BatteryTech News & Updates — 2025 #50

December 14, 2025

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Hello Battery-Tech community and professionals. Here is your weekly update of major developments in the global battery industry and EV market. - Julian

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⭕ Latest Article

Future Battery Forum 2025: Strategic Drivers and Technical Insights

⭕ INDUSTRY & MARKET DEVELOPMENTS

🔋 LG Energy Solution Signs $1.4B Pact with Mercedes-Benz

LG Energy Solution will supply Mercedes-Benz with electric vehicle battery cells and modules valued at 2.06 trillion won (approximately $1.4 billion), supporting production in Europe and North America from March 2028 to June 2035. Read more: https://battery-tech.net/battery-markets-news/lg-energy-solution-signs-1-4b-pact-with-mercedes-benz/

🔋 Farasis to Supply 10 GWh LFP Batteries for GAC Aion Europe

Farasis Energy will supply more than 10 GWh of its Super Pouch Solution LFP battery systems to power about 100,000 GAC Aion V and UT EVs in Europe, expanding its overseas footprint with pouch cell technology. Read more: https://battery-tech.net/battery-markets-news/farasis-to-supply-10-gwh-lfp-batteries-for-gac-aion-europe/

🔋 HPQ Silicon Partners to Boost METAGENE Green Hydrogen Output

HPQ Silicon, Novacium and AD-VENTA will integrate METAGENE™ into a high-pressure hydrogen station to boost daily green hydrogen production to 20 kg and enable decentralized fueling for vehicles, drones and off-grid power systems. Read more: https://battery-tech.net/battery-markets-news/hpq-silicon-partners-to-boost-metagene-green-hydrogen-output/

🔋 BYD’s First Production Equipment Arrives in Szeged, Hungary

The first production-line equipment for BYD’s Szeged plant arrived on December 9; the site is set for trial production in Q1 2026 and full-scale output in Q2, starting with the Dolphin Mini and eventually reaching 300,000 vehicles annually. Read more: https://battery-tech.net/battery-markets-news/byds-first-production-equipment-arrives-in-szeged-hungary/

🔋 China Automakers Launch Unified Battery ID Data Platform

Geely, Great Wall Motor, Chery and Nio teamed with CATL, FinDreams and CALB to debut the Battery ID digital framework at Tianjin’s 2025 Automotive Intelligent Data Ecosystem Conference, standardizing battery data and certification. Read more: https://battery-tech.net/battery-markets-news/china-automakers-launch-unified-battery-id-data-platform/

🔋 Agratas Advances 20 GWh Battery Plant Construction in Sanand

Agratas is nearing completion of its Sanand campus first phase, targeting 20 GWh annual cell capacity; over 2,700 personnel are advancing structural work, sustainability practices and supply-chain resilience. Read more: https://battery-tech.net/battery-markets-news/agratas-advances-20-gwh-battery-plant-construction-in-sanand/

🔋 StoreDot and Andretti II Merge to Launch XFC Battery Co.

StoreDot and Andretti Acquisition Corp. II will merge to form XFC Battery to commercialize StoreDot’s extreme fast charging technology, which offers 100 miles of range in five minutes, via an asset-light licensing model. Read more: https://battery-tech.net/battery-markets-news/storedot-and-andretti-ii-merge-to-launch-xfc-battery-co/

🔋 Volkswagen Slashes PowerCo Funding to Below €10 Billion

Volkswagen Group has cut its five-year funding for battery subsidiary PowerCo to below €10 billion amid slower EV ramp-ups and is considering external investors, joint ventures and state support after €2.5 billion in losses. Read more: https://battery-tech.net/battery-markets-news/volkswagen-slashes-powerco-funding-to-below-e10-billion/

🔋 Lithium-Ion Battery Pack Prices Hit Record Low at $108/kWh

BloombergNEF’s 2025 survey found average lithium-ion battery pack prices fell 8% to $108/kWh; EV packs averaged $99/kWh, stationary storage costs dropped 45%, and China reported the lowest prices. Read more: https://battery-tech.net/battery-markets-news/lithium-ion-battery-pack-prices-hit-record-low-at-108-kwh/

