Energy tech round-up: what you might’ve missed in July

The energy tech world is evolving fast – new tech, fresh investments, exciting partnerships. There’s always something happening in the net-zero landscape. But with so many big, shiny headlines, it’s easy to lose track of the real breakthroughs. To save you some time, we’ve done the digging. Keep reading to learn the latest stories shaking up energy tech.

Fresh funding flow

The month started off with great news for our alumni Climeworks. They kicked off July by raising $162M capital, pushing their total equity past $1B. The round was led by BigPoint Holding and Partners Group, with strong support from already existing backers. As Climeworks noted in their article – this is the biggest carbon removal investment of the year so far.

What are these funds for? Climeworks is using it to scale up their direct air capture tech – making it more energy-efficient, longer-lasting and bringing down the costs of carbon removals. They’re also expanding their carbon removal offerings to help more companies get started with high-quality, blended solutions.

Read the full story: climeworks.com/press-release/climeworks-raises-usd-162m-to-scale-up-technology

EV range record

Speaking of major milestones, Lucid Motors just set a new world record for the longest uninterrupted EV journey. Their luxury sedan, the Lucid Air Grand Touring, drove 1,205 km (about 749 miles) from St. Moritz, Switzerland to Munich, Germany – no charging stops at all. That’s 160 km farther than the previous record and beats the car’s own rated range by over 230 miles.

How’d they do it? It comes down to smart engineering and efficient driving. Lucid’s high-voltage 924V system, aerodynamic design, innovative battery tech and smart route all played a vital role. Beyond the record itself, this shows just how far EV innovations have come. It’s a clear sign that real-world, long-range electric travel isn’t just hype – it’s already happening, and it’s pushing the whole energy tech space forward.

Learn more: media.lucidmotors.com/en/newsitem/1032

Wins in partnerships

There’s no better way to speed up the clean energy transition than having big tech in the game. Google recently announced its first major move into long-duration energy storage, partnering with Milan-based startup Energy Dome. By backing the company’s CO₂ Battery, Google is supporting a technology that can store clean energy from 8 to 24 hours. That’s a very practical way to keep the lights on when solar and wind aren’t producing power.

Google says, this kind of tech could be up and running much sooner than many other advanced solutions they’re working on. That makes it a strong contender for helping the grid become more flexible and reliable. With data center energy demand on the rise, tools like this ensure we are keeping up and not harming our planet.

More details about the partnership: blog.google/outreach-initiatives/sustainability/long-term-energy-storage

Google is not the only contributor

As of July 30, Reuters released an article announcing the partnership between South Korean battery giant LG Energy Solution and Tesla. The deal marks a $4.3B, three year agreement of lithium iron phosphate battery supply. Though LG didn’t name Tesla outright, articles confirm they are the buyer, as the contract is part of efforts to reduce reliance on Chinese suppliers amid rising U.S. tariffs. 

What makes this deal even more significant – it brings domestic battery production into the spotlight. By building LFP capacity in the U.S., companies are helping to solve the need for local, secure, and scalable energy storage. This hurdle is one of the biggest bottlenecks in the clean energy transition in the US.  Besides that, the deal also aligns with U.S. policy goals of reshoring critical supply chains. 

More news are on the way

New deals, partnerships, and tech breakthroughs pop up every day – but let’s be honest, it’s not always easy to tell what really matters. That’s where events like Energy Tech Summit come in. It brings together industry leaders who don’t just talk about trends – they share insights backed by real-world experience.

Come join the crowd and hear where the future of energy is hidden – April 15–16, 2026 in Bilbao, Spain.

🎟️ Grab your ticket: energytechsummit.com