This morning, Solid Power announced that long-time investor BMW Group is expanding an existing joint development agreement to license its technology in order to build its own solid-state batteries in Germany. Under the agreement, BMW will gain access to Solid Power’s battery research and development, cell design, and manufacturing expertise to expedite the technology alongside its partner. That being said, Solid Power isn’t licensing all of its technology.
Solid Power ($SLDP) is a Colorado-based battery developer specializing in solid-state, sulfide-based electrolyte technology with hopes to bring scalable cells to the EV world at or near cost parity to current lithium-ion batteries. We have covered the company since 2017 when BMW Group first invested in its technology.
Since then, fellow automakers like Ford and Hyundai have invested in Solid Power, in addition to a partnership with SK Innovation announced in October of 2021. This past June, Solid Power announced a solid-state battery pilot production line ahead of a timeline to deliver the cells to both Ford and BMW before year’s end.
Today, Solid Power announced that BMW Group in particular won’t just be receiving solid-state prototypes for EV testing, but will be granted access to its battery know-how to help develop the technology concurrently.
BMW gets R&D license for solid-state battery tech
Per a press release from Solid Power this morning, it has deepened its long-running relationship with BMW Group as part of a joint development agreement.
By gaining a license to Solid Power’s research and development, cell design, and manufacturing practices, BMW Group intends to duplicate Solid Power’s pilot production line at its own facility in Germany in order to produce prototype batteries cells of its own.
As a result of the expanded development agreement, both Solid Power and BMW Group intend to perform complementary cell development and manufacturing activities at their respective facilities to expedite the capability of the solid-state battery technology. Solid Power COO Dr. Derek Johnson spoke:
We could not be more excited about growing our relationship with BMW, a company that has demonstrated a strong commitment to Solid Power’s technology for the past seven years. We believe this expanded partnership and increased collaboration is an added vote of confidence in Solid Power’s technology development.
In exchange for access to Solid Power’s proprietary solid-state technology and manufacturing know-how, BMW Group has agreed to pay $20 million through June 2024 (subject to achieving certain milestones that have not been shared yet). While the expanded joint development agreement does include the sharing of information pertaining to proprietary battery technology, it does not include a license to intellectual property related to Solid Power’s electrolyte material, a pillar of its current business.
The companies state that while BMW implements its solid-state prototype production line overseas, its team will work alongside the Solid Power personnel at the latter’s facilities to continue to optimize the cell manufacturing processes. Once the production line is up and running in Germany, Solid Power still expects to supply BMW Group with its electrolyte material for all prototype cell production. Solid Power’s interim CEO, president, and chair David Jansen spoke about the future of solid-state batteries in EVs:
Expanding our relationship with BMW is further evidence that both companies believe Solid Power is on the right track with its technology development. I am encouraged by the progress our team continues to make toward achieving our company’s goals. Over the past several months, we began delivering 20 Ah cells to our partners, including BMW, for initial testing and commenced production of our initial EV cells. We look forward to bringing our electrolyte manufacturing facility online and commencing the formal automotive qualification process.
How Solid Power’s expanded relationship with BMW Group may affect access to solid-state battery technology for other investors like Ford remains unclear at this point. This news follows another milestone earlier this week in which fellow solid-state battery developer QuantumScape began delivering 24-layer battery cells to automotive OEMs for testing.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
We’re kicking off this week’s Green Deals with the first-ever cash discount on Velotric’s new Breeze 1 Cruiser e-bike in a red colorway with $150 in free gear at $1,699. Right behind it is Navee’s Back to School Sale that is offering a bunch of e-scooters at up to $600 off with bonus 15%, 20%, and 30% savings, like on the new flagship ST3 Pro Electric Scooter starting from $684. We also have another EcoFlow 48-hour flash sale that is offering the DELTA 2 Max Portable Power Station with a protective bag at its best rate, as well as expansion battery and solar panel bundles too – all starting from $319. We also have Worx’s Nitro 20V 5-inch Cordless Chainsaw sitting $1 above its all-time low, as well as a new one-day-only low price on the Greenworks 80V 17-inch Cordless String Trimmer. Plus, all the hangover savings from last week are at the bottom of the page, rounded together in our Electrified Weekly coverage.
