Peter Ramsay
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Articles by Peter Ramsay
NonStop Local Spotlight - Mainstream Electric, Heating Cooling and Plumbing
Temps are warming up, and this time of year can be hard on your home’s air conditioning unit. Here’s Mainstream Electric Heating Cooling and Plumbing with some handy information on how ensure your A/C runs efficiently all summer long. More Video From This Section
NonStop Local Spotlight - Gold Seal Plumbing
You are the owner of this video. You have permission to edit this video. In this NonStop Local Spotlight, learn about Gold Seal Plumbing's services- including their trenchless technology that eliminates need to dig up buried plumbing lines. More Video From This Section Currently in Spokane 51° 2 PM 52° 3 PM 51° 4 PM 50° 5 PM 48° 6 PM 47°
A Question of Law
Should we be allowed the right to die? Can the UK do more to prevent international human rights abuses? What can the law do to prevent another recession? Are juries worth having? Tweet your questions to @LSELaw using #LSElaw. Chaloka Beyani is United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons. Julia Black is director of the Law and Financial Markets Project.
Marx at 201: the legacy of Karl Marx for the contemporary study of law, politics and society
Are we all Marxists now? Which of Marx’s ideas remain relevant, which redundant? Join leading scholars to address Marx’s legacy at 201. Are we all Marxists now? The question may sound strange but the virtues of the German philosopher are now extolled in the most unlikely of places.
The darkest hour is before dawn
Happy New Year from EV inFocus to you all. However, if you're committed to the transition to a battery-electric land mobility future, we can forgive you for not feeling especially positive as we enter 2026. Everywhere we look in the western hemisphere, the news appears to be bad. In the US, the Trump administration's far-right assault on efforts to tackle the climate emergency more generally, and on BEVs in particular, are having a chilling effect on sentiment.
Why expensive power could soon accelerate, rather than retard, the US EV adoption divide
It initially seems a no-brainer that the ability to charge at home using domestic power tariffs that are cheaper — as well as a far more convenient user experience — than public charging should be a major driver in switching to all-electric.
Teacher of the Month - May 2025
You are the owner of this video. You have permission to edit this video. FEATURED Our NonStop Local Eastern Washington University Teacher of the Month award brought us out to Cataldo Catholic School, where we surprised this month's recipient, Nate Alford. Congratulations to Mr. Alford and everyone at Cataldo Catholic School!
Musk offers bittersweet glimpse into what might have been
A production line rethought from first principles churning out passenger cars with radically lower production costs every five seconds. Integrated cell production from lithium refining through cathode production to assembly, with the eventual elimination of the anode.
No Kathleen Valley stope this month - Liontown
“We are on track to do our first stope by the end of the quarter.” So said Antonino Ottaviano, CEO of Australian miner Liontown Resources, in January of his firm’s plans to move to underground exploitation of its Kathleen Valley lithium deposit. But the firm has now confirmed to EV inFocus that first stoping will not be until the April-June quarter. The firm denies that the project is delayed.
Red ink may deter Powerco suitors
German OEM Volkswagen remains committed to selling down ownership in its Powerco EV battery subsidiary. But negative net cash flow that threatened the €2bn ($2.2bn) mark last year may curtail appetite for now. “The earnings performance of our battery business was characterised by the ongoing ramp-up of production capacities, particularly in Salzgitter and Valencia,” says VW CEO Oliver Blume.
New lithium projects make progress on both sides of Atlantic
Two nascent lithium production schemes have hit material benchmarks, one in the US and one in the UK. While both remain in the early stages, the projects could provide the raw materials for reshored/friend-shored lithium-ion EV battery supply chains to be developed.
Abaxx making the case for a new lithium benchmark
Battery and Components Do cash-settled futures contracts suffer from inherent weakness? David Greely, chief economist at challenger commodity exchange Abaxx certainly thinks so. His firm sets out what sees as these flaws in a white paper “Back to the Futures”.
Academics tout lithium extraction breakthrough
Researchers from the UK, France, and China have revealed findings about a new process for sustainable lithium extraction, which they say could help to solve ESG issues around existing production of the key battery metal. Current ways of getting lithium are bad for the environment and more sustainable approaches are hard to perform on a large scale, the group warns.
No lithium market rebound this year - SQM
Chile’s SQM anticipates stable lithium prices for the remainder of the year but is “optimistic about a positive trend starting in 2026”, according to CEO Ricardo Ramos. While it expects 2025 demand to grow by 17pc, largely corresponding increases in supply will prevent prices from moving higher.
