EV batteries

Companies that make the high-capacity batteries that usually end up in EVs are now shifting focus to supplying data centers and storage for energy producers.

Quantumscape said it plans to start selling solid-state batteries to companies like Volkswagen by next year. 

This week the DOE announced a $20 million grant to partially finance this new manufacturing facility. It’s part of an emerging EV battery reuse ecosystem.

The UAW fought for protection if factories shut down. But workers in other carbon-intensive industries could find themselves displaced.

Even though prices have come down and the federal government is helping with rebates, the average price is still above $50,000.

It’s a small market so far, but using the excess supply of used batteries could help meet the high demand for stored clean energy.

The government is lending $9.2 billion to Ford and a Korean partner to build electric vehicle battery factories in Kentucky and Tennessee.

GM is launching an electric version of its Chevy Equinox SUV with a price tag that starts around $30,000. It’s hoping to reach a broader market.