Batteries
New Battery and Energy Storage Technology
Learn more about the latest in new battery technology and discover the next generation in battery and energy storage with expert analysis by Power Systems Research analysts.
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Ashok Leyland Takes Major Step Toward EV Leadership

Aditya Kondejkar Ashok Leyland’s move to develop and assemble its own battery packs marks one of its most strategically significant announcements in recent years. As India transitions toward a cleaner, multi-fuel commercial mobility ecosystem, this decision places the company at the center of the country’s electric commercial vehicle (ECV) transformation. The implications extend across technology, cost structure, competitive positioning, and long-term industry dominance.
At the core, battery packs account for 35–45% of an electric vehicle’s total cost, making them the single most influential factor in pricing and margins. By internalizing battery pack development, Ashok Leyland is aiming to break its dependence on third-party suppliers, reduce bill-of-materials cost, and secure tighter control over the EV value chain. This is crucial as global cell prices fluctuate and supply chains remain vulnerable to geopolitical shifts. In-house pack assembly gives the company cost stability, greater design flexibility, and freedom to optimize packs specifically for Indian duty cycles—ranging from stop-and-go urban e-buses to long-haul e-LCVs and future heavy-duty platforms.
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Alternative Power Report, March 2026
In the March 2026 issue of the Alternative Power Report produced by Power Systems Research and authored by Guy Youngs, you'll find articles on plug-in hybrid research, long-run tests of PV-powered refrigerated trailers, comparison tests of EV batteries, cutbacks in Bosch China operations, and the changing cost differential between Chinese and EU batteries. Read these articles and more in the March Alternative Power Report today. PS…
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PV-Powered Refrigerated Trailer Completes Test Run
Recently in Australia, Protrans Solutions conducted a successful trial with a battery-electric refrigerated trailer charged by onboard solar panels on the 1,100 miles Sydney-Brisbane round trip without using diesel to refrigerate the trailer unit. This demonstrates a depot-to-depot cold-chain capability.
But that’s easy, I hear you say, its Australia and its sunny. Well, how about cold and snowy Canada? Transport Canada’s Zero-Emission Trucking Program, recently published a study which monitored over than 200 thousand kms (124,224 miles) of diesel and electric truck data over a year of operations in the Montreal-area. There findings were staggering with nearly $200k of savings per electric truck
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Researchers Compare Different EV Battery Types
Researchers from Newcastle University in the UK, and the Fire Service Academy in Poland, have undertaken a detailed comparison of three key battery technologies: conventional lithium-ion, emerging sodium-ion (SIB), and solid-state batteries (SSB)
They report that high energy lithium types (such as NMC battery variants) are more prone to fire risks (often referred to as thermal runaway) and these can become structural unstable when highly charged, leading to a potential fire risk. They also noted that thermal stability declines as nickel content increases. However, Lithium iron phosphate (LFP), is more robust and can thermal runaway even above 300 °C, making it less prone to fire risks. However, it offers lower voltage and energy density.
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BYD Launches Blade Battery/Charging Technology

Jack Hao BYD has launched its second-generation Blade Battery and Flash Charging Technology—yet another disruptive technology milestone in new energy vehicle history—officially ushering the industry into the “Flash Charging Era.”
The second-generation Blade Battery achieves breakthroughs across multiple dimensions, delivering ultra-fast charging performance: it can charge from 10% to 70% in just 5 minutes and from 10% to 97% in only 9 minutes at normal temperature, while even in extreme cold conditions of -30°C, it takes merely 12 minutes to charge from 20% to 97%—just 3 minutes longer than at room temperature.
On the strategic front, BYD has launched the “Flash Charging China” initiative, with plans to establish 20,000 flash charging stations by the end of 2026, including 2,000 highway flash charging stations, while partnering with operators to build an additional 18,000 cooperative flash charging stations. In terms of mass production rollout, the technology will debut in the first batch of 10 models including the Yangwang U8 2026 Edition, Datang, and Song Ultra EV, with flash charging technology cascading down to mainstream 150,000 yuan-class vehicles within the year; first-batch vehicle owners will be entitled to one year of complimentary flash charging privileges.
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Alternative Power Report, February 2026
In the February 2026 issue of the Alternative Power Report produced by Power Systems Research and authored by Guy Youngs, you'll find articles on Tesla committing suicide by shifting away from auto productions, Germany's new stance on hydrogen, new 4X power sodium-ion batteries, Europe's hydrogen bus experiment, and Mercedes introducing a new solution to cut pollution. Read these articles and more in the February Alternative Power Re…
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Researchers Improve Sodium-Ion Batteries Almost 4X
The sodium-ion battery formula has some advantages over conventional lithium-ion batteries, including the use of non-flammable, abundant materials and the potential for cutting costs.
One of the areas for improvement is the anode materials. The graphite used in lithium-ion batteries is not a candidate because it can't store sodium. The consensus alternative has been hard carbon, a form of carbon that doesn't devolve into graphite under high heat. However, hard carbon can inhibit capacity during the…
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Alternative Power Report, January 2026
In the January 2026 issue of the Alternative Power Report produced by Power Systems Research and authored by Guy Youngs, you'll find articles on Tesla's very weak 2025 sales in Europe, CATL's winning position in the shipping electrification race, CATL's upgrade to its sodium-ion battery, and the possibility that China is running out of critical battery materials. Read these articles and more in the January Alternative Power Report today.&n…
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Sodium-Ion Battery Cell Cost Could Drop to $40/kWh
A report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) notes that while it is still uncertain whether sodium-ion batteries (SIB) will become a disruptive alternative to lithium-ion (LIB) technology, they could offer significant cost-saving opportunities in applications such as electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage.
SIBs hold a potential advantage over LIBs due to the abundance and accessibility of sodium, a material that is considerably cheaper than lithium. IRENA says the price of sodium carbonate between 2020 and 2024 ranged between $100/ton and $500/ton, while the price of lithium carbonate over the same period of time ranged between $6,000/ton and $83,000/ton.
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CATL Winning Shipping Electrification Race
CATL’s batteries and energy management systems are already operating in roughly 900 ships and vessels, a figure that on its own should reframe how maritime decarbonization is discussed.
Shipping is, by its nature, conservative for structural reasons tied to safety, long asset lifetimes, and unforgiving certification regimes, so deployment at this scale signals that electrification is no longer a pilot exercise but operating infrastructure.
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