Dennis Nobelius

Northvolt, once heralded as Europe’s great hope for #EV battery production, is now at a crossroads, facing potential Chapter 11 or bankruptcy. Despite securing over $15bn in funding from major players like Volkswagen Group and Siemens, and enjoying government subsidies, Northvolt has struggled to scale production at its flagship factory in Sweden. The collapse of a $2bn BMW Group contract and widespread operational challenges have brought the company to a crisis point. With a quarter of its workforce cut and projects shelved, Northvolt’s story reflects the immense difficulties in breaking the dominance of Asian battery manufacturers. For Europe’s green transition, this is more than just one company’s struggle, it’s a crucial lesson. Bold visions require equally robust execution strategies, and collaboration across stakeholders is key. Should governments and investors do more to support pioneering green tech, or are market forces simply at play here? Share your thoughts. #northvolt #batterytech #greenenergy #automotive #automotiveindustry #autoindustry #auto #automobile #carindustry #carmanufacturers #automanufacturers #automotivemanufacturers #battery

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Scaling up cell production outside of China is a complex endeavor. It's essential for Indian manufacturers to recognize the inevitable challenges that will arise during the prototyping and ramp-up phases of domestic cell production. By preparing for these teething troubles, they can pave the way for a more successful and sustainable production process.

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"One must really wonder: what more does it take to send a jolt through our lethargic veins? Have we really given up on being producers and manufacturers? And do we understand that this entails not only unpalatable dependencies but also acute security vulnerabilities?" Shout out to Ann Mettler for shedding some light on the Northvolt debacle, and how Europe needs an honest and comprehensive rethinking of its industrial policy that includes - and this may come as a shock to many European politicians and bureaucrats - actually learning from Europe's failures. It's now or never. "A failure of Northvolt could be systemic. It was the best ever foray of EU policy to quickly stand up a new industry. After the debacle with solar, and the still poor outlook for European wind, the stakes are very high and go far beyond one company or industry. At a minimum, a *new* industrial deal must not completely abandon *old* initiatives. And at a maximum, we have the courage to take complete stock of EVERYTHING: the young industries that are not getting off the ground > batteries, heat pumps, hydrogen (watch out for a new ‘Clean Tech Reality Check’ series we’re launching tomorrow, starting with renewable hydrogen), electrolysers, etc. And the old industries that are in trouble > automotive, wind, chemicals, fertilizers, etc. Only a thorough, honest stock take – including LEARNING from past failures – can lead to better policy planning and ultimate success."

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Obviously, this was already some big news I wanted to share but didn't want to distract from our COP29 reporting we did over the last week at NovAzure. Hence the posting just now... Northvolt is the last recent story of how the EU has been struggling on getting a key anchor stone onto the map for own battery production. Obviously there is a strong connecting point with the EV OEM storyline across Europe having missed a trick of offering affordable EVs to a very price sensitive market. Without the massive off-take outlooks from BMW (and with VW struggling themselves... wanting to close down plants in Germany) in the EV sector it's no wonder that earmarked key suppliers such as Northvolt feel the hit. Again, this is quite cyclical.... hopefully investors & consumers will go much more "bullish" into the market for 2025. Or is it too late...? Any thoughts?

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Northvolt, the Swedish battery maker, is in talks with Chinese giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited, the global leader in electric vehicle (EV) battery production. The negotiations, which began this summer, are aimed at a possible strategic partnership to help Northvolt tackle its financial crisis, which led to the company filing for bankruptcy protection in the United States. CATL, which controls nearly 40% of the global EV battery market, sees significant growth potential in the European market. This interest aligns with its plans to establish battery recycling operations in Europe, in addition to cell production in Hungary, which would strengthen its presence in the region. This strategy would allow CATL to expand its influence in a key market, while Northvolt, grappling with financial difficulties, seeks a partner to help it navigate the crisis. Despite the ongoing talks, a Northvolt spokesperson declined to comment on the reports about a potential partnership. The company’s financial situation has worsened since its bankruptcy filing in the U.S., making strategic alliances crucial for its long-term survival. The next steps for both Northvolt and CATL will be critical in determining the future of both companies in an ever-evolving battery market. https://lnkd.in/dc3W4VGM. #automotiveindustry #electricvehicles #china #europe #leadership Tesla BYD MG Motor Europe

