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Battery Circularity
…topic from governments. International patenting related to battery circularity grew by 42% per year on average from 2017 to 2023, across technology categories such as those for the collection and sorting of used batteries, mechanical processing, and treatments to recover valuable metals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt and copper from end-of-life batteries. As a potentially important secondary supply of critical battery materials, recycling will compete with primary supplies and the report also finds that innovation landscape for converting primary mined ore to battery-critical metals to be dynamic. However, there is lower growth in refining compared with recycling.
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Efficient Grid-Interactive Buildings in India
Status and opportunities This report assesses the opportunities for efficient grid-interactive buildings (EGIBs) to support India’s clean energy transition. EGIBs unite energy efficiency, smart digital technologies and demand-side flexibility, allowing them to optimise energy use, shift or reduce peak demand and better align consumption with renewable energy generation.The buildings sector is central to clean energy transitions in a context where rapidly increasing electricity demand is driven by cooling and appliance use, and the share of variable renewable energy in electricity generation is continuously growing. Without targeted action, unmanaged peak loads and variable supply could jeopardise grid…
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Heat Pump Taxonomy
…that of conventional heating technologies is essential for understanding future needs with regards to energy demand, investments in electricity infrastructure and fuel supply.Despite their growing importance, data on heat pump installations, as well as on their performance and cost, remain fragmented and inconsistent across regions as reporting practices differ in scope, definitions and metrics used.The Heat Pump Taxonomy Project, led by the IEA in collaboration with stakeholders from over 50 institutions, has developed a proposed taxonomy that focuses initially on heat pumps used as primary heating equipment in buildings, and that could be gradually expanded to other sectors…
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Overview graphic: key technology trends for EVs
GEVO 2026 - Chapter 8 Electric vehicles (EVs) are increasingly at the centre of innovation in the automotive sector, bringing advances that extend far beyond developments in batteries and power electronics, thanks to several mutually reinforcing factors. Key technology trends are aligning in favour of EVs Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) are mechanically simpler than internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) or hybrids, making them more compatible with digitalisation and automation. The relative simplicity of electric drivetrains enables shorter development cycles for new vehicles, allowing emerging technologies to reach BEVs sooner than vehicles with other powertrains.While the transition from mechanical to software…
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Vehicle-to-grid technology
GEVO 2026 - Chapter 8 With the rollout of smart and bidirectional charging, EV owners can reduce charging costs and, in some cases, generate revenue by participating in grid services, such as frequency regulation. Load shifting and vehicle‑to‑grid (V2G) capabilities provide substantial electricity system benefits, helping reduce peak demand and potentially limiting the need for future grid investment – benefits for which EV owners can be compensated. Vehicle-to-grid charging holds the promise of alleviating grid constraints but barriers remain The rollout of EVs is a major driver of global electricity demand growth. Residential EV charging can draw more power than…
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Vehicle software and software-defined vehicles
GEVO 2026 - Chapter 8 The transition from mechanical to software-based vehicle control has been underway for decades and has accelerated dramatically with the rise of EVs. Pure-play EV makers have pioneered the shift towards high-level, continuously updateable software-based vehicle control, speeding up the development and rollout of new features. Vehicles are evolving into software platforms for which users can access subscription‑based premium features, in the same way as for smartphones. A new design paradigm is emerging, with EVs at the forefront The digital transformation of the car industry is most evident in the emergence of software…
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Autonomous vehicles
GEVO 2026 - Chapter 8 Progress in AI and computing power is disproportionately benefiting EVs, particularly for automated driving and integrated vehicle control. Sensors and chips integrate well with the stable, high-voltage power supply of EV batteries. Electric vehicles lead in automation and advanced driver assistance Driving automation is at the forefront of software developments for cars today. While fully autonomous cars (Level 5 automation)) are not currently in sight, electric driverless taxis (Level 4) are already operating commercially in more than 20 cities worldwide. Moreover, automated driving systems are not limited to self-driving cars – they are also rapidly gaining…
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Artificial intelligence and EVs
GEVO 2026 - Chapter 8 Progress in AI and computing power is disproportionately benefiting EVs, particularly for automated driving and integrated vehicle control. Sensors and chips integrate well with the stable, high-voltage power supply of EV batteries. At the same time, the benefits of AI and increased computing power are not exclusive to EVs. AI‑enabled energy management systems are increasingly used to optimise hybrid vehicles, and AI techniques are accelerating the design, testing and optimisation of all vehicles. Advances in AI underpin progress in autonomous vehicles Just two decades ago, state-of-the-art autonomous vehicles were confined to test…
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Ultra-fast charging batteries
…of the current, it reduces them by 75%.An electric vehicle battery pack is composed of hundreds or thousands of battery cells, each typically operating at a voltage of around 3-4 volts (V). These cells can be connected in series or in parallel, with series configurations increasing the overall pack voltage to the required level. Most battery electric cars on the market today operate with battery systems of around 400 V, which has long been considered a suitable compromise between charging performance and battery pack complexity, cost and reliability. However, the increasing availability of ultra‑fast charging infrastructure, alongside improvements in…