Extra, Extra....Read All About It!

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I apologize but its a little crazy at work. I dont have time to dig through my previous screenshots.
The wayback machine from 17 March has the same text with an “updated over five months ago” note.

Screenshot 2025-08-20 at 10.24.16 AM.png
 
Let’s not have buttons like this.

Personally, I think there are too many buttons on the steering wheels of most modern vehicles as-is. We could do with getting rid of half of them, getting rid of screen-controlled features, and going back to muscle-memory physical buttons for all or almost all features.

The only ones I’m not sure of are for navigation. I’ve never seen a good physical button framework for navigation.

I’m really not a fan of the shifter being a steering wheel button/roller or column wiper-like-stalk instead of a gated shifter (column, dash, or console mounted). My favorite shifter is the Prius gated shifter on the column/dash/console.
 
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On my browser today, the text is identical, so it doesn’t appear to have been changed.

View attachment 8384
You’re a real one!

Sorry guys, my boss tossed me several projects with no drawings, diagrams, and the deadline is next Friday.

I’m trying to keep up with all that and the forum and it’s currently a struggle.
 
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You’re a real one!

Sorry guys, my boss tossed me several projects with no drawings, diagrams, and

I’m trying to keep up with all that and the forum and it’s currently a struggle.
Hate how work gets in the way of this forum. @Jamie@ScoutMotors can you guys hire me to be on the forum 16-18 hours a day. I promise I’ll behave. My therapy has greatly improved my response etiquette 😀
 
Those of you who have read my posts on this forum for the past whatever number of years/months know I’m not very optimistic about new battery tech coming “soon.” We’re not going to see SSBs before 2030, and probably not in many vehicles before 2035, at best.

So when I say that this news is intriguing, understand that I’m cautiously optimistic about this. And that’s huge for me. Sadly, with all the disruption to trade, these batteries are unlikely to be seen in the US without significant cost increases.

CATL has revealed several new battery pack types that it *seems* like they’re claiming are going to be tested in vehicles soon.

1) Sodium as a replacement for lithium.
CATL's Naxtra Battery breaks through the performance boundaries of the material itself, achieving the mass production of sodium-ion batteries for the first time. With sodium's inherent safety and abundant reserves, it efficiently reduces dependence on lithium resources and strengthens the foundation of new energy technologies, while promoting energy utilization from "single resource dependence" to "energy freedom".
...
CATL's Naxtra passenger EV Battery achieves an energy density of 175Wh/kg, the highest among sodium-ion batteries worldwide, and comparable to LFP batteries.

2) Dual-Power Battery: Ushering in the Multi-Power Era of Energy Freedom
The Freevoy Dual-Power is a breakthrough product that deeply integrates CATL's dual-power architecture and self-forming anode technology.
...
This technology can be flexibly paired with various material systems, and when combined with NCM systems, the energy density can be increased to over 1000Wh/L.
...
Three dual-power solutions across different chemical systems were released on site:

Sodium-LFP Dual-Power Battery - It combines Naxtra with a LFP self-forming anode battery, fully utilizing the low-temperature performance of sodium-ion technology to provide users with an exceptional experience that excels in cold conditions while delivering extended range.

LFP-LFP Dual-Power Battery – It pairs the second-generation Shenxing Superfast Charging Battery with the LFP self-forming anode battery. It easily achieves 1,000 kilometers of pure electric range in sedans with a 3-meter wheelbase, reducing the commuting cost per kilometer to as low as 0.1 yuan.

NCM-LFP/NCM-NCM Dual-Power Battery – It integrates an NCM battery with an LFP self-forming anode battery, achieving a peak charging rate of 12C for the NCM battery in the main energy zone, providing over 1 megawatt of power. Even when SOC drops to 20%, it can still output over 600KW of power. The upgraded version of the product, consisting of an NCM battery and an NCM self-forming anode battery enables a capacity of over 180 kWh in sedans with a 3-meter wheelbase, breaking through the 1,500-kilometer pure electric range barrier.

3) Second-Generation Shenxing Superfast Charging Battery: Setting New Global Records
CATL launched its Shenxing 4C Superfast Charging Battery in 2023, ushering in the era of superfast charging. The release of CATL's second-generation Shenxing Battery once again pushes the limits of superfast charging performance and sets new world records for charging rates.

CATL's second-generation Shenxing Superfast Charging Battery is the world's first LFP battery featuring both an 800 km range and a 12C peak charging rate. With a peak charging power of 1.3 MW….

 
Those of you who have read my posts on this forum for the past whatever number of years/months know I’m not very optimistic about new battery tech coming “soon.” We’re not going to see SSBs before 2030, and probably not in many vehicles before 2035, at best.

So when I say that this news is intriguing, understand that I’m cautiously optimistic about this. And that’s huge for me. Sadly, with all the disruption to trade, these batteries are unlikely to be seen in the US without significant cost increases.

CATL has revealed several new battery pack types that it *seems* like they’re claiming are going to be tested in vehicles soon.

1) Sodium as a replacement for lithium.


