Author: EVAI

A Cox Automotive analysis compares the value of used hybrid, electric and gasoline vehicles with their sticker price.

Stellantis will test solid-state battery cells from Massachusetts-based Factorial in a fleet of Dodge Charger Daytona electric vehicles starting in 2026, the two companies announced Wednesday.

The test fleet “will enable the validation of Factorial’s technology and assessment of its performance in real-world driving conditions,” the companies said. It will also help Stellantis gauge whether Factorial’s solid-state cells can be integrated with its EV-focused STLA Large platform—which underpins the Charger, Jeep Wagoneer S, and other upcoming models—on a commercial scale.

Factorial solid-state battery cell

It’s also yet another step toward commercialization of Factorial’s battery tech, which the company has been slowly advancing toward over the past few years. Factorial began providing test cells to automakers in 2022. The following year, Factorial opened what it billed as the largest U.S. solid-state EV battery plant yet in a Boston suburb.

Stellantis invested $75 million in Factorial in 2021. Other automaker investors include Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz. Earlier this year, Factorial announced that its Solstice solid-state cell developed in collaboration with Mercedes could boost EV range by up to 80% through greater energy density.

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona

Other automakers are also funding solid-state battery tech. Volkswagen has partnered with QuantumScape, while Nissan and Toyota are running in-house development programs. Earlier this year, Toyota confirmed plans to begin manufacturing solid-state cells in 2026 or soon after then, albeit likely in small amounts for low-volume EVs.

Meanwhile, the Charger Daytona is expected to arrive at dealerships before the end of the year with a $61,590 base price for the entry-level R/T model. It’s expected to return 317 miles of range with a 100.5-kwh (93.5-kwh usable) battery pack comprised of conventional lithium-ion cells.

• Lithium in a Smackover Formation could provide nine times the global demand for EV batteries
• The lithium deposits could be the key to U.S. battery production
• Lithium mining was extensive in North Carolina until the 1980s

A lithium deposit located in southwestern Arkansas could hold enough of the metal to satisfy global EV battery demand nine times over, according to a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)-led study.

The study, based on water testing and machine-learning analysis, estimates between five million and 19 million tons of lithium in the Smackover Formation. Even the low-end estimate is equivalent to more than nine times the global demand for lithium use in EV batteries in 2030, as currently estimated by the International Energy Agency (IEA), the USGS notes.

Smackover Formation identified as a potential U.S. lithium source (via USGS)

Also extending under parts of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, the Smackover Formation is a remnant of an ancient sea that dates from the Jurassic period. It’s known for rich deposits of oil and bromine, but the USGS believes lithium can be commercially extracted from the brine (high salinity water) brought to the surface during oil and gas extraction operations.

The U.S. currently imports more than 25% of its lithium, according to the USGS. Despite having one of the largest supplies of lithium, U.S. production faltered in the 1990s due to cost issues. More than 80% of global lithium is sourced from Australia, Chile, and China, with the latter nation controlling more than half of the world’s lithium processing and refining capacity, according to a 2022 CNBC report.

BMW cylindrical battery cells

But the USGS estimates that there is enough lithium brought to the surface in oil-production brine waste streams in Arkansas to cover current estimated U.S. lithium demand. That would help achieve the Biden administration’s goal of building a domestic EV supply chain. The administration has already turned to the Defense Production Act to ramp up availability of lithium and other battery materials, and added raw-material sourcing requirements to the federal EV tax credit, in support of those goal.

Efforts have also been made to restart lithium production in areas where it once thrived. In 2019, a mining company sought permits for a new lithium mine near Charlotte, North Carolina. Lithium was mined extensively in the North Carolina foothills until the 1980s.

Kia’s EV9 three-row electric SUV carries over into its second model year essentially unchanged, but with a $700 price increase for the Light Long Range model.

Pricing for the 2025 Kia EV9 starts at $56,225 (with the mandatory $1,325 destination charge added in) for the Light Standard Range, the only model with the smaller 76.1-kwh battery pack. The Light Long Range upgrades to a 99.8-kwh pack for $61,225 with destination. Both Light models have a single-motor rear-wheel drive powertrain. Light Standard Range models are rated at 215 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque with smaller pack while Long Range models are rated at 201 hp.

2025 Kia EV9

The rest of the lineup consists of Wind ($65,225), Land ($71,225), and GT-Line ($75,225) models with the larger pack and dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrains. All three all-wheel drive models are rated at 379 hp, while GT-Line models see an increase from the standard 443 lb-ft of torque to 516 lb-ft, which also drops the 0-60 mph time to a sports-car-like 5.0 seconds.

EPA-rated range is unchanged, topping out at 304 miles for the Light Long Range. That decreases to 230 miles for Light models with the smaller battery pack, while Wind and Land models are rated at 280 miles. GT-Line models have larger wheels that contribute to a 10-mile range penalty.

2025 Kia EV9

Arriving for 2024 as the second Kia model based on the E-GMP dedicated EV platform, the EV9 quickly drew critical and consumer attention. We named it Green Car Reports Best Car To Buy 2024, and early demand quickly led to dealer price gouging.

The 2025 models are already subject to one recall to address a software issue that could cause digital gauge clusters to fail. This recall, which also affects some 2024 models, is the second one for the EV9 recently. Another one addresses a separate software issue related to the optional remote parking system.

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McLaren in October revealed a successor to its P1 hypercar in the form of the W1. The new hypercar is similar to the P1 in that it features a plug-in hybrid powertrain built around a twin-turbocharged V-8 engine, but in other areas it is completely different, especially when it comes to chassis design. One area where the W1 stands out is the use…

Auto lenders and dealerships should not ignore car buyers with lower credit scores, Armando Hidalgo, director of servicing at SameDay Auto Finance, said in a panel discussion at the Auto Finance Summit this month in Las Vegas.

With many of those consumers “now needing credit, it is a good opportunity for us to capture some of that market,” Hidalgo said. It is “also a good opportunity for borrowers to reestablish themselves.”

Auto lenders can manage the risks of customers with lower credit scores by informing those consumers ahead of time and by keeping in touch with them often, Hidalgo said.

“It is up to us to make sure that we put them in the right path of success,” he added.

Have a good auto finance and insurance tip to share? Email Automotive News F&I reporters John Huetter at john.huetter@crain.com and Paige Hodder at paige.hodder@crain.com. See more F&I tips at autonews.com/topic/fi-tips.

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