Prior to now decade, China has seen an EV increase, thanks partly to authorities assist. Shopping for an electrical automotive has gone from a novel choice to a routine one; by late 2025, almost 60% of recent vehicles offered had been electrical or plug-in hybrids.
However because the batteries in China’s first wave of EVs attain the top of their helpful life, early house owners are beginning to retire their vehicles, and the nation is now underneath strain to determine what to do with these getting old elements.
The problem is placing pressure on China’s still-developing battery recycling trade and has given rise to a grey market that usually cuts corners on security and environmental requirements. Nationwide regulators and industrial gamers are additionally stepping in, however up to now these efforts have struggled to maintain tempo with the flood of batteries coming off the street. Learn the total story.
—Caiwei Chen
The AI doomers really feel undeterred
It’s a bizarre time to be an AI doomer.This small however influential neighborhood believes, within the easiest phrases, that AI may get so good it might be dangerous—very, very dangerous—for humanity.
The doomer crowd has had some notable success over the previous a number of years: together with serving to form AI coverage coming from the Biden administration. However plenty of developments over the previous six months have put them on the again foot. Discuss of an AI bubble has overwhelmed the discourse as tech firms proceed to put money into a number of Manhattan Tasks’ value of knowledge facilities with none certainty that future demand will match what they’re constructing.
So the place does this go away the doomers? We determined to ask a few of the motion’s greatest names to see if the latest setbacks and common vibe shift had altered their views. See what they needed to say in our story.
—Garrison Pretty
This story is a part of our new Hype Correction bundle, a group of tales designed that can assist you reset your expectations about what AI makes potential—and what it doesn’t. Try the remainder of the bundle.
Take our quiz on the yr in well being and biotechnology
In simply a few weeks, we’ll be bidding farewell to 2025. And what a yr it has been! Synthetic intelligence is being included into extra facets of our lives, weight-loss medicine have expanded in scope, and there have been some actual “omg” biotech tales from the fields of gene remedy, IVF, neurotech, and extra.
Jessica Hamzelou, our senior biotech reporter, is inviting you to place your individual reminiscence to the take a look at. So how intently have you ever been paying consideration this yr?
