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April 19, 2024
 

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Paul Lienert
For Paul Lienert's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Volkswagen is casting its net wider in pursuit of a potentially game-changing technology: a "solid-state" electric car battery
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 16, 2024
Volkswagen and rivals plug away at solid-state battery puzzle
An array of technical hurdles are holding back wider development of solid-state technology, seen by its backers as the "holy grail" of EV batteries.
Bernadett Vejkey, marketing manager at Addionics, holds up a sheet of a porous, three-dimensional copper anode the battery materials startup has developed for electric vehicle batteries, at the company's lab in London.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 11, 2023
Fear of cheap Chinese EVs spurs dash for affordable cars
Legacy automakers are turning to suppliers to get their costs down and even steer clear of rare earths, a segment dominated by China.
A used KIA electric car is seen for sale outside the showroom of a used car dealer in Manchester, Britain
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 23, 2023
The battery test race to work out what used EVs are really worth
There used to be no way to measure battery health. But that is changing as firms rush to scale up EV battery tests — some of which take just minutes.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2023
A second life for EV batteries? Depends how long the first is.
Demand for used batteries for storage is likely to soar as intermittent renewable energy takes on a bigger role.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / ANALYSIS
Jun 22, 2023
For EV batteries, lithium iron phosphate narrows the gap with nickel and cobalt
Technological advances have reduced the performance gap with more widely used materials.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
May 16, 2023
Tesla’s new car-making process stokes debate among industry experts
Musk believes the company needs to radically rethink conventional manufacturing methods in order to build more affordable — and profitable — electric vehicles in higher volumes.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Mar 20, 2023
Scratched EV battery? Your insurer may have to junk the whole car
Battery packs can cost tens of thousands of dollars and represent up to 50% of an EV's price tag, often making it uneconomical to replace them.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 20, 2023
Tesla uses profits as weapon in EV price war
Tesla, once one of the auto industry's biggest money losers, has over the past year built a commanding lead over most major rivals in profit per vehicle.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 16, 2022
EV battery-makers race to develop cheaper cell materials, skirting China
The EVs of the future could shift to sodium-ion or lithium sulfur battery cells that could be up to two-thirds cheaper than today's lithium-ion cells.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Sep 12, 2022
Truly autonomous cars may be impossible without helpful human touch
Human supervisors, monitoring video feeds from multiple autonomous vehicles ready to step in and get stuck robot drivers moving again, may be needed permanently.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 20, 2022
EV charger-makers look to scale up in rush for share of growing home market
The current scramble is likely to feed further dealmaking in the sector as tens of millions of units are installed globally over the next decade.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 25, 2022
E-scooters fall head over wheels for battery swapping
Swappable batteries have been a hit for e-scooters and e-bikes, making it easier and cheaper for rental companies to keep the small vehicles available on city streets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Mar 25, 2022
Inside China's electric drive for swappable car batteries
China is pushing hard for swappable batteries for EVs as a supplement to charging, with the government throwing its weight behind several companies advancing the technology.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Dec 10, 2021
Trucks catch up in the self-driving vehicle race
In the year through Dec. 6, total investment activity for self-driving logistics vehicles leapt fivefold to $6.5 billion from $1.3 billion in the same period in 2020.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 10, 2021
Global carmakers set to spend $515 billion on EVs and batteries
Automakers are amping up investments aimed at weaning car buyers away from fossil fuels and meeting increasingly tough decarbonization targets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Jun 30, 2021
When do electric vehicles become cleaner than gasoline cars?
The question has become a hotly debated issue that's taking center stage as governments around the world push for greener transport to meet climate targets.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
May 20, 2021
No pain, no gain for big funds hunting the next Tesla
The search is turning up plenty of clunkers as well as potential superstars.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 22, 2020
With ‘next level’ battery tech, Apple targets autonomous car by 2024
Making a vehicle represents a supply chain challenge even for Apple, a company with deep pockets that makes hundreds of millions of electronics products each year.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Oct 26, 2020
Auto startups chasing Tesla race past red flags to go public
Few firms have products ready to sell or any likelihood of generating significant revenue anytime soon.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 20, 2020
The Musk Method: Learn from partners then go it alone
Musk and his team are preparing to outline new steps in Tesla's drive to become a more self-sufficient company less reliant on suppliers.
No link to Nankai Trough quake seen after temblor in Shikoku
Satoshi Harada from the Meteorological Agency explains about the magnitude 6.6 earthquake during a news conference early Thursday.
Thousands evacuated as Indonesia volcano erupts
Indonesia's Mount Ruang spews hot lava and smoke as seen from Sitaro, North Sulawesi, on Wednesday.
Why hasn't Japan moved to prop up the weak yen?
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Snake on a train: Discovery of serpent delays Tokyo-Nagoya shinkansen
A Tokaido shinkansen. It is unclear whether the snake was venomous or how it ended up on the train, and there was no injury or panic among passengers.
Sex differences could be key to the successful treatment of long COVID
A new study has found that women with long COVID had significantly lower levels of testosterone compared to those who had recovered from their infection.
'House of the Owl' brings Hollywood values to Japanese TV
In the new Disney+ series “House of the Owl,” Min Tanaka (left) plays a powerful political fixer, or “kuromaku,” who has a troubled relationship with his adult children, particularly his idealistic son, played by Mackenyu.
Benefits and risks: AUKUS looks to take gamble on Japan
U.S. President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British leader Rishi Sunak deliver remarks on the AUKUS partnership, after a trilateral meeting, at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego in March last year.
Kyoto’s demon night parade lives to haunt another day
In a Kyoto long past, the "hyakki yagyō" (100 demon night parade) haunted a sleepy corner of Kyoto. Now, one enterprising monster enthusiast has won a small batttle to keep the march alive.
U.S. deploys midrange missile system in Indo-Pacific for first time
A U.S. Army Mid-Range Capability (MRC) Launcher arrives as part of the capability’s first deployment into theater on Northern Luzon, Philippines, April 8.
Unpacking the chaotic by-election in a scandal-hit Tokyo district
People listen to a campaign speech in Tokyo's Koto Ward on Tuesday.

Podcast

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.
[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on
By Lance Henderstein

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability
Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability

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