IonicRE to produce rare earths from magnet recycling with US Strategic Metals

Australia-based Ionic Rare Earths has signed an agreement with US Strategic Metals (USSM) to develop vertically-integrated rare earth production from recycling at USSM’s 1,800-acre (728.4-hectare) fully permitted site in Missouri.

IonicRE will provide its subsidiary Ionic Technologies’ patented rare earth permanent magnet recycling technology to develop commercial recycling capacity for neodymium iron boron and samarium cobalt.

The Missouri recycling facility is expected to produce neodymium and praseodymium as well as heavy rare earths including dysprosium, terbium, samarium, gadolinium and holmium. The companies will also evaluate other heavy rare earth recycling opportunities within the US.

The initial agreement focuses on producing high-purity, separated magnet rare earth oxides (REOs) in the US, and the cooperation will potentially expand in the future to include a range of magnet and heavy rare earths from strategically sourced mixed rare earth carbonate (MREC), the companies said.

The partnership supports the United States-Australia Framework for Securing of Supply in the Mining and Processing of Critical Minerals and Rare Earths the two countries signed in October 2025, which is aimed at delivering a US-Australia secured supply chain for critical minerals and rare earths.

“Magnet recycling is the fastest and lowest-cost pathway to developing an ex-China rare earth supply chain in the United States. IonicRE is leading this charge in this area, and we now look to replicate the capability we have demonstrated in the UK now in the US to provide a key strategic supply of magnet and heavy rare earths into the US supply chain,” said Tim Harrison, IonicRE’s Managing Director.

Source: Ionic Rare Earths

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CATL and SAIC Commercial Vehicles collaborate on battery swapping

Chinese battery giant CATL and automaker SAIC Commercial Vehicle have formed a strategic partnership focused on joint technology research and development, commercial EV ecosystem building and global expansion.

The collaboration will include jointly building an integrated smart battery swapping ecosystem and green transportation capacity system encompassing “vehicle, battery, station and cloud,” and accelerating the transition of logistics transportation and urban delivery to EVs, CATL said.

CATL and SAIC Commercial Vehicles are jointly developing power battery technology, such as the CATL Tianxing Battery used in SAIC Maxus Dana series light commercial vehicles.

The companies are also piloting the Chocolate Battery Swapping model launched by CATL Electric Service. The solution allows batteries to be replaced in three minutes, improving vehicle uptime and operational efficiency.

CATL Electric Service plans to further expand its battery swapping network to reach 140 cities by 2026.

The “vehicle, battery, station, and cloud” integrated model encompasses advanced technologies such as intelligent driving and intelligent refueling to create a smart energy service system.

The companies intend to operate joint ventures internationally, leveraging resource integration and their complementary strengths to increase the competitiveness of Chinese commercial vehicles in the global market.

Source: CATL

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The engineer’s guide to battery defects

Sponsored by Lumafield.

EV-battery engineers wrestle with defects they can’t see until a pack fails. The Engineer’s Guide to Battery Defects lays out how industrial CT surfaces those threats in minutes. As the paper states, “Industrial CT scanning allows battery engineers to visualize and analyze specific issues related to anodes and cathodes that are otherwise challenging to detect”.

Real-world scans show that “precise 3D imaging reveals the extent and distribution of the anode overhang, enabling…identification of potential areas of concern”, and they spotlight tab-weld voids that can trigger thermal runaway.

With this guide, you’ll come away with practical workflows for R&D, supplier validation, and in-line QA; numeric benchmarks for anode-cathode overhang, porosity, and weld integrity; and a clear blueprint for ISO 26262 evidence packs. The paper explains why regulators insist on catching “delamination, misalignment, or contamination … before they lead to failures in the field” and shows how Voyager dashboards turn those CT measurements into trend data your team can act on.

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How to make the leap to 48 V electrical architectures

Sponsored by TTI.

Even without taking the transition from internal combustion engines to battery electric vehicles into account, the electrical power requirements of today’s vehicles have become daunting. Every device within a vehicle—from the air conditioner and seat heaters to the lighting and infotainment systems — requires power, and the wires supplying that power must have a large enough diameter to support the current.

One way to reduce the wire gauges, weight and cost throughout is to transition from a 12 V electrical architecture to one based on 48 V. But OEMs that move to 48 V have to pay particular attention to several key design considerations to ensure the system’s safety and reliability.

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Revolutionizing battery emulators: download the new whitepaper

Sponsored by Kikusui America, Inc.

The rapid growth of battery-powered technologies, from electric vehicles to renewable energy storage, has heightened the demand for efficient and reliable battery testing solutions. Kikusui has introduced its new Battery Emulator System, a cutting-edge solution designed to address the challenges of evaluating battery-powered devices and components. By leveraging the Kikusui PXB Series Bidirectional DC Power Supply and the SD036-PXB Battery Emulation Software, this system offers unparalleled flexibility and precision in simulating battery behavior under various conditions.

This whitepaper explores the system’s purpose, features, technical specifications and benefits, providing an overview for engineers and researchers in the field.

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Flux Power secures $3.6 million in lithium-ion pack orders for electric aviation ground support equipment

Flux Power has received more than $3.6 million in new purchase orders to provide its lithium-ion battery packs to a major North American airline. The company says that these orders further extend its presence in aviation energy systems, specifically supporting ground support equipment deployments.

The additional orders will enable the ongoing supply of Flux Power’s lithium-ion battery systems for airport fleet vehicles, including baggage tractors, belt loaders and aircraft pushback units.

The tech includes real-time telemetry, an advanced battery management system and predictive maintenance insights designed to optimize fleet uptime, operational visibility and lifecycle planning for aviation ground support fleets.

Our customers count on us to deliver high quality intelligent energy systems that improve reliability, streamline operations, and support long-term sustainability goals,” adding that the new orders “highlight the value of our technology and the confidence the aviation market has in our solutions,” said Jeff Mason, Chief Operating Officer of Flux Power.

Source: Flux Power

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US DOE to invest $134 million in developing domestic rare earth supply chain

The US Department of Energy (DOE)’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation (CMEI) will award up to $134 million to projects establishing domestic supply chains for rare earth elements (REEs).

The funding will support projects that demonstrate the commercial viability of recovering and refining REEs from unconventional feedstocks including mine tailings, e-waste and other waste materials, the DOE said.

By investing in domestic REE recovery and processing, DOE aims to secure US energy independence, strengthen economic competitiveness and ensure long-term resilience in the supply chains for advanced manufacturing, defense systems and high-performance magnets used in power generation and electric motors.

“For too long, the United States has relied on foreign nations for the minerals and materials that power our economy,” said Chris Wright, US Secretary of Energy. “We have these resources here at home, but years of complacency ceded America’s mining and industrial base to other nations.”

Source: US Department of Energy

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