PowerHive, Vikram Solar’s energy storage subsidiary, has launched the VION lithium battery range for homes, e-rickshaws, and distributed energy projects, marking the company’s entry into electric mobility and residential backup storage. March 12, 2026 Uma Gupta Image: PowerHive From ESS News PowerHive, the battery and energy storage arm of Vikram Solar, has launched its VION lithium battery product range, marking the company’s entry into distributed battery storage for electric mobility a...

Just a few years ago, the battery industry was hot, hot, hot. There was a seemingly infinite number of companies popping up, with shiny new chemistries and massive fundraising rounds. My biggest problem was sifting through the pile to pick the most exciting news to cover. That tide has turned, and in 2026, what seems to be in unlimited supply isn’t battery success stories but stumbles or straight-up implosions. Companies are failing, investors are pulling back, and batteries, especially for EV...

Max Verstappen is enduring conflicting thoughts on whether to retire from Formula 1, confirming he ‘doesn’t want to’ leave but is having more fun with his endurance racing projects. The four-time world champion has long been a big critic of F1’s 2026 regulation overhaul, which is more reliant on electrical energy meaning battery harvesting has a greater role at grands prix. It caused Verstappen to slander it as “anti-racing” and “Formula E on steroids”, adding it might push him a...

Poco is launching the X8 Pro and X8 Pro Max on March 17, and ahead of that the brand already confirmed that the X8 Pro is powered by the Dimensity 8500 SoC, and the X8 Pro Max by the Dimensity 9500s. Today Poco has also confirmed the duo’s battery capacities, but there’s a twist. The Poco X8 Pro’s situation is clear-cut: it has a 6,500 mAh battery with support for 100W wired charging. Poco X8 Pro series officially confirmed details The Poco X8 Pro Max, however, has an 8,500 mAh...

“Why should there be no good news?” As Aston Martin’s chief trackside officer Mike Krack welcomed the media in the Shanghai Formula 1 paddock, his tongue-in-cheek opening comment set the tone of the ensuing conversation. There remained a lot of explaining to do for Krack alongside Honda’s trackside general manager Shintaro Orihara, after Fernando Alonso retired from the season-opening Australian Grand Prix last weekend while Lance Stroll finished 15 laps down and therefore was not classi...

vivo has launched a new Y-series smartphone in India called the Y51 Pro 5G. The handset succeeds the vivo Y31 Pro 5G, which debuted in September last year. The new model is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7360-Turbo chipset and packs a 7,200mAh battery. The vivo Y51 Pro 5G comes with a 6.75-inch LCD display that offers a refresh rate of 120Hz and an HD+ resolution. The Dimensity 7360-Turbo chipset can be configured with up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and up to 256GB of internal UFS 3.1 storage. It p...

vivo’s teaser campaign for the X300s continues. Following some revelations from a couple of days ago, today the brand has officially revealed that the phone sports a 7,100 mAh battery. That’s the biggest capacity in the X-series so far. The X300s is also officially confirmed to sport a 6.78-inch flat screen with 144Hz refresh rate, symmetrical dual speakers, a custom vibration motor, an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor, and to have support for USB 3.2 Gen 1. vivo X300s offici...

Shia LaBeouf has been spotted in Italy this week after receiving a judge’s OK to travel internationally following his February arrests. The “Holes” actor was photographed getting into a black car in Rome after he seemingly touched down in the City of Love on Wednesday to support his dad, Jeffrey, at his baptism. Per the photos, he went with a cozy look for his day of travel and sported a red, black and white patterned graphic t-shirt and a pair of gray shorts. The actor appeared very casua...

Samsung Galaxy Book6 Pro ZDNET’s key takeaways Pros: The Galaxy Book6 Pro sports an AMOLED screen, a booming six-speaker system, and a new vapor chamber Cons: The user experience is held back by a substandard keyboard. View now at Samsung Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. I’ll be brutally honest: I didn’t expect to be super impressed by the Samsung’s Galaxy Book 6 Pro. On paper, it’s essentially a toned-down version of the Galaxy Book 6 Ultra,...

Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra ZDNET’s key takeaways Pros: Its AMOLED 3K display, powerful hardware, and long battery life make the Galaxy Book6 Ultra a pure premium laptop Cons: It’s very expensive, the keyboard isn’t the most comfortable, and it can run hot. View now at Samsung Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. I’ve spent the past month testing Samsung’s latest flagship laptop, the Galaxy Book6 Ultra, and from the moment I started using it, I rea...