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

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The Electric: Musk Warns Rivals They Will Regret Not Making Fully Autonomous EVs

By Steve LeVine · Oct 24, 2024 4:30am PDT · 1 comment

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has staked the company’s future more clearly than ever on autonomous vehicles, saying Tesla would not make a driver-controlled car costing $25,000. In remarks to analysts Wednesday evening, he urged rivals to follow Tesla’s example and develop their own autonomous vehicles, but offered few new details on Tesla’s... Tesla CEO Elon Musk has staked the company’s future more clearly than ever on autonomous...

Optimus, Tesla's prototype robot. Photo: Getty

The Electric: Behind the Threat to Tesla’s Optimus Robot From Toyota and Boston Dynamics

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

At the 1939 World’s Fair in New York, Westinghouse Electric unveiled Elektro, a 7-foot-tall robot that walked, spoke, smoked cigarettes and gestured with its arms. It was all a show—Elektro’s witty conversation flowed from phrases recorded on a vinyl disc inside its massive body. But the robot wowed crowds that piled in to witness its apparent... At the 1939 World’s Fair in New York, Westinghouse Electric unveiled Elektro, a 7-foot-tall robot...

An Arcadium Lithium brine operation in Argentina. Photo: Courtesy Arcadium.

The Electric: Rio Tinto Gets a Big Lithium Asset but No Relief From Price Woes

By Steve LeVine · Oct 10, 2024 4:30am PDT

Rio Tinto’s proposed $6.7 billion acquisition of Arcadium Lithium follows a monthlong surge in the share prices of lithium producers, a rare bright spot in the battered battery metals sector, where raw ore prices have dropped almost 90% over the last two years. But any euphoria over the deal could prove short-lived: It won’t address the global... Rio Tinto’s proposed $6.7 billion acquisition of Arcadium Lithium follows a monthlong surge in...

GM's secretive prototyping center, in Warren, Mich. Photo: Courtesy GM

Exclusive From The Electric: Inside GM's Secretive Battery Lab

By Steve LeVine · Oct 7, 2024 4:30am PDT

GM's secretive prototyping center, in Warren, Mich. Photo: Courtesy GM

Exclusive From The Electric: Inside GM's Secretive Battery Lab

By Steve LeVine · Oct 7, 2024 4:30am PDT

In 2020, General Motors CEO Mary Barra told investors, analysts and journalists how the company planned to transform itself into an electric vehicle powerhouse. The key, the executives said in a two-hour presentation, was Ultium, a proprietary new battery they said would make GM’s EVs profitable almost from the get-go. In 2020, General Motors CEO Mary Barra told investors, analysts and journalists how the company...

GM plans to produce the consumer version of its electric Silverado here in 2026. Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty

Exclusive From The Electric: Inside GM’s Do-Over

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

Last November, Ed Duby took over battery production at General Motors. He found an effort in crisis: The company was on track to sell fewer than a quarter of the 400,000 electric vehicles it had predicted for 2023, and the numbers were unlikely to improve anytime soon. The problem wasn’t consumer demand. Rather, GM had fumbled production of... Last November, Ed Duby took over battery production at General Motors. He found an effort in...

A Byd Yuan Plus, on the road in Merida, Mexico. Photo: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal/Getty

The Electric: Bold U.S. Moves Could Invite Chinese Retaliation Against Tesla

By Steve LeVine · Sep 26, 2024 4:30am PDT · 1 comment

The Biden administration’s latest salvo against Chinese electric vehicles carries a risk: potential retaliation against Tesla. The Biden administration’s latest salvo against Chinese electric vehicles carries a risk:...

Group14 Technologies' anode powder plant in Sangju, South Korea, a joint venture with SK On. Photo: Courtesy Group14.

The Electric: With a $3 Billion Bet, the U.S. Strikes at the Heart of China’s EV Empire

By Steve LeVine · Sep 23, 2024 4:30am PDT

Chinese companies dominate the market for electric vehicle batteries and the supply chain behind them. But U.S. companies hold their own in one segment: high-silicon electrodes, which add significant driving range and charging speed. Chinese companies dominate the market for electric vehicle batteries and the supply chain behind...

