News Roundup: 2/4 – 2/10

Headlines and links from all the news, including things we didn’t cover in depth here on EVmeme.com this past week. Follow the links for more on each.

Ballard Receives Order From Canadian Pacific For 12 Additional Fuel Cell Engines
Canadian Pacific Kansas City rail has ordered an additional 12 fuel cell engines from Ballard. The 200kW FCwave engines will be used to support expansion of CPKC’s fleet of hydrogen-powered locomotives in Alberta, Canada.

Univ of Nebraska Crash Tests Show Guardrails Aren’t Ready for EVs
A study sponsored by the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center at the Midwest Roadside Safety Facility at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln found that guardrails and protection measures at military facilities may need work if they’re to withstand impacts from heavier EV vehicles.

Nikola Opens First HYLA Hydrogen Refueling Station in SoCal
Nikola Corporation has opened its first hydrogen refueling station in Southern California via the company’s HYLA brand. The modular fueler is at 2445 East Gausti Road in Ontario, Califora (the location of a truck stop) and is suited for Class 8 trucks.

Porsche Announces Updates to Taycan Models
Styling changes, uprated suspension systems, and better performance are some of the upgrades happening to the Porsche Taycan electric models.

BMW Introduces First All-Electric 5 Series Touring
The sixth-generation of the BMW 5 Series Touring has, for the first time, an all-electric drivetrain. The BMW i5 Touring model joins other 5 Series Touring models with gasoline, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid powertrains as the first BEV option.

LG Chem Gets $18.8B Cathode Material Supply Deal With GM
LG Chem has secured a long-term cathode material supply contract with General Motors, worth about US$18.8 billion. Part of this long-term supply contract will have LG Chem’s plant in Tennessee supplying materials for North American production.

Self-Extinguishing Battery Materials Could Reduce EV Fire Risks
A study published in Nature Sustainability found that a design for self-extinguishing battery materials by replacing the most common electrolyte in lithium-ion batteries with materials found in common fire extinguishers.

Electrify America Debuts Flagship Indoor Charging Station
The indoor garage features 20 hyper-fast chargers providing up to 350 kW in charging power. Customers can make use of dedicated temperature-controlled lounge areas while waiting for their vehicles to charge.

Daimler, Linde Open First Public Pilot Subcooled Liquid Hydrogen Station
Daimler Truck and Linde Engineering have inaugurated the first public subcooled liquid hydrogen (sLH2) pilot station in Worth am Rhein to refuel the Mercedes-Benz GenH2 Truck prototype.

Li-Metal Completes Concept Study for Commercial-Scale Lithium Metal Plant
Li-Metal Corp, a Canadian company, has completed its concept study for a commercial North American lithium metal production facility with an annual capacity of up to 1,000 tonnes.

Argonne, Achates Developing Hydrogen-Powered Opposed-Piston Engine
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have partnered with Achates Power to design an opposed-piston, two-stroke compression ignition engine powered by hydrogen. The goal is to find a fit for long-haul commercial vehicles.

Nissan Interstar Van Gets Battery-Electric Powertrain Option
Nissan has introduced its latest Interstar large commercial van in Europe. The van now includes a fully electric powertrain option, a first for the company. It has a range of over 460 kilometers per charge and can recharge to about half of that range in about 30 minutes.

GM Recruits Former Sila, Tesla Executive To Head Its Batteries Division
General Motors has hired Kurt Kelty, formerly of Tesla and Sila, to head up its new Batteries division. The new role will have Kelty as the overall administrator of GM’s battery cell strategy and end-to-end approach.