LG Chem to debut precursor-free cathode materials
South Korea’s LG Chem will begin mass production of precursor-free cathode materials in the first half of this year. The materials will be produced by directly calcinating custom-designed metals without precursors, which the firm says will improve power performance at low temperatures and shorten development time. Eliminating the need to expand precursor production capabilities also promises reductions in wastewater and carbon footprints. Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup.
Most Mount Holland spodumene to hit market until 2027
The majority of production from the Mount Holland, WA lithium mine will ultimately go to the integrated refinery its joint venture (JV) owners are developing at Kwinana. But, despite the processing facility being on track for first production in the middle of this year, lithium analysts should not factor in significant spodumene offtake from the facility for almost two years.
Increased battery density to support hard rock lithium - PLS
Just a month separated two conference calls hosted by Australian lithium miner Pilbara Minerals, or PLS, one for the second quarter of its financial year at the end of January, and one for the first half in late February. But the attitude of its CEO Dale Henderson towards his firm’s hard rock lithium mining methods compared to brine extraction was notably different, suggesting increased confidence in customer demand for his product. In January, he remained relatively defensive.
EViF newsletter: BP's EV charging strategy is a clue that its futurology is faulty
BP is both, at least for now, a player in the EV ecosystem and, as a producer of crude and a refiner and distributor of liquid motor fuels, a firm with something to lose from mass EV adoption. So it seems fair game for an EV inFocus analysis of its strategic pivot, even if these thoughts will necessarily rove beyond the EV space and into the broader electrification megatrend and future oil demand. So, with that plea to bear with me, please indulge me a little futurology.
IGO plays down Kwinana technology risks
Kwinana, Australia’s only battery grade lithium hydroxide facility, has had a tough start since its late 2022 debut — with its first train underperforming and its second unceremoniously cancelled. Now there are fears that a mooted ban on exporting Chinese processing technology could throw another spanner in its works. “I did note that there was a headline article a couple of weeks ago talking about the Chinese banning export of processing intellectual property.
What Vale’s changing view of Canadian nickel asset might tell us about EV demand evolution
“What is good about the Thompson mine ore is it is primarily nickel, and there is not much other impurity in it.” So Gary Annett, the head of Manitoba operations for Brazilian miner Vale, told the Thompson Chamber of Commerce back in the summer of 2022, according to Canadian business media outlet Western Investor.
New buyer may target Anglo’s Brazilian nickel prospects at battery market
The producing Brazilian nickel assets snapped up by Hong Kong-listed MMG from London-headquartered Anglo American produce ferronickel targeted largely at the stainless steel market. But the new owner may target Class 1 battery-grade output form two greenfield sites also included in the deal.
Umicore draws capex flak
“Your Ebitda in this business is zero. Last year was zero.” Chetan Udeshi, analyst at bank JP Morgan, while apologising for his bluntness, pulled no punches about the performance of the battery materials business of Belgium’s Umicore during the firm’s Q4 results call. Adjusted Ebitda for Umicore’s battery materials group in 2024 came in at “close to breakeven”, somewhat proving Udeshi’s point.
Albemarle strikes less optimistic note on near-term lithium recovery
US miner and processor Albemarle is decidedly less bullish on any immediate relief from a recovery in lithium prices compared to fellow mining firm Mineral Resources (Minres). The company in instead further reigning in capex and looking for more cost cuts in order to achieve breakeven free cash flow (FCF) even in the current market environment.
Albemarle makes hydroxide-to-carbonate switch
US lithium miner and processor Albemarle has shifted some its conversion capacity at its Qinzhou plant in Guangxi, China away from producing lithium hydroxide to making lithium carbonate instead, reflecting a stronger market for the latter. The firm is not looking to moving away from hydroxide entirely, achieving record production of the material at its Meishan plant in China.
Tata to further expand Indian charging
India’s Tata Motors is launching an initiative called Open Collaboration 2.0, as part of an aim to more than double the number of charge points in India to 400,000+ by 2027. The firm launched the initial Open Collaboration framework in 2023, forging strategic partnerships with charge point operators (CPOs) and fuel retailers such as Shell and HPCL. As a result, the number of public charging points in India has more than doubled in just 15 months, surpassing 18,000 chargers, Tata says.
Abaxx to launch physically delivered lithium carbonate futures
Singapore-based commodity marketplace Abaxx Echange plans to expand its battery metals product suite with new lithium carbonate futures contract due to launch early next month. The firm hails the three new instruments, set to do live on 7 March, as the first physically deliverable lithium carbonate contracts priced in US dollars. Lots will represent 1t of lithium carbonate delivered at place (Dap) at ports in either Singapore, Rotterdam, or Baltimore.
