Chicago-based NanoGraf will build a $175 million factory to produce 2,500 tons of silicon anode material to support up to 1.5 million EVs per year.
NanoGraf’s new factory
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded $60 million to the silicon anode battery company to help build its factory under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
NanoGraf’s project is one of 25 selected across 14 states to receive a portion of the over $3 billion in grants that the DOE announced today. These grants aim to strengthen domestic production of advanced batteries and battery materials in the US.
NanoGraf will use the grant, in addition to its own capital, to retrofit an existing factory in Flint, Michigan. It will be one of the world’s largest silicon anode facilities, significantly boosting US efforts to onshore the battery supply chain. The company says its advanced silicon anode battery material enables stronger, lighter, and longer-lasting lithium-ion batteries.
The Flint factory is NanoGraf’s third battery material factory and increases the company’s total manufacturing footprint to over 414,000 square feet. NanoGraf currently produces silicon anode material for the US military out of two Chicago-based manufacturing facilities, including a new R&D facility at 455 N Ashland Avenue and its headquarters at 400 N Noble Street.
The project will create approximately 200 construction jobs through a project labor agreement with the North American Building Trades Union. Up to 150 new permanent jobs will be created for operations, and around 80% are expected to come directly from the local community.
NanoGraf has signed a neutrality agreement with the United Steelworkers and says it’s committed to partnering with them should a majority of employees wish to unionize.
Electrek’s Take
In November 2022, Connor Hund, chief operating officer at NanoGraf, and I discussed a $10 million Department of Defense contract that the company had secured.
Hund told me that the company’s 18-month contract with the DoD allowed it to scale up domestic production in a careful and deliberate way so that it could lay the groundwork for the next stage of supplying domestically produced batteries to the EV market by 2024.
NanoGraf doesn’t say when it intends to open the Flint factory, but it’s certainly moving toward the next-stage goal that it set in a timely fashion. A huge domestically made lithium-ion battery factory is a welcome thing.
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Ford is testing a new electrified Mustang that may not be as electric as it seems. The next-gen Mustang is apparently already in development. Here’s what we know about it so far.
Is Ford launching an electrified Mustang Hybrid?
After postponing around $12 billion in planned spending on electric vehicles in 2023, Ford’s CEO Jim Farley said the company would lean more into hybrids.
Farley told investors and analysts on the company’s Q3 2023 earnings call that he’s “so thankful we have kept our foot on the gas to freshen our ICE and HEV products as we enter a changing market.”
Ford’s CFO, John Lawler, reaffirmed the company’s plans later that year, saying the company would use hybrids as a bridge to fully electric vehicles.
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“With EV adoption slower, hybrids are going to be a bigger part,” Lawler said, adding that Ford “became a little bit complacent” on hybrid tech. Last year, Ford said it would introduce a hybrid version for every gas-powered vehicle in its lineup by 2030.
2025 Ford Mustang Mach-E (Source: Ford)
Ford is apparently making good on its promise with a new Mustang hybrid in development. According to a new report from Ford Authority, the Mustang hybrid, internally code-named S650E, is in development, and prototypes are already being tested.
The report claims the new Mustang has entered the Technology Prove-Out stage, suggesting it will be electrified to some degree.
Ford Mustang Mach-E Rally (Source: Ford)
Whether it will be a traditional hybrid or a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) remains unclear. Although the company has yet to confirm it, Farley said that a “partially electrified Mustang coupe” was a strong possibility, and Ford’s Performance unit is already testing hybrid powertrains.
Electrek’s Take
Will the new Mustang hybrid sit alongside the Mach-E in Ford’s lineup? Ford’s electric crossover SUV remains one of the top-selling EVs in the US, so it’s unlikely to go anywhere, but it is due for a refresh with so many new rivals entering the market.
Through August, Ford sold 34,319 Mustang Mach-Es (+6.7% YOY) in the US. The gas-powered Mustang continues to fall out of favor, with 31,015 units sold in the first eight months of 2025, 8.3% fewer than during the same period in 2024.
With Hyundai, Stellantis, Honda, and several other global OEMs planning to launch new hybrid models in the US, the Ford Mustang hybrid doesn’t come as a total surprise. We will still have to wait for the official word from Ford, but a new electrified Stang seems more than likely.
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Transocean Barents, an oil platform passes through Canakkale Strait as vessel traffic suspended in both directions in Canakkale, Turkiye on November 12, 2024.
Enishan Keskin | Anadolu | Getty Images
Shares of Transocean plunged Thursday after the offshore driller announced the sale of a large number of shares at a discount.
Transocean is planning to sell 125 million shares at a price of $3.05, significantly lower than Wednesday’s close of $3.64. It is offering 25 million shares more than it originally planned.
The Swiss company’s stock was last down 14.8% premarket. The offering is expected to close on Friday.
Transocean expects to book about $381 million from the sale. It will use the proceeds to pay off debt.
(Correction: Updates with correct share offering price.)
New York City’s new 15 mph speed limit for electric bikes is officially set to take effect next month, in what city officials claim is a move to improve street safety. But not everyone is convinced the crackdown is targeting the real threat on the roads.
The new limit, approved earlier this year, applies to e-bikes, mopeds, and other micromobility vehicles operating in city bike lanes. Riders caught exceeding 15 mph could face warnings or citations, though the exact enforcement strategy remains murky. The NYPD says it will focus on “education first,” but given the city’s track record, that could just be the calm before the ticket storm.
The rule comes amid growing concerns from some residents and officials about rising speeds among e-bike riders, especially delivery workers who often rely on throttle-equipped bikes to meet tight deadlines. But while the new speed cap is aimed at micromobility vehicles, there’s a noticeable omission: cars, trucks, and SUVs, which continue to be allowed to travel at 25 mph – and in practice, often much faster – even though they pose exponentially more risk to vulnerable road users and are responsible for orders of magnitude more deaths each year.
It’s a move that raises eyebrows and has resulted in thousands of publicly-submitted comments that the New York Department of Transportation has seemingly ignored.
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After all, the majority of traffic fatalities in New York City don’t involve e-bikes. They involve cars. And while some e-bike riders certainly ride irresponsibly, the blanket limit nearly cuts in half the more widely accepted e-bike speed limits used around the US, and doesn’t even apply to pedal bikes, which can easily exceed such speeds despite nearly identical average weights when factoring in the vehicle and rider. Not to mention, it ignores the critical role that e-bikes play in reducing traffic congestion and emissions, especially in the delivery and commuting sectors.
So while New York is slowing down its most efficient and sustainable form of urban transport, it’s letting the real heavyweights keep their speed. If the goal is safety, then it’s fair to ask: why aren’t cars being asked to go 15 mph too?
Because once again, it seems the rules are written for the powerful – not the vulnerable.
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