batteries

43% of European funds for batteries

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Spain is trying to create more energy batteries to store surplus renewable energy, something key for the future to achieve energy independence and also to avoid episodes like the April blackout. Although several communities were competing for aid, there is a clear winner: Andalusia. The ERDF are EU funds to encourage energy transformation and in Spain there were several communities in dispute. After the modifications, for state energy storage there was 818 million in aid to be distributed according to the final resolution. Although Andalusia has suffered a cut of 20 million compared to the previous plan, it is still a good pinch considering that almost half of the funds go there. Why is it important. The primary objective of the ERDF program is to strengthen the economic, social and territorial cohesion of the European Union, reducing disparities between regions through investments that boost growth, employment, innovation, the green and digital transition, and territorial cooperation, supporting less developed regions and transforming industries in decline. And this is demonstrated with this definitive roadmap. Why Andalusia. Taking into account economic reasons, it is worth remembering that the IDAE designed the call from the beginning, distributing the budget into regional pools and from the beginning Andalusia received the highest allocation, even after the downward adjustment of the final resolution. Under EU criteria, Andalusia is classified as a “less developed region”a designation intended for those whose GDP per capita is less than 7% of the EU average. In short: it has absolute priority for the distribution of funds. The co-financing rate is higher precisely because of the previous classification taking into account the regulatory bases, which allows us to reach 85% compared to other areas such as Madrid or Catalonia. When faced with similar projects, those present in a less developed region receive more subsidies. But there are also strategic reasons derived from the state’s renewable energy infrastructure and its operation. Andalusia is going to become Spain’s battery: with this aid it will not only lead the generation of clean energy, but will also have the technologies to manage it. Andalusia concentrates some of the projects with the greatest storage capacity of the entire call, such as those from Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure or the Rolwind battery system (ST Palmosilla) one of the largest in the state. Andalusia is the state leader in installed power in photovoltaic solar energy and as points out the PNIECregions with very high variable renewable generation urgently need storage to avoid spills and thus guarantee electrical stability. In figures. The final resolution of the plan is lower than the initial proposal, with a total budget of 818 million in non-refundable public aid allocated to 126 projects (previously there were 133), 2.2 GW of power and a total capacity of 9.4 GWh. All this with September 30, 2029 as the deadline. Three operators concentrate more than 50% of the awarded capacity: Iberdrola with 2,333.7 MWh and 12 projects, Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure with more than 1,500 MWh and eight projects and Rolwind Renovables with 1,225 MWh and 2 large-scale projects. Behind, other relevant actors such as Naturgy, BenBros or Ecoener. Andalusia accounts for 43% of the aid, with 354.5 million euros. It is the area with the most projects and accumulated volume. Galicia and Castilla-La Mancha follow, with 97.2 and 98 million euros respectively. The only Autonomous Community whose budget increases is Extremadura, going from 73 to 91 million euros. In detail. In the list of awarded projects, those hybridized with renewables (the majority, photovoltaic) prevail, followed by independent batteries, thermal storage and pumped hydroelectricity. Spain has achieved very competitive prices compared to other European tenders. Without going any further, according to Strategic Energy The average price for independent storage systems (stand-alone) was €64,933/MWh/year, below markets such as Italy. In Xataka | The solar miracle that went wrong: Spain produces more electricity than it can manage In Xataka | The perfect storm for electricity companies occurs in Spain: daytime solar surpluses, nighttime peaks… and increasingly cheaper batteries Cover | Sungrow EMEA

China sold cheap batteries for years. The problem is that in the meantime no one built an alternative

