Researchers figured out how to make electric car batteries… from coal?!
Researchers from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory have figured out a way to change the dirtiest fuel out there, coal, into materials to help build batteries for new clean vehicles.
The new process turns coal into graphite, which is an important component in electric car batteries. Graphite is used in the anode, which is the negatively charged end of the battery.
While we hear a lot about various other battery materials, such as lithium and cobalt, those materials actually occur in relatively lower quantities in electric car batteries.
The most common material in these batteries is actually graphite (see an infographic here, though this is for NMC-type batteries), so it’s important to ensure that there is a large supply of this material anywhere batteries need to be built.
And one of those places is in the US – thanks to President Joe Biden’s EV policies, there have been hundreds of billions in investment and hundreds of thousands of jobs brought to American manufacturing, largely in the form of battery plants to ensure that vehicles with modern technology will be made right here in America. Those policies also focused on ensuring onshored or “friend-shored” critical mineral supply for battery materials, such as graphite.
But there’s a problem: a majority of the world’s graphite comes from China. While this isn’t necessarily a problem in and of itself, it’s always better to have multiple sources for any particular material, so that one entity can’t throw their weight around if they see an opportunity. And given the anti-China saber-rattling that a certain treasonous reality TV host regularly engages in, it’s entirely possible that global tensions could result in disruption of graphite supply chains, which could then jeopardize the aforementioned burgeoning US EV manufacturing industry (which that same reality TV host/convicted felon seems determined to ensure does not flourish).
So, in come researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratories, who figured out a way to turn something that America still has a lot of – coal – into graphite.
It’s not too big of a leap, as graphite is a form of carbon and coal is also mostly carbon. But ORNL’s process takes impurities in coal and removes them to create material that is suitable for a battery anode.
Other methods to create synthetic graphite exist, but require more time, more cost and higher temperatures. The new process is estimated to cost 13% less than the old Acheson process, according to an analysis by ORNL researcher Prashant Nagapurkar.
In the ORNL process, if the electricity is green, the whole process is green. Especially because coal historically has this reputation as ‘dirty,’ a particularly important next step is to track emissions from the entire supply chain through the manufacturing process. This could demonstrate that it is indeed a greener option to manufacture graphite from coal.
–Prashant Nagapurkar, ORNL R&D associate
Better yet, the process doesn’t just work on coal straight out of the ground (which is where coal belongs and should stay) – it also works on coal waste like fly ash, the leftovers of previous coal mining efforts, of which there are over a hundred million tons of this hazardous waste strewn about the country. Thankfully, most of this is on the surface and won’t require further mining to get to.
Researchers say that the process could help to clean up that waste, and give it a use in powering modern vehicles. They estimate that the amount of waste in the US would be enough to provide around 30% of the graphite needed for EV batteries between now and 2050.
The process doesn’t need to be used only on coal, though. Project lead Edgar Lara-Curzio explained to Electrek how it could have potential applications on other sources of carbon:
However, while this particular project focuses on finding a positive use for coal waste, the electrochemical graphitization technology that we are scaling up can be used with other amorphous carbon sources. Once we get rid of waste coal – which would be a major environmental restoration achievement in itself – biomass (e.g., dead vegetation), petroleum, or other carbon sources could be used to manufacture graphite using the same process.
For example, methane pyrolysis, which can be used to produce hydrogen, generates solid carbon as a byproduct, which could be electrochemically graphitized for lithium-ion battery applications. This technology offers the benefit of strengthening domestic supply chains for graphite rather than relying on graphite mined and processed in foreign countries, many of which have much weaker environmental and worker protections.
The ORNL project was done in collaboration with Ramaco Carbon, a Wyoming-based company that owns multiple coal mines and provides coal for steelmaking. Ramaco says that its guiding principle is “coal is too valuable to burn.” Its focus is to find uses for coal that replace petroleum as a feedstock for various chemical and material processes at what it says will be a much lower cost.
Electrek’s Take
At first glance, this seems like some really great research. It onshores graphite supply, offers some scalable competition globally to diversify battery material sources, can be used on old waste, and is cheaper than existing processes.
But it also feels a little sketchy, because what we need to be focusing on is keeping carbon in the ground.
When we take carbon out of the ground, we sure do have a tendency to burn it, which means it ends up in the air, which is bad. Currently the air is 423ppm carbon, which is higher than the 280-350ppm range that represents a proper balance for current life on Earth. This means we don’t need to be taking carbon out of the ground, we need to be putting it back in the ground – and a lot of it.
