Over the past decade, China has seen a boom in EVs, in part due to government support. Buying an electric car has gone from being a unique decision to a routine one; By the end of 2025, about 60% of new cars sold were electric or plug-in hybrids.
But as the batteries of the first wave of EVs in China reach the end of their useful lives, early owners are starting to retire their cars, and the country is now under pressure to figure out what to do with those old components.
The issue is putting pressure on China’s still-growing battery recycling industry and has given rise to a gray market that often ignores safety and environmental standards. National regulators and commercial players are also stepping in, but so far these efforts have struggled to keep up with the flood of batteries hitting the road. Read the full story.
-Cawei Chen
AI doomsday feel carefree
It’s a strange time to waste AI. This small but influential community believes, simply put, that AI can be so good that it can be bad – very, very bad – for humanity.
The destructive crowd has had some notable success over the past several years: including helping shape AI policy coming from the Biden administration. But several developments in the last six months have put them on the backfoot. Talk of an AI bubble has overwhelmed the discussion as tech companies continue to invest in data centers across multiple Manhattan projects with no certainty that future demand will match their construction.
So where does this leave the destroyers? We decided to ask some of the biggest names in the movement to see if recent setbacks and changes in the general climate have changed their views. See what he had to say in our story.
-Garrison Lovely
This story is part of our new Hype Correction Package, a collection of stories designed to help reset your expectations about what AI makes possible – and what it doesn’t. Check out the rest of the package,
Take our quiz on the year in health and biotechnology
In just a few weeks, we will say goodbye to 2025. And what a year it has been! Artificial intelligence is being incorporated into more aspects of our lives, the scope of weight loss drugs has expanded, and some real “oh my god” biotech stories have emerged from gene therapy, IVF, neurotech, and other areas.
Jessica Hamzelo, our senior biotech reporter, is inviting you to test your memory. So how closely are you paying attention this year?
