The Competence Center for Emission-Free Mobility has now been the pilot factory for vehicles with alternative drive systems for 25 years, the automotive giant, Daimler AG, announced last month.

FPT Industrial, the powertrain division of CNH Industrial, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with battery producer, Microvast, aimed at an industrial and commercial co-operation to enable FPT Industrial to design and assemble battery packs in-house, at its facility in Turin, which would be then be offered on CNH Industrial vehicles and to third-party customers.

Nikola Corporation has released details of its new battery technology, which is claimed to have a record energy density of 1,100 watt-hours per kg on the material level and 500 watt-hours per kg on the production cell level.

Battery producer, Akasol, which recently opened a new European HQ in Darmstadt, said its future flagship high-energy battery AKASystem AKM CYC, will be produced at Darmstadt, with start of production in 2021 and at its new US headquarters in Detroit starting in 2022 as part of a recently agreed production order from a global commercial vehicle manufacturer.

At Battery Show Europe 2019, Akasol AG presented a wide portfolio of new options for battery cells.

Toyota Motor Corporation and Panasonic Corporation have concluded contracts for business-integration and for a new joint-venture company for automotive battery R&D and manufacture.

Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corporation, global manufacturer of petrochemicals, fertilisers, industrial polymers and metals, headquartered in Riyad, has taken a majority stake in Black Diamond Structures LLC, a nanotechnology company from Austin, Texas, established in 2014.