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There she goes again. In recent years, General Motors Chair and CEO Mary Barra has shaped the automaker into a renewable energy influencer with an impact on the US energy landscape that extends beyond the factory walls. Apparently she was just getting started. The company has just announced a new carbon-cutting initiative that sets a 100% renewable energy goal by 2025. Yes, 2025. Not 2035, or even 2030. It’s 2025 or bust.

Coming from one of the top industrial employers in the US, the announcement validates President Biden’s ambitious climate goals even as Republicans in Congress continue to hit the kill switch on climate action.

GM Hearts Renewable Energy For Everybody

Barra doesn’t get nearly as much publicity as some other auto industry execs, so before we get into her latest renewable energy plan, let’s take a quick look back at the renewable energy theme she has established for GM.

The basic premise is pretty simple. Rather than focusing on renewable energy projects that only benefit the company’s carbon profile, GM is part of a broader corporate movement to spur renewable energy investments that provide whole-of-economy benefits and influence consumer behavior. Cutting costs for everyone while increasing access and improving reliability across the grid are the end goals.

In 2016 GM joined the global RE100 clean power collaborative and another big step occurred in 2019, when the company became a founding member of the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance, a US organization that leverages corporate purchasing power to accelerate economy-wide decarbonization.

The initial REBA goal was 60 gigawatts of new renewables by 2025. GM helped get the ball rolling in 2019 by putting in for the equivalent of 300,000 megawatt-hours in new wind energy through the Michigan utility DTE.

In a convo with CleanTechnica that year, Rob Threlkeld, GM’s global manager of Sustainable Energy and Supply Reliability, explained that the DTE deal reflects the tandem transformation of both the auto industry and the utility industry, and the adaptation of consumers to the new energy landscape.

Renewable Energy & Consumer Behavior

When the topic turns to the auto industry, the new energy landscape, and consumer behavior, attention naturally turns to electric vehicle charging.

GM had EV charging and consumer behavior on the top of its mind when it introduced the Chevy Volt gas-electric hybrid in 2010. The Volt enabled car buyers to dip a toe in the 100% EV experience while clinging to the safety net of a gas tank at a time when battery technology was limited and charging stations were relatively scarce.

More recently GM has begun pivoting to a 100% EV future, and that doesn’t just mean selling the cars. Providing consumers with access to both charging stations and renewable energy is a key part of GM’s plan.

In 2020, for example, GM announced a new 500,000 megawatt-hour solar energy commitment through DTE, and it hooked up with the company EVgo to install more than 2,700 public fast charging stations around the country. Earlier this year GM also inked a deal to splash digital EV advertising all over Volta charging stations in key markets, aimed at reaching 70 million potential car buyers.

More Renewable Energy For The Clean Car Of The Future

GM’s triple-whammy approach of electric cars, renewable energy, and charging stations is getting picked up by utilities that are eager to sell more kilowatts. The gigantic utility Xcel Energy, for example, has just established a new incentive program to encourage its ratepayers to buy more electric vehicles.

The problem is that Excel’s stable of power plants still runs on a heavy dose of fossil energy, and that’s where the new GM renewable energy initiative comes in.

Today’s 100% clean power announcement by GM includes a partnership with the carbon tracking and energy management firm TimberRock. The idea is to leverage energy storage and variable demand to squeeze the maximum amount of renewable energy available on the grid for GM facilities.

In addition, GM expects to expand the carbon tracking feature to its electric vehicles. That will enable the company to prioritize its renewable energy purchasing activity for maximum impact on EV charging.

EV carbon tracking is a key new element in the climate action game, because Xcel is not alone. The US grid is still very much in a transitional period, with a heavy reliance on natural gas and coal for power generation. The very success of the EV revolution could bog down decarbonization goals in a sea of juiced-up demand for kilowatts as millions of EVs hit the road and plug into charging stations.

If all goes according to plan, the TimberRock partnership will help dampen the impact of EV sales on power plant emissions by enabling GM to target its power purchases strategically, in order to help ensure that EV battery charging takes maximum advantage of renewables on the grid.

GM’s work with TimberRock dates back to 2011, when the two companies paired to build a lone solar-powered EV charging station at General Motors’ Allison Transmission Plant in Maryland. The new carbon tracking partnership takes that relationship into next-level decarbonization territory.

