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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

The separator that QuantumScape claims prevents dendrites. Photo: QuantumScape
The Electric

The Electric: An Executive Departure Rocks a Highly Touted Battery Maker

By Steve LeVine · Jun 14, 2022 3:37pm PDT
For almost two years, QuantumScape, a prominent U.S. next-generation battery company, has counseled investors to be patient while it builds factories to manufacture lithium-metal batteries that would increase electric vehicle range by up to 50%. By 2024 or 2025, it said, its batteries will be ready to power electric automobiles made by... For almost two years, QuantumScape, a prominent U.S. next-generation battery company, has...
The Mercedes-Benz electric EQS. Photo: Bernd Wei'brod/picture-alliance/dpa/AP
The Electric

Mercedes and the Knife Fight That’s Coming to the Luxury EV Market

By · Jun 12, 2022 2:00pm PDT
Welcome back to The Electric!After a pioneer blazes a trail, copycats follow, hoping to reap the same riches. So it is in the nascent electric vehicles industry, which is crowded with ultra-luxury models hoping to replicate Tesla's success with the expensive Roadster. But one automaker's foray into the top end is not imitation, because it can... Welcome back to The Electric!After a pioneer blazes a trail, copycats follow, hoping to reap the...
Rendering of the battery inside the chassis of Leapmotor's C01. Courtesy of Leapmotor.
The Electric

The Electric: Chinese EV Makers Move to Pack More Batteries Into a Car

By · Jun 7, 2022 5:30am PDT
Today's column is from Dalibor Petkovic, a freelance researcher specializing in Chinese industrial policies. Since 2017, he has focused on the Chinese EV market, as well as smart cities, urban logistics and battery recycling management.Makers of batteries for electric vehicles have made tremendous strides in the past decade by adjusting battery... Today's column is from Dalibor Petkovic, a freelance researcher specializing in Chinese...
Massive volumes of lithium are found amid the salt of Calama, Chile, but a huge shortfall of the metal is still forecast for the 2020s. Photo: Cristobal Olivares/Bloomberg
The Electric: The World of EVs and Batteries Is in Chaos. So Why Are These Analysts So Darn Optimistic?
By Steve LeVine · Jun 5, 2022 2:00pm PDT
Massive volumes of lithium are found amid the salt of Calama, Chile, but a huge shortfall of the metal is still forecast for the 2020s. Photo: Cristobal Olivares/Bloomberg
The Electric

The Electric: The World of EVs and Batteries Is in Chaos. So Why Are These Analysts So Darn Optimistic?

By Steve LeVine · Jun 5, 2022 2:00pm PDT
Welcome back to The Electric! For a year, the electric vehicle and battery industries have faced a growing list of troubles, especially over snags in their respective supply chains. But through the industries' ups and downs, one voice has remained bullish—that of BloombergNEF, the renewable energy research firm. This week, we explore ... Welcome back to The Electric! For a year, the electric vehicle and battery industries have...
The Lilium Jet. Photo: Courtesy Lilium Air Mobility
The Electric

The Electric: A Troubled Air Taxi Company Attempts to Answer Its Critics

By Steve LeVine · Jun 3, 2022 4:00am PDT
On Sunday, we discussed the race to commercialize air taxis, and the challenges that make it likely that the industry will be smaller than a lot of the companies suggest. One particularly challenged company is Germany’s Lilium Air Mobility, which has been plagued by doubts over whether the unusual design of its electric air taxi makes the... On Sunday, we discussed the race to commercialize air taxis, and the challenges that make it...
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 Byd Seal, part of its Ocean line of EVs.
The Electric

The Electric: How Byd Became the Best-Selling Carmaker in China

By · May 31, 2022 5:30am PDT
Today's column is from Dalibor Petkovic, a freelance researcher specializing in Chinese industrial policies. Since 2017, he has focused on the Chinese EV market, as well as smart cities, urban logistics and battery recycling management.Chinese automaker Byd in April became the first homegrown brand in 36 years to lead the nation in sales,... Today's column is from Dalibor Petkovic, a freelance researcher specializing in Chinese...
The Archer Maker eVTOL. Photo: Courtesy Archer
The Electric

