1 – Made in Germany: EnBW and HELM produce high-purity lithium carbonate
The world’s largest lithium deposits are located in the so-called “lithium triangle” between Bolivia, Argentina and Chile. But now there’s German lithium, too. At least there’s burgers. HELM AG and EnBW successfully produce lithium carbonateThe material obtained comes from the EnBW geothermal power plant in Bruchsal. Its purity is more than 99.5 percent. Due to the high quality of the lithium salts obtained in this way, they can be used directly to produce cathode materials for batteries, benefiting electric vehicles. Lithium extraction from geothermal energy plants is considered a promising approach to increase lithium production in Europe – without the need for any traditional mining.
2 – The MG4 and MG5 can be used as taxis
Chinese car maker MG aims to enter German taxi market Two different electric cars earn pointsA taxi package has been added to both the MG4 compact car and the MG5 station wagon. What’s special about MG’s taxi package for German taxi companies is that it’s free of charge: MG Motor covers all the costs of the conversion with Intax. The retrofittable taxi package also includes the installation of a cable set for the radio, in addition to preparation for the taximeter. The taxi emergency alert system, which is required by law, is also equipped as part of the package. A holder for the roof sign and pale ivory foil are also included. According to the specialist portal “Taxi Times”, Nissan is the only company that offers such a free taxi package.
3 – The Keeler Blackbird imitates the sound of an electric scooter
In Kiel, blackbirds have recently begun to imitate this. Electric scooter warning soundThe researchers speculate that this unusual side effect of electric micromobility will likely spread to other cities, as it could give the birds an advantage when they’re looking for a mate. NDR was the first to report this strange observation. Specifically, blackbirds mimic the alarm signal of Bolt electric scooters, which normally only sounds if a vehicle is being moved without permission. The frequency of the electric scooter’s alarm signal matches that of blackbird calls, bird researcher Bernd Koop explained the phenomenon to NDR.
4 – Report from Power2Drive 2024
Every year, the charging infrastructure industry Power2Drive in Munich. Last week was no different. Three topics were in particular focus at the Munich trade fair: high-performance charging for electric cars and trucks, new payment solutions for AFIR and bidirectional charging. Editor-in-chief Peter Schwierz summarises the current technology trends and the industry mood in a video report. It’s a long way off. The industry is in crisis mode. And it has a lot to do with the current development of electromobility in Germany. As an example, a statement from the report sums it up succinctly: Mennekes Managing Director Volker Lazarus seems almost annoyed by the debate before the European elections.