👋 Watts up? The German government has recently funded research into sodium-ion batteries, aiming to evaluate the sustainability of the technology and to achieve rapid industrial implementation. Also, Rivian has announced that it will start selling its electric vans commercially, following the end to an exclusive deal with Amazon. Learn more on these stories, and others, in todays issue.

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Rivian is now selling its electric vans commercially - starting at $79,900

🚗 Rivian has announced that its electric delivery vans are now available for purchase by any business with a commercial fleet, following its exclusive deal with Amazon coming to an end. Unfortunately, they are not available to the public just yet.

Amazon originally committed to buying 100,000 vans in a deal made in 2019, which also included a $1 billion investment into Rivian. Under this agreement, Rivian was to sell its vans solely to Amazon. However, this exclusivity ended in November 2023, with Amazon only purchasing around 20,000 vans, just 20% of its original commitment.

Now, Rivian has stated that it is prepared to sell vans in any quantity, from a single unit to thousands, depending on business needs. The vans are available in two models:

• RCV 500 - starting at $79,900

• RCV 700 - starting at $83,900

Rivian has spent the time since the end of its Amazon exclusivity testing the vehicles with larger fleets, including AT&T, while also developing a service and software business for future customers.

Tom Solomon, the senior director of business development at Rivian, stated: “Over the last year we have been focusing our efforts on testing with some larger fleets, and we’re really pleased with how those trials have gone. As a result, we’re excited to now be able to open sales to fleets of all sizes in the US, whether they want 1 van or thousands.”

Also, Proton, Malaysia’s first ever national car company, has begun construction of a new assembly facility for electric vehicles in Perak, according to local reports.

Trump has suspended the $5 billion EV charging initiative

🔋 The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), under the Trump administration, has issued a memo instructing states to suspend their electric vehicle infrastructure deployment plans under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program. This decision affects the $5 billion initiative to expand EV charging networks across the United States.

Under NEVI, states submit annual plans detailing how they will use the funds, which the FHWA must approve. During Biden’s presidency, the FHWA had already signed off on plans covering the first four out of five fiscal years up to 2025. However, not all allocated funds have been formally committed to projects. The new directive prevents states from committing approved funds to new infrastructure, though previously committed funds remain unaffected.

The FHWA memo states: “Therefore, effective immediately, no new obligations may occur under the NEVI Formula Program until the updated final NEVI Formula Program Guidance is issued and new State plans are submitted and approved.”

This decision has sparked legal and political debate. Loren McDonald, chief analyst at Paren, questioned whether the FHWA has the legal authority to halt the programme. He argued that only Congress could make such a change and predicted lawsuits from states challenging the decision. “The Trump administration is clearly trying to stop or pause programs like NEVI for as long as they can,” McDonald said, adding that while this move could cause delays, the administration is unlikely to succeed in permanently stopping NEVI.

Also, Siemens Smart Infrastructure has been awarded a five-year contract by Aral pulse to deploy Electrification X for its Aral e-mobility brand. This will allow Aral pulse to centrally operate and optimise its charging stations with ultra-fast charging technology.

China is scaling back its solar subsidies - following a boom in installations

☀️ China’s economic planning agency is scaling back subsidies for solar projects, following a surge in installations. The country set a new record for solar capacity in 2024, with installations rising by 45% compared to the previous year. China now has nearly 887 GW of installed solar power, as reported by the International Renewable Energy Agency.

This rapid expansion meant that China reached its 2030 solar energy target six years ahead of schedule. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) noted that clean energy capacity, including solar, now accounts for over 40% of the country’s total energy generation.

The NDRC also stated: “The cost of new energy development has dropped significantly compared to earlier stages.“ As a result, the agency has announced that from June onwards, new solar projects will have to sell electricity through "market-based bidding" rather than benefiting from guaranteed pricing.

The NDRC reassured that the policy change would not impact residential or agricultural electricity prices, while industrial and commercial power costs would remain "basically the same." However, a reduction in subsidies could put additional pressure on China's solar industry. Overcapacity in production has already led to a decline in module prices, raising concerns about profitability in the sector.

Also, Juniper Green Energy has raised $1 billion in debt financing, aiming to support the companies upcoming renewable energy projects.

German government funds research into sodium-ion battery technology

🚀 The "Sodium-Ion-Battery Deutschland-Forschung - SIB:DE FORSCHUNG” project, funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), is focused on assessing the potential of sodium-ion battery technology for Europe’s energy and mobility transition. The initiative brings together 21 national partners, aiming to accelerate the industrial application of sodium-ion batteries by bridging the gap between research and large-scale production.

Battery cells are essential for the EU’s 2030 mobility transition goals, as well as for integrating renewable electricity into the grid and ensuring reliable power for 5G telecommunications. Currently, lithium-ion batteries dominate the market, but their reliance on scarce raw materials presents a major challenge. Sodium, on the other hand, is abundant, cost-effective, and considered a safe alternative.

A key focus of the project is improving the long-term stability and energy density of sodium-ion batteries. Despite their similar electrical properties, lithium and sodium cannot be directly substituted due to chemical differences that lead to faster degradation and reduced performance in sodium-ion cells. Addressing these challenges is crucial for making sodium-ion technology competitive with lithium-based alternatives.

"SIB:DE FORSCHUNG" aims to identify scalable active materials that deliver high-performance battery cells. It also seeks to develop demonstrator cells and evaluate their compatibility with existing lithium-ion battery production processes. This so-called "drop-in capability" would simplify the transition to sodium-ion technology, lowering production costs and reducing development time. To assess the feasibility of sodium-ion batteries, the project will create an evaluation matrix considering technological, economic, and environmental factors.

The initiative is Germany’s largest research collaboration on sodium-ion technology, involving seven industrial partners, 14 academic institutions, and 42 associated partners.

Also, Toyota Chemical Engineering has developed a new recycling technology for high-voltage batteries. This allows CO2 emissions to be reduced in the recycling process and more raw materials to be reused.

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