Tag - batteries

 
 

BATTERIES

A lithium smelter in Yichun, Jiangxi province, China
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 9, 2025
Stubbornly resilient lithium supply remains hurdle to recovery
Lithium prices have plunged since late 2022 on oversupply and slower-than-expected growth in electric vehicle demand.
Tencent, China’s most valuable company, is seen as a pioneer in China’s internet and private sector, creating a so-called everything app that Elon Musk has held up as a model for X.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 8, 2025
U.S. blacklist of China’s tech giants risks even faster decoupling
The move, which experts say could backfire on Washington, comes amid an intensifying tech rivalry between the two countries.
A Panasonic Energy factory in the city of Kinokawa, Wakayama prefecture
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 7, 2025
Panasonic Energy says cutting China supply for U.S. business a 'No.1 objective'
Incoming U.S. President Donald Trump's pledge to raise tariffs on imported Chinese goods has forced companies around the world to reassess their manufacturing processes.
A portable charger containing a lithium-ion battery that overheated in an accident during a reenactment experiment in December at the Consumer Affairs Agency
JAPAN / Society
Jan 7, 2025
Consumer Affairs Agency warns of risks from battery-powered heated devices
Injury reports linked to lithium-ion battery-powered heating gear have surged over the last 10 years.
TDK CEO Noboru Saito said the Tokyo-based company plans to start mass production of its third-generation silicon-anode cells from late summer.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 6, 2025
iPhone supplier TDK rolls out new batteries to keep pace with AI
From late summer, the Tokyo-based company plans to start mass production of its silicon-anode cells, which carry more energy than conventional ones.
A close up of EV batteries at the production unit of Inobat, a Slovakian battery maker in Voderady, Slovakia, on Dec. 11
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 23, 2024
After Northvolt, Europe's battery hopes heavily rely on China
The norm in the future may be joint ventures that rely on China's low-margin electric vehicle battery dominance.
The flag of China is seen next to the elements of gallium and germanium on a periodic table.
BUSINESS / Markets
Dec 23, 2024
Tiny but vital metal markets rush to adjust to Chinese clampdown
Beijing this month slapped a ban on U.S.-bound exports of gallium, germanium and antimony in a tit-for-tat move in a technology trade war.
An electric vehicle charging station in Baker, California. The Inflation Reduction Act has spurred investment in EVs and other green technologies across the U.S. and President-elect Donald Trump should continue Joe Biden's climate-related industrial policy.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 16, 2024
Green tech and U.S.-China rivalry: Two sides of the same coin
The incoming president should improve, not undo, Biden's industrial policies, which have boosted investment in green technologies, a key economic battleground.
The Northvolt Drei EV battery plant in Heide, Germany, one of several European-led battery facilities to have been delayed or canceled.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 10, 2024
Europe’s big battery ambitions are failing, and China is benefiting
Fallout is spreading across the region as EV demand wanes and local manufacturers struggle to master the technology.
A Chevrolet Bolt electric vehicle (EV) at a dealership in Colma, California, on Jan. 26
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 9, 2024
Trump's EV skepticism threatens $54 billion in Korean investments
Some Korean companies have slowed or hit the pause button on any ongoing construction of some plants in the U.S. because they’re concerned about reduced demand for EVs.
Dai Nippon Printing said that Elliott Investment Management looks to have substantially reduced its position in the company.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 25, 2024
Dai Nippon Printing says Elliott has sold most of its stake
Elliott has been active in Japan this year, investing in Tokyo Gas, Sumitomo, SoftBank Group and Mitsui Fudosan.
The Northvolt facility in Skelleftea, Sweden.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 23, 2024
Northvolt crisis may be make or break for Europe's EV battery ambitions
Europe's biggest hope for an electric vehicle battery champion filed for bankruptcy protection on Thursday after talks for funding failed.
A mockup of a Northvolt battery at a factory in Skelleftea, northern Sweden. Northvolt transformed in a matter of months from Europe's best shot at a homegrown electric-vehicle battery champion to a company struggling to stay afloat.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 22, 2024
Northvolt files for bankruptcy in blow to Europe's EV ambitions
The firm said it has only enough cash to support operations for about a week.
A Honda electric vehicle at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in April. Honda is investing ¥43 billion ($277 million) in an all-solid-state battery production line in Tochigi Prefecture.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 21, 2024
Honda hopes to double EV driving range with solid-state batteries
Such batteries will replace liquid-state lithium-ion batteries currently in use, Honda R&D chief Keiji Otsu says.
Nissan has warned that missing a British government target on electric vehicles would lead to significant fines for manufacturers.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 21, 2024
Nissan urges U.K. to ease EV targets amid weak demand
A British mandate requires at least 22% of an automaker's new car sales in 2024 to be purely EVs, or they face hefty fines.
YouTuber Genki Ichioka appears in a video produced by the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE). Since July, NITE and Ichioka have collaborated on videos on product safety awareness.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Nov 20, 2024
NITE partners with YouTuber to reach younger audiences on product safety
The collaboration with Genki Ichioka, who has over a million subscribers on his channel, aims to raise awareness about the potential dangers of everyday products.
Asian chipmakers, led by Taiwan's TSMC and South Korea's Samsung Electronics, have collectively invested at least $117 billion in the U.S.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 7, 2024
What's at stake for Asian companies under a Trump presidency
Trump has floated the idea of a 10% or more tariff on all goods imported into the U.S.
Ringhals nuclear power plant near Varberg, Sweden
BUSINESS
Oct 30, 2024
Sweden’s nuclear revival in question as green hangover spreads
A policy U-turn that would entail a massive build-out of reactors, the first to come online in more than 40 years, now appears more unlikely.
A Blade battery on display at BYD’s headquarters in Shenzhen
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 17, 2024
Apple secretly worked with BYD on long-range EV battery, sources say
Sources claim the firms teamed up around 2017 to build a battery system using lithium iron phosphate cells.
An electric vehicle (EV) at an Electrify America charging station in Atlanta
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 7, 2024
The future of EV charging looks a lot like an airport lounge
The convenience of nicer charger stations could entice would-be electric vehicle drivers to take the plunge and buy one,

Longform

Atsuyoshi Koike, the president and CEO of Rapidus, says there is a “sense of urgency” when it comes to Japan’s efforts in manufacturing semiconductors. “We have to make sure we are successful,” he says.
Atsuyoshi Koike’s big game: Fourth down and 2 nanometers to go