Daily Shorts: UK eases onshore wind norms, Stellantis says its cars can switch to e-fuels

The UK government has eased approvals for onshore wind projects in England supported by the local population. The proposals also aim to incentivise locals by offering them cheaper electricity. Onshore wind projects in the UK have been under an informal ban since 2015, as rules allowed projects to be blocked by a single local complaint. Britain is also eyeing 50 GW of offshore wind capacity, with forecasts claiming the sector alone could create over 100,000 jobs by 2030.

Carmaker Stellantis revealed that 24 of the company's internal combustion engines (ICE) used in European vehicles can switch to advanced e-fuels without modification. The announcement comes as the EU considers allowing vehicles that run on e-fuels to be sold beyond a 2035 deadline phasing out ICE engines. Stellantis has been testing its engines for synthetic e-fuels since April as part of attempts to decarbonize its European fleet, and has so far tested 24 of its 28 engines.

South Korea's Solus Advanced Materials announced plans to set up a $500 million facility in Quebec, Canada, to produce copper foil, used as an anode collector, for EV batteries. The Volta Energy Solutions project should achieve full production capacity in 2026, government officials said. Canada, already home to a large mining sector for EV-critical minerals (lithium, nickel and cobalt), has wooed battery makers such as PowerCo and GM-POSCO to become a global battery hub.

Tesla has sued Bingling Intelligent Technology, a Chinese chip design and auto parts maker based in Changzhou, for infringement of technical secrets and unfair competition disputes. The suit comes days after the Elon Musk-led company unveiled a refreshed Model 3 for China, Europe and other markets. Chinese authorities have set the lawsuit for hearing on October 10. Data shows that electronics and cellphone maker Xiaomi owns 11.9 percent of Bingling through an investment fund.