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For more than a decade, the world became accustomed to an idea that seemed unquestionable: batteries—the heart of electric cars, of renewable energies, of data centers and of modern warfare— would be increasingly cheaper. China mass-produced them, dominated the technology, controlled critical materials and accepted minimal margins, even losses. For the West, the model was comfortable: import, reduce costs and accelerate the energy transition. That normality, however, has begun to crack. A turning point in the Chinese market. In recent months, several lithium battery manufacturers have begun to announce price increases after almost three years of fierce competition and below-cost sales. According to South China Morning Postthe most visible case is that of Deegares, which reported an increase of 15%, opening a debate on whether the sector is beginning to emerge from the “involution” cycle, a dynamic in which producing more, selling cheaper and earning less had become the norm. The immediate trigger has been the rise in the price of lithium, which has risen around a 70% from its annual minimum. This rebound responds to several overlapping factors: the rise of data centers for artificial intelligence, a rebound in demand for electric vehicles in China and an increasingly explicit intervention by the State to organize the sector. The Chinese Ministry of Industry itself has gathered to the main market players and has promised to accelerate measures to stop the so-called “irrational competition”. A stressed model. Sales prices for energy storage systems in China have plummeted by up to 80% in just three years. Some companies operate with gross margins of 15% to 20% in the domestic market, a far cry from the 40% or 50% common in the United States. The real profitability, analysts cited by SCMP admitwas in exports. And exporting, China has continued to dominate. This year it has managed to sell lithium batteries worth more than $69 billion. According to the analysis of energy expert Gavin Maguire in Reutersthis milestone is explained by the voracious hunger of Germany and the United States for large-scale storage systems, essential to stabilize electrical networks saturated by renewables and data centers. In practice, every new AI data center in Europe or North America starts with a silent dependency: thousands of batteries designed, manufactured and assembled in China. The low price hid an uncomfortable reality. All this time there was a truth that no one said out loud, perhaps because it was so obvious: there was no real Chinese alternative. This new year 2026 will be marked by the massive expansion of data centers that power artificial intelligence, facilities that consume amounts of electricity comparable to that of a small city and that need large-scale batteries to guarantee a continuous supply. Google has installed more than 100 million lithium-ion cells in its data centers, while Microsoft plans to eliminate diesel generators before 2030, replacing them with batteries to meet their climate goals. The forecasts confirm that the risk is not theoretical. The International Energy Agency sums it up crudely. If in 2024 China manufactured 99% of the world’s LFP cells and refined most of the critical materials such as lithium and graphite. For its executive director, Fatih Birol, depend on a single country For a strategic technology, it is a risk comparable to that posed to Europe by its dependence on Russian gas. The Chinese adjustment. Far from retreating, Beijing now seeks to organize the sector without losing its dominance. State intervention translates to braking the most extreme overcapacity, review mining licenses, limit sales at a loss and allow prices to rise to sustainable levels. The objective is not to make batteries abruptly more expensive, but to prevent a strategic industry from self-destructing by competing with itself. Control of raw materials remains the central lever. China process around of 80% of the world’s lithium and produces nearly 90% of the anodes and electrolytes used in batteries. When the United States or Europe impose tariffs, China responds by restricting exports of critical metals. The message is unmistakable: the power lies not only in making batteries, but in controlling every link in the chain. The Western Response. In parallel, the United States and Europe are trying to react. According to Sprott’s reportWestern governments have begun to treat lithium and batteries as strategic assets. Washington has invested directly in mining projectshas multiplied the number of planned gigafactories and has included restrictions on the purchase of Chinese batteries in defense legislation. Europe is following a similar, albeit slower path, supporting local extraction and refining projects and seeking to reduce its dependence on China. Big oil companies like Exxon either Chevron have entered the lithium business, and countries like Germany finance domestic production to ensure supply and reduce geopolitical risks. Still, the consensus among analysts it is clear: replicating the Chinese model will take years. Environmental regulations, labor costs and the absence of centralized industrial planning make competing on price impossible for now. Decoupling, if it comes, will be slow, expensive and politically uncomfortable. A planned domain. It is the direct result of the plan Made in China 2025with which Beijing decided to stop being the world’s cheap factory to become a technological leader. China already dominates solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles and lithium batteries. In addition, it controls strategic minerals such as graphite and has vertically integrated the entire value chain. In fact, the Asian giant It is the first “electrostate” in the world: a power whose power is no longer based on oil, but on renewable gigawatts, electrons and batteries. This strategy has reduced its emissions, weakened petrostates and turned its energy industry into a tool of global influence. The true cost of batteries. For years, this low price allowed us to accelerate the global energy transition, but it also created a deep and silent dependency. Now that China begins to organize its market, raise prices and prioritize its own industrial strategy, the world begins to discover the real cost of having delegated the heart of its energy system. Batteries are no … Read more

Apple, Google and Samsung promised them happily with 5,000mAh batteries. Until China came to rub their hands on their faces

