Green inflation has not begun yet but is bound to occur within the next decade, and there will be no longer cheap consumer electronics products then, according to Paul Peng, chairman of both LCD panel maker AU Optronics (AUO) and Taipei Computer Association (TCA).
Samsung Electronics' subsidiary in Vietnam is setting up in Hanoi the biggest of the giant's R&D facility outside of South Korea, according to a media report.
Arun Plus and Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) have signed a strategic MOU to explore potential cooperation and development opportunities in battery-related business in ASEAN, to increase the competitive-edge of both parties in battery business, as well as to secure a long-term energy storage system technology in Thailand and in global markets.
Dagang NeXchange Berhad (DNeX) and Big Innovation Holdings (BIH), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hon Hai Precision Industry (Foxconn), plan to set up a joint venture company to build and operate a new 12-inch wafer fabrication plant in Malaysia.
In the first quarter of 2022, Xiaomi secured a 22% share in Vietnam's smartphone market, becoming its second-largest, according to VIR citing Canalys' latest report.
The Philippines and Cambodia are seeing acceleration of EV market developments, while Vietnam has support from a foreign group to build solar energy capacity.
Jakarta-based SWAP Energi co-founder Kevin Phang aspired to advance battery-swapping technologies for electric scooters while he was studying abroad. SWAP Energi and its affiliate e-scooter maker and distributor SMOOT have set up 400 battery swapping stations in Greater Jakarta and Bali, Indonesia, the highest among the top e-scooter brands in the country.
Vietnam-based electric two-wheeler maker Dat Bike closed its series A round fundraising led by Jungle Ventures, raising a total of US$10 million since the company was established in 2019, according to Tech Crunch.
Toyota Motor Thailand has signed an agreement with Thailand's Excise Department to receive tax incentives and a subsidy for Toyota's battery electric vehicle (BEV) model bZ4X, the Bangkok Post reported on April 29. According to the department, Great Wall Motor Thailand and MG Sales Thailand have also signed such an agreement, which brings BEV taxes down from 8% to 2% until 2026 and provides a subsidy of THB70,000-150,000 to each BEV buyer. Furthermore, import duty on BEV from Japan, South Korea, and Europe will decrease to 20%, 40%, and 40% respectively.
The EV battery world is crying out for a credible plan to address the spike in battery materials prices. Lithium, for example, the price has been growing all through 2021, hitting over US$25,000 per ton by the end of last year, and now jumped to the highest at over US$40,000 per ton this month, according to Forbes.
Primax Electronics has estimated Kunshan's lockdown this month will affect up to 5% of its monthly revenue. Nonetheless, it expects a double-digit growth in the second quarter with new product portfolio, while continuing to expand its production site in Thailand.
Lite-On Technology plans to expand its factory site in Thailand, with additional output for photocouplers set to come online in 2023, according to company president Anson Chiu.
With abundant natural resources and young labor, Indonesia attracts - and needs - more foreign investment. The three largest foreign investors in Indonesia are Singapore, China (including Hong Kong), and Japan.