Miner predicts lithium market rebound
Australian mining firm Mineral Resources (Minres) is already seeing lithium prices recovering and expects them to strengthen further in the next few years. But the market is not yet back at levels where it will reopen its Bald Hill mine that it put into care and maintenance in November last year.
Toyota to produce US batteries from April
The 7mn ft² gigafactory being developed by Japan’s Toyota in Liberty, NC will produce and ship its first batteries in April, the firm has announced. It is committed to investing almost $14bn into Toyota Battery Manufacturing North Carolina (TBMNC), its first in-house battery manufacturing plant outside Japan. The plant will boast 14 battery productions lines, four for HEVs and 10 for PHEVs and BEVs. But the firm has been coy over offering a capacity figure for the facility.
Elon Musk doesn’t really want to sell many more cars
The CEO of an automaker should intrinsically want to sell more cars. He or she may have short-term reasons why that aim is unlikely or a low priority — be it production constraints or a product line-up that is not geared towards stimulating demand or selling at an attractive margin — but the medium-to-long-term idea is primarily to shift more units.
GM remains coy about Chinese exports
Vehicle Sales US automaker GM continues to hail the efficiency and low cost of its Wuling joint venture (JV) with China’s Saic and Guangxi Auto. But it is still noticeably reluctant to commit to bringing its BEVs in volume to markets outside of China. According to Ryan Brinkman, automotive equity research analyst at bank JP Morgan, GM’s China sales rose by 40pc from Q3’24 to Q4’24, “driven by inexpensive EVs such as the Wuling Bingo”.
Norwegian battery materials firm seals GM deal
Norway’s Vianode has signed a multi-billion-dollar deal to supply anode graphite solutions to US automaker GM. The agreement covers development of large-scale manufacturing capacity and supply of synthetic anode graphite. The high-performance anode graphite will be shipped from an Inflation Reduction Act-compliant large-scale plant Vianode is planning in North America, with production starting in 2027. The agreement includes a minimum off-take commitment.
WA government offers support for paused lithium midstream project
The Australian state of Western Australia (WA) has authorised a A$15mn ($9.3mn) grant to the midstream demonstration plant project at miner Pilbara Minerals’ Pilgangoora lithium operation in WA’s Pilbara region.
Lithium price toils see processing technology JV still searching for best answers
Australian miners Livium and Mineral Resources (Min Res) will continue to examine routes to commercialising their Liena lithium processing technology. But price weakness has contributed to an eight-month postponement of the repayment of the latter’s loan to the project, albeit Livium CEO Simon Linge is still optimistic for the project's future.
Peugeot trumpets widest BEV product range among peers
French volume carmaker Peugeot, part of the Stellantis conglomerate, is advertising the range of BEV products it will display at this month’s Brussels Motor Show as “the widest of any European generalist carmaker”. Its boast hinges on the Belgian debut of two new models, the E-408 C-segment fastback and a long-range version of the E-3008 C-segment e-SUV, offering a range of up to 700km. “Today, Peugeot is an electric brand; we are ready,” says its CEO Linda Jackson.
Mullen boosts California customer base
Nasdaq-listed commercial EV maker Mullen Automotive has secured an initial vehicle order of 10 class 3 EV cab chassis trucks from Associated Coffee, a San Francisco Bay Area coffee and snack distributor. The deal is the third in as many weeks across Mullen and its subsidiary Bollinger Motors.
UK BEV sales pass 2023 levels with month to spare
One in four new registrations on the UK last month were all-electric, according to data from the country’s automotive lobby group the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). And that was enough to lift cumulative BEV sales for the year as a whole above last year’s total with December figures still to come (see main image).
Ford sets new US BEV sales record
Vehicle Sales Detroit Three automaker Ford sold more BEVs in the US market in November than in any previous month. But sales of the firm’s three all-electric models still made up only 6.5pc of total volumes in Ford’s home country last month. Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup. It sold just over 10,800 units, only the second time Ford’s US BEV sales have been in five figures in a single month (see main image).
Ford bestseller goes electric
The Ford Mustang Mach-E may have made limited progress in a European market where the Mustang brand has little regional relevance. Similarly, sales of its new Capri BEV largely represent starting from scratch for a model name that may have once resonated, but was discontinued in the mid-1980s.
New European commissioner given e-mobility priorities
European Commission president Ursula von der Leyden has sent letters to each of her incoming commissioners setting out the key priorities for their new missions. And that means Greece’s Apostolos Tzitzikostas, commissioner for sustainable transport, as well as tourism, has received his instructions. For e-mobility, there are three areas specified under a broader aim to “speed up the electrification of road transport”.