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The person writing these lines has an American mobile phone—made in China—with a little more 5,000mAh. A figure in which giants like Apple, Samsung or Google have been comfortably installed for years. Meanwhile, in China, Honor has just made official a phone with a 10,000 mAh battery. The launch is not surprising just because it has managed to literally introduce a powerbank inside a smartphone. It is surprising because it breaks a barrier that until now no one had dared to cross. Not due to lack of possibilities, but due to industrial inertia. The aforementioned. Honor has made the Honor Win and Honor Win RT. Two phones that, in addition to having the best Qualcomm processorshave a 10,000mAh battery made of silicon-carbon technology. The message is clear: this is not a typical high-end, it is proof that China is the leading benchmark in batteries for smartphones. thickness. For years there has been an unwritten but unquestionable rule: more battery means more thickness. The 10,000 mAh were reserved for rugged, bulky mobile phones designed for very specific uses. These Honor Win break that logic. They are thinner than a iPhone 17 Pro Maxbut with double the energy capacity. There are no gimmicks, fine print or marketing exercises: it’s a real leap in energy density. How did they achieve it?. Honor has not specified how they have managed to take the capacity to such an extreme but the person responsible is clear: silicon-carbon. This technology has been demonstrating for years that it is possible to introduce much denser batteries in the sizes in which lithium has already reached its ceiling. Chinese mobile phones have been standardizing for more than a year batteries over 7,000mAhand Honor’s move to reach five figures marks what aspires to be a new standard. The cons. Silicon-carbon poses certain challenges, and the first is degradation. These batteries, especially in their first generations, They seemed not to be at the same level as classic lithium batteries. Over time, the promised charge cycles are virtually identical to those of traditional lithium batteries (more than 1,500). The second is the cost: producing this type of cells is more expensivewhich partially explains why, for the moment, these figures reach China first and not global markets. In fact, a common practice is to find models whose Chinese version has more battery than the global version, reserved for the rest of the markets. A third key point is related to security and regulation. Denser batteries require stricter controls, and Western regulatory frameworks are not always prepared to adopt these types of advances so quickly. None of this invalidates progress. It simply explains why Apple, Samsung or Google have not yet made the leap. It’s not that they can’t: it’s that they haven’t wanted to take the risk… yet. China is going to force a move. The 10,000mAh batteries are, without much room for doubt, one of the biggest technological leaps in the world of smartphones after the arrival of AI. A figure that will allow us to normalize the three days of average use without going through the charger. The leap is so relevant that, whether they like it or not, “traditional” manufacturers will have to start making a move, as they had to start doing with fast charging systems. Samsung has already started implementing the 7,000mAh in phones like the Galaxy M51but its high-end is still at the 5,000mAh barrier. Google also moves in the 5,200mAh and Apple… is Apple. With a greater or lesser pace of implementation, these manufacturers are forced to keep pace with China in these advances. And that translates into admitting that we were wrong about lithium. Image | Honor In Xataka | The Android phones with the best battery of 2025: which one to buy and recommended models

Tesla urgently needs to make its electric cars cheaper. And their plan is to produce batteries in Germany

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Tesla will take the production of batteries for its European Tesla Model Y to Germany. This is what the German press agency DPA assures, information that has been echoed by German media such as Handelsblatt. “From battery cells to vehicles, everything must be produced in one place,” a spokesperson told DPA. For now, the statements remain somewhat cautious. The company talks about a three-digit investment (speaking of millions of euros) and that the decision will be confirmed “if the framework conditions are adjusted”. It must be taken into account that Elon Musk already assured in 2020 that they would raise “the largest battery factory in the world” in Germany which, of course, has not been carried out. Tesla’s intentions are to make the production of the Tesla Model Y as cheap as possible in order to face European competition. Right now, the company has to import its batteries to Germany from the United States, an environment that is also complicated in production due to the tariffs that the country has raised on components that arrive from abroad. If consolidated, Tesla aspires to produce batteries worth 8 GWh, a figure that is far from the 50 GWh it aspires to produce. Stellantis with CATL in Aragon. Why does an electric car have less autonomy than advertised? Between the bad and the worst If we take the month of October as a reference (the last analyzed by ACEA), Tesla has fallen almost 40% in sales in Europe in the first eight months of the year. The figure has left the company with 117,000 units sold compared to the 192,439 units it had registered last year in the same period of time. Obviously, its weight in the market has also fallen, to the point that it has been reduced by almost half. Right now, 1.3% of the cars purchased in Europe are Tesla vehicles when the company reached a market share of 2.2% and in 2024 it will make the Tesla Model Y the best-selling car in the world. Suzuki, Nissan or SAIC (owner of MG) have overtaken Tesla this year. However, 2025 is being a fateful year for the company. Especially in Europe where Elon Musk’s political positioning has squandered the brand image in countries like Germany and France. The company is facing new proposals from its rivals that are close in price and already offer a real alternative to Tesla cars. To solve it, and no smaller, more affordable versions on the horizonTesla has launched the Standard versions of its Model 3 and Model Y. They are versions with reduced equipment that try to reduce prices to keep both cars as attractive options. At the same time, yes, the price of the rest of the versions has increased to increase the gap and force the customer who does not want a shortened version to spend more money. The announcement also comes in a strange context in the European Union. media like Bloomberg They emphasize that the announcement has been made at a time when solutions are being sought to lower the limits of polluting emissions, but the truth is that European manufacturers They still need to sell many electric cars even if the measures proposed by the European Commission were approved. What is true is that Tesla is manufacturing its batteries in the United States but they have had to face an extra cost for them because the country has raised harsh tariffs on all components arriving beyond its borders. Although Tesla has been one of the least affected manufacturersthe extra cost appears to be high enough for the company to invest in Europe. And Tesla itself has pointed out that producing batteries on our continent continues to have such a high price that its profitability is doubted. Therefore, the only reason for Tesla to continue investing in Germany and not opt ​​for other European countries such as Spain (as it has done CATL with Stellantis or the Volkswagen Group) is because It already has part of the structure assembled in the German country and it would be a matter of increasing the productive land on their land. Furthermore, it is to be hoped that the European Union will further pave the way for attract investments in terms of battery production. Our continent is still far behind the United States but, especially from China and the most renowned attempts have been a total failure like Northvolt. It remains to be seen to what extent this movement allows Tesla to make its vehicles cheaper and continue to stand up to increasingly stronger European manufacturers. And some Chinese companies that hope that the negotiations between their country and the European Union to lift tariffs come to fruition. What Tesla is surely looking for are more stable policies than those of the United States, something complex in such a changing geopolitical context. Photo | In Xataka | Car manufacturers bend their arm to the European Union: we will have combustion engines in 2035