So, any new process that might make us look at that carbon in the ground and think of another way that we might use it is suspect.
At least in this instance, it’s being proposed by a company that owns coal mines not for burning, but for finding other uses. So they might not use this as an excuse to burn more coal. Which is nice.
However, there has also been a significant push lately for coal-free steel, led by companies like SSAB in Sweden. Coal-based steelmaking (like that which Ramaco provides coal for) is linked to nearly a thousand deaths, $13 billion in healthcare costs and hundreds of thousands of lost school and work days annually in the US.
Given that this research was done in collaboration with a company that provides coal for that same dirty process, it gives us some pause. The process of turning coal into batteries will be cleaner than simply burning coal into the air, and graphite is potentially recyclable and usable long-term in multiple generations of electric car batteries, but it’s hard to shake the fact that coal is one of the most-polluting substances humans have available to us.
So, would we be giving ourselves more reasons to take coal out of the ground with this process? Even though researchers point out that coal waste can be used in this process, what if companies find out that it’s more difficult or costly to process the waste than it is to dig up new coal?
Given that we stubbornly refuse to impose the real price of this pollution on the companies that cause it, it’s entirely possible that coal mines will figure out a way to use this to justify their continued operation (especially whenever a republican administration, who have routinely shown themselves to be hostile to human health and too cozy with the coal industry, finds itself in charge).
So while new science is never a bad thing, this strikes me as something that we should keep an eye on. Cleaning up the environmental disaster of stranded coal waste is a fantastic usage, but lets not let this forestall the rapid shutting down of coal mines in this country.
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Japanese equipment giant Komatsu has added a not-so-giant electric excavator to its growing lineup of battery-powered construction equipment. The new Komatsu PC20E-6 electric mini excavator promises a full day of work from a single charge.
Komatsu says the design of its latest mini excavator was informed by data sourced from more than 40,000 working days of comparably-sized diesel excavators. The company found that, in 90% of its global customers’ mini excavator deployments, these vehicles are in active use for less than 3.5 hours per day.
“This defined the target for the required, reliable working time with the excavator,” reads the Komatsu web copy. “This result makes it possible for Komatsu to offer an attractively priced machine with a performance that exactly matches the requirements.”
Keeping costs down are relatively conservative specs. Komatsu chose to power the PC20E-6 with a 23.2 kWh battery pack sending electrons to an 11 kW (~15 hp), high-torque electric motors. Not exactly super impressive on paper, but the machine has an operating weight of 2,190 kg and enough juice for up to four (4) hours of continuous operation.
More than enough, in other words, to have completed 90% of of those 40,000 work days the company analyzed.
Getting it done
If, for some reason, that four hours’ runtime isn’t enough, an on-board charging option for 230V and 3kW charging power compatible with various plug adapters is standard, with an external DC quick charger for 400V and 12 kW charging as optional. In either case, it won’t be long before the machine is back at work.
To help the later adopters sleep well about their battery-powered investments, the PC20E-6 ships with Komatsu’s E-Support maintenance program, which includes free scheduled maintenance by a Komatsu-trained technician, a 3 year/2,000 hour warranty on the machine, plus a 5 year/10,000 hour warranty on the electric driveline. The company says the battery should last 10 years.
“The Komatsu E-Support customer program is included free of charge with every market-ready electric mini excavator and offers exclusive machine support,” said Emanuele Viel, Group Manager Utility at Komatsu Europe. “The bottom line is that the risk for the end customer is significantly reduced, especially when it comes to exploring the electrification advances in the industry.”
Komatsu hasn’t released official pricing quite yet, but has revealed that the P20E-6 will begin series production this October.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Komatsu.
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Tesla has unexpectedly terminated a contractor’s contract at Gigafactory Texas, resulting in the layoff of 82 workers who were supporting the automaker’s production at the giant factory in Austin.
MPW Industrial Services Inc., an Ohio-based industrial service provider specializing in cleaning and facility management, has issued a new WARN notice, confirming that it will lay off 82 workers in Texas due to Tesla unexpectedly ending its contract with the company.
Here are the details from the WARN notice:
- State / agency: Texas Workforce Commission (TWC).
- Notice date: August 27, 2025.
- Employees affected: 82
- Likely effective date: September 1, 2025
- Context from the filing/letter: layoffs tied to an unexpected termination of a major customer contract (Tesla—Gigafactory Texas, 1 Tesla Road); positions include 61 technicians, 7 team leads, 7 supervisors, 7 managers; no bumping rights; workers not union-represented.
