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Tesla 4680 Battery’s Secret Sauce: Dry Electrode Coating

Tesla Inc is pioneering a new battery manufacturing process called dry electrode coating that it is applying to its new 4680 battery cells. The dry process, which Tesla obtained via its 2019 acquisition of California startup Maxwell Technologies, replaces a traditional, complicated step of battery manufacturing that involves coating the electrode foil with a wet, […]

US, EU in Talks on Clean Technology Trade Deal -FT

U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the United States and the European Union were in talks about a free trade-style deal around clean technology, the Financial Times reported on Friday. “We don’t want to see any trade rivalry. And we’re in discussion with our EU counterparts about how to make sure we can do this […]

Main Street Investors Pressure SEC, Confront Wall Street on Stock Plan

Main Street investors are facing off against Wall Street in an attempt to sway the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in its proposed revamp of stock trading. Individuals coordinating online have flooded the SEC with more than 1,300 comment letters, mostly voicing their support, on rules the regulator proposed in December that represent the biggest […]

Dutch to Restrict Semiconductor Tech Exports to China, Joining US Effort

The Netherlands’ government on Wednesday said it plans new restrictions on exports of semiconductor technology to protect national security, joining the U.S. effort to curb chip exports to China. The announcement marked the first concrete move by the Dutch, who oversee essential chipmaking technology, toward adopting rules urged by Washington to hobble China’s chipmaking industry […]

Biden to Host Australian, British Leaders on AUKUS Defence Pact

U.S. President Joe Biden will host leaders of Australia and Britain in San Diego next week to chart a way forward for provision of nuclear-powered submarines and other high-tech weaponry to Australia, sources familiar with the plans said. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said before leaving on a visit to India on Wednesday he would […]

Under Pressure, TikTok Unveils New European Data Security Regime

TikTok has announced out a new data security regime, nicknamed “Project Clover”, amid growing pressure from lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic. The European Parliament, European Commission and the EU Council recently banned TikTok from staff phones due to growing concerns about the company, which is owned by Chinese firm ByteDance, and whether China’s […]

The World This Week

1. Lithium Price Slide Deepens as China Battery Giant Bets on Cheaper Inputs By now, it is out in the open that the COVID-19 pandemic played a remarkable role in hastening the global reliance on lithium for EV batteries as the world pushes to reduce carbon emissions as it marches on a path towards an […]

US Adds Units of China's BGI, Inspur to Trade Blacklist

The Biden administration on Thursday added 37 companies to a trade blacklist, including units of Chinese genetics company BGI and Chinese cloud computing firm Inspur, in a move that promises to further ratchet up tensions with Beijing. The Commerce Department, which oversees export controls, added BGI Research and BGI Tech Solutions (Hongkong), over allegations that […]

EU's Dombrovskis to Visit U.S. for Talks on Inflation Reduction Act

European Commission Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis will head to Washington next month for more talks about the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), he said on Thursday, adding that discussions are unlikely to solve all the EU’s concerns about the law. Dombrovskis, the European Union’s commissioner for trade, said progress was being made in some areas […]

EU Sets Out Green Industry Plan to Counter U.S., China Subsidies

The European Commission proposed a plan on Wednesday to try to ensure Europe can compete with the United States as a manufacturing hub for electric vehicles and other green products and reduce its dependence on China. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a loosening of EU state aid rules, a repurposing of existing EU […]