While we wait for solid-state batteries, the University of Córdoba has an idea for the electric car: human poop

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The automotive industry has launched itself into electrification arms. Be with the hybrids, plug-ins either 100% electricthey all have batteries, and the key to convincing more users of make the jump from your combustion car is guarantee greater autonomy. The solid state batteries are one of the technologies in researchbut there are other very promising ones such as lithium-sulfur, and the University of Córdoba believes that there are two secret ingredients to improve the formula. Urine and excrement. Li-S. They are not new. We have been talking about the lithium sulfide batteriesand while we find the economy of scale necessary for solid-state ones to establish themselves, lithium-sulfur ones are one of the hopes for electric cars. They have twice the real energy density of lithium-ion, sulfur is extremely abundant and economical compared to critical materials such as cobalt or nickel, It is not something that China controlsit is safer because the risk of thermal runaway is lower and the environmental impact is reduced. They are not perfect, since the conductivity is low, the manufacturing processes are not as optimized as those of current alternatives and, above all, the current useful life is very limited: although they are moving forward In this sense, just 300-500 charge cycles compared to between 1,000 and 3,000 for lithium-ion batteries. However, as we say, they have become a promising technology, and the University of Córdoba wants one of the ingredients in the battery to be… poop. Batteries from waste. The Chemical Institute for Energy and the Environment, or IQUEMA, of the University of Córdoba has published a study in which they test the potential of sludge from a municipal treatment plant when converting it into activated carbon. It is an essential material for lithium-sulfur batteries, since it works as a conductor, and they consider it to be the answer to the challenge of optimizing the electrodes of these batteries. As we said, sulfur has advantages, but one of the great deficiencies is its conductivity index. This requires active carbon and other conductive matrices that are expensive to produce. But of course, if this conductive matrix is ​​created from waste that all cities in the world produce no matter what, things change. Villaviciosa de Córdoba. To do this, IQUEMA has used sludge from the wastewater station of Villaviciosa de Córdoba. This plant uses a treatment system that generates a sludge with an interesting composition to carry out the experiment: It is rich in organic matter. Also in metals, nitrogen and phosphorus. Combining them can create a material with a good electrochemical performance index. The process is as follows: Drying: the mud is dried and pulverized. Chemical modification: Potash is added as a chemical agent to make the material more porous. Pyrolysis: the mixture is subjected to temperatures of 800º to convert the organic matter into activated carbon. Mixture with sulfur: thus it is trapped in the active carbon matrix and the last step would be to integrate it into the battery electrodes. Promising. The researchers have found that the activated carbon obtained has ideal properties to be used as a material in these batteries. Its porous structure and nitrogen doping improve the transport of electrons and ions, and the resulting material has a high sulfur content. This allows the battery to have great electrochemical stability. That is to say, one of the big problems of this technology, the low conductivity of sulfur for the cathode, is something that mitigates the matrix created from the Villaviciosa de Córdoba sludge. And because its raw material is what it is, it is easier to recycle than other conventional batteries for which you have to develop tadjacent technologies for sustainability. According to the researchers, it is an avenue worth exploring because “triple the storage capacity of a lithium-ion battery”. “It is a great advance that we achieved from a waste that we considered problematic” – IQUEMA researchers Beyond the poop. Considering the results, it is likely that we will see more studies in the same direction. It is something that solves a double problem: the municipal waste management by converting it into a key material to solve one of the challenges of lithium-sulfur batteries. And the interesting thing is that IQUEMA has not remained only in the sludge of the sewage treatment plant. Previously explored the potential of agroindustrial byproductslike the olive pits and avocados, but also almond and pistachio shells. The problem is that these materials are already in demand in other sectors (such as composting or heating), and that is where the great advantage of human excrement lies: “no one” wants them. Images | ACE, Thomas Freres In Xataka | No, China has not turned off the tap on batteries for electric cars. The reality is much more complex

