Southern Chinese province of Jiangxi,...

Tesla invited the media into its new Nevada gigafactory in July 2016, six months before production began. Photo: Troy Harvey/Bloomberg/Getty

The Electric: A Fear of Fire and a Hunt for Profit Trigger an Effort to Make Defect-Free Batteries

By Steve LeVine · Feb 26, 2023 2:00pm PST

Three years ago, General Motors began receiving worrying reports about the Chevy Bolt, its flagship electric vehicle, which had made a mark by beating the Tesla Model 3 to the market in 2016. Bolts were erupting in flames in people’s driveways, in their garages and on the street for no apparent reason. Ultimately, about a dozen of the vehicles... Three years ago, General Motors began receiving worrying reports about the Chevy Bolt, its...

Lithium miner Albemarle received a $149 million federal grant for a lithium processing plant. Pictured above, the company's brine operation in Silver Peak, Nev. Photo: The Electric

The Electric: U.S. Battery Subsidies Go Far but Perhaps Not Far Enough

By Steve LeVine · Feb 23, 2023 4:30am PST

Lithium miner Albemarle received a $149 million federal grant for a lithium processing plant. Pictured above, the company's brine operation in Silver Peak, Nev. Photo: The Electric

The Electric: U.S. Battery Subsidies Go Far but Perhaps Not Far Enough

By Steve LeVine · Feb 23, 2023 4:30am PST

New U.S. subsidies have begun to attract investments in electric vehicle batteries, including a decision announced Wednesday by Tesla to relocate some of its battery cell manufacturing from Germany to the U.S. But a public-private group linked to the U.S. Department of Energy says the $250 billion U.S. effort still falls substantially short, and... New U.S. subsidies have begun to attract investments in electric vehicle batteries, including a...

On the cusp of the EV age, public charging remains unreliable. Photo: George Rose/Getty

The Electric: With the Future of EV Sales on the Line, Vehicle Charging Is Getting Worse

By Steve LeVine · Feb 19, 2023 2:00pm PST

For a frigid few late-night hours just before Christmas, Kyle Conner shuttled among electric vehicle fast-charge stations in a 50-mile corridor north of Denver to check their performance in a cold snap. It was 6 below zero and he had heard that fast-charge units newly installed by Volkswagen’s Electrify America network were malfunctioning.... For a frigid few late-night hours just before Christmas, Kyle Conner shuttled among electric...

Some Ford F-150 Lightning pickups will be equipped with batteries made by China's Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd. Photo: Jeff Kowalsky/AFP/Getty.

The Electric: Ford Risks Political Heat With a Deal to Make Chinese Batteries on U.S. Soil

By Steve LeVine · Feb 13, 2023 4:30am PST

In a risky move that’s already creating political waves, Ford on Monday plans to announce a deal with China’s Contemporary Amperex Technologies Ltd. to build electric vehicle batteries in Michigan. In a display of the thorny politics, President Joe Biden declined an invitation to join Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Ford CEO Jim Farley at the... In a risky move that’s already creating political waves, Ford on Monday plans to announce a deal...

Byd displays its electric Tang SUV at the Brussels Expo in Belgium in January. Photo: Sjoerd van der Wal/Getty

The Electric: Is the EV Race Already Over?

By Steve LeVine · Feb 12, 2023 2:00pm PST

As the world’s automakers intensify their scramble to go electric, Tesla and China’s Byd have run away from the pack with sales of millions of electric vehicles, and seem likely to maintain the lead through the end of the decade. The game isn’t over. But other auto manufacturers could be relegated to fighting over relative crumbs of EV sales... As the world’s automakers intensify their scramble to go electric, Tesla and China’s Byd have run...

In the Enovix lab in Fremont, Calif. Photo: Courtesy Enovix

The Electric: Two More Senior Executives Leave Silicon Battery Maker Enovix

By Steve LeVine · Feb 8, 2023 4:30am PST

In the Enovix lab in Fremont, Calif. Photo: Courtesy Enovix

The Electric: Two More Senior Executives Leave Silicon Battery Maker Enovix

By Steve LeVine · Feb 8, 2023 4:30am PST

Two more senior executives have stepped down from silicon anode developer Enovix in recent weeks, including co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Ashok Lahiri, part of a widening shakeup after the company missed key milestones in scaling up. Two more senior executives have stepped down from silicon anode developer Enovix in recent weeks,...

The U.S. shot down this alleged Chinese spy balloon on Saturday. Photo: Peter Zay/Anadolu/Getty

The Electric: Would China Retaliate by Squeezing the U.S. Battery Supply?

By Steve LeVine · Feb 7, 2023 4:00am PST

China has so far refrained from retaliating for U.S. attacks on its tech sector, such as the clampdown on Chinese access to advanced semiconductors. But should Beijing decide to strike back, a primary source of leverage is its near-chokehold on the global supply of electric vehicle battery chemicals and components, according to an expert on... China has so far refrained from retaliating for U.S. attacks on its tech sector, such as the...

