In order to reduce the use of rare metals, battery manufacturers and automobile manufacturers are speeding up the development of a new generation of batteries, Japan Economic News reported on the 20th. Panasonic has come up with a timetable for the practicability of high-capacity batteries without cobalt, and China Contemporary Amperex Technology Co.Limited(300750) new energy technology (catl), the world’s largest vehicle battery enterprise, is actively developing batteries that use sodium that is easy to purchase.
Contemporary Amperex Technology Co.Limited(300750) actively develop sodium ion batteries. Sodium ion batteries charge and discharge by moving sodium ions between electrodes. As an alternative to lithium, cheap sodium that can be extracted from seawater will be used. Contemporary Amperex Technology Co.Limited(300750) is planned to be practical in 2023. The capacity per kilogram is now 160 watt hours, but will increase to 200 watt hours in the future. Although the capacity is smaller than that of lithium-ion battery, Professor Yamada Chunfu of the University of Tokyo said: “in addition to the advantages of fast charging, it is also expected to reduce the cost”.
On the other hand, Panasonic keeps a distance from investing in mine interests. A Panasonic executive said, “I won’t buy ‘mine’ because I once suffered a big loss in silicon mine”. In the past, the original Sanyo motor of Panasonic signed a long-term purchase contract because the silicon of Cecep Solar Energy Co.Ltd(000591) battery material was in short supply, but then the market fell, and the high purchase price squeezed the profit. If the price of rare metals falls, it will face the risk of shrinking the value of equity.
Panasonic is actively developing a unique high-capacity battery without cobalt and plans to put it into the market in 2-3 years. “Technology development has been completed, and mass production can be started as long as customers need it,” said Zhixin Shengsheng, a senior manager of Panasonic’s battery business.
Toyota and Nissan will develop “all solid state batteries” that change electrolyte to solid. Due to the improved safety, it can also use parts that are difficult to process, such as cathode materials that reduce cobalt. If large capacity is realized, the use of rare metals per unit capacity will also be reduced.
“Strive to be put into the market in 2028, and are independently developing all solid state batteries”, said Seiji Uchida, President and CEO of Nissan at the briefing held on November 29. Nissan plans to invest a total of 2 trillion yen to launch 15 pure electric vehicles before 2030, positioning all solid-state batteries as trumps.
Enterprises in other industries have also been involved in the development of new generation batteries. Japan electric nitrate will develop “all solid state sodium ion battery”. Japanese paper is striving to promote the practicability of “wooden battery”. The charge and discharge were carried out by using the property of concave convex adsorption of electrons on the fiber surface extracted from papermaking raw material pulp. By 2030, smart phones will be practical and will also be applied to pure electric vehicles.
Tesla‘s investment plan is unclear, and the tax reduction negotiations with the Indian government are deadlocked
Reuters reported on the 20th that people familiar with the matter disclosed that the negotiation between the Indian government and Tesla on potential tax incentives for imported vehicles has reached an impasse because Tesla has not given a definite commitment to produce electric vehicles locally, so the Indian government is not keen to give any concessions to the company.
Tesla is eager to import and sell its electric vehicles in India and has been lobbying Indian government officials to reduce tariffs for nearly a year. Tesla CEO musk once said that India’s tariff level is among the highest in the world.
But Indian government sources said they were not convinced by Tesla’s lobbying because the company had not shared any clear plans to invest in India. India hopes to see investment related to modi government’s vision of “made in India” to boost local manufacturing and employment.
At present, India imposes an import tax of up to 100% on electric vehicles, and the so-called landing cost (vehicle price plus inbound freight) of these vehicles reaches US $40000 or more. This will make India the most expensive market for Tesla cars in the world, which is out of reach for most Indian consumers.
According to a source, Tesla has informed Indian officials that the company is open to purchasing more auto parts locally and finally turning to manufacturing, but Indian government sources said they want a firm commitment and said it is very unlikely to reduce import tariffs in the short term.
Nevertheless, Tesla has pinned its hopes on the Indian federal budget to be announced on February 1 (India usually publishes such tax changes on this day) to confirm whether its lobbying is effective, or then reconsider how to further enter the Indian market, people familiar with the matter said.
Thailand will resume vaccination passenger entry free quarantine from next month
The United Morning Post reported that Thai officials said on the 20th that the country would resume the quarantine free entry program for vaccinated passengers from February 1. The plan had previously been suspended due to the outbreak of the Omicron variant.
Tavishin, spokesman of Thailand’s covid-19 pneumonia virus response team, told the media that passengers who have completed vaccination can enter the country through the “test & go” program as long as they are tested on the first and fifth days after arrival. Passengers must be isolated in the hotel while waiting for the test results, and need to download the tracking application to ensure compliance with epidemic prevention regulations.
In order to revitalize the economy hit by covid-19 pneumonia, Thailand launched the “rapid detection and customs clearance” program in November last year to replace the two-week Hotel isolation measures. The authorities suspended the plan late last month because of concerns about the Omicron epidemic. But since the number of deaths and hospitalizations did not surge, tavishin said the plan could be resumed, but the authorities would continue to review it.
The Thai authorities will further relax other epidemic prevention restrictions. Restaurants will be able to provide alcoholic drinks before 11 p.m. and now 9 p.m.
The Ministry of tourism of Thailand estimates that about 5 million foreign tourists will come to Thailand in 2022, lower than nearly 40 million in the year before the outbreak of covid-19 pneumonia pandemic.
Amazon will open a fashion shop and the algorithm will provide fitting suggestions
Reuters reported that Amazon is further promoting the development of its fashion business. It announced on the 20th that it will open its first offline clothing store this year, carry out technological transformation and add scientific and technological elements.
The online retailer’s secrets for future department stores include algorithm recommendations and what one company executive calls a “magic closet”. “We think this can significantly improve the customer experience, otherwise we wouldn’t do these things in physical retail,” said simoina vasen, head of business
The planned clothing store covers an area of about 30000 square feet (2787 square meters), which is smaller than the general department store. The product model is placed on the shelf, and customers can use Amazon’s mobile application to scan the code to select the color and size they want. In order to try on the clothes stored in the back, shoppers will enter a virtual fitting room queue. When the fitting room is ready, they can unlock it with their smartphone.
Vasen said that the fitting room is “a personal space where you can continue shopping without leaving”. She said that each fitting room has a touch screen on which customers can choose the clothes they want to try on, and the staff will send them to a safe double-sided closet in a few minutes. “Like a magic wardrobe, customers seem to have endless choices.”
The touch screen will also recommend products to shoppers. Amazon records every item scanned by customers, so its algorithm will personalize clothing recommendations. Customers can also fill out a dress style survey. When they arrived at the fitting room, the staff had placed the goods requested by the customer and other goods selected by Amazon’s recommendation algorithm.
Amazon said shoppers could opt out with the help of shop assistants.
Amazon has unveiled this clothing recommendation technology. According to analysts, Amazon has surpassed Wal Mart to become the largest clothing retailer in the United States.
But Amazon still has room to expand and compete with Macy’s and Nordstrom. Amazon’s physical grocery stores and convenience stores have not subverted the entire physical retail industry.