Portable batteries are part of urban infrastructure in China. I have tried them and I need them to arrive in Europe

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After a decade of writing about gadgets and tens of thousands of miles of travel under my belt, a few weeks ago a destination managed to make me nervous. I was traveling, for the first time, to China. A few days before leaving, I realized that I did not have any batteries with the necessary certification and buying them in Spain is complicated. My idea was to get one there, but to my surprise I came across reality: hives of external batteries on every corner. Below I will tell you about my experience renting one and testing its loading speed. Powerbanks as urban infrastructure. A few months ago, my colleague Javier He already commented on his fascination with this ecosystem of external batteries that anyone can rent. It is really not something so new, since it has running since 2017 and its concept is very interesting. In China we need the cell phone for everything (AliPay and Wechat They are two apps that are your bank, your transportation card, your payment card, your way of ordering in restaurants and much more) and it is something that drains the battery. Therefore, the idea arose to locate stations with several external rental batteries at strategic points in the city. The market is dominated by four companies, they are in the main cities and the process is as simple as: Scan the station’s QR code. Take one of the removable batteries. Use them while we eat or move. Return them to any other point on the network (it does not have to be at the station where we took it). Photo: Xataka Photo: Xataka Photo: Xataka Photo: Xataka Photo: Xataka Photo: Xataka renting one. For me, who went with a iPhone 16 in your pocket (whose battery is no wonder), having something like this available was a lifesaver. And, since science doesn’t do itself, during breakfast I rented one available at my hotel with the intention of using it while I ate and returning it just before leaving. The process is indicated just above these lines and, in my case, I used AliPay. Photo: Xataka You have to go with the application previously configured and, in my case, I loaded a Revolut prepaid card. I didn’t have any problems during the week I was in Beijing. I scanned the QR code of the charging station with AliPay itself and… blessed translation system. It works when it wants and it translates some things regularly, but enough to understand it. The price is 0.12 yuan per minute (about 0.014 euros), but since I don’t have a bank account in China, I had to pay a deposit of 99 yuan (about 12 euros). As soon as I paid, the app told me what power bank I had to remove it and the station itself made the corresponding battery LED flash. To load. Charging experience. The first thing I liked is that you don’t need absolutely anything other than the battery. This includes a USB-C, Lightning and even micro-USB cable. They are short cables, but they are appreciated so you don’t have to carry yours in your pocket. It has LEDs that indicate the charge level and there really isn’t much more to say about the design. Regarding their characteristics, it depends, but they usually have 5,000 mAh and the big asterisk is in the power. 5V/2.4A It is about 12 W and that implies that it will charge at a slow speed. But hey, it is designed so that you can carry it for a while or while you eat and spend at least half an hour/an hour with it. Photo: Xataka On my iPhone 16, the charging times were as follows: I started with 26% battery and in 30 minutes I reached 45%. At 60 minutes it had reached 64%. After 90 minutes it was charged up to 82%. As I say, a slow experience, but I see it as feasible to spend an hour eating or walking between stores, and recovering 38% allows you to survive the rest of the day. When you return it, you have a map where you see all the available stations. I simply went to a different one, clicked on the finalize the transaction button, scanned the QR again and inserted it into the indicated slot. The final price was 14 yuan after almost two hours in my possession, about 1.73 euros to my account. And, the next day, I already had the 99 yuan deposit back in my Revolut. Reviews. Discussing the move with our teammates, we agreed that the price is not high for us, that we use the euro and for those 1.7 euros, well… it allowed me to continue the rest of the day. But we also wonder how the Chinese would view those 14 yuan. And it seems not very well. One of the complaints It is precisely that the price has been increasing in some points. If at the beginning it cost one yuan per hour, now it ranges between two and six. The reason is that it depends a lot on the location (more or less tourist areas, hospitals, hotels, bars, etc.). Coupled with the fact that it is a very fair power and cell phones have more and more battery life, it is almost better to buy an external battery if you know that every now and then you have to rent at one of these stations (which, in addition, can be full at times and you have to go around looking for another one to return the battery. The businesses themselves have also been dissatisfied at times, since it is a market monopolized by a few companies that, evidently, control both the rental price and the profits. Future. Despite this, for tourists, it is an extremely attractive option due to its convenience and because, let’s not fool ourselves, the exchange rate to our currency is favorable to us. And for the industry, it represents an important benefit. In 2020, … Read more

They have found a way to turn tall buildings into batteries. And that makes Benidorm our best asset

