Toyota is scraping its plans to launch a next-generation luxury EV, the Lexus LF-ZC electric sedan, which was expected to enter production later this year with advanced new batteries that would delivery significant range improvements, and a dedicated platform.

The model was planned to use the gigacasting production technique that would split the vehicle body into three parts, front, center, and rear, to cut costs.

On paper, this car would have been brilliant, but like many Toyota promises over the years, it’s not going into production. In model terms, Toyota promises much but delivers so little. Toyota is the latest Japanese automaker, following Honda and Nissan, to discontinue development of a major EV project, blaming changing market conditions.

Source: Electrek: Read The Article

PSR Analysis: While Japanese automakers continue to delay the inevitable shift to electric by cancelling projects, Toyota will likely fall even further behind Chinese brands, which own nearly every aspect of its supply chain.   PSR

Guy Youngs is Forecast & Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research

The researchers found that cars in Central Europe could generate up to 55% of their annual electricity demand and in Southern Europe, the share could rise to 80% (this assumes relatively low annual mileage and large roof surfaces, such as those found on SUVs)

The study found that truck trailers equipped with a roof PV can generate up to 55 kWh per day during summer months. If solar modules are also integrated into the side walls, daily yields could increase to between 90 kWh and 110 kWh, enough to fully power cooling or hydraulic systems.

Source: PV Magazine: Read The Article

PSR Analysis: We have reported about this technology being used on trucks before, and the Toyota Prius even has (or had) and option of a roof mounted solar panel, so all of this is not news, but this is yet more evidence of the way things will probably move in the future., especially with oil prices so high.   PSR

Guy Youngs is Forecast & Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research

Source: MSN: Read The Article

PSR Analysis: Flow Batteries are, generally speaking, large and not mobile, so this new development (if it translates into the commercial world) will only apply to stationary power sources such as industrial power generation.   PSR

Guy Youngs is Forecast & Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research

Sustainability and Stability are two core ideals for businesses.

Guy Youngs is Forecast & Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research

According to YMX, a US company which specializes in sustainable, optimized enterprise yard and transportation services and solutions for all sized yards across retail, manufacturing, and distribution sectors, “Electrifying yard operations is often framed as a sustainability initiative. But that framing is incomplete, it is also a risk management strategy.”

As of March 31, 2026, oil markets have been rattled by conflict involving Iran and severe disruption around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil chokepoints. Oil prices soared and these are not marginal increases. They represent rapid cost repricing across the entire supply chain. And this volatility is a severe risk to businesses

Source: Electrek: Read The Article

PSR Analysis: The electrification of logistics and businesses in general is not just about cost savings. It’s about stability and reducing dependency on one of the most volatile inputs in the business model (ie Oil).   PSR

On one hand, EV vehicles have been the growth engine for the European Automotive industry (and also for the global automotive market) which has led to billions of Euros in investment, and on the other hand, the oil lobby and some legacy automotive manufacturers are pushing back against emissions legislation.

But if Europe holds its course on EV manufacturing — including all the related / supported components (batteries, power electronics, and critical components) it can rebuild its industrial base and secure growth and jobs.   PSR

Source: Clean Technica: Read The Article

PSR Analysis: The EU is once again proposing to revise its 2030–2035 car CO2, with the new Commission proposal weakening both the 2030 and 2035 targets, and the auto industry wants to reduce that ambition even more. The real danger here is while legacy automotive manufacturers would “buy” time to sort out their issues, the rest of the world (apart from the USA) is not standing still, and EU automotive manufacturers will find themselves further behind, with even less time to sort out their issues before bankruptcy looms. What this boils down to is that if EU does not embrace the EV revolution, they will lose out and the EU’s auto industry will enter a period of rapid decline / loss.   PSR

Guy Youngs is Forecast & Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research

Guy Youngs is Forecast and Technology Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research

Liquid electrolytes have been key EV batteries for some time now and the lithium-ion formula is the most important component. There are a lot of different formulae that do various things such as the removal of toxic inputs from the supply chain, or reductions in weight, elimination of fire hazards, and cutting costs.

The ultimate goal is to combine all these improvements in one electrolyte, but solid state or semi solid state batteries are appearing before that goal can be achieved and they promise to revolutionize the battery market. But, getting the electrons to move about within a solid is difficult at best. And that’s where Zwitterions come in.

Zwitterions are the building blocks of a new electrolyte created by a team of scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a branch of the US Department of Energy located in Tennessee. ORNL scientists believe that when changing the battery polymer by the interdiction of Zwitterions they can make significant improvements to batteries. But what is a Zwitterion? A Zwitterion is a molecule that contains both positive and negative charges but is overall electrically neutral.

Source: Clean Technica: Read The Article

PSR Analysis: While this technology is a few years away (it’s only in the early stages of research right now) it shows great potential in making solid state batteries actually work as designed.   PSR

Guy Youngs is Forecast & Adoption Lead at Power Systems Research

The technology works by making atomic sized holes in the graphene, which allows the aluminum ions to penetrate and be held in the graphene to make a higher energy density, thus enabling them to outperform standard lithium batteries.

Australia-based Graphene Manufacturing Group has reported a significant increase in the energy density of its graphene aluminum-ion battery technology, as it moves closer to commercialization of ultra-fast charging cells

Source: BEST Mag: Read The Article

PSR Analysis: Graphene Manufacturing Group started developing prototypes back in 2021, so these improvements in energy density, along with rapid charging abilities, make graphene aluminum batteries a potential market disruptor.   PSR

For instance, in 2026, the U.S. critical minerals list include 60 minerals that companies in defense, agriculture, power, mining, and other industry sectors, need to get their jobs done. But spiking demand, restricted access, and rising prices can make it challenging to get these minerals

This is why experts at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR) are researching other ways to make, mine for, or recycle these minerals. This article looks at three ways to get more of these precious minerals:

• How To Mine Metals From Seawater, Industrial Waste, and More
• An Economic Way To Recycle Graphite
• Supply Chain Recipes To Cut Costs and Energy

Source: Clean Technica: Read The Article

PSR Analysis: Given the Chinese near monopoly on Rare Earths and the resulting global supply constraints there is a big rush to secure supplies of critical minerals, and this is taking place all over the globe. Any way to improve access is vitally important.    PSR