reports that Toyota speeds up its plans for electrifying half of its fleet by 5 years. The deadline it has set is now 2025. This information comes from Toyota's Executive Vice President Shigeki Terashi during a briefing. However, he has also outlined a number of challenges such as slower profitability and a possible shortage in battery supply. The latter is addressed by creating partnerships with the two biggest producers in China - CATL and BYD, which cooperate with other EV manufacturers as well.In 2020, Toyota plans to launch in Japan an ultra-compact two-seater designed for daily errands and short-distance business trips, with a maximum speed of 60 km/h (37 mph) and a range of 100 km (62 miles) on a single charge. This information comes after Toyota and Subaru announced their cooperation on the development of a BEV platform for midsize and large vehicles and a subsequent electric SUV.UPDATE: here's the video of the Toyota briefing, uploaded by the company on YouTube:Toyota also shared photos of its ultra-compact two-seater and renders of BEVs that will be available globally:

BYD will supply Daimler with Blade Batteries The Elec reports that BYD is planning to supply Daimler with its lithium ferrous phosphate (LFP) batteries. These are the brand's Blade Batteries without modules that have higher energy density compared to their counterparts with modules and match the energy density of NCM batteries. Ultimately, this increases the average EV range per charge by 100 km. In general, LFP batteries are able to provide arou8nd 300 km of...

CATL will supply Mercedes-Benz with EV batteries Mercedes-Benz announced that it will source out "advanced, CO2-neutrally produced battery cells, modules and systems" from CATL. The agreement covers the full range of battery technologies, from cells across modules for Mercedes-Benz Cars to entire battery systems for Mercedes-Benz Vans in promising innovative technology configurations. This also includes the CATL cell-to-pack (CTP) design, which eliminates...

BYD Han EV makes its European debut during a roadshow in Stuttgart, Germany BYD Han EV has made its debut in Europe by visiting a roadshow in Stuttgart, Germany. This is the first vehicle from the brand to feature the new Blade Battery. It utilizes singular cells that are arranged together in an array and are then inserted into a battery pack, increasing space utilization by over 50 percent compared to conventional batteries. The Han's long-range version has an NEDC-certified cruising range...

Report: Tesla will no longer use Panasonic batteries for its production in China According to South Korean news outlet The Guru, Tesla will no longer use Panasonic batteries for its production in China. LG Chem and CATL will be the main suppliers for cylindrical cells for China-made Tesla models. In particular, as the deal with LG Chem expands, LG Chem is expected to emerge as the main supplier to take charge of battery volume for Tesla's Chinese electric vehicle models. This information comes...

IDTechEx: "Revolutionary Solid-state Batteries Will Create a $6 Billion Market in 2030" According to IDTechEx's report "Solid-State and Polymer Batteries 2020-2030: Technology, Patents, Forecasts, Players.", the potential market size for solid-state batteries is expected to grow to over $6 billion by 2030. This is due to various undisputed advantages of solid-state batteries including high safety level, simple pack design, higher energy density. The market demand for solid-state batteries mainly comes...

BMW will receive EV batteries from EVE Energy EVE Energy is a joint venture partner of SK Innovation in China. Under the joint venture, the two companies are building the Blue Sky United Energy plant for EV batteries in Yancheng. It is projected to have an annual production rate of 20-25GWh. Recently, EVE Energy company has announced that it will supply EV batteries to BMW. For BMW Brilliance - the automakers' joint venture in China, batteries will come from...

Honda and CATL form a comprehensive strategic alliance on EV batteries CATL and Honda have signed an agreement to form a comprehensive strategic alliance on new energy vehicle batteries to strengthen their strategic partnership and promote the popularization of e-mobility. This agreement will enable the two companies to begin discussions on a broad range of areas including joint development, stable supply, and the recycling and reuse of batteries. By bringing together the two...

BMW has reached contractual agreement with its cell manufacturers for its 5th Gen battery cells In a recent interview, Oliver Zipse, CEO of BMW, said that the company already has "a contractual agreement with its cell manufacturers that they will use only green power to produce BMW's fifth-generation battery cells." These cells will be introduced later this year with the BMW iX3 and will power next year's BMW i4 and BMW iNEXT. Even though Mr Zipse did not mention the battery cell manufacturers, it is largely...

LG Chem has become the second largest EV battery manufacturer in China thanks to the Tesla Model 3 Korean news outlet The Elec cites Battery China according to which, LG Chem has become the second largest EV battery manufacturer in China surpassing BYD. LG has deployed 2087 MWh of EV batteries from January to May this year. BYD has deployed 1943 MWh and has moved to the third place. This is due mainly to the supply of batteries for the Tesla Model 3 produced in China. LG Chem's Nanjing plant makes 21700...

BYD's Blade Battery Factory in Chongqing BYD offered a glimpse of its FinDreams Battery Factory in Chongqing that produces the BYD Blade Battery. The Blade Battery was announced in the of March and this is the first tour of the facility where it will be produced. BYD's investmetn in the plant measures 10 billion yuan and the annual production capacity of the site is expected to be 20 GWh. The factory covers all necessary requirements to provide world-class...

Volkswagen has initialized its TR5 project for EV battery supplies The Elec reports confirmed information that Volkswagen has sent letters of intent (LOI) to battery makers to buy batteries for its MEB platform. LG Chem, Samsung SDI, SK Innovation, and CATL have expressed their intention to participate in this project, which was named TR5. The industry estimates that the total costs will be around EUR 14.6 billion, which is in line with the European volume of the TR2 project. Up to...

CATL publicly confirms it will supply Tesla in China with batteries from H2 of 2020 On May 13, during an annual investors conference, CATL announced that it will supply lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries to Tesla's Shanghai Gigafactory. This is the first tie CATL discloses in public any partnership with Tesla. CATL Chairman Cheung Yu-chin also said that cooperation with Tesla is not limited to its China operations. CATL uses the CTP technology which increases the battery cell to battery pack...

BYD Han EV will be revealed in Europe The BYD Han EV is a premium luxury saloon which is soon to be revealed in Europe. A high-performance silicon carbide motor-control propels the Han EV from zero to 100 km/h (62mph) in a breathtaking 3.9 seconds. At the heart of the Han EV's drive system is BYD's new, ultra-safe and space-saving Blade Battery, offering a remarkable single-charge range of 605 kilometres (376 miles) based on the NEDC test cycle and...