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The sun doesn’t always shine and the wind doesn’t always blow, what do we do if there is no renewable energy when we need to turn on the lights? Normally, pulling lithium batteries either pumped hydroelectric plants. But cities that build vertically like Benidorm have another untapped option. In short. A comprehensive University of Waterloo study has shown that the height of buildings can be used to create a system of gravity energy storage. An idea that transforms cities built in height into a huge device to store and release energy at will. Mechanical batteries. The concept is, in essence, very simple. It is made up of a heavy mass (concrete or steel blocks), a system of pulleys and cables similar to that of an elevator, and a motor that also works as a generator. The operation is as follows. When there is a surplus of energy, for example at midday, when the building’s solar panels are at full capacity, the motor uses that electricity to lift heavy dough along a vertical gaplike that of an elevator. Electrical energy is converted into potential energy. When electricity is needed and renewables are not producing, at night or on a day without wind, the mass is dropped in a controlled manner. The force of gravity does the rest: the descending weight moves the generator, which converts the potential energy back into electricity ready to use. Tested successfully. The researchers propose this system as the heart of a hybrid energy ecosystem integrated into the building itself, which includes photovoltaic panels on facades, small wind turbines on the roof and backup lithium-ion batteries. As pointed out PV Magazinecompanies such as the Scottish Gravitricity have already demonstrated the viability of this technology with functional prototypes and have full-scale commercial projects of 4 and 8 MW underway. Energy is generated with the sun and the wind. Gravity acts as the main battery for daily storage, managing large charge and discharge cycles. Is it viable? To test whether their idea was more than just an interesting theory, the University of Waterloo team ran a massive simulation. They analyzed 625 different building designs, varying parameters such as height, the shape of the floor plan (more square or more elongated) and the energy efficiency of the building. The results are very promising. The system (facade solar panels + small wind power + gravity storage + a battery support) achieved a levelized cost of electricity of between 0.051 and 0.111 dollars per kWh. This figure is very competitive, and even improves the costs of other renewable energy systems integrated into buildings located in areas with moderate solar or wind resources. And taller buildings with larger floor plans benefit the most, so Benidorm It is our best asset. Image | Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 3.0) In Xataka | Finland has found a cheap way to store energy all winter: a tower of 2,000 tons of sand

No, China has not turned off the tap on batteries for electric cars. The reality is much more complex

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China is, to the electric car, the child who arrives with the ball after having a snack. He is, in fact, the boy who has the ball, a regulation soccer field at home and lets in whoever he wants when he wants the most. Or that’s what we might think if we take into account its leadership in the supply chain, access to rare earths and battery production. The last step is to maintain greater control over lithium and, in the future, solid-state batteries. But to what extent is it true? The latest. A few days ago, China announced important changes when it comes to its exports. Among them, he confirmed that he was going to monitor the licenses that allow the export of vehicleswhich was understood as a way to prevent manufacturers without experience or infrastructure in the destinations from selling cars that they later cannot service. In the same way, has announced restrictions to the export of rare earths. My colleague Javi Márquez explained that “the country will be able to decide what is exported, to whom and for what purposes, under national security criteria. Applications for military purposes will bein principle, denied, while those related to semiconductors or artificial intelligence will be examined on a case-by-case basis. The last movement is related to the exports of batteries for electric cars and the music points to a similar melody. Starting November 8, licenses will be issued to export lithium batteries and graphite anode material compounds. Once again, it points to issues of national security and response to protectionist policies in USA and Europe. No batteries or equipment. With these new licenses, China will control both the finished product that is intended to be exported abroad and the equipment necessary to produce these compounds outside its borders. In summary, the following is controlled: Lithium batteries, cells and battery packs with a density greater than 300 Wh/kg. The equipment and technology to produce the above items. Iron phosphate and lithium needed to produce cathode materials. Also nickel-cobalt-manganese hydroxide and nickel-cobalt-aluminum hydroxide and lithium-rich manganese-based cathode materials. The equipment to produce all these compounds. Graphite anode materials The equipment necessary to produce them. The reaction? Numerous experts They have emphasized that these new licenses have the true objective of reducing and limiting exports to stop the advance of Chinese competitors in the electric car industry. Investors have understood the same and in Reuters They reflected the consequent fall in the stock market of giant battery producers such as CATL but also of vehicle manufacturers such as BYD. In South China Morning Post They also mentioned China’s intention to maintain its leadership in the electric car market. Putting the magnifying glass. But is it true that China is doing everything it can to torpedo its rivals? According to the International Energy AgencyChina manufactures three out of every four batteries for electric cars. However, the limitation of a density greater than 300 Wh/kg is not coincidental. Walter Zhang, senior analyst at Fastmarkets, points out that batteries for electric cars are really not in danger. “The policy ensures that the export and sales of NCM (230-280 Wh per kg) and LFP (160-210 Wh per kg) batteries for electric car application are not affected,” explains in this article. And he points to another point of view: “the measures may be more aimed at restricting smaller companies from entering into technology exchange agreements with Western partners.” Module and pack production equipment is not under this new regulation either, so It won’t impact that much either. in production abroad. So? If the majority of electric car batteries are not affected, what is the point of these restrictions? Everything indicates that there are two ultimate intentions when it comes to lifting this tighter control over the batteries. The first is to increase control over the export of batteries that can be used in military vehicles. In an increasingly tense international context, the State is guaranteed to have greater knowledge of who wants and can export but also in what quantities and for whom. The second thing is that as investments in research bear fruit, the next step should be the production of denser batteries. Batteries that would store more energy in less space. And there, the solid state batteries they are projecting themselves as the great leap in quality in the electric car market. Solid State Batteries. Solid-state batteries promise to be the definitive big leap for the electric car. With them, the manufacturers claim, an electric car will be able to travel more than 1,000 kilometers between recharges. They are also more powerful, safer and will suffer less degradation caused by charging cycles. Nothing sounds bad except that producing them is, at the moment, extremely expensive. Both companies and Toyota has already been lowering its expectations pointing out that it will be a type of compound that can only be included in vehicles with a very high price range. Again, ahead. And although Toyota says it has made progress in these compounds, Nissan has been researching them for years and Mercedes says it already has one (which obviously cannot scale) it seems that Chinese manufacturers once again have the lead. MG assures be very close to mass producing them. BYD too ensures that it can put them on the market in the short term. And beyond the promises, NIO has demonstrated that its semi-solid state battery (a previous step before reaching these energy accumulators) can travel a thousand kilometers without stopping to recharge. China controls the supply chain of the materials to produce these batteries but also the equipment that can produce these compounds. It seems that the measure is aimed at putting obstacles in the way of mass production of an innovation that can change the automobile market. free way. As we have seen, control over exports opens the door to selling current batteries for electric cars outside the country. It makes sense, now that Chinese companies like CATL have reached agreements with giants like … Read more