2) Dual-Power Battery: Ushering in the Multi-Power Era of Energy Freedom


3) Second-Generation Shenxing Superfast Charging Battery: Setting New Global Records



1755731452733.png

Peak Energy shipped out its first sodium-ion battery energy storage system, and the Burlingame, California-based company says it’s achieved a first in three ways: the US’s first grid-scale sodium-ion battery storage system; the largest sodium-ion phosphate pyrophosphate (NFPP) battery system in the world; and the first megawatt-hour scale battery to run entirely on passive cooling – no fans, pumps, or vents.


That’s significant because removing moving parts and ditching active cooling systems eliminates fire risk. According to the Electric Power Research Institute, 89% of battery fires in the US trace back to thermal management issues. Peak’s design doesn’t have those issues because it doesn’t have those systems.


Instead, the 3.5 MWh system uses a patent-pending passive cooling architecture that’s simpler, more reliable, and cheaper to run and maintain. The company says its technology slashes auxiliary power needs by up to 90%, saves about $1 million annually per gigawatt hour of storage, and cuts battery degradation by 33% over a 20-year lifespan.


“This isn’t just another product launch – it’s a breakthrough in energy storage,” said Paul Durkee, Peak’s VP of engineering. “The system is dead-simple with no moving parts, no planned maintenance, and negligible aux loads. It’s the lowest total-cost grid storage technology to be deployed anywhere in the world.”


Sodium-ion batteries work well in hot or cold weather without auxiliary cooling systems. That makes them cheaper and easier to maintain, especially for utility-scale projects. They also use more abundant materials. The US holds the world’s largest soda ash reserves, a key sodium-ion ingredient, and the full raw material supply chain can be sourced domestically or from allied countries.


“We see energy storage not only as an economic imperative, but also as a national security priority,” said CEO and co-founder Landon Mossburg. “We are committed to onshoring the manufacturing of this critical industry, and this launch proves our ability to execute quickly.”


Peak is working with nine utility and independent power producer (IPP) customers on a shared pilot this summer. That deployment unlocks nearly 1 GWh of future commercial contracts now under negotiation. The company plans to ship hundreds of megawatt hours of its new system over the next two years, and it’s building its first US cell factory, which is set to start production in 2026.









Saw this recently.
 

New Lightship towing test with an R1T.

I look forward to more of these types of trailers to hit the market and bring prices for “pusher” trailers down.
I started watching that, it seems awesome. Airstream came up with a similar concept but I never heard anything since. Love the airstream style, I would love to see that come to fruition. Also would love to see an off road style airstream but that’s for another topic…
 
I started watching that, it seems awesome. Airstream came up with a similar concept but I never heard anything since. Love the airstream style, I would love to see that come to fruition. Also would love to see an off road style airstream but that’s for another topic…

 

View attachment 8389
Peak Energy shipped out its first sodium-ion battery energy storage system, and the Burlingame, California-based company says it’s achieved a first in three ways: the US’s first grid-scale sodium-ion battery storage system; the largest sodium-ion phosphate pyrophosphate (NFPP) battery system in the world; and the first megawatt-hour scale battery to run entirely on passive cooling – no fans, pumps, or vents.


That’s significant because removing moving parts and ditching active cooling systems eliminates fire risk. According to the Electric Power Research Institute, 89% of battery fires in the US trace back to thermal management issues. Peak’s design doesn’t have those issues because it doesn’t have those systems.


Instead, the 3.5 MWh system uses a patent-pending passive cooling architecture that’s simpler, more reliable, and cheaper to run and maintain. The company says its technology slashes auxiliary power needs by up to 90%, saves about $1 million annually per gigawatt hour of storage, and cuts battery degradation by 33% over a 20-year lifespan.


“This isn’t just another product launch – it’s a breakthrough in energy storage,” said Paul Durkee, Peak’s VP of engineering. “The system is dead-simple with no moving parts, no planned maintenance, and negligible aux loads. It’s the lowest total-cost grid storage technology to be deployed anywhere in the world.”


Sodium-ion batteries work well in hot or cold weather without auxiliary cooling systems. That makes them cheaper and easier to maintain, especially for utility-scale projects. They also use more abundant materials. The US holds the world’s largest soda ash reserves, a key sodium-ion ingredient, and the full raw material supply chain can be sourced domestically or from allied countries.


“We see energy storage not only as an economic imperative, but also as a national security priority,” said CEO and co-founder Landon Mossburg. “We are committed to onshoring the manufacturing of this critical industry, and this launch proves our ability to execute quickly.”


Peak is working with nine utility and independent power producer (IPP) customers on a shared pilot this summer. That deployment unlocks nearly 1 GWh of future commercial contracts now under negotiation. The company plans to ship hundreds of megawatt hours of its new system over the next two years, and it’s building its first US cell factory, which is set to start production in 2026.









Saw this recently.

Yeah, I’ve seen this too. And I’m excited about sodium for grid-scale.
Stationary batteries are a lot easier than mobile batteries, though.
 
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