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Nick Carey
For Nick Carey's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
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 worker inside the Envision battery manufacturing plant at Nissan's Sunderland factory in Britain in July 2021.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 24, 2023
Nissan to invest $1.4 billion to build two new EV models in Britain
Plans for electric versions of crossover models will require an investment of up to £2 billion in a third battery plant and infrastructure projects.
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
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
Feb 16, 2023
Truckers and subsidies rev up interest in fuel cell vehicles
Vehicles with hydrogen fuel cells, in which hydrogen mixes with oxygen to produce water and energy to power a battery, can refuel in minutes.
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
May 30, 2022
How the humble wire harness could help kill off combustion cars
These low-tech and low-margin parts may not command the kudos of microchips and motors, yet cars can't be built without them.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 3, 2022
Startups apply artificial intelligence to supply chain disruptions
A growing group of startups and established logistics firms has created a multibillion dollar industry applying the latest technology to help businesses minimize supply chain disruption.
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
Mar 14, 2022
Your connected car knows you. The tussle for that data is hitting high gear.
Car manufacturers, guarding their gatekeeper role in accessing data from their vehicles, have resisted specific regulations for in-vehicle data, saying that protecting consumers is key.
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
Dec 7, 2021
Saving the dinosaurs: Startups drive to electrify fossil-fuel cars
EV conversion is a cottage industry that's emerged over the past five years, and been turbo-charged by advances in battery technology and electric motors in the past two.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 13, 2021
Rocking down to electric avenue? Good luck charging your car.
In order to promote electric vehicles, it is essential to have the necessary infrastructure in place.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Sep 22, 2021
German auto giants place their bets on the underdog: Hydrogen cars
Germany is betting billions on hydrogen fuels in sectors like steel and chemicals to meet climate targets, but it could take years before any significant sales are made.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 22, 2021
Brexit Britain trailing EU and China on battery supply chain key for EV sector
To keep selling into the EU without tariffs, the U.K.'s car industry will need to meet stringent rules of origin — with up to 70% of components by value coming from the U.K. or EU.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
May 24, 2021
Sea change: Global freight sails out of the digital dark ages
'The switch to digital used to be seen as a vitamin, now it's a painkiller,' says Loadsmart CEO Ricardo Salgado.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 13, 2021
In Europe, once 'green' plug-in hybrid cars now look like dinosaurs
EU policy plans for plug-in hybrid vehicles could mean the 'transition' technology has a shorter lifespan than envisaged by carmakers.

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