Europe invested 15,000 million euros in Northvolt to compete with Chinese batteries. Now it is from the US for a very small part

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Lyten has bought Northvolt. If you have no idea who Lyten is or what Northvolt is, don’t worry, you are not the only one. The basic thing you have to know is that Northvolt was European and had managed to attract 15,000 million euros with a very potential investment of European manufacturers and institutions. But he broke and is now in the hands of Lyten (American). Step by step, we will understand how the greatest hope for the production of electric car batteries in Europe has collapsed and has ended up in the hands of a United States company for a ridiculous price. Lyten Buy Northvolt. For a figure that is not public but that points to just over 600 million euros. Although the terms of the final agreement have not been made public, it is known that Lytena Silicon Valley startup specialized in the supply of lithium-sugar batteries has achieved financing of 650 million dollars until the time of purchase, As reflected on their own website. The final price has not been revealed but in media such as Reuters It is ensured that the company had achieved another 200 million dollars for this purchase. At the moment, it is known that Americans have bought Northvolt “at a small price,” as explained in the news agency. What is Northvolt? This Swedish company was simply the great European hope in the production of batteries for electric cars. In The New York Times They explain that the facilities of this company in Sweden and Germany are among the most advanced in Europe, so they describe the purchase of Lyten as “bold”. His goals were ambitious. They assured that with NorthvoltEurope would go from producing 3% of the total volume of batteries around the world to 25%. To achieve this, the company had 6,500 employees distributed by Sweden and Germany, with facilities that had to reach a production of 60 GWh in Germany. Sustained by a huge investment in R&D. What happened? That broke at the end of last year. The company had announced that I couldn’t cope with their debts (5,800 million euros) and that had to dismiss 1,600 employees. A few months before, BMW canceled an order of 2,000 million dollars In batteries after Northvolt confirmed that he could not give them in time. As domino pieces, everything ended up falling. And, consequently, with the banking company, its facilities, workers and resources were a bargain for anyone. For anyone who dares to face years of losses in the hope of earning money. Lyten has been the company that has taken the front. Lyten. The American company specialized in the production of sulfur-lithium batteries (which is contributing to the US armed forces) has been the one that has confirmed the purchase of Northvoltincluding all its assets (also the projects they had in Canada) but, of course, assuming its debt of almost 6,000 million euros. The company, of which Jeep (Stellantis) owns 2%, believes that with the purchase some of the customers who left the company can return before their fall. The objective is to focus more on the production of batteries for electric cars and return the illusion for a competitive European production against China. However, in Reutersexperts remember that China has cost between 15 and 20 years dominate the supply chain and battery production so it is not realistic to think of short -term benefits. “If you think you can shorten it (this time), then you simply do not understand batteries,” says Rob Anstey, CEO of the Silicon Battery Batteries developer GDI. Lost investments. The most dramatic thing about Northvolt’s bankruptcy is that billions of euros of European companies may have been lost. But, above all, of European public institutions. Volkswagen was the main shareholder of the company (21%) and it is estimated that injected at least 1.4 billion euros. They were not the only ones. It is known that Volvo lifted a Joint Venture with Northvolt by Value of 2.7 billion euros. BMW also invested about 1,000 million euros and had committed another 2,000 million of euros for the purchase of batteries. Scania was also part of the investments. They joined them Financial groups such as Goldman Sachs and various venture capital funds. But we must not forget that in Northvolt he also put public money at stake. The European Investment Bank made available to Northvolt More than 1 billion eurosof which 280 million euros had been contributed and whose last departure (943 million euros) had not been disbursed entirely. To this we must add 700 million euros in direct subsidies committed by Germany and that they have not been delivered but of which Lyten can benefit if, finally, the project of its plant in Heide (Germany) is finished. And also the Quebec government contributed 160 million euros, with the promise of supporting with almost 500 million euros. Photo | Northvolt In Xataka | A new battery made in Europe aspires to solve the cheap electric car puzzle. The key: sodium

