The Fukushima prefecture has been a ghost town since late 2011. Though the levels of radiation have gone down to more than acceptable levels, people have refused to come back to the area, mostly fearing the radioactive contamination of ground water. The area, however, has become a centerpiece for renewable … [continued]
Driving refinement, exhilarating performance, more environmental consciousness, and even cooler colors are promises of Toyota’s all-new Prius PHEV, the Z-Grade. The additional model adds to Toyota’s most successful hybrid will hit showrooms in Japan starting March 15 (JPN time). There is a differentiation between this new Z-grade and the Prius … [continued]
Researchers show that inherent lithium ions in bioderived borate polymer enhance “extreme fast charging” capability in graphite anodes Ishikawa, Japan — Current society is transitioning en masse from fossil fuels to renewable resources and electric batteries. Despite the urgency to switch to greener methods, core challenges related to efficiency and … [continued]
Paul Wildman with David Waterworth. (Certification chatGTP was not used in the writing of this article.) Recent conservations with my mate, retired economics professor Dr Paul Wildman, have led to this article. The entire Japanese auto industry, and especially Toyota, appears to be in denial about the global ascendency of … [continued]
There are close to 20 million EVs now around the world. EV batteries do not need replacing every three years as some FUD peddlers would want people to think. Most automakers now give battery warranties of at least 8 years or some six figure mileage, whichever comes first. After the … [continued]
Honda has set the starting price of the electric N-Van in Japan at 1,000,000 yen ($7,400), with the launch planned for the spring of 2024. Small city cars which are highway-capable, known as Kei cars, are a big deal in Japan. These are internal combustion engine vehicles with engine capacity … [continued]
The Japanese EV market has been quite slow compared to other markets such as Europe and China. This is despite Nissan being the early leader in the market when it produced a mass market electric car, the Nissan Leaf. The Leaf was the first electric vehicle to get to 500,000 … [continued]
In some past articles, we’ve been pretty excited about Gogoro. The Taiwan-based company offers an innovative battery swap system that’s ideal for electric scooters and motorcycles parked in places where a power plug might not be available. Instead of having to bring the whole vehicle to the charging station, you … [continued]
Last July, the Commercial Japan Partnership Technologies Corporation (CJPT) announced a partnership with Yamato Transport Co., Ltd. to start the commercialization of replaceable, rechargeable cartridge batteries initially for transporters in its fleet. Today, the technology as it is being developed has brought with it several advantages, including an impact on … [continued]
When Toyota announced its plan in April of 2021 to introduce a full line-up of 70 electrified vehicles by 2025, with 15 BEVs, including 7 new models and the already available bZ, it also set in motion a series of peripheral manufacturing and R&D actions. Just over a year later, … [continued]
