Graphene for Automotive - Page 5

Estonia-based Skeleton Technologies has announced that it is building Europe’s largest supercapacitor production facility in Saxony with the support of Siemens. Skeleton Technologies is investing 220 million euros in the new production facility in Markranstädt, near Leipzig in Saxony.

According to the company, 100 million euros will be invested in production and 120 million euros in development and research as well as in a future ramp-up of production. In the future, 12 million supercapacitors are to be manufactured annually in Markranstädt. The start of production is planned for 2024.

Graphmatech, Graphenea, and Northvolt have announced their success in up-cycling end-of-life EV batteries into graphene oxide at industrial pilot scale. This breakthrough uses the material left after Northvolt has extracted valuable metals and minerals. Until now, that remaining material was left as waste.

Emma Nehrenheim, Chief Environmental Officer of Northvolt, comments: The upcycling of graphene oxide from recycled batteries represents a great development in our pursuit of a sustainable battery industry in Europe. Batteries contain an abundance of valuable materials which we can recover to reduce our dependence on mining and producing fresh materials. We are proud to have contributed to this development.

Swedish graphene-solutions provider Graphmatech has partnered with 3D printer manufacturer Wematter to enhance polymer powders with graphene, to make them electrically- and thermally conductive, improve processibility, and more.

Together, the two startups will develop an electrically conductive powder, tailored for Gravity the SLS 3D printer by Wematter. The high-performance powder will enable Telecommunications, Aerospace and Automotive manufacturers to print parts with improved or maintained mechanical properties whilst achieving electrostatic dissipative (ESD), shielding, or even lower resistivity, performance.

Last year's announcement about a British engineering company called Viritech that is working on an ambitious hydrogen-powered hypercar was recently followed by an update on that same company, that unveiled its 745kW hydrogen-powered hypercar, styled by Italian car design specialist Pininfarina.

The Apricale, which produces zero emissions, made its debut at Goodwood’s Festival of Speed. It was said that the Apricale uses ‘graphene-reinforced hydrogen pressure vessels’, which was explained to mean that the hydrogen storage tanks form a structural element of the chassis. This reduces weight and cost, while simplifying the structure.

India-based start-up, Nordische Technologies, claims to have launched an Aluminium-Graphene pouch cell battery for consumer electronics, gadgets and future EV technology in association with the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering and Technology (CIPET), Bengaluru.

The company said in a statement that the Aluminum-Graphene pouch cell battery is the world's fastest charging, non-toxic, non-flammable, and non-lithium non-cobalt battery with a long cycle life.

Researchers from Rice University and Ford Motor Company are working together on turning plastic parts from end-of-life vehicles into graphene, via the university’s flash Joule heating process.

The Rice lab of chemist James Tour introduced flash Joule heating in 2020 to convert coal, waste food, plastic and other materials into graphene.

Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) has started production of the new Mono R a higher-performance, lighter and more advanced new generation of the Mono supercar. The new Mono R supercar will be distributed around the world and will be on display at a number of new global dealer partners situated in the USA, Singapore, and Germany.

The Mono R includes 44 graphene-enhanced carbon composite body panels that have been restyled to give Mono R a more aggressive stance. The BAC website states: Mono R is the first production car in the world incorporating revolutionary material graphene in its panels, contributing to a kerbweight of just 555kg. The pinnacle of cutting-edge innovation, R sets the bar for what’s possible from technology in the supercar industry.

It was recently reported that Advanced Graphene Products (AGP) has signed a long-term deal with Nanosphere to supply large amounts of graphene, which will be added to the anti-corrosion paint used in the production of innovative next-generation automotive driveshafts. They will be installed in vehicles by various European manufacturers, including BMW.

"The contract with Nanosphere was concluded by the end of 2028, under which each year we will supply graphene for the production of as much as 60 tons of anti-corrosion paint. This is our second implementation of Polish graphene on an industrial scale. The first was to start the production of filament for 3D printers with the addition of graphene. We are very pleased that less than six months after our debut on the New Connect market, we can boast of real commercial implementations. So far, graphene has been treated as a material mainly used in R&D departments. Today we can talk about the use of graphene on a mass scale. We are working on new products with graphene that will be used in the automotive, aviation, energy and chemical industries "- commented Maciej Gałązka, President of AGP, quoted in the release.

Directa Plus has announced the signing of a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI) with a leading worldwide supplier of automotive interiors to Tier 1 manufacturers to develop new products using its graphene plus technology.

The products will be based on the antimicrobial properties (antibacterial and antiviral), thermal comfort and electrical conductivity properties of Directa Plus’ G+ enhanced fabrics, according to the company's statements.

Zero Emissions Developments (ZED) is an Australia-based company that has announced the development of a technology to build longer lasting, greener, more efficient and more affordable graphene-based solar and EV batteries. It is now seeking AUD$30 million (around USD$22,300,000) in private investment to build a manufacturing plant that will produce these batteries.

The planned manufacturing plant will produce the PowerCap batteries in southeast Queensland through the entity, PowerCap Un Ltd.