Five ideal portable batteries if you are going to spend all day away from home

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There are very few weeks left for the return to school, so it is now a good time to buy all the school supplies, but also those devices that can be practical for the next year. If you are going to need a PowerBank or portable battery, in this article we have gathered five models compatible with mobile phones, tablets or laptops. Ugreen Nexode 45w by 49.99 eurosa portable battery aimed at mobile phones. Belkin Boostcharge Pro by 55.89 eurosa PowerBank with a wireless load module compatible with Apple Magsafe. Anker Prime by 79.99 eurosa powerful powerBank that can be used even in laptops. Anker Zolo by 99.99 eurosa portable battery with 25,000 mAh and 165W power. Ugreen Nexode 145W by 125.99 eurosa PowerBank that allows recharging up to four devices at once. Ugreen Nexode 45w If you do not need to carry a PowerBank to recharge the laptop or tablet, it is best to bet on a more economical model that has good capacity. The Ugreen Nexode 45wwhat costs 49.99 euroscomes with 20,000 mAh theoretical and allows to recharge three devices at the same time using its integrated USB-C cable, its USB-C port and its USB-A port. The integrated cable can be used as a transport strap and takes approximately four hours to load. * Some price may have changed from the last review Belkin Boostcharge Pro If you have a mobile with wireless load, but above all a iPhone Compatible with Apple Magsafe, the Belkin Boostcharge Pro has a price of 55.89 euros. It comes with theoretical capacity of 10,000 mAh, includes a pin that works as a support and is quite compact. It also allows three devices to be recharged (two USB-C ports and the wireless load module) and offers a 20W power. * Some price may have changed from the last review Anker Prime The Anker Prime It is the PowerBank that I have myself and works at one thousand wonders. Its price is 79.99 euros And it has a theoretical capacity of 20,000 mAh, offers a total power of 200W and allows three devices to be recharged through its two USB-C ports and its USB-A port. It is compatible with mobiles, tablets and computers. It includes a screen that shows information related to the load status and takes just over an hour to completely load. * Some price may have changed from the last review Anker Zolo A step above we find the Anker Zoloa portable battery that stands out for its thin design. Costs 99.99 euros In Amazon and comes with a theoretical capacity of 25,000 mAh, it offers a total power of 165W and is able to recharge up to four devices at the same time Through its two integrated USB-C cables, its USB-C port and its USB-A port. It is also compatible with mobiles, tablets and computers and takes just over an hour to completely load. * Some price may have changed from the last review Ugreen Nexode 145W Finally, the Ugreen Nexode 145W It is also an interesting PowerBank for both its price, which is 125.99 eurosas for everything it offers: it has a theoretical capacity of 20,000 mAh, it offers a total power of 145W and allows to recharge up to four devices at the same time through its wireless load module (Compatible with Apple Magsafe), its two USB-C ports and its USB-A port. It is a little wider, but also more flattened, than the rest of portable batteries and takes about two hours to completely recharge. In addition, it is also compatible with mobiles, tablets and computers. * Some price may have changed from the last review Some of the links of this article are affiliated and can report a benefit to Xataka. In case of non -availability, offers may vary. Images | Ugreen, Belkin, Anker In Xataka | Better laptops to study: which to buy with recommendations based on your career and budget In Xataka | Best tablets to study. Which to buy and five recommended models with better quality price

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