Velotric’s 70-mile cruising Breeze 1 e-bike with SensorSwap tech, Apple Find My, more gets first savings and free gear from $1,699
Velotric is offering a collection of seasonal promotion bundles with many of its newest e-bikes, while also providing some select price cuts. Of the models seeing discounts, we spotted the very first cash savings on Velotric’s new Breeze 1 Cruiser e-bike in its red colorway that is coming with $150 in free gear at $1,699 shipped, while the others are just getting the bundle for free. It was released back in March but has been keeping up at its full $1,799 price tag in the time since, with only some bundle packages ever being offered towards savings. Now, not only are you continuing to get the rear cargo rack and fenders from before, but you’ll also get $100 off the price tag for the best deal we have yet seen.
The new Velotric Breeze 1 e-bike is a 48-pound commuter that is perfect to get through daily appointments as much as it’s ready to cruise the boardwalk. The streamlined and light-weight frame houses a 750W rear hub motor paired with a 627Wh battery in order to max out at 20 MPH speeds (or 28 MPH if your local laws allow it) for up to 70 miles of travel when its PAS is activated (with three modes and five levels each). One innovation that we’re seeing included more in the newest models from this brand is the SensorSwap technology, which lets you switch between a cadence or torque sensor, depending on your preferences and the terrains you’ll be travelling across.
Advertisement – scroll for more content
It’s also nice to see Apple Find My integrations for added security and peace of mind, which comes alongside the usual array of remote companion app smart controls. From there, the experience is only further heightened as you’ll enjoy Tektro hydraulic disc brakes, KENDA puncture-resistant tires, integrated headlighting and taillight with both braking and turn signals, as well as an 8-speed Shimano derailleur, a removable trigger-control throttle, a 3.5-inch full color display sporting a USB-C port, an IPX6 waterproof construction, and more.
Head to classes on Navee’s ST3 Pro e-scooter with free carbon fiber bag starting from $684 in latest sale
Navee is having a Back to School Sale running through August 25 with up to $600 in discounts across a solid lineup of electric scooters – plus, there’s bonus 15%, 20%, and 30% savings you can take advantage of too. Among the offers, my personal favorite is the new Navee flagship ST3 Pro Electric Scooter that is coming with a free carbon fiber riser bag and is initially falling to $726.75 shipped, after using the code SCHOOL15 at checkout for an extra 15% off your order, beating out Amazon by $128. While this is a solid drop from its usual $950 pricing, the costs can go even lower if you’re a student or teacher with exclusive 20% discounts to $683.99 shipped, after verifying on the landing page here and receiving the appropriate code to use at checkout. We’ve mostly been seeing discounts drop the price to $760, though we have seen it go as low as $660. Depending on which of these extra savings you can pick up, you’re looking at scoring a highly advanced ride with $223 to $266 in savings at some of the lowest prices we have tracked. Head below for more on this scooter and the others in this sale.
Save up to 60% on EcoFlow bundles for solar panels, extra batteries, and a DELTA 2 Max station from $319 for 48 hours
As part of its ongoing Home Backup Sale through August 17, EcoFlow has launched the next of its scheduled 48-hour flash sales that are taking up to 60% off a power station bundle, an expansion battery bundle, and a solar panel bundle. The only of these offers to include a station comes with a DELTA 2 Max Portable Power Station and a protective bag for $999 shipped. This bundle would normally cost you $1,978 at full price, with discounts seen on the bundles that usually include some solar paneling over the lone bag. While you won’t find this package at Amazon, you can currently find the station on its own for $1,099, making this deal with the included bag (valued at $79) all the better, saving you $979 in total off the tag for the best rate we have tracked.
Make up to 160 cuts, even in tight spaces, using Worx’s Nitro 20V 5-inch cordless chainsaw kit at $100
Running parallel to Best Buy’s Deals of the Day offer, Amazon is bringing the price down on the Worx Nitro 20V 5-inch Cordless Chainsaw to $99.99 shipped, with it matching in price at Best Buy for only the rest of the day. This model usually fetches $150 at full price these days, which fell to $104 during last month’s Prime Day event and then dropped lower to this same rate the following week. You’re looking at another shot at the second-lowest price we have tracked, giving you $50 off the going rate and landing just $1 above the all-time low that last appeared in February.
The savings this week are also continuing to a collection of other markdowns. To the same tune as the offers above, these all help you take a more energy-conscious approach to your routine. Winter means you can lock in even better off-season price cuts on electric tools for the lawn while saving on EVs and tons of other gear.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
The news came just a month after CEO Elon Musk said: “Dojo 2 is good, but Dojo 3 will be great.”