The Electric: Electric Air Taxis Are Coming, but Not How Backers Envision Them

By · May 29, 2022 2:00pm PDT
Welcome back to The Electric!On Thursday: The most-consulted compendium of data on batteries and electric vehicles is the annual BloombergNEF New Energy Outlook. This week, BNEF will release its 2022 industry forecast. Right afterward, we will discuss it with Colin McKerracher, BNEF’s head of auto and transport analysis, who leads the analytical... Welcome back to The Electric!On Thursday: The most-consulted compendium of data on batteries and...
Musk and Drew Baglino, his chief of powertrain, revealed the 4680 battery concept on Battery Day, in September 2020. Photo: Courtesy Tesla
There’s a New Contender to Replicate Tesla’s 4680 Battery
By Steve LeVine · May 26, 2022 4:00am PDT
Musk and Drew Baglino, his chief of powertrain, revealed the 4680 battery concept on Battery Day, in September 2020. Photo: Courtesy Tesla
The Electric

There’s a New Contender to Replicate Tesla’s 4680 Battery

By Steve LeVine · May 26, 2022 4:00am PDT
Save the date: Next week, BloombergNEF releases its much-anticipated annual outlook on electric vehicles, batteries, and the new mobility. To discuss it, join BNEF's Colin McKerracher and me for Live Chat With The Electric. McKerracher, BNEF's head of advanced transport, oversees the outlook, and you can ask your own questions of him. June 2 at... Save the date: Next week, BloombergNEF releases its much-anticipated annual outlook on electric...
After a Decade of Declines, EV Battery Costs Are To Rise 14% This Year
The Electric

After a Decade of Declines, EV Battery Costs Are To Rise 14% This Year

By Steve LeVine · May 24, 2022 11:08am PDT
The abrupt electrification of the auto industry has been fueled in large part by a steep drop in the cost of their batteries, bringing the price of electric cars closer to parity with traditional vehicles. But the International Energy Agency says those declines are about to end—and reverse.A surge in the price of critical metals is on track to... The abrupt electrification of the auto industry has been fueled in large part by a steep drop in...
In 1770, Thomas Gainsborough unveiled what came to be called "The Blue Boy," in which he used Prussian blue. Photo: Courtesy The Huntington
The Electric

Getting Ready for the Next-Next EV Battery

By · May 22, 2022 2:00pm PDT
Welcome back to The Electric! This is the second of our two-part series on the surprisingly fast arrival of next-generation battery technologies. Last week we looked at the imminent commercialization of electric vehicles powered by high-concentration silicon anodes. This week we turn to the even more unexpected debut of sodium-ion batteries... Welcome back to The Electric! This is the second of our two-part series on the surprisingly...
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 Rivian R1T, with its pullout kitchen. Photo: Jamie Kelter Davis/Bloomberg
The Electric

Think EVs Are Expensive? Try Buying a Used One

By · May 19, 2022 4:00am PDT
The automobile industry has been hit harder than almost any sector by the pandemic-led upheaval in the global supply chain. For more than a year, automakers have been forced to scale back production because of shortages of chips, lithium-ion batteries and other parts, leading most recently to steep drops in revenue and their share prices. One... The automobile industry has been hit harder than almost any sector by the pandemic-led upheaval...
CATL headquarters and production facilities in China. Photo by Bloomberg
CATL Could Make Battery Swaps Pay Off, Finally
By Steve LeVine · May 17, 2022 5:00am PDT
CATL headquarters and production facilities in China. Photo by Bloomberg
The Electric

CATL Could Make Battery Swaps Pay Off, Finally

By Steve LeVine · May 17, 2022 5:00am PDT
Today's column is our second from Dalibor Petkovic, a freelance researcher specializing in Chinese industrial policies. Since 2017, he has focused on the Chinese EV market, as well as smart cities, urban logistics and battery recycling management.There are two ways to recharge an electric car: Plug it in, or replace a depleted battery with... Today's column is our second from Dalibor Petkovic, a freelance researcher specializing in...
With a fully silicon anode, the Porsche Taycan would get about 270 miles on a charge, up from 225 without one. Photo: Ted S. Warren/AP
The Electric

The Next Generation of EV Batteries Arrives—Ahead of Schedule

By Steve LeVine · May 15, 2022 2:00pm PDT
Welcome back to The Electric! We seem to have been talking about the future of next-generation lithium-ion batteries forever. But now, while most of us have been preoccupied by the critical shortage of raw materials, one of those technologies—silicon anodes—has arrived for use at commercial scale in electric vehicles. As part of a two-part... Welcome back to The Electric! We seem to have been talking about the future of...
The Chart That Shows the Looming EV Battery Shortage
The Electric

