China has introduced tougher electric-vehicle battery safety rules that the industry says are difficult to meet with existing lithium-ion technology, boosting attention on sodium-ion batteries as a faster-to-commercialise alternative. The rules require no fire or explosion even during thermal runaway and tighten tests for heat spread and impacts. Demand for sodium-ion batteries is forecast to rise sharply, led by China’s push on transport rules and international standards.

A China-led international standardisation project for blockchain infrastructure-as-a-service (BaaS) has been newly approved by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The effort seeks to establish common technical criteria that companies can use when adopting blockchain-based services, intensifying competition over standards in the blockchain infrastructure market. The project will address a technical framework and functional requirements for BaaS, with Germany, Britain, Ireland, Japan, Portugal and Uganda expected to participate.