19+ hour, 41+ min ago (105+ words) Chinese companies are building on rapid development of drones and EVs while harnessing government support for the futuristic inventions. Electric vehicle prowess helps China's flying car sector take off A worker in white gloves inspects the propellers of a boxy two-seater aircraft fresh off the assembly line at a Chinese factory trialing the mass production of flying cars. Globally, technical and regulatory challenges have prevented the much-hyped flying car sector from getting off the ground. But Chinese companies are building on rapid development of drones and electric vehicles (EVs) in the world's second-largest economy, while harnessing government support for the futuristic inventions....

1+ week, 4+ day ago (141+ words) Part of China's success has been partnering with trusted local importers to offer more affordable models tailored to regional tastes. MONTEVIDEO/LIMA - When Peruvian green energy entrepreneur Luis Zwiebach wanted to buy an electric vehicle in 2019, he flew 4,000 miles to California to test drive Tesla's Model 3 sedan But Tesla lacked an official importer, and he couldn't find a way around Peru's complex vehicle import procedures.He was not deterred 'There was a gentleman who had already imported one and wanted to sell it," Zwiebach said 'So I went to see it, and I bought it."Charging the Tesla initially proved difficult at his friend's beach house outside Lima 'The car wouldn't charge because there was no grounding device," he said 'We grabbed a fork, stuck it into the soil to make a ground " and the car charged."...

3+ mon, 2+ week ago (158+ words) Tianqi Lithium'jumped as much as 19% in Hong Kong, while Ganfeng Lithium Group'surged 21%, and Australian miners rallied. Lithium prices and stocks spiked on Monday after battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd halted operations at a major mine in China, spurring speculation that Beijing might move to suspend other projects as it tackles overcapacity across the economy.Tianqi Lithium jumped as much as 19% in Hong Kong, while Ganfeng Lithium Group surged 21%, and Australian miners rallied, after CATL confirmed it had shut the mine in Jiangxi province Prices of the battery metal on the Guangzhou Futures Exchange surged by the daily limit.The fate of the CATL mine " the biggest in China's lithium hub of Yichun " had been under close scrutiny for weeks, amid speculation that authorities wouldn't extend its license The mine accounts for some 6% of global output, according to Bank of…...

4+ mon, 3+ hour ago (290+ words) The ratio of car accidents in Japan resulting in death or serious injury that were caused by foreign drivers hit a record high of 2.1% in January-June, National Police Agency data showed Tuesday. According to the NPA, the number of such accidents in Japan in the first half of 2025 rose by 19 from a year earlier to 258, exceeding 250 for the first time since 2008. It was also the first time for the ratio to exceed 2.0%. The agency said that accidents caused by foreign drivers are on the rise with the increase in foreign residents and tourists. In response, the NPA plans to tighten the rules for the conversion of foreign driver's licenses to Japanese ones. The number of car accidents in Japan resulting in death or serious injury that occurred while drivers were using mobile phones, including those caused by Japanese, rose to…...

4+ mon, 5+ day ago (285+ words) A Japanese independent administrative agency has warned consumers that products powered by lithium-ion batteries, such as portable chargers and handheld fans, are more liable to catch fire during summer. A survey by the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation, or NITE, showed that the number of accidents involving such devices has been increasing in recent years, to 1,860 between 2020 and 2024. Fire accounted for 85% of them. Lithium-ion batteries are vulnerable to heat and impact, making them prone to accidents when temperatures rise. August marked the highest number of accidents, at 228 cases in the five-year period, followed by July, at 212, and June, at 201. By product, portable chargers logged the highest number, at 361 cases. There were 202 accidents involving power-assisted bicycles and 171 for rechargeable power tools. In July 2020, a man in his 50s in Hyogo Prefecture suffered minor burns when a handheld fan made a strange…...

4+ mon, 1+ week ago (133+ words) BYD's monthly sales have stagnated of late and with the summer months being a traditionally slower time, that trajectory isn't expected to reverse any time soon. Life atop China's car market is starting to look shaky for BYD Life at the top is proving complex for China's leading automaker, and there are fresh challenges on the horizon. BYD's monthly sales have stagnated of late and with the summer months being a traditionally slower time for consumer purchases, that trajectory isn't expected to reverse any time soon. Discounting is also now being looked sternly upon by Beijing, with China last week pledging to rein in "irrational competition" in the electric vehicle sector, reflecting authorities' wish to tackle the deflationary price wars that are threatening economic and industrial growth....

5+ mon, 1+ week ago (161+ words) In the rural suburbs of Hiroshima, a Japanese startup is trying to kick-start the nation's electric vehicle market with the smallest, cheapest car it can possibly make. In the rural suburbs of Hiroshima, a Japanese startup is trying to kick-start the nation's electric vehicle market with the smallest, cheapest car it can possibly make.KG Motors has developed a battery-powered one-seater that more resembles a futuristic golf cart than it does a modern EV, much less a traditional car And yet well over half of the 3,300 units it plans to deliver by March 2027 have already been pre-sold to customers.Incidentally, that puts it on track to sell more EVs in Japan than the world's biggest automaker, Toyota Motor, which shifted around such 2,000 vehicles in all of 2024 In a country where EVs are still a rare sight, KG Motors is trying…...

5+ mon, 1+ week ago (187+ words) Nissan Motor's push to breathe new life into its lineup will see the debut of an updated version of the Leaf, the struggling brand's compact family car that was the world's first mass-market electric ... Nissan Motor's push to breathe new life into its lineup will see the debut of an updated version of the Leaf, the struggling brand's compact family car that was the world's first mass-market electric vehicle.The Leaf has sold almost 700,000 units since it was originally released in 2010, making Nissan an EV pioneer But the Japanese carmaker struggled to maintain that early momentum, only introducing its second fully electric model " the Ariya SUV " in 2022 into a market crowded with high-tech offerings.Now, as CEO Ivan Espinosa undertakes an ambitious rescue plan to stem the carmaker's rapidly deteriorating financial position, Nissan is betting a revamp of the Leaf…...

6+ mon, 2+ week ago (180+ words) The supplier of lithium-ion batteries to Tesla is getting ready to start production at a second U.S.-based factory in Kansas, but has frozen plans for a third plant. Panasonic Holdings' decision not to rush into expanding capacity to build batteries has been validated by slower global demand for electric vehicles, CEO Yuki Kusumi said.The supplier of lithium-ion batteries to Tesla is getting ready to start production at a second U.S.-based factory in Kansas, but has frozen plans for a third plant Panasonic has been making batteries in Nevada since 2017, helping the carmaker ramp up volume sales for Tesla's Model 3 and Model Y cars.Panasonic may also be poised to benefit from having factories in the U.S as Tesla and others seek to reduce their reliance on Chinese battery-makers, because of the tariffs being imposed on items imported into the…...

7+ mon, 1+ week ago (269+ words) The Environment Ministry issued a notice to local governments on Tuesday requesting the thorough separation and collection of such batteries. The Environment Ministry is urging people to dispose of lithium-ion batteries properly as they can catch fire when mixed with other waste under certain conditions. Following reports across the country of lithium-ion batteries catching fire after being disposed of with other garbage, the ministry issued a notice to local governments on Tuesday requesting the thorough separation and collection of such batteries. Lithium-ion batteries are light and long-lasting, and are used in a variety of electronic products, such as power banks and e-cigarettes. When hit with a strong impact or exposed to rain, however, the batteries are prone to igniting. The ministry last month partially revised its guidelines for the disposal of general waste, saying that it is desirable for municipalities…...