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Join Our Co-Innovation Battery Project with Business Finland Support! In the University of Oulu, we’re developing an innovative #project that addresses key challenges in the #battery industry, focusing on advancing technology across the value chain. Our main objectives include: - Enhancing battery performance, #cycle life #longevity, and fast #charging capabilities through advanced cell modeling and #thermal management systems. - Developing an integrated Battery Thermal Management System (#BTMS) to ensure optimal safety and efficiency, particularly in high-demand scenarios. - Ensuring #functionalsafety with advanced #BMS development, #realtime monitoring, and robust #safety protocols with advanced #thermalrunaway modeling. - Ensuring functional safety and reliability with advanced BMS development, Model-Based Systems Engineering (#MBSE), and real-time monitoring. - Integrating #sustainable battery solutions in #vehiclelevel applications to drive #decarbonization. Our proposal, set to be submitted under Business Finland’s (Business Finland) co-innovation platform, offers a unique opportunity for #Finnish #companies to collaborate on these objectives, contributing to impactful, future-ready battery solutions. We’re seeking an additional Finnish company active in the #battery business to join our #consortium. Whether your expertise complements or extends our project scope, this #partnership could enhance both projects, providing mutual benefits and expanding impact across the #batteryecosystem. If your company is interested in applying for Business Finland support and wishes to collaborate in a dynamic battery-focused consortium, please reach out! For further information, discussions, and consultations with Business Finland’s Funding Advisors and the program leader of the Hydrogen & Batteries – Dual Helix of Decarbonization program, please contact: https://lnkd.in/dq9FQPD6 Ritva Heikkinen, Tero Ijäs, @Johanna Laakkonen   Our Consortium Contacts: Amin Mahmoudzadeh Andwari Emil Kurvinen Juho Könnö Let’s drive battery innovation together! Photo Credit: https://lnkd.in/dFhnf-6J University of Oulu, VTT, University of Vaasa, VEBIC, University of Vaasa IONCOR, Epec Oy, Danfoss, Danfoss Drives, Business Finland, Oulu University Innovation Centre #Battery #BTMS #fastcharging #thermalrunaway #lithiumion #functionalsafety #MBSE #Physicsbased #CFD #simulation #reducedorder #vehicleintegration #systemlevelarchitecture #optimization

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Get ready for an electrifying shake-up in EV charging in Norway, the poster-child of EV in Europe 💥 Uno-X Mobility, a leader in EV solutions, just acquired TungBil Lading AS, a heavyweight in heavy vehicle charging. This bold move turbocharges the electrification of heavy transport. For Charge Point Operators, it's clearly a signal of accelerating electrification ⚡🔌🚛 Tungbil Lading AS specialises in heavy vehicle charging, making them crucial in this transition. By teaming up with UNO-X Mobility, they gain more resources to drive their efforts further. This acquisition opens doors for charge point operators, as heavy transport electrification becomes a strategic imperative. Charge point operators must be ready to seize opportunities in this electrifying journey towards a greener future 🌍 The news (in Norwegian) here: https://lnkd.in/d7SC2uhY

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Europe's ambition to lead in EV battery production faces a critical setback with Northvolt's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. Despite raising over $10 billion since 2016, the Swedish startup - once a symbol of Europe's green transition - struggles to compete with China's dominance in battery technology and production, which accounts for 85% of global capacity. As co-founder Peter Carlsson warns, Europe risks losing its long-term strategic position without decisive action to support its battery sector. How should Europe respond to ensure its role in the EV revolution? #BatteryIndustry #EVs #Sustainability #Innovation #Investment #3souls1company #Recycling #Compounding #Trading #PlasticPolymer

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PROMISING RESEARCH RESULTS from VOLVO GROUP, CHALMERS and SHT. Heavy Goods Vehicles in general create noise, which is one of the health hazards that need to be addressed, not least in urban environments. Therefore, noise suppression is a significant issue in the automotive industry. The sound absorbing materials that are used in the automotive industry consists primarily of polyurethane (PU) foams. However, low frequency noise performance, as well as mechanical and thermal properties are still problematic. In a project related to this theme, Flavio Presezniak, project manager and senior exterior noise expert at the Volvo Group, together with Chalmers and SHT, developed a thermally conductive graphene based porous material for noise damping in vehicles. The results are very promising, showing significant improvement compared to existing technology and the technology will further be developed and optimized. Polyurethane foam is one of the leading materials in sound absorption in vehicles today. Unfortunately, the material is not only ideal for isolating noise and noise. It also insulates heat. In June 2022, Flavio Presezniak, therefore started a project together with Chalmers and SHT. Few studies on the literature shows that the use of graphene on foam materials boosts the acoustic efficiency on the lower frequency, but when graphene flakes is applied on a PU foam, the low frequency efficiency can be combined with a high temperature resistant material, creating a new and innovative solution for noise control. The results of our materials are very promising, showing significant improvement on low frequency noise performance, as well as mechanical and thermal properties. ”When graphene flakes are applied to polyurethane foam, low-frequency efficiency increases through the new structure created. But the thermal properties of graphene are also integrated, improving heat transfer and heat resistance. It creates a new and innovative solution for noise control,” explains Flavio Presezniak. Click on the headline to read more on PLM&ERP News.