Photo: Courtesy 6K

The Electric: Facing a Skeptical Clientele, a Battery Company Builds Its Own Plant

By Steve LeVine · Sep 19, 2024 4:30am PDT

Photo: Courtesy 6K

The Electric: Facing a Skeptical Clientele, a Battery Company Builds Its Own Plant

By Steve LeVine · Sep 19, 2024 4:30am PDT

In 2020, 6K, a North Andover, Mass., materials company, launched an energy division with the aim of making the toxic and laborious manufacture of battery electrodes cheaper and cleaner. Now, after failing to win business from large established electrode makers, the company plans to make the electrodes itself.The move reflects how Western battery... In 2020, 6K, a North Andover, Mass., materials company, launched an energy division with the aim...

Ford CEO Jim Farley, top, and the company's head of EV development, Doug Field. Photos: Getty

Three-Quarters of Ford’s EV ‘Skunkworks’ Are Tesla, Apple and Rivian Alums

By Steve LeVine · Sep 16, 2024 4:30am PDT

In a call with Wall Street analysts in February, Ford CEO Jim Farley and Chief Financial Officer John Lawler detailed the costs to the company of its flagship electric Mach-E SUV and F-150 Lightning pickup. Ford lost $47,000 for each electric vehicle it sold in the fourth quarter of 2023, and was on track to lose up to $5.5 billion on EVs this... In a call with Wall Street analysts in February, Ford CEO Jim Farley and Chief Financial Officer...

Piedmont Lithium's headquarters in Belmont, N.C. Photo: Google Earth

One in Four Recipients of a U.S. Battery Grant Has Given Them Up

By Steve LeVine · Sep 12, 2024 5:45am PDT · 1 comment

When Piedmont Lithium withdrew its application for a Department of Energy loan to build an $800 million lithium refinery, it joined a growing list of U.S. battery and mining companies that, roiled by slow electric vehicle sales, are walking away from government aid intended to spur a domestic battery supply chain. In some cases, companies have... When Piedmont Lithium withdrew its application for a Department of Energy loan to build an $800...

The now-closed Cuberg laboratory in San Leandro, Calif. Photo: Courtesy Northvolt

The Travails of Three Battery Startups Reflect the Industry’s Woes

By Steve LeVine · Sep 9, 2024 4:30am PDT

In May, a worker at the San Leandro, Calif., laboratory of next-generation battery developer Cuberg accidentally spilled alcohol solvent on a pile of scrap lithium metal. A fire broke out, reaching the ceiling, and now-molten lithium burned a 5-inch crater in the floor. Overhead sprinklers sent a spray of water over the interior of the facility,... In May, a worker at the San Leandro, Calif., laboratory of next-generation battery developer ...

An Electric Era charging station at Seven Feathers Truck & Travel Center in Canyonville, Ore. Photo: Courtesy Electric Era.

The Electric: Battery Charging Executive Urges Biden to Go Easier on China

By Steve LeVine · Sep 5, 2024 4:30am PDT · 1 comment

An Electric Era charging station at Seven Feathers Truck & Travel Center in Canyonville, Ore. Photo: Courtesy Electric Era.

The Electric: Battery Charging Executive Urges Biden to Go Easier on China

By Steve LeVine · Sep 5, 2024 4:30am PDT · 1 comment

Late this month, Quincy Lee plans to inaugurate a fast-charging station for electric vehicles outside a new Costco in Ridgefield, Wash. The station will have six charging ports, powered by Chinese-made batteries, allowing it to quickly charge from 50 to 100 EVs per day. Late this month, Quincy Lee plans to inaugurate a fast-charging station for electric vehicles...

Volkswagen has bought almost 20% of QuantumScape for $300 million. Photos: Getty; Shutterstock

The Electric: Will VW’s $21 Billion Investment Spree Produce Winning EVs?

By Steve LeVine · Sep 2, 2024 4:30am PDT · 3 comments

In 2022, Volkswagen’s board fired chair Herbert Diess after a rocky tenure in which, while pushing employees to move fast into the electric vehicle age, he reportedly angered powerful German labor leaders and regional government officials. The last straw, analysts said, was the failure of a core Diess project—internally designed software that... In 2022, Volkswagen’s board fired chair Herbert Diess after a rocky tenure in which, while...