GM Comes Out Swinging For Renewables

As for the timing of the announcement, it follows on the heels of a salvo that GM fired off on Tuesday, apparently aimed at Republican obstructionists in Congress and the two Democratic holdouts against President Biden’s climate action plans.

“General Motors applauds those who have worked tirelessly to advance the Build Back Better Plan, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, and urges Congress and the Administration to move forward legislation that will bring critical improvements to the country,” GM wrote.

GM also gently reminded legislators that the end goal of decarbonization is to fend off catastrophic climate change.

“General Motors believes we can help create a world that is safe and sustainable, where future generations can thrive,” the company wrote, while taking note of its plans to “achieve a clean and equitable transition to an all-electric future.”

“But we can’t do it alone,” GM warned, underscoring the need for strong federal action.

Placing itself firmly in the camp of President Biden, the company concluded that “General Motors looks forward to joining the President, Congress and the American people in celebrating enactment of legislation that creates a pro-growth, pro-jobs and pro-sustainability future.”

Whelp, Here’s To Going It Alone

In another interesting bit of auto industry timing, earlier this week Ford also unleashed a massive, history making new EV manufacturing and workforce training announcement that supports the President’s plan for rapid decarbonization and new green jobs. The Ford announcement includes a vast new carbon neutral campus in Tennessee, powered partly with local renewable energy.

Together, the GM and Ford announcements put more pressure on legislators to act.

That could be too little, too late. Democrats in the House of Representatives have a sufficient majority to pass legislation, but the Senate is a different story.

The likelihood of getting enough Republican Senators on board to break a filibuster is unicorn-level small. Democrats could still manage to make some progress by exercising their slim 51-vote majority through the reconciliation process, except as of this writing they can only count on 49 votes.

For those of you not following the news, the two Democratic holdouts are West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin and Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema.

I know, right? Well, that’s the way the Senate works. If voters in other states vote out their Republican senators and replace them with Democratic senators who support Democratic presidents, the names Manchin and Sinema would quickly fade into the dustbin of history. As things stand, they appear destined to join the climate obstruction hall of fame right alongside the usual suspects.

Meanwhile, Ford and GM seem determined to follow through on their EV and renewable energy plans no matter what Congress does, though both companies are members of the corporate organization Business Roundtable, which is reportedly lobbying against the reconciliation bill.

Go figure! If you have any thoughts about that, drop us a note in the comment thread — and stay tuned for word on Stellantis, the third member of the Big 3 legacy auto-making club.

Follow me on Twitter @TinaMCasey.

Photo: Chevy Bolt EV by Tina Casey.

 

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Solid-state batteries may yet catch up — but silicon anodes are winning the race to power EVs

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Solid-state batteries may yet catch up — but silicon anodes are winning the race to power EVs

A Wallbox EV charger for electric car is displayed during the “Mondial de l’Auto” at Parc des Expositions on October 15, 2024 in Paris, France.

Chesnot | Getty Images News | Getty Images

Silicon anodes appear to be leading the way in the race to commercialize next-generation battery technologies for electric vehicles.

The buzz around silicon-based anodes, which promise improved power and faster charging capabilities for EVs, has been growing in recent months — just as the hype around solid-state batteries seems to have fizzled.

It comes as increasing EV sales continue to drive up global battery demand, prompting auto giants to team up with major cell manufacturers on the road to full electrification.

While some OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) have inked deals with solid-state battery developers, carmakers such as Mercedes, Porsche and GM have all bet big on silicon anodes to deliver transformative change in the science behind EVs.

A recent report from consultancy IDTechEx described the promise of advanced silicon anode materials as “immense” for improving critical areas of battery performance, noting that this potential hadn’t gone unnoticed by carmakers and key players in the battery industry.

It warned, however, that challenges such as cycle life, shelf life and — perhaps most importantly — cost, need to be addressed for widespread adoption.

Venkat Srinivasan, director of the Collaborative Center for Energy Storage Science at the U.S. government’s Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago, said silicon anodes appear to have the edge over solid-state batteries.

“If there’s a horse race, silicon does seem to be ahead at least at this moment, but we haven’t commercialized either one of them,” Srinivasan told CNBC via videoconference.

