Ford, Panasonic, unicycle, solid electrolyte.

Batteries by Ford: The manufacturer is looking to develop its own cell chemistry together with the University of Michigan, Navigant Research points out. Ford says it will still use suppliers to assemble the packs. Cells in existing EVs are powered by LG Chem and Panasonic batteries. Ford pushes electrification further, as the Ford Engineering Laboratory from 1923 has been refurbished to host electric drivetrain development.
navigantresearch.com via greencarreports.com

Panasonic batteries from China: 50 billion yen (412m dollars) will be poured into a facility in Chinese Dalian. There, Panasonic plans to annually produce batteries for about 200,000 electric vehicles together with partner(s) from China. Production start is set for 2017.
asia.nikkei.com, autonews.gasgoo.com

From car to unicycle: Ford filed a patent for an electric unicycle made from a car’s back wheel. Drivers would use a jack to disengage the wheel, assemble handlebars and an electric drive and balance off on the last mile – if the idea ever makes it to the street.
techinsider.io, mashable.com

New solid electrolyte: U.S. and Korean researchers have created a highly conductive electrolyte to be used in solid-state Li-ion batteries. It comes with an improved contact for electrodes, while conductivity was increased by adding iodised lithium.
greencarcongress.com, unist.ac.kr