Electric Vehicles

Australian battery recycling startup Renewable Metals intends to scale and commercialise its lithium-ion battery recycling technology that converts battery waste into high-value battery metals after closing an $8 million (USD 5.08 million) investment round.

Queensland Pacific Metals has upgraded the focus of its finance strategy as it works towards a final investment decision for the $2.1 billion (USD 1.35 billion) fully approved battery materials project being developed near Townsville in northern Queensland.

The Australian Energy Market Commission has declared regulatory reform is required to maximise the benefits of the “record amounts” of household energy devices including rooftop solar systems and small-scale batteries that are connecting to the power grid.

The Western Australia government has introduced new legislation to parliament as it seeks to integrate distributed energy resources such as small-scale solar and residential batteries more efficiently into the state’s electricity grid.

Australian manufacturer Incat Tasmania is building the world’s largest all-electric ship at its yards in Hobart with the 130-metre-long vessel to be fitted with a 40 MWh battery energy storage system that will power a series of electric propulsion system and waterjets.

Chinese battery industry heavyweight Contemporary Amperex Technology has unveiled a new electric vehicle battery that reportedly enables long-range driving on a fast, 10-minute charge. It expects mass production to begin by the end of this year, and vehicles equipped with the battery to be available in the first quarter of 2024.

South Australia’s Flinders University has launched a trial that will test bidirectional vehicle-to-grid charging technology that allows electric vehicles to either be recharged or used as batteries to provide back-up power to the grid.

Western Australia battery tech company Altech Batteries has raised $13.3 million (USD 8.7 million) to advance the development and commercialisation of its sodium-chloride solid state battery project and to progress construction of a silumina anodes battery materials plant in Germany.

Mining heavyweight Mineral Resources has signed a deal to progress Lithium Australia’s lithium extraction technology by funding the development and operation of a pilot plant that would produce lithium iron phosphate to be used in electric vehicle batteries.

Australian hydrogen technology startup H2X Global will accelerate the rollout of its hydrogen-powered vehicle range in both domestic and international markets after securing an $87 billion (USD 57 million) investment agreement with United States-based Verde Mobility.