How silicon could enable cheaper EVs, electric flight and more powerful batteries

Srinivasan said five years ago silicon-anode batteries had a calendar life of roughly one year, but recent data appears to show a dramatic improvement in the durability of these materials, with some tests now projecting a three to four-year calendar life.

Unlike the cycle life of a battery, which counts the number of times it can be charged and discharged, the calendar life measures degradation over time. Typically, the calendar life of a battery refers to the period in which it can function at over 80% of its initial capacity, regardless of its usage.

Srinivasan said solid-state batteries, long billed as the “holy grail” of sustainable driving, still have a long way to go before they can match the recent progress made by silicon anodes.

“That transition still has to be made in solid-state with their metal batteries and that’s why I think you’re hearing from people that, hey, it looks like that promise hasn’t panned out,” Srinivasan said.

“That doesn’t mean we won’t get there. It may happen in a few years. It just means that it feels like today silicon is in a different part of the technology readiness level.”

Silicon anodes vs. solid-state batteries

Analysts say silicon anodes theoretically offer 10 times the energy density as graphite, which are commonly used in battery anodes today. Yet, these same materials typically suffer from rapid degradation when lots of silicon is used.

“Silicon anodes and solid-state batteries are two emerging technology trends in the EV battery market aimed at pushing the boundaries of high-performance battery cells,” Rory McNulty, senior research analyst at Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, told CNBC via email.

A researcher checks the electromagnet de-ironing machine at the Daejoo Electronic Materials Co. R&D center in Siheung, South Korea, on Thursday, June 22, 2023.

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

It has typically been the case that better battery performance comes at the cost of longevity or safety, McNulty said. Silicon anodes, for example, are known to swell significantly during charging, which reduces the battery’s longevity.

By comparison, McNulty said solid-state batteries were claimed to greatly improve the stability of the electrolyte to high performance electrode materials, combating the challenges of using high energy density materials such as silicon and lithium.

As the name suggests, solid-state batteries contain a solid electrolyte, made from materials such as ceramics. That makes them different from conventional lithium-ion batteries, which contain liquid electrolyte.

Especially in the West, advances in the area of silicon anodes [are] seen as strategic opportunity to catch up with China.

Georgi Georgiev

Battery raw materials analyst at Fastmarkets

Japan’s Toyota and Nissan have both said they are aiming to bring solid-state batteries into mass production over the coming years, while China’s SAIC Motor Corp reportedly said in early September that its MG brand would equip cars with solid-state batteries within the next 12 months.

Nonetheless, analysts remain skeptical about when solid-state batteries will actually make it to market.

A strategic opportunity?

“Silicon based anodes promise to be the next-generation technology in the anode field, providing a solution for faster charging,” Georgi Georgiev, battery raw materials analyst at consultancy Fastmarkets, told CNBC via email.

Georgiev said several industry players have been looking into the potential of silicon anodes, from well-established anode suppliers in China and South Korea to new players like Taiwan’s ProLogium and U.S. manufacturers Group14 and Sila Nanotechnologies.

“Especially in the West, advances in the area of silicon anodes [are] seen as strategic opportunity to catch up with China, which dominates the graphite-based anode supply chains with Chinese anode producers holding 98% of the global anode market for batteries,” Georgiev said.

“However, there are significant technical challenges going to 100% silicon anode such as silicon expansion affecting the longevity of the batteries and currently there are several routes to produce silicon anodes,” he added.

A FEV x ProLogium Technology Co. 100% silicon composite anode next-generation battery at the Paris Motor Show in Paris, France, on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024.

Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Taiwanese battery maker ProLogium debuted the world’s first fully silicon anode battery at the Paris Motor Show last month, saying it’s new fast-charging battery system not only surpassed traditional lithium-ion batteries in performance and charging efficiency but also “critical industry challenges.”

ProLogium, citing test data, said it’s 100% silicon anode battery could charge from 5% to 60% in just 5 minutes, and reach 80% in 8.5 minutes. It described the advancement as an “unmatched achievement in the competitive EV market,” which will help to reduce charging times and extend the range of EVs.

Fastmarkets’ Georgiev said a big question mark over the commercialization of silicon anodes is the cost of production and whether any of the major silicon-anode producers “could produce material at scale with a consistent quality and at a competitive price — [a] major requirements of OEMs.”

