Formula E, Fraunhofer IPA, Tesla vs. Google, ARPA-E.

Battery competition postponed: Formula E will only open its battery competition in season five and not as previously planned next year. There will be a new battery in year three and four however, but the same for every team and again developed by Williams.
autosport.com, insideevs.com

Modular battery brain: Researchers at the Fraunhofer IPA have created a power pack in which each cell has its own built-in microcontroller that records relevant physical parameters. The cells then exchange information on their condition and can also communicate with other devices. As the cells function independently, range and battery life increase.
nanowerk.com

Job shift: Tesla’s specialist for automated driving, Robert Rose, has joined Google’s robotic division. If Rose has been hired to work on the IT giant’s self-driving cars is unconfirmed. The engineer previously worked for Space X and signs responsible for much of Tesla’s Autopilot. Consequently, Elon Musk is personally looking for software engineers that will work towards full autonomy.
9to5google.com, businessinsider.de, insideevs.com (search for engineers)

A total of 6.6 million dollars goes to two projects developing manufacturing techniques for ceramic electrolytes for solid-state EV batteries. The money comes from ARPA-E that awarded 3.5m to a consortium led by the University of Michigan, and 3.1m dollars to Corning Incorporated.
greencarcongress.com