A production line for Amprius' silicon-based batteries. Photo: Courtesy Amprius

The Electric: A U.S. Silicon Battery Startup Exploits China’s Excess Production Capacity

By Steve LeVine · Aug 29, 2024 4:00am PDT

Kang Sun, CEO of Amprius Technologies, has contracted with three factories in China to pump out the California company’s silicon-based batteries. But on Wednesday, he was looking for a fourth in the Taiwanese capital of Taipei, in part to qualify for tax credits under the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act. Kang Sun, CEO of Amprius Technologies, has contracted with three factories in China to pump out...

Industrial conglomerate Huntsman Corp. says it halted a $50 million battery investment after Chinese companies flooded the market with the component it planned to manufacture. Photo: Courtesy Huntsman.

The Electric: A Battery Chemical Company Falls Victim to the China Playbook

By Steve LeVine · Aug 26, 2024 4:30am PDT

In 2021, Peter Huntsman, CEO of industrial conglomerate Huntsman Corp., decided to invest $50 million in the expansion of a chemicals plant in Conroe, Texas. The move would significantly boost the plant’s production of ethylene carbonate, an essential ingredient in the batteries that power electric vehicles, at the time viewed as a juggernaut of... In 2021, Peter Huntsman, CEO of industrial conglomerate Huntsman Corp., decided to invest $50...

Former Cuberg CEO Richard Wang, who was let go in February. Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty

The Electric: The Death of Cuberg Reflects a Battery Industry Shakeout

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

Former Cuberg CEO Richard Wang, who was let go in February. Photo: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg/Getty

The Electric: The Death of Cuberg Reflects a Battery Industry Shakeout

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

Northvolt’s decision this week to shut down Cuberg, its lithium-metal battery division, is another dramatic sign of a shakeout in the next-generation battery industry—a business that was so hot a few years ago that it seemed almost any startup could attract venture investment. It’s the second U.S. lithium-metal battery startup to fail in the... Northvolt’s decision this week to shut down Cuberg, its lithium-metal battery division, is...

Gerard Barron, CEO of The Metals Co. Photo: Carolyn Cole/LA Times/Getty

The Electric: Low Metals Prices Be Damned, Startups Race to Mine Under the Sea

By Steve LeVine · Aug 19, 2024 4:30am PDT

Ignoring rock-bottom prices and a glut of the metals used in electric vehicle batteries, startup mining companies around the world are pushing ahead with plans to vacuum the seabed for nodules containing cobalt, copper, manganese and nickel. Ignoring rock-bottom prices and a glut of the metals used in electric vehicle batteries, startup...

Battery industry veteran Bart Riley. Photo: Courtesy Bart Riley.

Exclusive From The Electric: Why Has QuantumScape Moved to Seize the Home of Its Former Chief Strategy Officer?

By Steve LeVine · Aug 15, 2024 4:30am PDT · 2 comments

In the bizarre climax of a four-year legal dispute over stock options, next-generation battery developer QuantumScape has moved to seize the home of its former chief strategy officer to cover $1.1 million in lawyer fees it says it racked up in the case. In the bizarre climax of a four-year legal dispute over stock options, next-generation battery...

Qichao Hu, founder and CEO, lithium metal battery developer SES AI. Photo: Courtesy SES.

Exclusive From The Electric: In a ‘Come to Jesus’ Moment, SES Bows Out of Sole Manufacturing

By Steve LeVine · Aug 12, 2024 4:30am PDT

In recent months, Qichao Hu, CEO of Massachusetts-based lithium-metal battery developer SES AI, had a “come to Jesus moment,” he said. After 12 years of work, the company’s battery was nearly ready for large-volume production. But Hu was anxious: How would tiny SES, which had never manufactured a commercial battery, compete with the world’s... In recent months, Qichao Hu, CEO of Massachusetts-based lithium-metal battery developer SES AI,...

Albemarle CEO Kent Masters. Photo: Bloomberg/Getty

The Electric: Outcompeted by China, Battery Makers Seek More U.S. Largesse

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

Albemarle CEO Kent Masters. Photo: Bloomberg/Getty

The Electric: Outcompeted by China, Battery Makers Seek More U.S. Largesse

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

U.S. battery component and metals suppliers—increasingly doubtful about their ability to compete with low-cost Chinese rivals—want greater federal subsidies and tighter restrictions on U.S. support to Chinese companies. The lobbying push will likely raise tensions with U.S.-based automakers, which need Chinese-made materials to make their... U.S. battery component and metals suppliers—increasingly doubtful about their ability to compete...