POSCO Future M invests in US-based Factorial to develop all-solid-state batteries

South Korea’s POSCO Future M has invested in battery developer Factorial, following a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the two companies in November 2025 for the development of all-solid-state battery technology.

POSCO Future M is preparing for the growth of the all-solid-state battery market and will supply Factorial with a stable source of high-quality battery materials. Factorial operates a pilot plant for all-solid-state batteries in Cheonan, South Korea and is actively expanding its business.

Factorial’s all-solid-state battery platform, Solstice, delivers high levels of energy density and safety according to the company, which has established partnerships with major automakers in Korea, Europe and North America.

POSCO Future M’s Pohang cathode material plant

Factorial has been conducting sample testing of all-solid-state battery cathode materials with POSCO Future M and evaluated the Korean firm’s materials as “high-performance.”

POSCO Future M’s material design and coating technologies are optimized for all-solid-state batteries. As part of the POSCO steelmaking giant, the company is expanding its portfolio of all-solid-state battery materials, including sulfide-based solid electrolytes and silicon and lithium metal anode materials.

“Both companies have developed materials technology through a close and continuous partnership. This further developed partnership will enable us to secure competitiveness in line with the rapidly growing all-solid-state battery market,” said Hong Young-Jun, Head of Posco’s Technology Research Laboratory.

Source: POSCO

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Automotive connectivity and efficiency: seizing the Wi-Fi 7 opportunity—download the guide

Sponsored by TTI and Murata.

Wi-Fi 7 positions itself as a key technology for advanced automotive connectivity, supporting up to 16 spatial streams and a 320MHz channel width. Its high bandwidth capacity addresses the data transmission requirements of ADAS and autonomous driving applications.

This paper, titled “Murata Wi-Fi 7 Automotive Connectivity and Efficiency White,” outlines Wi-Fi 7’s capabilities and its relevance to the automotive industry.

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New study: plug-in hybrids use three times more fuel than automakers claim (even when drivers do plug them in)

Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) are the epitome of a transitional technology. Their boosters say they enable drivers to complete many journeys on battery power, while offering more range for longer trips. Detractors say that they would, if owners actually plugged them in. Despite the best efforts of skeptical journalists, automakers have largely refused to release any data on how often their customers plug in their PHEVs.

A new study from the Fraunhofer Institute has found that PHEVs use much more fuel in real life than their manufacturers officially claim. The Institute carried out a large-scale analysis of about a million vehicles, using data transmitted wirelessly by PHEVs produced between 2021 and 2023 by several manufacturers.

As reported by The Guardian, the data enabled analysts to measure their real-world fuel consumption, as opposed to the figures included in the vehicles’ official EU-approved certifications. (The Fraunhofer study does not appear to have addressed the question of whether PHEV owners regularly plug in or not.)

The official fuel efficiency figures for PHEVs range from one to two liters of fuel per 100 km. (In Europe, fuel efficiency is measured in liters/100 km, not in MPG as in the States.) However, the Fraunhofer study found that, in real-world driving, the vehicles burned an average of six liters per 100 km, about three times more than automakers claim.

As every PHEV driver knows, the vehicle switches between electric and fossil power depending on which mode its little automotive brain deems to be appropriate at a particular time. Most models feature an “EV mode,” but even when driving in this mode, the gas engine will kick on from time to time. The Fraunhofer Institute’s researchers found that this is the main reason for the higher real-world fuel usage. Automakers tend to claim that their vehicles use little or no fuel when in EV mode. The study found that this is not the case.

Patrick Plötz of the Fraunhofer Institute told German broadcaster SWR that the combustion engines in PHEVs seem to turn on far more frequently than previously thought.

German-manufactured PHEVs were among those with the lowest fuel efficiency—the worst performers of all were from Porsche. The highest fuel efficiency levels were found at the budget end of the PHEV market, in vehicles from Kia, Toyota, Ford and Renault.

The Fraunhofer scientists have called for EU testing procedures to be revised to fit the real-world findings. In the EU, automakers face penalties for exceeding permitted limits on carbon emissions. Herr Plötz called on regulators to use the real-world emissions data. “Then one could say a manufacturer who does not comply with the [emissions] limits on the road may have to pay a penalty.”

Source: The Guardian

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California and the UK increase climate cooperation, Octopus Energy to invest $1 billion in the state

Governor Gavin Newsom has announced an expanded partnership between California and the UK “to tackle climate change and promote sustainable development together.” During a recent visit to the UK, the Governor and UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Ed Miliband, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) “deepening cooperation on climate.”

