MIDLAND, MI—XALT Energy LLC has signed a $1 billion multiyear deal to supply lithium batteries to a Chinese electric bus manufacturer. The battery manufacturer is expected to hire 300 people as a result of the order.
ANN ARBOR, MI—Battery start-up Sakti3 has lured a $15-million investment from vacuum cleaner manufacturer Dyson, which is hunting for technology to improve the battery performance of cordless vacuums and other devices.
LIVONIA, MI—Battery manufacturer A123 Systems filed suit this month against Apple Inc., alleging the electronics giant campaigned to poach employees amid reports that it’s developing an electric car.
UPPSALA, Sweden—Researchers at Uppsala University have developed a rechargeable battery, made from alfalfa and pine resin, that can be recycled with a low-energy input and non-hazardous chemicals.
RENO, NV—Tesla Motors has chosen Nevada as the site for a massive, $5 billion factory that will pump out batteries for a new generation of less expensive electric cars. Four other states—California, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico—were vying for the project and the estimated 6,500 jobs it will bring.
OAK RIDGE, TN—Recycled tires could see new life in lithium-ion batteries that provide power to plug-in electric vehicles and store energy produced by wind turbines and solar panels, say researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
SANTA CRUZ, CA—NTS Works has created a small and powerful battery for electric vehicles that can be rebuilt and upgraded for half the cost of a new replacement battery.
BEIJING—Johnson Controls has secured a new long-term battery supply contract from the Chinese automaker SAIC Motor. Johnson Controls will supply its Absorbent Glass Mat batteries to power SAIC Motor’s Start-Stop vehicles.
MILWAUKEE—Johnson Controls and German research institute Fraunhofer Gesellschaft are working together to develop next-generation cooling systems for vehicle batteries.