The 2026 SMM (3rd) Global Renewable Metal Industry Chain Summit & Battery Recycling Forum will be held in Tokyo, Japan, from May 11–12, 2026. The summit aims to bring together leading global enterprises, research institutions, industry experts, and policymakers in the fields of renewable metals and battery recycling.

Tesla has been steadfastly promoting and advancing its robotaxi project, Cybercab, over the past year, with many investment banks viewing it as one of the drivers to increase its future valuation. However, according to media interviews with several company insiders, the project's initiation appears to have been a unilateral decision by Musk, with significant internal opposition. It is reported that at the end of February 2024, Tesla held a final debate on the new economy EV, Model 2, which was previously rumored to be Tesla's main push for a $25,000 car model. However, insiders revealed that during a meeting convened by Musk, the project was ultimately canceled. At that time, Tesla's car project head Daniel Ho, senior vice president of engineering Drew Baglino, business development and policy head Rohan Patel, vice president of car engineering Lars Moravy, and chief designer Franz von Holzhausen all urged Musk to approve the production of this new $25,000 car model. But Musk believed that launching an ordinary $25,000 car was meaningless and completely contrary to Tesla's beliefs. Instead, Musk approved the Cybercab project, also known as the robotaxi or Robotaxi. This decision is seen as a sign of Tesla's transformation from an EV manufacturer to an AI car company focused on autonomous driving. The prospects for autonomous taxis are not promising. Over the past five years, Tesla has only launched one new car, the Cybertruck, which has been a commercial failure. This has raised doubts among some investors about Musk's decision-making, and this sentiment may further ferment. An internal survey report during the early stages of the Cybercab project indicated that Tesla executives had a premonition that the commercial prospects for robotaxis were not optimistic. The model showed that the returns from Full Self-Driving (FSD) and Robotaxi would be slow and unstable, especially due to the lack of a regulatory environment, which could make it difficult to expand taxi services outside the US. This report was completed by a team led by Musk's most trusted assistant, Drew Baglino. The report assumed that most car sales in the future would be contributed by fleet operators, and vehicles would be mainly used for ride-sharing services, with individual consumers also tending to use more autonomous taxis. Baglino's analysis also adopted many assumptions proposed by Musk, such as US car sales plummeting from 15 million to 3 million annually. In a series of optimistic scenarios, the report calculated a potential demand for 1 million autonomous cars annually in the US. However, considering competition, Robotaxi would struggle to reach Tesla's current sales level of around 600,000 units annually in the US. From a revenue perspective, the report suggested that besides the initial sales revenue of $20,000 to $25,000, Tesla could also earn up to three times the car's selling price through fare-sharing with fleet operators. But this expectation is far below Musk's previous vision. In 2019, he proposed that autonomous driving would help each Tesla car reach a value of $100,000 to $200,000. The internal report finally emphasized that robotaxis face difficulties in expanding into other markets, and therefore are limited by scale and profitability, which could lead to Tesla sustaining losses for several years in the future. However, Musk dismissed this analysis report and unilaterally approved the Cybercab project. The editor-in-chief of the EV publication Electrek pointed out that one of his major concerns about Tesla is that Musk may not have management partners around him who can help him stay rational. Additionally, this investigation may also confirm his suspicion that the strategic shift is one of the reasons for the excessive loss of top talent at Tesla last year. In October 2024, within less than ten days, Tesla's chief information officer Nagesh Saldi, public policy head Jos Dings, Model X project manager David Zhang, and car project head Daniel Ho all resigned. Prior to this, nearly one-third of Tesla employees who reported directly to Musk had already chosen to leave.

On April 16, the 2025 (10th) New Energy Industry Expo, hosted by SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd. (SMM), was grandly held at Halls F3-G3 of the Suzhou International Expo Center in Jiangsu, from April 16-18.