The Chart That Shows the Looming EV Battery Shortage

By · May 12, 2022 4:00am PDT
For well over a year, I and other observers have been ringing the alarm bell over a coming shortage of electric vehicle batteries and the metals that make them work. But it was a wholly bracing experience to chart forecasts for how much of those materials will be produced and how many EVs can actually be made this decade. The answer: almost... For well over a year, I and other observers have been ringing the alarm bell over a coming...
The Byd Han, powered by the Blade battery, which uses LFP. Photo: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg
The Electric

The Law of Bottlenecks Explains Why Automakers Should Switch Batteries

By · May 8, 2022 2:00pm PDT
Welcome back to The Electric! One of the main undercurrents in the electric vehicle race is tension over what EV battery is better: those based on nickel or on iron? This week, we dig into the often irrational logic of the battery chemistry debate, and come out on the side of a simple law that clears up much of the confusion. On... Welcome back to The Electric! One of the main undercurrents in the electric vehicle race is...
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
Volkswagen's Struggles in China Imperil Its Global EV Sales Goal
Volkswagen's Struggles in China Imperil Its Global EV Sales Goal
By Steve LeVine · May 4, 2022 7:00am PDT
Volkswagen's Struggles in China Imperil Its Global EV Sales Goal
The Electric

Volkswagen's Struggles in China Imperil Its Global EV Sales Goal

By Steve LeVine · May 4, 2022 7:00am PDT
Today’s column by Dalibor Petkovic is part of our expanded coverage of all things EV. Petkovic is a freelance researcher specializing in Chinese industrial policies. Since 2017, he has focused on the Chinese EV market, as well as smart cities, urban logistics and battery recycling management. Volkswagen's ID.4 SUV is one of its... Today’s column by Dalibor Petkovic is part of our expanded coverage of all things EV....
The electric Lucid Air, which starts at a base price of $77,400. Photo: RW/MediaPunch/IPX/AP
The Electric

Do EV Battery Costs Truly No Longer Matter?

By Steve LeVine · May 1, 2022 2:00pm PDT
Welcome back to The Electric!Coming on Tuesday at noon ET: A mania has erupted in India over electric vehicles—two-wheel scooters that are seemingly everywhere in the country. At the forefront is Hero Electric and its pioneering CEO, Naveen Munjal. I’m delighted to host Munjal for the next Live Chat. Register here to join the conversation.An... Welcome back to The Electric!Coming on Tuesday at noon ET: A mania has erupted in India over...
Photo: Yichuan Cao/Sipa/AP
The Electric

A Shrewder Musk Would Have Bought a Lithium Mine

By · Apr 26, 2022 4:02am PDT
The electric vehicle industry is in a supply crisis: There is not nearly enough raw nickel, lithium and other metals and minerals to build the batteries for the millions of EVs that the industry envisions selling this decade. Every Western EV and battery manufacturer on the planet is more or less in the same jam—none has sufficient battery raw... The electric vehicle industry is in a supply crisis: There is not nearly enough raw nickel,...
A lithium brine pool in Calama, Chile, run by Albemarle. Photo: Cristobal Olivares/Bloomberg
The Electric

Just How Many EVs Can Be Made? Far Fewer Than Expected

By · Apr 24, 2022 2:00pm PDT
Save the date: In large parts of the world, when you say “electric vehicle” you don’t mean a car or an SUV, but a scooter—a two-wheeler, as they are better known. And today’s greatest two-wheeler mania of all is perhaps in India, pioneered by Hero Electric, the country’s largest manufacturer of electric two-wheelers, and its managing director, ... Save the date: In large parts of the world, when you say “electric vehicle” you don’t mean a car...
If you want 300 miles of range in your new electric Ford-150 Lightning Lariat, prices start at $77,000. The first deliveries are next week. Photo: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
There May Be a Limit to Demand for EVs After All
By Steve LeVine · Apr 20, 2022 4:30am PDT
If you want 300 miles of range in your new electric Ford-150 Lightning Lariat, prices start at $77,000. The first deliveries are next week. Photo: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg
The Electric

There May Be a Limit to Demand for EVs After All

By Steve LeVine · Apr 20, 2022 4:30am PDT
The Electric's coverage is expanding. Starting this week, we will feature one or two additional pieces during the week, including coverage of the Chinese battery and electric vehicle industry. This is on top of The Electric Quarterly, which launched last month. As always, I love to hear any suggestions, comments, or tips. Just email... The Electric's coverage is expanding. Starting this week, we will feature one or two additional...