Battery recycler Ascend Elements files for bankruptcy

Battery recycler Ascend Elements files for bankruptcy

Ascend Elements said on Friday it has started Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings in the U.S., a heavy blow to investors who had sunk nearly $900 million into the company.  Linh Austin, Ascend’s CEO, announced the decision in a post on LinkedIn late Thursday night. He said the company faced “insurmountable” financial challenges. Ascend’s filing comes…

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Trump’s critical mineral reserve is an admission that the future is electric

Trump’s critical mineral reserve is an admission that the future is electric

The Trump administration announced this week the U.S. government would work to build a $11.7 billion stockpile of critical minerals. That’s the headline; the subtext is more intriguing. The stockpile initiative, branded as Project Vault, is the latest attempt by the administration to secure supplies of critical minerals for U.S. manufacturers and what President Donald…

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Group14 lands 3M from SK, Porsche, and others to make silicon anodes for EVs

Group14 lands $463M from SK, Porsche, and others to make silicon anodes for EVs

Battery materials startup Group14 announced Wednesday it has closed a $463 million funding round to expand its manufacturing footprint, a sign that investors remain confident in the future of electric vehicles. The startup manufactures silicon anode materials, which significantly boost the storage capacity of lithium-ion batteries. Group14 currently operates three factories, two in the U.S….

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GM teams up with Redwood Materials to power data centers with EV batteries

GM teams up with Redwood Materials to power data centers with EV batteries

GM is sending new and old EV batteries to recycler Redwood Materials, which then repurposes the packs for stationary energy storage, the two companies announced today. Second-life batteries from GM have already made their way through Redwood’s process and into a 12 megawatt microgrid at the company’s Sparks, Nevada, headquarters. Electricity from that installation then…

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