Governor Newsom also paid a visit to Octopus Energy, a retail supplier of renewable electricity, which was founded in the UK and has operations in nine countries, including in Texas. Octopus plans to invest nearly $1 billion in California companies and projects focused on “clean technologies and nature-based solutions.”

“Octopus and California are both leading the way in clean energy innovation,” said Octopus Energy Generation CEO Zoisa North-Bond. “With supportive policy and world-class entrepreneurship in and around Silicon Valley, it’s an ideal place to back long-term investment partnerships that will benefit the UK economy. We’re excited to expand Octopus internationally, backing the booming US clean tech sector while bringing innovation, growth and returns to the UK.”

Source: California Governor’s Office

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Transport for London awards oil giant TotalEnergies a contract to deploy 43 DC fast EV chargers

Transport for London (TfL) has awarded oil supermajor TotalEnergies a contract to deliver up to 43 DC fast EV chargers across London. The new chargers will offer charging speeds of 100 kW or 200 kW (“rapid” or “ultra-rapid,” in TfL’s terminology), and will be located near key routes used by high-mileage commercial users, or near high streets and local amenities.

Many of the new charging sites will be located in south London, including Bromley, Lewisham and Sutton.

This is the second contract TfL has awarded to TotalEnergies. This includes the agency’s existing work with EV charge point operator Zest, which has delivered some 40 on-street rapid or ultra-rapid EV charging bays for TfL.

London is already a pretty charged city. According to TfL, Cool Britannia’s capital currently boasts more than 27,980 public charging points, more than 1,550 of which offer “rapid or ultra-rapid charging.” TfL predicts that if current demand continues, London will need between 43,000 and 51,000 charge points by 2030.

TfL is working with the GLA Group and other public sector partners to facilitate installing chargers on public land. Places for London—TfL’s wholly-owned real estate company—has partnered with EV charging hub operator Fastned to develop several new EV ultra-rapid charging hubs across its estate. Work is underway on an EV charging hub at TfL’s Hatton Cross Station car park, the first of 25 hubs targeted to be delivered by 2030.

“By unlocking our land to bring new EV bays forward, we’re working with both TotalEnergies and Zest to provide the infrastructure that Londoners need to have the confidence to transition to electric vehicles,” said David Rowe, Director of Investment Planning at TfL.

Source: Transport for London

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Porsche begins manufacturing Cayenne Electric and in-house battery modules

Porsche has started production of its Cayenne Electric model in Bratislava and has developed its own battery modules in-house.

The Cayenne is being manufactured on a line that also produces combustion engine and hybrid drive models. The automaker said this flexible production enables it to react quickly to changes in demand. The batteries are manufactured in the Porsche Smart Battery Shop in Horná Streda, which is located around 100 km northeast of Bratislava.

The battery features large pouch cells, and has a gross energy content of 113 kWh, enabling driving ranges of more than 600 km. It supports 800-volt fast charging. Two cooling plates cool or heat the high-voltage battery from above and below as required to help maintain optimal temperatures

The top-of-the-range Cayenne Turbo has an output of up to 850 kW, which the automaker said makes it the most powerful Porsche production model of all time.

“With the Smart Battery Shop, we are bundling decades of industrialisation experience with state-of-the-art battery technology—from cell processing to fully automated end-of-line testing,” said Markus Kreutel, Chairman of the Executive Board of Porsche Werkzeugbau. “This end-to-end vertical integration gives Porsche control over the quality, precision and scalability of a key technology that will significantly shape our future.”

Source: Porsche                   

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CATL wins MINDS award for Intelligent Cell Design project

Chinese battery giant CATL won the MINDS Award at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland for its Intelligent Cell Design project.

By using deep learning from more than 100,000 battery cases, 600 TB of test data and EV aftermarket data, CATL has built an intelligent cell design platform that can generate design suggestions instantly and deliver virtual cells based on user-defined performance indicators.

The performance prediction has an accuracy of around 95% and improves design efficiency by 30% compared to traditional design, according to the company, shifting R&D from reliance on experimental trial and error to data-driven design.

The MINDS Awards, established by the World Economic Forum’s Centre of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence, select organizations worldwide that drive AI transformation across five core dimensions: strategy, talent, data, technology and governance.

Source: CATL

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