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Honda and GoCimo to Launch Battery Sharing Service Pilot for Electric Motorcycles in Sweden Honda Motor Co., Ltd., in partnership with Swedish startup GoCimo, is set to initiate a battery sharing service pilot in Malmö, Sweden, starting in February 2025. The year-long test aims to assess the viability and user acceptance of battery swapping services for electric motorcycles in Europe, a growing market for electric mobility solutions. The pilot program will feature Honda’s EM1 e: electric scooter and its Mobile Power Pack e: batteries, which can be exchanged at Honda Power Pack Exchanger e: stations. Three of these battery swap stations will be installed at strategic locations across Malmö. Honda will supply 30 EM1 […] - https://lnkd.in/d5b_bh6d #automotive #evs #ev #electricmobility #emobility #ebikes #fleets #evfleet #evnews #autonews #electricvehicles #electricvehicle #automotiveindustry #automotivejobs #cleantech #cleanenergy #hydrogen #lithium #evbattery #sustainability #climatechange #asia #battery #electricmobility #electricmotorcycles #electricvehicles #europe #honda #japan #sweden #tokyo

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📢 Exciting News for Swedish Homeowners with Battery Storage! 🇸🇪💡 Sweden has updated their tax compensation initiative that benefits those investing in battery storage systems. Now, even if your battery is primarily used for generating income from the frequency balancing markets, you are still eligible for tax reductions! 🎉 This is a significant step towards encouraging more sustainable energy solutions and ensuring a resilient and flexible energy grid. It's a win-win for both the environment and your wallet. 🌍💰 Harness the power of renewable energy, reduce your carbon footprint, and enjoy the financial benefits of this forward-thinking policy. Let's continue to lead the way in sustainable innovation! 🌱🔋 www.pixiihome.se #Sustainability #RenewableEnergy #EnergyStorage #Sweden #TaxCompensation #GreenEnergy

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🚗🔌 Rethinking EV Charger Success Rates: Measuring Success Among Successful Charging Attempts I recently reviewed Kempower's white paper on charging success rates (CSR) and charger uptime. https://lnkd.in/gyXTCSt6 While the data is impressive—showing a 94.3% technical success rate and 99% uptime—it's crucial to remember that these metrics tell only part of the story and clear what part and how important it is. Here’s why: 📉 Missing Failures: The CSR measures only recorded charging attempts. But what about chargers that are completely down, have a severed cable, or fail to record communication with the vehicle? These incidents aren't captured, leaving critical gaps in the data. 📊 Unknown Gaps: How many failures go unrecorded? Is it 1%, 10%, or even 90%? Without this information, the reported success rates may not fully reflect the user experience or system reliability. 🚘 Incorporating Vehicle Data: Charging attempt data from vehicles can provide crucial insights. For instance: Identifying attempts where communication failed to be recorded, preventing the session from even beginning. Tracking user avoidance of known unreliable chargers, offering a fuller view of the charging network's reliability. 🧑‍💻 Consumer-Centric Insights Needed: Metrics like CSR and uptime focus heavily on the infrastructure. To understand the real user experience, we need data from EVs and drivers themselves—cases where chargers were avoided or failures were detected at the vehicle level. 🔍 The Path Forward: (1) Avoid interpreting success rates without accounting for unmeasured scenarios. (2) Broaden data collection to include all failure types—both recorded and unrecorded. (3) Incorporate vehicle-level charging attempt data to enhance our understanding of EV-charging interactions. (4) Collect driver feedback to uncover real-world usability issues. While the current metrics are a step in the right direction, expanding our perspective will help us build an even more reliable and user-friendly charging network. Let’s ensure that the EV transition is not only about uptime but also about delivering a seamless and frustration-free experience for drivers. What are your thoughts on how we can improve EV charging metrics? Share your insights below! 👇 #EVCharging #Sustainability #ElectricVehicles #DataDrivenInsights #EVInfrastructure

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Overview of WLC (#WholeLifeCarbon) regulations in Europe.