“At this stage silicon anodes are used more as an additive to graphite-based anodes and in the years to come we expect to see increase of silicon share in anode, but in combination with graphite, while 100% silicon anodes will take longer time to enter the mass market,” he added.

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Oil giant Saudi Aramco posts 15% drop in third-quarter profit but maintains dividend

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Oil giant Saudi Aramco posts 15% drop in third-quarter profit but maintains dividend

Saudi Aramco’s Ras Tanura oil refinery and oil terminal

Ahmed Jadallah | Reuters

Saudi state oil giant Aramco reported a 15.4% drop in net profit in the third-quarter on the back of “lower crude oil prices and weakening refining margins,” but maintained a 31.05 billion dividend.

The company reported net income of $27.56 billion in the July-September period, topping a company-provided estimate of $26.9 billion. The print is also a 5% drop from the previous quarter, which came in at $29.1 billion, as lower global oil prices, weaker demand and prolonged OPEC+ production cuts led by Saudi Arabia continue to impact crude prices.

The average selling price of oil for the second quarter of 2024 stood at $85 per barrel, but dropped to $78.7 per barrel during the third quarter, according to Saudi-based bank Al Rajhi capital, as non-OPEC supply volumes grew.

The oil firm said its year-on-year decline was partly offset by a “reduction in selling, administrative and general expenses primarily driven by a gain from derivative instruments, and a decrease in production royalties largely reflecting lower crude oil prices and a lower average effective royalty rate compared to the same quarter last year.”

Aramco’s dividend includes a base payout of $20.3 billion and an atypical performance-linked one of $10.8 billion. The Saudi government and the kingdom’s sovereign wealth vehicle, the Public Investment Fund, are the main beneficiaries of the dividend, holding stakes of roughly 81.5% and 16% in the company.

The remaining shareholding trades freely on Saudi Arabia’s Tadāwul stock exchange, with the company having finalized its second public share offering back in June.

Aramco’s earnings before Interest and Taxes (EBIT) came in at $51.45 billion in the third quarter, down 17% year-on-year. Aramco’s capital expenditure guidance was brought up 20% to $13.23 billion.

The company was trading at 27.45 riyals following the announcement, down 0.18% on the previous day.

The earnings align with a broader trend across oil majors, whose third-quarter profits have also suffered from declines in crude prices and refining margins. Aramco said it achieved average realized crude price of $79.3 per barrel in the third quarter, compared with $89.3 per barrel in the same period of last year.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude exporter who produces roughly 9 million barrels per day of crude at present, serves as the de facto leader of the OPEC+ oil producers’ alliance, a subset of whom agreed over the weekend to delay a planned December output hike by one month.

OPEC chief says delayed December output hike is 'nothing unusual'

“Aramco delivered robust net income and generated strong free cash flow during the third quarter, despite a lower oil price environment,” CEO Amin Nasser said in a statement. “We also progressed our upstream developments, strengthened our downstream value chain, and advanced our new energies program as we continue to invest through cycles.”

The revenues will be a boon to the Saudi economy, which is currently undergoing a diversification process under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s legacy Vision 2030 scheme spanning a slew of high-cost infrastructure “gigaprojects.”

Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Finance cut the kingdom’s growth forecast to 0.8% in 2024, in a steep decline from a previous projection of 4.4%, and raised the outlook for the national budgetary shortfall to roughly 2.9% of GDP, from a prior indication of 1.9%.

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Cybertruck backlog runs out, Model S gets stuck, GM hits a sales milestone

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Cybertruck backlog runs out, Model S gets stuck, GM hits a sales milestone

On today’s episode of Quick Charge, Tesla’s Cybertruck is now available in Canada – and, like in the US, there’s no waiting! Plus, we’ve got an “actually” smart summon Tesla that’s actually stuck, GM reaches a sales milestone, and we get a brand-new title sponsor!

Today’s episode is the first with our new title sponsor, BLUETTI – a leading provider of portable power stations, solar generators, and energy storage systems.

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New episodes of Quick Charge are recorded, usually, Monday through Thursday (and sometimes Sunday). We’ll be posting bonusLucid proves than an EV company can keep its promises while Xiaomi teams up with Chevrolet and Honda to prove – at least conceptually – that records are made to be broken. audio content from time to time as well, so be sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss a minute of Electrek’s high-voltage daily news!

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