The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) announced on June 15 that it has started the second phase of an R&D project aimed at the early commercialization of...
electric vehicles
Daikin Sets Sights on Next-Generation Automotive Components
Daikin Industries Ltd. (TYO:6367) is stepping up a gear in its quest to break into the automotive sector via its chemicals business. The company has positioned expansion into next-generation automotive...
Showa Denko Looks to Grow Business for LiB Anode Materials, Conductive Agents
Showa Denko KK (TYO:4004) is looking to expand its business for lithium-ion secondary battery (LiB) materials, placing anode materials and conductive agents at the core of this plan. The company...
Asahi Kasei Looks to Combine High-Level Performance and Safety for LiB Separators
Asahi Kasei Corp. (TYO:3407) is planning to accelerate its R&D efforts for separators used in the lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) of next-gen electric vehicles (EVs). Improvements to cathode materials are continuing...
Chinese-Owned Elkem Speeds up Silicone Specialization
Elkem ASA, a Chinese-owned supplier of silicon-related products such as silicone and metallic silicon, is rapidly propelling itself along a path to specialization. The company is part of China National...
Thailand Set to Become Hot Spot for LiB Investment
A number of firms engaged in the automotive and energy industries have formulated investment plans for Thailand as of late, intending to work with lithium-ion secondary batteries (LiBs) in the...
Sekisui Chemical Plans Chinese Research Base for Interlayer Films
Sekisui Chemical Co. Ltd. (TYO:4204) is planning to establish a research center in Shanghai, China, in the near future to work with interlayer films for laminated automotive glass. The center...
Toyota Boshoku Develops Door Trim Prototype Using CNF Composite Material
Toyota Boshoku Corp. (TYO:3116) recently made a door trim prototype for use in automotive interiors. The prototype employs resin reinforced with cellulose nanofiber (CNF), and the Japanese automotive parts manufacturer...
Chinese Companies Make Way Into Thailand as Part of One Belt, One Road Initiative
China’s pursuit of its “One Belt, One Road” initiative, seen as an idea for a modern Silk Road, is leading companies from the country to surge into Thailand. Thai Deputy...
NGK Insulators Moves Toward Full-Fledged Development of All-Solid-State Batteries for Cars
NGK Insulators Ltd. (TYO:5333) is embarking on the development of automotive batteries. Setting up a dedicated organization within the company to pursue this, the Japanese manufacture plans to undertake full-fledged...
Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Moves Toward Mass Production of Solid Electrolytes With Coating Process
Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co. Inc. (TYO:4182) is accelerating its development of solid electrolytes. Through a simple technique using organic solvent, the company has overcome bottleneck issues associated with the transition...
China Establishes Industry Group to Grow Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Sectors
A new industry group formed recently in China is targeting growth in the country’s hydrogen energy and fuel cell industries. With the Chinese government already seeking to position fuel cell...
Dexerials Looks to Develop Market for Next-Gen Car Materials
Dexerials Corp. (TYO:4980) is gearing up to further its market development for next-generation automotive materials, such as for use in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and electric vehicles (EVs). The...
BCG Study Projects 23% Market Share for Self-Driving Cars in 2035
Vehicles with Level 4–5 self-driving capabilities are projected to make up 23 percent of the global market for new passenger cars in 2035, according to a study by U.S.-based Boston...
Sekisui Chemical Plans Major Investment Into Film-Type LiB Production
Sekisui Chemical Co. Ltd. (TYO:4204) has revealed plans to invest billions of yen (1 billion yen = $8.87 million) over the next several years into the mass production of film-type...
Sumitomo Chemical Eyes More In-House Production of LiB Separator Substrate Material
Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd. (TYO:4005) is looking into boosting production of base film for lithium-ion secondary battery (LiB) separators. The company hopes to finalize the investment without delay for inclusion...
Mitsubishi Chemical to Restart UK Electrolyte Plant Next Spring
Mitsubishi Chemical Corp. plans to resume operations at its U.K. electrolyte factory for lithium-ion secondary batteries (LiBs) in spring of 2018. The move comes in response to growing demand in...
Hitachi Zosen Achieves Thickness of 10 Micrometers for Super Engineering Plastic
Hitachi Zosen Corp. (TYO:7004) has developed a film-forming system that enables super engineering plastics to be processed at a thickness of 10 micrometers. While companies have conventionally struggled to make...
Lithium Carbonate Market Expected to Remain Strong
The market for lithium carbonate is increasingly robust, with the per-kilogram price rising by $3 to $4 in just a few months to the current $24. Demand for lithium carbonate...
Sumitomo Chemical Works on New Liquid Crystal Polymer for High-Frequency Devices
Sumitomo Chemical Co. Ltd. (TYO:4005) is targeting an early market launch for a new liquid crystal polymer (LCP) suited to high-frequency devices. Suppressing the dielectric dissipation factor to a level...
