Solid-state battery maker ProLogium looks beyond EVs to AI and the skies

Taiwan's Prologium and other makers of all-solid-state batteries are shifting their focus to non-automotive sectors like artificial intelligence (AI), spurred by sluggish EV demand growth and high costs. Solid-state batteries replace the liquid electrolyte used in conventional Lithium-Ion batteries with a solid material through which ions move, making them more fire resistant than today's Lithium-Ion batteries.

They also offer higher potential energy density, allowing batteries of the same size to deliver greater capacity and output. mass production of small solid-state batteries for electronic components and industrial robots began around 2020, but the technology's main target has always been automotive applications, particularly EVs.

Though global automakers and battery manufacturers have been racing to commercialize the technology, the situation may be changing. competition in the EV battery market is increasingly intense, said Vincent Yang, CEO of Taiwan-based solid-state battery manufacturer Prologium Technology.

He added that by 2032, 50% of the company's sales are expected to come from non-automotive applications.

The first target is data centers, where the rise of Generative AI has created demand for solid-state batteries as emergency power sources. Because they offer high output and are less prone to fires, the company thinks the batteries can be installed near servers and aims to begin sales around 2028.

Prologium also is expanding into aerospace.

Reference Sources

1. nikkei - Solid-state battery maker ProLogium looks beyond EVs to AI and the skies

VW chief calls for France and Germany to co-operate on China car fightback

Oliver Blume, the CEO of Volkswagen, has called for greater cooperation between France and Germany to strengthen European competitiveness.

The two countries have been negotiating for months on EU proposals for phasing out combustion engines and Incentivising carmakers to build vehicles within the bloc amid an influx of Chinese cars.

However, progress has been slow and the two countries remain at odds over what “made in Europe” should really mean.

The proposals for the made in Europe rules, formally known as the Industrial Accelerator Act, would limit subsidies and public procurement to products with a large proportion of their materials and manufacturing coming from within the EU.

The rules are aimed at countering the rapid rise of Chinese brands in Europe in the automotive sector and other important manufacturing industries. lower-priced Chinese manufacturers have prompted a crisis in several industries.

Volkswagen is among the most-affected European companies.

Germany’s biggest carmaker has launched a brutal plan to cut as many as 100,000 jobs.

Blume said it was the largest transformation program in its history.

The auto show in Paris comes at a critical juncture for Europe’s top carmaker, which is undergoing a major restructuring and is racing to update its mass-market electric vehicle offering as Chinese competitors rapidly gain ground in Europe. battered by an EV price war and falling sales at home, Chinese automakers are aggressively expanding into Europe.

Reference Sources

1. theguardian - Volkswagen boss backs EU plan to bolster domestic European industry
2. ft - VW chief calls for France and Germany to co-operate on China car fightback
3. newyorkpost - Volkswagen CEO says transformation is 'shared responsibility' in appeal to EU

Trump says it is ‘time for Ukraine to get a new president’ in fresh row with Zelensky

US President Donald Trump has suggested it is "time for Ukraine to get a new President" after a public clash with Volodymyr Zelensky over a controversial agreement easing restrictions on Russian diesel exports.

The intervention marks one of Trump's strongest attacks yet on the Ukrainian leader and comes as divisions grow between Washington and Kyiv over how to bring the war to an end.

Speaking outside the White House on Saturday, Trump accused Zelensky of creating problems by continuing to authorise strikes on Russian oil infrastructure and urged him to pursue a negotiated settlement with Moscow.

"He'd better damn well stop," Trump said of attacks on Russian refineries.

The US President added that Ukraine should "get a new leader who can make a deal," arguing that Zelensky had passed up opportunities to end the conflict.

Britain stands behind Zelenskyy, the Defence Secretary has said, after Trump called for the Ukrainian President to be replaced and the us announced a controversial agreement to buy Russian diesel.

Wes Streeting said Ukrainians alone should be able to decide who leads their country, as he indicated Trump was facing domestic political pressure over fuel prices before next month's midterm elections.

Reference Sources

1. ukrinform - Ukrinform - Ukrainian National News Agency
2. standard - Trump says it is ‘time for Ukraine to get a new president’ in fresh row with Zelensky
3. malaymail - Trump says Putin ‘would like to see a settlement’ in Ukraine war
4. asiaone - Trump says Ukraine should get a new president, blames Zelenskyy for US diesel prices, World News - AsiaOne
5. theguardian - Britain stands behind Zelenskyy, says Streeting after Trumps call for new leader in Ukraine

The CommonWealth English daily news digest is a service curated by CommonWealth English team with the help of AI tools.  

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