US DoD expands EV battery supply chain with Canada by awarding $20M toward cobalt production
The United States Department of Defense announced it has allocated $20 million to Electra Battery Materials Corporation – a young but growing provider of sustainable raw materials for North America’s EV industry. Through the investment, Electra will finish its refinery plant in Ontario, Canada, to begin cobalt production to support a localized supply chain for US automakers.
Canada is quickly becoming a mecca for EV raw materials and a potential savior to North America’s supply chain goals as the US looks to incentivize OEMs to localize production through measures established in the Inflation Reduction Act under the Biden Administration.
Shortly after the IRA was signed in 2022, German automakers Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz sealed agreements with the Canadian government to acquire raw materials for EV battery manufacturing at their US facilities. GM’s BrightDrop also moved electric van production up North.
Canada Nickel Co. has committed $1 billion to build a nickel processing plant in Ontario, which will be North America’s largest once it is completed. The US DoD’s Defense Production Act Investments (DPAI) has also made several investments in Canadian companies to bolster the North American supply chain.
For example, the DPAI program has announced 35 investment awards across multiple areas totaling $445 million since the beginning of fiscal year 2024 – two of which were for projects to be executed in Canada. Today, the US Department of Defense has announced a third award of funds headed to Canada to help Electra Battery Materials Corporation finish its Ontario-based Cobalt plant and begin production of the vital EV battery material.
US DoD to help expedite cobalt production in Canada
A press release published by the US Department of Defense detailed its latest investment in Canada, totaling $20M for cobalt production – the department’s third and largest investment in the region since the IRA was signed.
The funds will go to Toronto-based Electra to help the battery materials producer complete an industrial-scale hydrometallurgical plant in Temiskaming Shores, Ontario, Canada, and establish production of cobalt sulfate.
The DoD relayed that by helping Electra expedite the construction of its Ontario Cobalt Refinery, the Canada-based company will be able to establish the first North American refinery to produce cobalt sulfate, an active material in lithium-ion batteries.
The award aims to establish a domestic processing facility capable of producing commercial-scale levels of critical precursor materials (cobalt and beyond) for large-capacity batteries to support DoD projects and the growing EV supply chain in the US and Canada. Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Canada, spoke to the investment:
From mining responsibly sourced critical minerals, to processing them here in North America, to building batteries for electric vehicles and other key technologies, and eventually to recycling them, there is enormous opportunity for both Canada and the United States from both an economic and a security perspective. Through our continued work with the United States, driven by the Energy Transformation Task Force and the Joint Action Plan on Critical Minerals Collaboration, and other allies, we are developing secure critical minerals value chains that will create good jobs in places like Temiskaming, Ontario and beyond, and will power prosperous economies and a future that works for everyone.
The $20 million from the US Department of Defense comes from the Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2022 and supports the 2024 National Defense Industrial Strategy goal of expanding domestic production of critical minerals.
In addition to cobalt production, the Government of Canada has invested CAN 5 million (USD 3.6 million) in Electra to help advance the next phase of the company’s battery materials recycling project at the same Ontario facility.
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Environment
Oil prices jump more than 3%, adding to last week’s surge, as Israel strikes Iran energy facilities
Kenworth has announced the addition of Bendix’ Fusion advanced driver assist system (ADAS) to its line of options on the T680 line of Class 8 commercial semi trucks – a lineup that includes the Next Generation T680E battery electric semi truck.
One of the many new trucks revealed at the 2025 ACT Expo in Anaheim, California earlier this year, the Next Generation Kenworth T680E featured the latest advancements in battery-electric technology, an enhanced exterior design, and a suite of new, in-cab technology that extends to the addition of three Bendix Fusion version: ADAS, ADAS PRO, and ADAS PREMIER.
All three of the announced ADAS packages offer updated Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with ACC Stop and Auto Go™, a new Pedestrian Autonomous Emergency Braking (PAEB) feature, and a new High Beam Assist feature to reduce the likelihood of blinding oncoming drivers supported by the addition of a new forward-looking camera.
Those updates are in addition to the ADAS units Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Multi-Lane Autonomous Emergency Braking, Highway Departure Braking (HDB), and Stationary Vehicle Braking (SVB), Lane Departure Warning, and Bendix® Blindspotter® Side Object Detection already available on previous versions of the ADAS-equipped Kenworth.
Kenworth migital mirrors
Now that we’ve got that acronym-loaded word-salad out of the way, we can get to the point: the newest generation of electric trucks is easier and safer to drive – and not just safer for the truck’s operators, but for the people who share the roads with them, too.
Kenworth T680E electric semi
The Next-Generation T680E is available with up to 605 peak hp and 1,850 lb-ft of torque from a PACCAR Integrated ePowertrain fed from a 500 kWh li-ion battery pack good for more than 200 miles of loaded range. The updated Class 8 BEV is rated up to 82,000 lb. gross vehicle weight ratings (GVWR), and can get that load back up to speed quickly with a 350 kW peak charge rate that means the T680E can charge up to 90% in just two hours.
That system isn’t just more efficient than the first generation truck, it’s also more serviceable than it was before.
“This move to a fully integrated and ground-up PACCAR design means we were able to design for enhanced serviceability,” explains Joe Adams, Kenworth’s chief engineer. “Providing easier access to the Master Service Disconnects for improved safety and increased uptime and allowing the use of the DAVIE service tool for troubleshooting and diagnostics.”
The Next Generation Kenworth T680E electric semi truck is designed for short and regional-haul, LTL, and drayage operations. It’s available as a day cab as either a tractor or straight truck in a 6×4 axle configuration.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Kenworth; via Kenworth.
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Just like it says on the tin – retailers are advertising killer deals on the fun-to-drive Kia Niro EV, with one midwest auto dealer reporting more than $10,000 off the sticker price of the Niro EV Wind. That’s nearly 25% off the top line price!
SKIP THE STORY: get straight to the deals.
The Kia Niro EV gets overshadowed by its objectively excellent EV6 and EV9 stablemates – both of which are currently available with substantial lease cash and 0% APR financing, in fact – but that doesn’t mean it’s not an excellent little electric runabout in its own right.
The last time I had a Niro EV tester, my kids loved it, I liked that it was quicker and more tossable than I expected it to be, and my wife liked the fact that “it doesn’t look electric. It looks normal.” And, with well over 200 miles of real world range (EPA-rated range is 253 miles), it was more than up to the task of commuting around Chicago and making the trip up to the Great Wolf Lodge in Gurnee and back without even needing to look for a charger.
It’s not the primary family hauler I’d choose – but as a second car? As a primary car for a slightly smaller family (1-2 kids, instead of 3-4)? The Kia Niro EV Wind, with a $42,470 MSRP, seems like a solid, “can’t go wrong” sort of choice. You know?
You won’t even have to pay that much, though. Raymond Kia in Antioch, Illinois is advertising a $42,470 Niro EV for $32,431 (that’s $10,039, or about 24% off the MSRP), and several others are advertising prices in the $33,000 range.
And, while we’re at it:
Kia Niro EV gallery
SOURCE | IMAGES: CarsDirect, Edmunds, Raymond Kia.
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