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China’s top maker of electric-vehicle batteries plans to spend $1.4 billion (10 billion yuan) building its first factory in the southwest of the country, adding to ambitious plans for the next decade even as the short-term EV outlook gets buffeted by subsidy cuts and demand uncertainties.

A group of U.S. senators is introducing legislation to boost domestic production of “critical minerals” that are often imported from China to make electric car batteries.

The country holding the world’s largest reserves of lithium says it is one step closer to becoming a manufacturing hub for rechargeable batteries used in electric vehicles.

LAS VEGAS — Nikola Motor Co. founder and CEO Trevor Milton said two key customers — private fleet Anheuser-Busch Cos. and truckload carrier U.S. Xpress Enterprises — will begin fleet tests of Nikola’s zero-emisssions hydrogen-electric Class 8 trucks by the end of the year, as the first shoots of the necessary fueling infrastructure are emerging in Phoenix.

To deliver an electric vehicle that’s cheaper, safer and capable of traveling 500 miles on a single charge, the auto industry needs a breakthrough in battery technology. Easier said than done.

Daimler AG’s truck division is investing in Israeli battery-technology startup StoreDot Ltd., tapping into a supplier that seeks to enable electric vehicles to recharge as quickly as combustion-powered models can refuel.

Trucking industry groups and suppliers are exploring a variety of battery technologies that could better manage the power demands of tomorrow’s trucks while providing greater longevity and reliability.