Daimler Truck, a German truck manufacturer, is planning a $2-3 billion gigafactory to produce lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cells in the US in a joint venture. The 21 gigawatt-hour gigafactory will be built through a joint venture between Daimler Truck, component manufacturer Accelera (a unit of Cummins), and truck maker PACCAR, who will each have […]
> R&D is key to how any future-facing market evolves, and in batteries, it determines which company will lead the next wave of energy innovation. Across leading cell manufacturers, R&D spending highlights sharply contrasting strategies and substantial differences within the global battery supply chain. CATL leads the way in R&D CATL has consistently led R&D investment, […]
> South Korea’s battery industry is one of the most developed and globally integrated ecosystems in the world. Yet beneath the surface of its technical leadership lies a sense of caution: competition from China is intensifying, margins are thin, and chemistry choices are shifting rapidly. A recent visit by Benchmark’s Lithium Product Director, Cameron Perks – […]
> The Trump administration is stepping up direct investments in critical mineral projects to bolster US supply security, as part of a broader push by Washington to acquire equity in sectors considered vital to national security. Last week, the US Department of Energy (DoE) announced it would restructure a $2.3bn loan agreement with Lithium Americas, providing […]
> Carbon emissions from heavy-duty vehicles need to fall 16% this decade to meet net-zero emission targets, according to the International Energy Agency. While battery trucks are likely to make up the bulk of the electrified truck fleet, the demands of longer-distance trucking can’t always be met by batteries and instead may use hydrogen fuel cells. […]
> Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, specialising in battery supply chain research and insights, reports that 12.7GWh of new operational capacity entered operation in October 2025. Operational Capacity The grid-scale BESS market saw 12.7GWh of new capacity enter operations globally in October 2025, a y-o-y increase of 29%. China led new operational capacity with just under 8.8GWh of […]
> China has postponed the implementation of its expanded rare earth export controls announced in early October following high-level US-China trade negotiations in South Korea this week. It marks a temporary easing in what had become an escalating front in the tit-for-tat US–China trade confrontation. The announcement follows extensive economic and trade consultations in Kuala Lumpur, […]
> Since January 2025, 108GWh of LFP production capacity has been announced in North America through to 2030, bringing the total to 281GWh. These announcements have been driven by the increasing importance of the BESS industry in the US, as tax credits for EVs have been phased out. How is future capacity changing? The new capacity […]
> Lithium chemical prices spiked in China on Monday following a bullish speech by the chairman of Ganfeng – the world’s third-largest lithium producer – in which it was suggested that lithium demand growth could reach 30% in 2026. In a keynote speech on 16 November at the 10th International Summit on Power Battery Application in […]