South Korean battery maker SK On has entered into an agreement with Westwater Resources for materials for its automotive batteries.

Westwater is at work on a graphite processing facility in Kellyton in Coosa County.

SK On says the move is “part of efforts to strengthen its battery raw material supply chain in North America following the enactment of the Inflation Reduction Act.”

The Korean firm has two EV battery plants in Georgia and is building more, including one to support Hyundai’s operations in Montgomery.

In announcing the deal, the battery maker said, “Under the agreement, the two companies will work together to develop environmentally responsible, high-performance anode materials tailored for SK On batteries. Should the project end with successful results, SK On will consider an option of sourcing Westwater’s anode materials for use at its battery manufacturing facilities in the U.S.”

HUNTSVILLE – Polaris will be shipping the first of its all-new electric Ranger XP Kinetic vehicles from its Huntsville manufacturing plant this week.

Polaris manufactures the fully electric vehicle at the more than 900,000 square-foot plant in Huntsville. The company said today it plans to take additional orders on the Ranger this summer.

The Ranger XP Kinetic features an all-electric powertrain and is engineered for off-road use through Polaris’ exclusive 10-year partnership with Zero Motorcycles, the company said.

“Since announcing our electrification efforts and partnership with Zero Motorcycles, it has been major milestone moments like today’s announcement that have motivated and driven our team to engineer and deliver category-redefining powersports vehicles,” said Steve Menneto, president of Off Road, Polaris. “The Ranger XP Kinetic demonstrates the game-changing performance advantages that an electric powertrain can provide, and we look forward to getting these vehicles into the hands of our dealers and consumers across the country.”

At each of Saturday’s three EV showcases, electric vehicle owners talked one-on-one with visitors.

Not long after purchasing a Tesla, Steve Johnson and his family took the electric vehicle on a long road trip.

“We thought we were crazy in Alabama to get an EV,” said Johnson, co-leader of the Wiregrass chapter of Drive Electric Alabama and owner of Wiregrass EV Charging. “The first thing we did was take a road trip to Missouri, and it basically cost us nothing. It turned out great.”

Johnson later bought a Rivian pick-up truck to replace his full-sized, gas-powered truck and said he’s put 23,000 miles on it less than year. He showed off the Rivian at Saturday’s Wiregrass Drive Electric Alabama Earth Day EVent at Johnny Henderson Park in Enterprise as part of the Weevil City Cruisers’ 26th Annual Car Show.

The EVent gave Johnson and other EV owners the opportunity to showcase their EVs and talk 1-on-1 with anyone interested in learning more about EVs.

A new campaign is charging up support from drivers across the state.

The Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition debuted an official Alabama license plate available for pre-commitments now.

With new manufacturers taking electric vehicles to market and it being easier than ever to make the switch, a lot of Alabamians are starting to ask good questions.

“Electric vehicle owners are already asked very often about their cars and most of them are very active in sharing the good experience they’ve had with their EVs,” said coalition President Michael Staley.

Alabama Power has announced that it will now be offering incentives for its residential customers if they own or plan on owning an electric vehicle. The new incentives are meant to make charging an electric vehicle at home less costly.

“These incentives are one way we are helping customers to innovate their lifestyle and achieve long-term energy savings,” said Tony Smoke, senior vice president of Marketing and Economic Development. “As technology advances and the needs of our customers evolve, we are focused on providing new ways to assist them.

“At Alabama Power, we want to help innovate our state while boosting energy efficiency. It is our hope that the incentives we’re offering help our customers take the next step in adopting a new technology.”

Alabama Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield said in a statement that the Alabama auto industry is moving forward with electric vehicle production.

“Alabama’s auto sector is poised for a pivotal year in 2023, as our automakers respond to major industry challenges, embrace new technologies and continue to turn out high-quality vehicles that are in demand around the world,” Canfield said.

“Hyundai’s Alabama plant recently began assembling its first all-electric SUV, the electrified Genesis GV70, following the production launches of EQS and EQE luxury sport utilities at the Mercedes-Benz facility,” Canfield continued. “Meanwhile, Honda’s plant is planning updates for some of its Alabama-made models, and the new Mazda Toyota Manufacturing factory is proceeding with its hiring plans.”

WASHINGTON – The Biden-Harris Administration today opened applications for a new multi-billion-dollar program to fund electric vehicle (EV) charging and alternative-fueling infrastructure in communities across the country and along designated highways, interstates, and major roadways. This is a key step towards the President’s goals of building a national network of 500,000 public EV charging stations and reducing national greenhouse gas emissions by 50–52% by 2030.

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s new Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program, established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will provide $2.5 billion over five years to a wide range of applicants, including cities, counties, local governments, and Tribes. This round of funding makes up to $700 million from fiscal years 2022 and 2023 funding available to strategically deploy EV charging and other alternative vehicle-fueling infrastructure projects in publicly accessible locations in urban and rural communities, as well as along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs).

Mercedes-Benz will soon have three fully electric SUVs for sale in the U.S., including the smaller EQB and larger EQS SUV models already on sale. On Wednesday, it released prices for the middle model, the 2023 Mercedes EQE SUV.

The EQE SUV has all the makings of a made-in-America EV. It’s due to be built in Alabama, with its 108-kwh battery pack to be supplied from a nearby factory. At $79,050 including destination, it just squeaks in under the Clean Vehicle Tax Credit max of $80,000 for SUVs.