In September 2020, Musk and technology protege Drew Baglino, introducing the concept of dry cathode processing. Photo: Courtesy Tesla

The Electric: The Challenge for a Cheaper Battery—Dry Electrodes

By Steve LeVine · Feb 5, 2023 2:00pm PST

Last month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk teased investors with an artist’s rendering of a planned $3.6 billion expansion of the company’s flagship Nevada battery gigafactory. Using a fraction of the floor space devoted to the plant’s existing equipment, Musk said, Tesla would triple production, making enough batteries to equip 1.5 million electric... Last month, Tesla CEO Elon Musk teased investors with an artist’s rendering of a planned $3.6...

Thacker Pass, Nev. Photo: Courtesy Lithium Americas

The Electric: The New ‘Elephants’—GM Grabs the Biggest Lithium Deposit in the U.S.

By Steve LeVine · Feb 1, 2023 4:30am PST

For a century, the world’s oil drillers fought for rights to what they called “elephants,” supergiant oil fields in the Middle East, Central Asia and the U.S., because just one of them could make a company fabulously wealthy. Now global auto companies are scrambling for the new elephants—giant lithium deposits, which are emerging as a key to... For a century, the world’s oil drillers fought for rights to what they called “elephants,”...

In Palo Alto, CA. in November 2010, Musk and Toyoda announce what would become a star-crossed partnership. Photo: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg

The Electric: Modern EVs Were Born in Japan. So Why Have the Japanese Lost Their Way?

By Steve LeVine · Jan 29, 2023 2:00pm PST

In Palo Alto, CA. in November 2010, Musk and Toyoda announce what would become a star-crossed partnership. Photo: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg

The Electric: Modern EVs Were Born in Japan. So Why Have the Japanese Lost Their Way?

By Steve LeVine · Jan 29, 2023 2:00pm PST

In 2010, Akio Toyoda, chief executive of Toyota, the Japanese automaker his grandfather founded decades earlier, sipped red wine in Palo Alto, Calif., with Elon Musk, CEO of electric vehicle upstart Tesla, and drove the entrepreneur’s flashy Roadster. Toyoda, only recently installed as CEO, was taken by Musk’s spirit and determination on the... In 2010, Akio Toyoda, chief executive of Toyota, the Japanese automaker his grandfather founded...

Manchin. Photo: Eric Lee/Bloomberg

The Electric: Manchin Uses a Threat to EV Tax Credits to Fight the Battery War His Way

By Steve LeVine · Jan 26, 2023 4:30am PST

For the last three weeks, U.S. buyers of electric cars have been eligible for a $7,500 tax credit, courtesy of the climate law passed by Congress last year. Now the senator most responsible for the credits, angry over how the Biden administration is implementing the law, is threatening to take them away and possibly force consumers who have... For the last three weeks, U.S. buyers of electric cars have been eligible for a $7,500 tax...

Left to right, battery-grade nickel sulphate and cobalt sulphate, both produced in Finland. Photo: Courtesy Finnish Minerals Group.

The Electric: Europe’s Battery Supply Chain Is Likely to Be Far-Flung—and Mostly Not in Europe

By Steve LeVine · Jan 22, 2023 2:00pm PST

In the early years of this century, Finnish phone manufacturer Nokia controlled nearly 40% of global handset sales, creating a windfall for the country’s economy. Nokia accounted for a quarter of the country’s economic growth and corporate tax revenue, a fifth of its exports, and almost two-thirds of the value of the Helsinki stock market. But... In the early years of this century, Finnish phone manufacturer Nokia controlled nearly 40% of...

Site of the proposed Rhyolite Ridge lithium mine. Photo: Courtesy Ioneer

The Electric: Biden Administration Attempts to Woo Wary Investors in Battery Metals Mining

By Steve LeVine · Jan 18, 2023 5:00am PST

The Biden administration, hoping to win over private investors who have been slow to back U.S. projects to mine metals for electric vehicle batteries, is framing its support for a proposed Nevada lithium mine as evidence that the U.S. is serious about reversing a decadeslong decline in heavy industry.The conditional $700 million Department of... The Biden administration, hoping to win over private investors who have been slow to back U.S....

In 2019, Volkswagen became a joint investor with Ford in Argo AI. Left to right: Ford CEO Jim Hackett, Argo CEO Bryan Salesky, VW CEO Herbert Diess. Photo: Courtesy VW

The Electric: Will Assisted Driving Tech Give Detroit a Stock Boost? Don’t Bet on It

By Steve LeVine · Jan 15, 2023 2:00pm PST

In 2019, Volkswagen became a joint investor with Ford in Argo AI. Left to right: Ford CEO Jim Hackett, Argo CEO Bryan Salesky, VW CEO Herbert Diess. Photo: Courtesy VW

The Electric: Will Assisted Driving Tech Give Detroit a Stock Boost? Don’t Bet on It

By Steve LeVine · Jan 15, 2023 2:00pm PST

In March 2017, Mark Fields, then CEO of Ford, announced one of the most surprising gambles in company history—a $1 billion investment in Argo AI, a little-known Pittsburgh startup that promised to help Ford produce a driverless car by 2021. Though Ford wasn’t prone to betting on unproven startups, Fields suggested he had little choice: By the... In March 2017, Mark Fields, then CEO of Ford, announced one of the most surprising gambles in...