🔋 China’s NEV Sales Hit Record 1.823M in November 2025

China’s wholesale new energy vehicle sales rose to 1.823 million units in November 2025, up 20.6% year-on-year and 6.3% month-on-month, driven by record BEV and PHEV deliveries and a 260% increase in NEV exports. Read more: https://battery-tech.net/battery-markets-news/chinas-nev-sales-hit-record-1-823m-in-november-2025/

🔋 Korean Battery Makers Seek Edge Against Chinese Competition

Faced with Chinese firms capturing nearly 60% of Europe’s battery market, LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI and SK On are shifting to mid-range chemistries and LFP cells while EU rules aim to boost local output. Read more: https://battery-tech.net/battery-markets-news/korean-battery-makers-seek-edge-against-chinese-competition/

⭕ BATTERY TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

🔋 QuantumScape Unveils Eagle Line Pilot for QSE-5 Production

QuantumScape has installed critical equipment for its fully automated QSE-5 Eagle Line pilot at the San Jose facility, a scale-up step toward gigawatt-hour production and leading to a February 2026 inauguration event. Read more: https://battery-tech.net/battery-markets-news/quantumscape-unveils-eagle-line-pilot-for-qse-5-production/

🔋 Blue Current Secures $80M from Amazon for Silicon Cells

Blue Current raised over $80M in a Series D extension led by Amazon to advance its silicon solid-state battery platform for EV and stationary applications, targeting higher energy density and faster charging. Read more: https://battery-tech.net/battery-markets-news/blue-current-secures-80m-from-amazon-for-silicon-cells/

🔋 Global EV Anode Installations Soar 38% in Jan–Oct 2025

Global EV anode installations climbed 38% to 1.106 million tons from January to October 2025, led by ShanShan and BTR; geopolitical measures and rising costs are driving supply diversification and alternative anode development. Read more: https://battery-tech.net/battery-markets-news/global-ev-anode-installations-soar-38-in-jan-oct-2025/

⭕ ENERGY STORAGE & GRID

🔋 NHOA Energy to Build 320 MWh BESS for ENGIE in Belgium

NHOA Energy will deliver an 80 MW/320 MWh NHEXUS battery system at ENGIE’s Drogenbos station near Brussels under a 15-year contract; the 88-container, four-hour BESS will boost grid flexibility and support wind and solar integration. Read more: https://battery-tech.net/battery-markets-news/nhoa-energy-to-build-320-mwh-bess-for-engie-in-belgium/

🔋 Samsung SDI America Bags $1.36B LFP Battery Supply

Samsung SDI’s U.S. unit secured a three-year, 2 trillion won ($1.36 billion) contract to supply LFP batteries for utility-scale storage through 2027; cells will be made at its Indiana joint venture with Stellantis. Read more: https://battery-tech.net/battery-markets-news/samsung-sdi-america-bags-1-36b-lfp-battery-supply/

🔋 South Korea’s Battery Giants Ramp Up LFP Production for ESS

LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI and SK On are increasing LFP output for energy storage systems amid weak EV demand, in line with forecasts of a 618 GWh global ESS market by 2035. Read more: https://battery-tech.net/battery-markets-news/south-koreas-battery-giants-ramp-up-lfp-production-for-ess/

🔋 Nuvve and Volt Launch NuvveVolt JV for Korea ESS Auction

Nuvve and Seoul-based Volt formed NuvveVolt to bid in Korea’s 2025 Second-Round ESS Central Auction; the JV aims to deploy a 95 MW/570 MWh BESS using Nuvve’s V2G-enabled energy management platform. Read more: https://battery-tech.net/battery-markets-news/nuvve-and-volt-launch-nuvvevolt-jv-for-korea-ess-auction/

⭕ MINING & BATTERY MATERIALS

🔋 Utah Desert Deposit Yields Rare Earths and Critical Minerals

Ionic Mineral Technologies uncovered an ion-adsorption clay deposit at Silicon Ridge containing 16 critical elements including lithium, vanadium and scandium; the company drilled 600 acres and plans onsite processing to increase U.S. supply. Read more: https://battery-tech.net/battery-markets-news/utah-desert-deposit-yields-rare-earths-and-critical-minerals/