Next year, Americans go to the polls again, and already all but four House Republicans have voted to repeal the Inflation Reduction Act. If history is a guide, the battery industry buildout is under potential political threat. The Electric.

To build a US EV battery industry, it has to be easier to locally mine and process metals. Mining executives and investors say the bill before the Senate cuts through the thicket but that there also needs to be time limits to lawsuits. The Electric.

Western companies say they're cleaning up nickel mining and processing conducted by Chinese companies in Indonesia. The unspoken aim is to eventually qualify for US tax credits. They may succeed. The Electric.

A day after emceeing Ron DeSantis, Elon Musk will host Ford CEO Jim Farley on a Twitter spaces, in 13 minutes. Go here: @jimfarley98

@sdmoores @EnergyGOP @EnergyDems @benchmarkmin This merits as Simon's greatest moment.

It's not a lot and shows yet again how hard it is to turn an ocean liner. 2/2

Top-selling EV makers Tesla and BYD have something in common: both rely largely on LFP batteries. Laggard legacies vaguely say they will adopt some too. This week, Ford got specific: LFP will be in up to 25% of its EVs. The Electric. 1/2

The last two years have seen the emergence of a battery colossus echoing the Seven Sisters, OPEC and the Ford of Henry Ford's day. The mine-to-battery empire assembled by China's CATL straddles the world. 1/2 The Electric.

Now, CATL is attempting to extend its dominance to the research lab, working to show that it's more than just a manufacturer of batteries invented elsewhere—it’s a first-rate innovator in its own right. 1/2

Interesting that, to retaliate for the US chips crackdown, China has gone after chips rather than batteries, a softer and more vulnerable U.S. underbelly.

Those other three startups are: Nano One, 6K and Sylvatex.

Toward halving battery costs, Tesla is cutting lithium production costs by 30%, cathode capex 66% and opex 75%. It's using acquired startup Springpower's IP. Three other startups have similar IP but only Tesla has been ready to take the risk. The Electric.