You are cordially invited to participate in the free industry salon at CLNB 2025 (10th) New Energy Industry Expo—International Cobalt Association Industry Salon: "Exploring the Future of Cobalt: Market Insights, Decarbonization Strategies, and the Green Path" Venue: Suzhou International Expo Center (688 Suzhou Avenue East, Wuzhong District, Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China) Hall G, Suzhou International Expo Center Date: April 16, 2025 Time: 16:00-17:30 Beijing Time This event is hosted by SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd. and organized by the International Cobalt Association, featuring Marina Demidova, Head of External Affairs at the International Cobalt Association, and Tom Fairlie, Senior Manager of Sustainability and Battery, as honored guest speakers. # Highlights # ☆Global Cobalt Market Dynamics Overview of the global cobalt market, market prices, and production from 2024 to 2025; Opportunities and challenges coexist: global cobalt supply and demand forecast for 2025; Sustainable cobalt production target for 2050: long-term plan outlook and the critical role of cobalt in the global supply chain. ☆The Path to Decarbonization of Cobalt Carbon footprint methodology for cobalt products: analyzing the environmental impact during production and standardizing carbon emission calculations; Decarbonization strategies: focusing on China as an example, exploring optimization strategies to reduce carbon emissions in the cobalt supply chain. ☆Cobalt Procurement: Responsible Sourcing Geopolitical trends: analyzing how global political and trade situations affect the cobalt market; Relevant regulations: summarizing key regulations impacting the cobalt industry, from international trade policies to environmental standards; Responsible procurement and sustainable development: the importance of ethical sourcing practices to ensure a sustainable cobalt supply chain and mitigate production risks. ☆Q&A Session An interactive session where participants can ask questions, share insights, and discuss with guest speakers: focusing on the challenges, opportunities, and uncertainties faced by the cobalt market. Whether you are a new energy professional, policymaker, or sustainability-focused expert, this is an event you cannot miss! Introduction to the International Cobalt Association The International Cobalt Association aims to promote the responsible and sustainable production and use of cobalt in all forms and applications. Objectives Through public policy, regulation, science, responsible sourcing, and sustainability engagement. Committed to Protecting and developing the cobalt and compound markets by promoting a proportionate, comprehensive, and appropriate legislative and regulatory environment where the entire value chain's contribution to societal goals is recognized; Serving as a global knowledge hub for cobalt; Enhancing the reputation of the cobalt industry as a responsible industry with deep expertise in all relevant aspects of product management. We sincerely invite you to register for CLNB 2025↑ Join us in exploring the future development of the cobalt industry and jointly promoting the global green energy transition! Contact: +86 135 1961 1284 Email: lilyyan@metal.com