For years, the CEO has been claiming that Tesla has the “best chip design team in the world” and that Dojo’s supercomputer platform could surpass the products made by its current main training compute supplier, NVIDIA.
Advertisement – scroll for more content
While Musk didn’t deny the Bloomberg report, he has now commented in a way that suggests a different story:
Once it became clear that all paths converged to AI6, I had to shut down Dojo and make some tough personnel choices, as Dojo 2 was now an evolutionary dead end. Dojo 3 arguably lives on in the form of a large number of AI6 SoCs on a single board.
If you are to believe this narrative, Musk saw that Tesla’s new AI6 chip, which has been developed for inference computer power onboard its vehicles, was so good that he decided to shut down Tesla’s chip program for training compute, Dojo, and fired the team.
Does this narrative hold up to scrutiny?
Electrek’s Take
This doesn’t add up. At best, it is partly true. Let’s say that it’s true that Musk saw the AI6 chip and was so impressed that he believes it would even replace Dojo chips. Then, why did Peter Bannon go to?
Bannon was the chip architect in charge of all custom silicon at Tesla, training compute (Dojo) and inference compute (AI6). According to the Bloomberg report, he also left Tesla amid the talent exodus to DensityAI.
However, at this point, it’s not clear whether he left on his own or if he was part of Musk’s claimed “tough personnel choices.”
If it’s the latter, it wouldn’t make sense since Musk has been so impressed with AI6. Why would he fire Bannon after he delivered the new chip?
This point supports the Bloomberg narrative that critical Dojo team members left, which hurt the program to the extent that it made sense for Musk to shut it down, especially within the context of having difficulties competing against NVIDIA and others.
And then you have to question the logic of using the same chips for training and inference computing. It’s certainly not impossible, but it doesn’t sound like an optimal solution.
They generally utilize different data types and have varying throughput requirements. Training is geared toward high numerical precision while inference needs low latency and high throughput per watt.
To be fair, energy efficiency is also essential for training computers, but it is less so than for an inference computer running in an electric vehicle with limited energy capacity.
You gotta give credit where credit is due: Musk knows how to spin a story.
There’s basically a mutiny in Tesla’s Dojo team, and Musk spins it into Tesla developed such a good inference chip that it fired its training compute chip team.
It is clearly a fake narrative pushed by Musk to justify his very recent pro-Dojo comments.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.
Kia is clearing space in its lineup as it prepares for several new models. That means saying goodbye to a few popular gas models as Kia prepares for the EV4 and another new electric car that will arrive soon.
Kia axes gas models for the EV4 and EV2
Kia’s lineup is due for a major overhaul in the UK as it prepares for its next-generation vehicles. The Korean automaker is trimming a few trim options on some of its most popular ICE models, while axing a few from the lineup altogether.
Like its new EVs, the Picanto and XCeed will now be offered in three trims: a base Pure model, a GT-Line, and a GT-Line S.
Kia said the move is to make it easier for buyers to find their favorite features. Meanwhile, the Ceed and Ceed SW will be cut from the lineup. Production will end at Kia’s Zilina plant in Slovakia, where it has already stopped building Proceed models.
Advertisement – scroll for more content
A company spokesperson confirmed to Autocar that the new lineup is to clear room at the facility to prepare for the EV4, Kia’s first electric sedan and hatchback.
Kia EV4 (Source: Kia)
According to the spokesperson, deliveries will begin “imminently” after Kia opened orders for both the EV4 Fastback and hatch variant earlier this year.
Kia is clearing production capacity for another new electric vehicle, the EV2, which is set to begin at the Zilina plant in early 2026.
Kia Concept EV2 (Source: Kia)
The EV2 is Kia’s new entry-level EV that will sit underneath the EV3. Although prices, range, and more have yet to be revealed, it’s expected to be around 4,000 mm (157″) in length, or slightly smaller than the EV3.
Since the EV3 starts at £32,995 ($44,000), you can expect the smaller EV2 to be priced from around £25,000 ($33,500). We got a closer look at the EV2 testing in the Alps last month, revealing a more SUV-like profile.
Through the first half of 2025, the EV3 was the most popular retail EV in the UK. Will the EV4 or EV2 take over?
Either way, Kia is quickly gaining market share in the region. The Korean automaker is now the third top-selling car brand in the UK. With new EVs on the way, Kia is poised to gain momentum over the next few months.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links.More.