Electrification

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In July 2022, Panasonic announced it would build a new lithium-ion battery plant in DeSoto, Kansas, a small town located right off a major highway. The plant is being built for the rapidly growing electric vehicle market. It's estimated the project will bring 4,000 permanent jobs to the state, and according to Kansas Department of Commerce officials, it is the most significant economic development project in state history. 

SINDELFINGEN, Germany—The state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz factory here recently built the automaker’s 22 millionth vehicle.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) engineers have developed a new process to produce better, cheaper cathodes for use in lithium-ion batteries. 

Fires are a risk in lithium-ion batteries, because they’re sensitive to high operating temperatures and are inherently flammable. 

Battery manufacturers tend to be conservative in their efforts to maximize production processes and still maintain sustainable assembly costs.

CHICAGO—One of the highlights of the 2023 Chicago Auto Show is an indoor test track for electric vehicles.

MARSHALL, MI—Ford Motor Co. plans to build a $3.5 million factory here to mass-produce lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries.

Whether building new production lines or converting existing internal combustion engine assembly plants to produce electric vehicles, automakers need a broad array of flexible, open and proven automation technologies. 

Lightweighting can improve the strength, stability and performance of electric vehicles. To address the challenge, automakers are exploring new materials that boost operating range, one of the biggest hurdles to widespread EV acceptance.

GKN Aerospace Services Ltd. is partnering with Lilium N.V., which is developing an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) jet for air taxi applications.