According to the plan by the Ministry of Natural Resources and seven other departments, by the end of 2028, 90% of large mines and 80% of medium-sized mines nationwide are expected to meet the green mine standards. Many regions have already made early arrangements. For example, Shaanxi Province requires 50% of large and medium-sized mines to meet the standards by the end of 2026, while Sichuan Province aims to increase the proportion of green mines to 15%, 40%, and 70% from 2025 to 2027, respectively. Driven by policies, mining companies are accelerating intelligent transformation, with smart microgrids becoming a key to the transition due to their flexible and efficient energy management characteristics. Smart microgrids achieve dynamic balance of energy supply and demand through the "PV + ESS + intelligent regulation" model. In a demonstration project at a mining area, four 6MW distributed PV power stations generate over 41.5 million kWh annually, with a total power generation of 970 million kWh over 25 years, equivalent to an annual power generation duration of over 1,600 hours. The accompanying mobile energy storage system can quickly respond to grid fluctuations, increasing the clean energy consumption rate by over 20% and effectively reducing reliance on fossil fuels. The large-scale application of smart microgrids not only reshapes the energy structure of mines but also provides a replicable technical paradigm for sustainable industry development through data-driven precise regulation. Driven by both policy and market forces, this technology is accelerating the mining industry's transition to a new era of green, efficient, and intelligent operations. SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd. (referred to as SMM) will launch the Battery Raw Materials Forum at the CLNB 2025 (10th) New Energy Industry Expo from April 16 to 18, 2025. Meng Limin, Chairman of Jiangsu Fanye Power Energy Equipment Co., Ltd., will discuss smart microgrids and empower the new era of green mines by combining industry data, technological trends, and industrial dynamics. Keynote Speaker: Topic: Smart Microgrids, Empowering the New Era of Green Mines Meng Limin, Member of the Jiangsu Overseas Chinese Federation, Standing Committee Member of the Wuxi Overseas Chinese Federation, Vice President of the Wuxi Overseas Chinese Chamber of Commerce, Vice President of the Canadian Jiangsu Chinese Federation, President of Wuxi Ruiling Metal Products Co., Ltd., Chairman of Jiangsu Fanye Power Energy Equipment Co., Ltd., and President of Canadian Astralon United Power Co., Ltd. About Fanye: Fanye Power has designed and developed a containerized microgrid integrating PV systems, energy storage systems, energy management systems, PCS, PDS, transformers, fire protection systems, temperature control systems, and other modules. It comprehensively manages and regulates PV power generation, energy storage charging and discharging, diesel generator power generation, and end-user equipment power supply, while also reserving input ports for grid power, wind turbines, hydro generators, and other energy sources, retaining more expansion possibilities. Additionally, Fanye's self-developed data management platform enables owners to remotely monitor and manage the entire system, supporting computer and mobile login and access, encrypted transmission, global visibility, and strong security. Battery Raw Materials Forum April 17 [09:00-09:30] The Necessity of Battery Raw Materials Strategy and International Cooperation Guest Speaker: Martin Ma, China GM, International Lithium Association [09:30-10:00] Unlocking Green Energy: Responsible Mineral Strategy in Energy Transition Guest Speaker: Mr. Daniel Abdo, Director of International Relations and Business Development, Sigma Lithium [10:00-10:20] Lithium Resource Mining and Sustainable Development: Balancing Demand and Environmental Impact Guest Speaker: To be confirmed [10:20-10:40] Topic to be confirmed Guest Speaker: Alfred H Knight [10:40-11:00] Smart Microgrids, Empowering the New Era of Green Mines Guest Speaker: Meng Limin, Chairman, Jiangsu Fanye Power Energy Equipment Co., Ltd. [11:00-11:20] Legal Risks and Prevention Strategies for Investing in Sichuan Spodumene Mines: Case Studies Guest Speaker: Fan Xiaoqiang, Senior Partner and Director of Mining Compliance Construction Promotion Center, Beijing Yuren Law Firm [11:20-12:10] Current Status and Challenges of the Global Lithium Battery Raw Materials Supply Chain Moderator: Zhou Zhicheng, Senior Analyst of New Energy Industry Research, SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd. Guest Speakers: Dr. Mark Mistry, Senior Public Policy Manager, Nickel Institute; Tsutomu Aoki, Head of Battery Division, BASC Japan Battery Supply Chain Association; Elizaveta Iakubets, Battery Metals Trader, Open Mineral; Gao Han, Senior Analyst, S&P Global Mobility More Exciting Summits April 16, 2025 Opening Ceremony & Forum of Academicians and Top-Tier Entrepreneurs Business Package New Energy Industry Forum: SMM Sodium-Ion Battery Application Market Development Seminar Invest in Poland: New Energy Strategy Forum SMM New-Type Anode Material Innovation Seminar International Cobalt Association Industry Salon Sub-Forum 1: New Energy Mineral Exploration and Industry Development Forum Gala Dinner & Awards Ceremony April 17, 2025 Sub-Forum 2: Battery Raw Materials Forum Sub-Forum 3: New Energy Battery Materials Forum Sub-Forum 4: Hydrogen Energy Industry Development Forum Business Package Sub-Forum 5: Lithium Battery Recycling Forum Sub-Forum 6: All-Solid-State Battery Forward-Looking Technology Forum Sub-Forum 7: Battery Auxiliary Materials Forum Sub-Forum 8: New Energy PV ESS Forum Sub-Forum 9: International Mining Investment and Development Summit Forum CLNB 2025 (10th) New Energy Industry Expo provides a high-quality platform for exchange and cooperation in the new energy industry. Meng Limin, Chairman of Jiangsu Fanye Power Energy Equipment Co., Ltd., will attend this grand event to share her rich industry experience and unique strategic vision. It is believed that based on this exchange and discussion, all parties will promote cooperation and development across the entire new energy industry chain to new heights, contributing to the global energy transition. April 18, 2025 Sub-Forum 10: Overseas Market Forum Sub-Forum 11: Low-Altitude Economy Forum Sub-Forum 12: Suzhou Virtual Power Plant Ecosystem Forum (3rd) CLNB 2025 New Energy Full Industry Chain Expo Time: April 16-18, 2025 Location: Suzhou International Expo Center This exhibition focuses on the entire new energy industry chain, showcasing power batteries, energy storage, raw materials, materials, equipment, mining, and battery recycling, providing a one-stop exhibition experience.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has finalized a $584.5 million loan guarantee for Convergent Energy and Power Inc. to support energy storage projects in Puerto Rico. The funding will back the development of a solar photovoltaic (PV) system combined with battery energy storage (BESS), along with three stand-alone BESS projects across Puerto Rico.

【Tesla executives say expansion in Southeast Asia is a top priority】A Tesla executive stated on March 12th that expanding into Southeast Asia is a top priority for the company. Rohan Patel, Tesla's Senior Director of Public Policy and Business Development, said that Southeast Asia will undoubtedly become a major growth area for battery storage and electric vehicle applications in the coming years.