In April 2024, Tesla initiated waves of layoffs at the plant, resulting in the dismissal of more than 2,000 employees in Austin, Texas.
Since then, Tesla’s sales have been in a steady decline. While the automaker is expected to have a strong quarter in the US in Q3 due to the end of the tax credit, sales are expected to decline further in Q4 and the first half of 2026.
Many industry watchers have expected Tesla to initiate further layoffs due to the situation.
Electrek’s Take
We may be seeing the beginnings of a new wave of layoffs at Tesla, as the automaker typically starts with contractors.
To be fair, Tesla could also potentially end the contract unexpectedly for other reasons, but the timing does align with the need to cut costs and staff ahead of an inevitable downturn in US EV sales.
I think it’s inevitable that we start seeing some layoffs. I think Tesla will have to slow down production in the US to avoid creating an oversupply, especially in Q4-Q1.
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First, it was e-bikes, offering an efficient, effective, and low-cost way for teens and just about everyone to zip around town, yet drawing the temper of suburban traditionalists. Now golf carts are the new public enemy number one in suburbia, at least if you ask the growing number of online groups where residents complain about these small electric vehicles “clogging” their streets.
But beyond the hand-wringing, golf carts and their more sophisticated cousins known as Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs) or Low Speed Vehicles (LSVs), are quietly becoming a popular alternative to cars for short trips around US cities and suburbs.
While most people still associate golf carts with retirement communities in Florida or slow rides across 18 holes, street-legal versions have been around for the last few decades.
But these aren’t your grandpa’s bare-bones carts, complete with a golf pencil clip. Many now come with DOT seat belts, lights, turn signals, mirrors, backup cameras, and speed limiters that allow them to operate legally on roads up to 35 mph, as long as they meet all the federal requirements for Low-Speed Vehicles (LSVs).
That means such vehicles are legally allowed to operate like cars, trucks, bicycles, or motorcycles on the vast majority of residential streets and a surprising portion of urban grids. In other words, for grabbing groceries, school drop-offs, or cruising to a friend’s house, they’re a practical, cheaper, and far greener substitute for firing up a 5,000-pound SUV.
Golf carts have been slowly taking off for years, but the pandemic accelerated the trend. Sales of golf carts and LSVs spiked as families looked for safe, outdoor transportation and an easy way to get around their neighborhoods. Now, in cities all over the country, the sight of parents driving their kids to school or running errands in a cart is increasingly common. In some towns, petitions have even popped up with hundreds of residents asking for local ordinances to legalize them on more streets, according to the Daily Mail.
Of course, not everyone is thrilled. There’s growing backlash against the increase in golf carts on streets, with many residents calling them a “plague” and complaining that they’re taking up space on the roads, in parking lots, or creating unsafe conditions. While rare, there have been serious accidents too, with a handful of tragic cases highlighting the dangers of mixing small, lightweight carts with full-size vehicles. Critics argue that carts lack the crash protection of cars and don’t always fall under homeowners’ insurance policies if an accident happens.
But for every critic, there’s a supporter pointing out that golf carts take cars off the road, save money on fuel, and are no more dangerous than scooters or e-bikes – modes of transport that already share the streets. And major golf cart makers have been happy to respond to the demand with boosted sales and new models. Companies like E-Z-GO, Club Car, WAEV, Kandi, and others are all rushing new models to the market as more suburban commuters discover that their next electric vehicle might just cost a fraction of what they thought it would – and come with a better breeze, too.
Electrek’s Take
If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it’s like the Karens are just following me around to poo-poo on any alternative vehicle I happen to drive that week. They’ve hit all my favorites. Pretty soon, they’ll be coming for my electric tractors, too!
But seriously, this feels like déjà vu. The same arguments we’ve heard for years against e-bikes are now being recycled against golf carts: too unsafe, too disruptive, too “different” from the car-centric status quo.
But the reality is, again, quite the same as e-bikes. These are small electric vehicles that make a ton of sense and are totally street legal, at least when they’re built correctly to conform to the proper laws.
They come with a lot of the same benefits, too. They’re cheap to operate, easy to park, perfect for short trips, and they prevent larger cars from needlessly clogging residential streets. Will they ruffle feathers among the kind of folks who have had one too many frisbees land in their yard? Perhaps. But much like e-bikes, their popularity is only going one direction – up.
I leave you with a few images of perhaps my favorite of all, the Kandi Mini. The nay-sayers can pull it from my cold, dead, golf
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