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50% of vehicles must be battery electric in 2030 to meet the EU climate targets. By then European cell prices are likely to be as low as 50 to 70 €/kWh, while simultaneously meeting societal and sustainability requirements as well.   Even though Asian cell manufacturers are outpacing us at the moment, forcing big European players such as Northvolt , ACC - Automotive Cells Company and SVOLT Energy Technology (Europe) GmbH to shift strategies, I am optimistic that more effective close-collaboration will allow for a competitive European battery cell industry - of qualitative, sustainable battery cells - eventually.   "We need competition…" not just between players in the field, but between technologies as well. Prof. Markus Lienkamp of Technical University of Munich walks us through scenarios of cell chemistries and topologies of the future EV in Part I/II.   Let's E-Mobilize the Future - together   Thank you Prof. Markus Lienkamp for the discussion, as well as Bernd Hömberg and Haus der Technik e.V for hosting us at the Advanced Battery Power and Vehicle to Grid conferences.   #battery #research #EV #LFP #sodiumion

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Northvolt, once a promising leader in Europe’s electric vehicle battery industry, is now facing severe challenges as it struggles to scale its operations. Despite securing billions in orders from major automakers like Volkswagen and BMW, the company has been plagued by production delays, quality issues, and increasing competition from dominant Chinese battery makers. Northvolt has laid off about 20% of its workforce and suspended some expansion projects in a bid to conserve cash and focus on ramping up production at its main factory in Sweden. Financial difficulties have compounded its troubles, with operating losses tripling last year and a significant $2 billion order from BMW being canceled due to quality concerns. These setbacks highlight the broader difficulties of building a battery manufacturing industry in Europe, where the competition is fierce, and scaling production is proving to be much more complex and capital-intensive than anticipated https://lnkd.in/gSaCfzu3 #northvolt #battery #europe #bmw

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What do we learn from Northvolt's bankruptcy? A simple, perhaps inconvenient truth – at least from a western perpsective. 👑 "China is the undisputed king of the electric vehicle (EV) business," argues Dunne Insights LLC's Michael Dunne. Two key highlights from his guest op-ed below. 🟣 China will produce an estimated 12 million EVs in 2024. That is more than all other countries combined. 🟣 China’s battery makers control 70% of global production. Closing the gap with China ultimately comes down to market demand, he argues. "Without strong demand, even the most advanced plants, products and technologies will not get traction." Read it all at this link 👉 https://on.ft.com/3AMhbAN #FDI

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US Patented Electric Vehicle Regenerative Acceleration Innovation Zero-Cost Licensing to all EV and ICE OEMS to accelerate EV adoption and the transition to Clean Energy Mobility. Potential +/- Difference inc. is initiating EV Regenerative Acceleration ReGen-X eMotor manufacturing in the first quarter of 2025 and is now taking orders from all EV and ICE OEMs globally. The US patented EV Regenerative Acceleration innovation now provides all EVs with the ability to recharge themselves as they drive (ABOVE 30 km/hr) while still providing EV regenerative braking BELOW 30 km/hr. EV Regenerative Acceleration Innovation Demonstration https://lnkd.in/et346dZp EV driving range is increased while reducing the battery size, weight and cost by 80% or more. The EV Regenerative Acceleration innovation eliminated the need for Lithium batteries as well as Rare Earth Metals. Generator and Improved Coil Therefor Having Electrodynamic Properties Patent number: 10103591 (https://lnkd.in/e96q9SMS) Flyback Mode Process Harnessing Generator action in an Electric Motor Patent number: 10291162 (https://lnkd.in/eNWRDeb3) Eletric Vehicle Presentation for Tata Motors https://lnkd.in/e5ZhU6FA Thane C. Heins Founder and Chairman Potential +/- Difference inc. Prograde Propulsion HYPERgen THinc Loophole Intellectual Properties [email protected] 1.613.293.1131 LinkedIn Thane Heins "There exist limitless opportunities in every industry. Where there is an open mind, there will always be a frontier." ~ Charles Kettering https://lnkd.in/eAjRhxvT