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Tag - batteries

 
 

BATTERIES

Under the new rules, each passenger will be allowed to bring no more than two power banks in their carry-on baggage, each with a capacity of 160 watt-hours or less. Using the devices aboard planes will be prohibited.
JAPAN
Apr 14, 2026
Japan to restrict power banks on flights from April 24
Charging the batteries and using them to charge electronic devices such as smartphones during flights will be prohibited.
A newly built and yet to open Tesla Supercharger station in Lost Hills, California, on Feb. 5
ENVIRONMENT / Climate change
Feb 25, 2026
What Trump¡¯s new tariffs mean for climate tech
The Supreme Court¡¯s recent ruling is good news for companies like Tesla, which have seen production costs soar since last.
Passengers will still be able to bring two power banks on flights, just not use them.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2026
Japan set to prohibit use of power banks on flights
Portable batteries have caught fire and emitted smoke on flights globally.
A Nissan Leaf EV car and portable battery on display at Nissan Gallery in Yokohama. The Japanese auto industry is currently trying to come up with ways to ensure that used electric vehicle batteries are recycled and reused within the country.
BUSINESS
Jan 10, 2026
Battery recycling key to further spread of EVs in Japan
The Japanese auto industry is currently trying to come up with ways to ensure that used electric vehicle batteries are recycled and reused within the country.
According to the Environment Ministry, 8,543 fire incidents involving mobile batteries discarded as waste occurred in garbage trucks or elsewhere in fiscal 2023.
JAPAN
Jan 7, 2026
60% in Japan unaware of mobile battery disposal methods
Experts are calling on the public to not throw such devices away as garbage, as some discarded batteries have started fires in waste collection vehicles.
Swollen or deformed batteries are particularly prone to ignition.
JAPAN
Dec 24, 2025
Japan aims to eliminate serious lithium battery fires by 2030
In a policy package drawn up by central government agencies including the Environment Ministry, local governments and companies are urged to properly dispose of used batteries.
Electrical infrastructure for servers at Meta¡¯s data center in Eagle Mountain, Utah. Data centers can use as much electricity as a small city, straining local power grids.
WORLD / Politics
Dec 24, 2025
The Pentagon and AI giants have a weakness. Both need China¡¯s batteries, badly.
Long a problem for industries such as auto manufacturing, Chinese battery dominance is now being seen as a national security threat.
A worker installs battery packs into an electric vehicle chassis at the vehicle assembly lines of Geely Automobile's Zeekr Factory in Ningbo, China, in March. Chinese firms are on track for a 75% jump this year in global shipments of lithium-ion battery cells for energy storage, according to one estimate.
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Dec 22, 2025
China's power reforms and global data center buildout usher in battery boom
Chinese firms have exported more than $65 billion worth of storage and electric-vehicle batteries this year, cementing their dominance in the sector.
A coal-fired power plant in Shanghai. China¡¯s on track for another year of record mine output.
ENVIRONMENT / Energy
Dec 10, 2025
Energy demand boom keeps Asia tethered to coal
Concerns over energy security and costs are trumping the climate agenda in the region¡¯s high-growth, high-polluting economies.
An experiment on battery-related fires by the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation shows a burnt handheld fan.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Dec 2, 2025
Japan works to raise safety awareness over lithium-ion battery fires
Fires linked to electric devices powered by lithium-ion batteries increased in Japan this year amid intense heat in the summer across the nation.
Toyota¡¯s new battery manufacturing plant in Liberty, North Carolina, officially opened on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 13, 2025
Toyota pledges up to $10 billion in U.S. operations investment
The announcement comes less than a month after U.S. President Donald Trump flagged that the Japanese carmaker planned such an investment.
Japanese EV production is focusing on batteries as automakers compete for the lightest, most durable models and the longest driving range.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 19, 2025
EV battery race heats up among Japanese automakers
Batteries account for about one-third of the price of an EV and largely determine its driving range and durability, fueling fierce competition for innovation.
New export restrictions include large-scale lithium-ion batteries used for energy storage as well as cathode and anode materials and battery manufacturing machinery, all technologies where China has a robust global lead.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 13, 2025
China¡¯s new weapon in U.S. trade talks: Batteries
New rules require battery companies to receive licenses from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce before exporting their goods, allowing Beijing to selectively weaponize exports.
Detainees at a joint facility of Hyundai Motor and LG Energy Solution stand against a bus during a raid by federal agents in Ellabell, Georgia, last week.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 11, 2025
LG's other U.S. sites see exodus of South Korean workers after raid: sources
Visa concerns following last week's immigration raid on LG Energy Solution's joint facility with Hyundai Motor have led South Korean workers to head home.
Heliostat mirrors at the site of Dunhuang Shouhang 100MW Tower Solar Thermal Power Generation Project in Gansu province, China, on Oct. 16, 2024
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 10, 2025
China¡¯s green tech firms pour billions into overseas factories
Chinese companies are expanding their supply chains abroad to capture new markets, avoid tariffs and get closer to sources of raw materials, according to new research.
Tesla Megapack batteries at the Victorian Big Battery site operated by Neoen in Moorabool, Victoria, Australia, on Feb. 3, 2023
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 18, 2025
Wild power-price swings are driving an Australian battery boom
A rooftop solar boom has aided the shift but also created midday power gluts, giving big batteries the chance to buy electricity cheaply and sell it back when prices rebound.
A miner holds a sack of ore as it comes out a the mine shaft at the Rubaya coltan mine, near the town of Rubaya, which is controlled by M23 rebels, in eastern Congo on March 24.
WORLD
Aug 14, 2025
Inside the mine that feeds the tech world ¡ª and funds Congo¡¯s rebels
The Congolese town of Rubaya produces around 15% of the world¡¯s coltan, which is shipped thousands of kilometers away to Asia where it¡¯s processed into tantalum.
The government is considering requiring handheld fans to be recycled, in the wake of a host of fires caused by rechargeable electric devices during disposal work.
JAPAN
Aug 13, 2025
Japan may make recycling handheld fans mandatory
The consideration comes in the wake of a host of fires caused by rechargeable electric devices during disposal work.
The Jianxiawo Lithium mine in Yichun, Jiangxi province, China
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 11, 2025
Lithium market erupts as CATL shuts one of world¡¯s biggest mines
Tianqi Lithium?jumped as much as 19% in Hong Kong, while Ganfeng Lithium Group?surged 21%, and Australian miners rallied.
A mobile battery ignites during a simulation experiment.
JAPAN
Jul 25, 2025
Agency warns of fire risks from lithium-ion batteries
Lithium-ion batteries are vulnerable to heat and impact, making them prone to accidents when temperatures rise.

Longform

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