GM partnership to develop EV battery separator technology

General Motors and battery manufacturer Microvast will work together to develop specialized EV battery separator technology and build a new separator plant in the U.S. GM plans to fund the project with a $200 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy‘s Battery Materials Processing and Battery Manufacturing initiative.

Separators are safety-critical EV battery components that serve to separate the anode from the cathode, allowing for ion transfer. The companies will work together to develop new separator technology that GM says will improve EV safety, charging and battery life. GM says it designed this technology to enhance the thermal stability of EV batteries and work with nearly all types of lithium-ion cells, including graphite, silicon, and lithium-metal anodes and nickel-rich, cobalt-free, lithium iron phosphate-type and high-voltage cathodes.

In addition, the Department of Energy selected GM for its Battery500 Consortium, awarding it $75 million for a second phase of research. Led by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the consortium is a team of battery experts from national laboratories, academia and industry working to develop more reliable, affordable, longer range and higher-performance EV batteries, according to the company.

BorgWarner has agreed to acquire the electric vehicle solution, smart grid and smart energy businesses of Hubei Surpass Sun Electric (SSE). The transaction has an enterprise value of up to RMB 410 million (approx. $59.36 million).

Headquartered in Xiangyang, Hubei province, China, SSE’s electrification business supplies patented electric vehicle charging solutions to customers in China and more than 70 other countries. SSE says it has delivered over 50,000 charging points and has led the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of more than 250 charging station sites. SSE’s charging and electrification capabilities in China are expected to complement BorgWarner’s existing capabilities in Europe and North America, the companies say. SSE’s 2022 revenues for the electrification business are expected to be approximately RMB 180 million (approx. $26.06 million).