River Park Square - Holiday Spotlight
In this NonStop Local Holiday Spotlight, we visited River Park Square! Explore all of your holiday favorites like Lego, Nordstrom and Whiz Kids. Events and dates can be found at www.riverparksquare.com
Northvolt CEO quits on tumble into administration
Peter Carlsson, co-founder CEO of Swedish battery challenger Northvolt, has resigned after the ailing firm sought bankruptcy protection in the US. But potentially out-of-pocket investors and creditors may be concerned that Carlsson is staying on as both senior advisor and board member, while Northvolt is explicitly positioning its flight to Chapter 11 as a strategic move. “Today marks a significant new phase for Northvolt as well as for me personally.
Initiative launches Indian e-trucking pilot
Laneshift, a zero-emission international freight initiative aimed at kickstarting development and deployment of zero-emission electric trucks and charging infrastructure across major cities in India and Latin America, has initiated a demonstration project that will test electric trucks along the 350km Bengaluru-Chennai highway corridor in India The trucks will transport commercial loads along the corridor, analysing the operational feasibility and cost-effectiveness of EV trucks in long-haul...
Mercedes ignores e-fuels in CO2-neutral goal
What Germany’s Mercedes did not say at its Sustainability Dialogue event in Stuttgart about its “Ambition 2039” goal to be CO₂-neutral across all stages of the value chain and the entire life cycle of its new vehicles by the end of the next decade is perhaps more interesting than what it did. “The electrification of vehicles is playing a key role [in reaching this CO2 neutrality],” the firm says.
First BMW Neue Klass test models role off the line
German OEM BMW is ramping up production of test vehicles for its Neue Klass BEV range, with the first near-series fully-electric X models now leaving the production line. The final preparation phase for the start of series production in late 2025 has thus now begun. “The production of the first test vehicles in Debrecen is an important milestone in commissioning the new plant,” says Milan Nedeljkovic, BMW management board member for production. Email sent! Check your inbox to complete your signup.
Xpeng closing in on halfway to global footprint target
Chinese OEMs Chinese OEM Xpeng is set to add three new countries to the growing roster of places where its vehicles are sold by early next year. And that will take the firm to a total of 28 markets, almost halfway to the 60 it is targeting by end-2025. Xpeng has signed an agreement with UK distributor International Motors Ltd (IML) which will see deliveries of its G6 a mid-size e-SUV start in the UK early next year.
Volkswagen may end up owning more than 20pc of Rivian
German OEM Volkswagen will own c.22pc of US EV pure play Rivian based on the former’s equity commitments to the latter as part of their software joint venture (JV), EV inFocus calculates based on current share prices. And, while not an exact science, a stake anywhere near this size will likely only add to speculation that the endgame of the collaboration may be a VW takeover of the US firm.
Politics may make Rivian’s profitability pathway harder
US challenger firm Rivian has ambitions to record a “modest” gross profit in the fourth quarter of 2024, and to be gross profit profitable for 2025 as a whole, albeit not necessarily in every quarter next year. But it may face challenges should the US regulatory environment change dramatically. We know that the US will now face four years of a Trump presidency, that the Senate will be Republican for at least the next two years and increasingly that the House of Representatives will also turn red.
Saudi start-up Ceer teams up with Rimac
Ceer, the Saudi Arabian EV joint venture (JV) between the Kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund the PIF and Taiwanese electronics heavyweight Foxconn, has signed a deal with Croatia’s Rimac for the supply electric drive systems (EDS) for its planned EVs. upcoming flagship range of EVs. Rimac is aiming to expand from building niche performance BEVs like its own Nevera e-sportscar and the Pininfarina Battista, Aston Martin Valkyrie and Koenigsegg Regera to supply of its technology to more mass-market...
Honda to pilot Swedish e-scooter battery swap service
Japan’s Honda Motor will partner with Gocimo, a Swedish start-up that operates a rental and sharing service for electric motorcycles with swappable batteries, on a year-long trial of a battery sharing service in Malmo, Sweden from next February. The collaboration aims to evaluate the potential for a long-term partnership for the European market.
Volvo’s European BEV sales slip into third
Gothenburg-headquartered Volvo Cars sold fewer BEVs in Europe in October than either PHEVs or mild hybrids+ICE, reversing a trend that has seen all-electric outsell plug-ins every previous month this year on the continent and, since March, also outperform plug-less sales (see main image). The firm shifted over 9,800 BEVs in Europe in October, still up by 40pc compared to the same month last year. But PHEVs recorded a year-on-year jump of 52pc in October to almost 10,150 units.
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