Chinese battery-making giant Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. reported a 33% jump in first-quarter earnings, defying a slowdown in demand for electric vehicles and a drop in the prices of the cells that power them.

Taiwan-based construction company San-Ti Group has achieved significant results for its diversification into the local energy market, with its subsidiaries, North-Star International and Santi Renewable Energy, benefiting from the rising popularity of vehicle electrification. As Taiwan increases investments in the AI and semiconductor sectors, the San-Ti Group is optimistic about industrial electricity demand.

The US government under President Donald Trump initiated a new round of trade protection policies on April 3, 2025, imposing a 25% tariff on all automobiles produced outside the US and planning to further expand this to the automotive component supply chain starting May 3, 2025. This move has triggered a ripple effect across the global automotive industry, with China, as a major hub for automotive components, being particularly affected.

In a strategic move amidst rising global trade tensions, the US has inaugurated its first lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pilot production line. This groundbreaking facility, a collaborative effort between Taiwan's Aleees and Israel's ICL Group, marks a significant step towards establishing domestic leadership in lithium battery materials.

Taiwan Cement's (TCC) European subsidiary, Atlante, which focuses on energy storage and electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging services, has announced the establishment of Spark Alliance in collaboration with three leading charging service providers: France's Electra, the Netherlands' Fastned, and Germany's Ionity. This new alliance is currently the largest and most comprehensive EV charging station coalition in Europe.

The US has intensified tariffs on Chinese lithium battery materials, beginning with the Inflation Reduction Act under the Biden administration and continuing with President Trump's reciprocal tariffs. With combined tax rates now exceeding 80% for Chinese exports to the US, the global supply chain landscape is shifting dramatically.

Taiwan's SYNergy ScienTech is expanding beyond small-format battery cells to enter the mid-to-large battery market, targeting applications above 700mAh. President Colin Hsieh said the company will debut new battery solutions at COMPUTEX and plans to unveil a solid-state battery prototype by the end of 2025.

LG Energy Solution (LGES) has signed a battery supply deal with Polish utility Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE) to deliver lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries for a 1GWh energy storage system (ESS) project in northern Poland. Scheduled to go online in 2027, the facility is designed to boost renewable energy integration and stabilize the local power grid.

Gogoro plays a key role in Taiwan's electric scooter market, with its PBGN (Powered by Gogoro Network) alliance allowing many scooter makers to transition from fuel to electric power. However, as electric scooter technology matures, some PBGN members reportedly have been asking Gogoro to ease control on component purchases.

BYD Co's sales last year surpassed the US$100 billion mark, leapfrogging Elon Musk's Tesla Inc on revenue, as the Chinese auto giant wows consumers with a range of electric and hybrid cars packed with high-tech features.

Hyundai Motor Group is making a bold US$21 billion bet on the US economy between 2025 and 2028, targeting key B2B sectors across manufacturing, supply chain logistics, steel production, and next-gen mobility technologies.

The European Commission has opened a preliminary investigation into whether Chinese electric vehicle (EV) giant BYD received unfair government subsidies for its planned factory in Hungary—highlighting rising trade and political tensions between Brussels and Beijing.

For many years, Japanese automotive brands have dominated the global market, each possessing relatively complete ecosystems. However, revolutionary new technologies are subtly changing these ecosystems.

Innmax Technology and Startrust, jointly exhibiting at the 2025 Smart City Summit and Expo (SCSE) in Taiwan and focusing on integrating charging station services and energy management systems, are working with Delta Electronics on electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. New projects will be built in Taoyuan and Tainan, Taiwan, this year.

Since 2019, the Indian government has implemented the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for 14 industries to attract foreign investment in local manufacturing. Although it has positioned India as a key player in smartphone production, its benefits for other sectors are limited. As a result, India may explore offering subsidies for factory construction instead of linking incentives to production and investment levels.

According to Hankyung Business and the Korea Economic Daily, SK On will supply Nissan with electric vehicle batteries, marking its first deal with a Japanese automaker. South Korean media reports indicate that the agreement involves providing 99.4GWh of batteries from 2028 to 2033, enough to power one million mid-sized electric vehicles.

With US President Donald Trump's tariffs reshaping the auto industry, Japanese carmakers are taking a low-profile yet strategic approach—expanding investments in the US market. However, tariffs complicate cross-border supply chains, and setting up new manufacturing facilities is a slow-moving solution.

China is reinforcing its grip on key minerals and battery technologies as tensions with the US escalate over tech trade policies. Fortune reports that China dominates the processing of gallium and lithium, essential elements in semiconductors and electric vehicle (EV) batteries. Leading Chinese firms such as CATL, a major supplier to global automakers, have become critical players in the industry.

Acer ITS is expanding into Taiwan's entertainment machine market, including Pokemon and claw machines, leveraging its expertise in hardware and software integration from public transportation systems. President Kenny Yu highlighted plans to grow internationally, with a memorandum of understanding already signed with Thailand for charging stations.

CATL, the world's largest electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturer, has agreed to invest up to CNY2.5 billion (approx. US$345.5 million) in collaboration with NIO to expand China's battery-swapping infrastructure.

Thailand has approved a more than US$1 billion investment by Sunwoda Electronic to build an electric vehicle (EV) battery plant in the country, marking Sunwoda as the first EV battery manufacturer in Thailand.

BYD unveiled a new system for electric cars that the Chinese automaker says will allow them to charge almost as fast as it takes a regular car to refuel.

Construction material maker Buima saw its gross margin reach 14.56% in 2024, boosted by solid shipments of battery module products and a marked increase in exports of metal construction materials, yet heightened competition in the wall panel market in China led to an overall loss for the year. Going forward, the company hopes to see more positive operations from cost reduction strategies and green products.

Samsung SDI, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics, has announced plans to conduct a paid capital increase of KRW2 trillion (US$1.38 billion) to expand its Hungarian factory and invest in solid-state battery technology. The paid capital increase, a process where a company issues new shares to raise funds for strategic investments, will enable Samsung SDI to finance its ambitious expansion plans.

Formosa Smart underscores its ambitions to position Taiwan as a regional battery hub. Chairman Sandy Wang called the facility Taiwan's largest battery cell factory, with plans to scale capacity beyond 10 gigawatts to meet growing demand across Southeast Asia.