Hankook iON Race Handles Tokyo's Day-to-Night Transition Across Two Races

• Rounds 14 and 15 of Season 12 brought FIA World Championship night racing to Japan for the first time, with Dan Ticktum and Nick De Vries taking victory in Tokyo.
• Thunderstorms required teams to adapt to changing race conditions across the double-header
• iON Race maintained predictable grip and stable performance as teams adapted from warm daytime sessions to cooler night racing conditions

TOKYO, July 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Hankook Tire & Technology Co., Ltd. (hereafter Hankook), the exclusive tyre supplier to the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, equipped all teams as Formula E completed Rounds 14 and 15 of Season 12 (2025/26) at the 2026 TDK Tokyo E-Prix.

In Round 14, CUPRA KIRO's Dan Ticktum passed Jake Dennis at the penultimate corner of the final lap to take victory, with Nick Cassidy finishing third. In Round 15, Mahindra Racing's Nyck de Vries won ahead of Cassidy and Dennis. Throughout the weekend, drivers, teams and officials paid tribute to the late Citroën Racing Team Principal Cyril Blais, with Cassidy dedicating his podium finish to Blais.

The 2.575-kilometer temporary circuit around Tokyo Big Sight featured 18 corners and three straights through the Ariake waterfront district. Tokyo's third Formula E weekend introduced night racing to the venue for the first time, changing the conditions teams encountered between daytime sessions and the races.

The unsettling weather also repeatedly altered track temperatures and surface conditions, forcing teams to adapt tyre management, car setup and race strategy throughout the weekend. A second thunderstorm on Sunday led to the cancellation of Free Practice 3, before wet and gradually drying conditions made Round 15 particularly demanding as grip evolved throughout the race.

Throughout the weekend, Hankook's iON Race delivered consistent performance as teams transitioned from warm daytime sessions to cooler night races. The temporary street surface, changing temperatures, and evolving grip levels placed particular emphasis on tyre warm-up at the start and following restarts, as well as consistency across the full race distance.

"Bringing Formula E night racing to Tokyo for the first time made this a distinctive weekend and one of the more unusual tyre assignments of our season," said Manfred Sandbichler, Senior Director of Hankook Motorsport. "The contrast between afternoon running and the 20:05 races shaped how teams prepared for both events, and the iON Race managed that transition and the changing weather conditions well, delivering consistent and predictable performance as the circuit cooled through the evening."

Following Rounds 14 and 15, Jake Dennis leads the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship Drivers' standings on 146 points, just two points ahead of Mitch Evans and five clear of Pascal Wehrlein. With all three drivers still closely matched, the title will be decided at the 2026 Hankook London E-Prix double-header on 15–16 August. Broadcast details for each region are available on the "How to Watch" page of the Formula E website.

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Hankook iON Race Handles Tokyo's Day-to-Night Transition Across Two Races

NANTONG, China, July 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Highstar unveiled its full-chain battery cell solution for artificial intelligence data centers (AIDCs) at the 2026 GGII Energy Storage Industry Summit. The portfolio spans three critical power layers: grey-space UPS and high-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems, white-space battery backup units (BBUs), and grid-side energy storage.

Targeted cells for grey-space and white-space challenges

As AI workloads increase rack density and load volatility, data centers require faster response, dependable backup, controlled temperature rise and stronger lifecycle performance. Highstar's solution centers on two products for the layers closest to computing loads.

For grey space, the 85Ah high-rate lithium iron phosphate cell is designed for UPS and HVDC systems that must deliver high power rapidly and sustain reliable backup under frequent pulse conditions. High-rate discharge, thermal control, safety and durability support compact system design while helping operators balance availability with lifecycle cost. In addition, the 50Ah sodium-ion battery cells are better suited for operation across a wide temperature range of -40°C to 80°C.

For white-space BBUs,  Highstar offers a portfolio of tabless cylindrical cells spanning 18650 and 21700 formats, with both LFP and high-nickel NMC chemistries. Designed for BBU applications, these cells deliver high instantaneous power, low internal resistance, reduced temperature rise and enhanced safety, while accommodating different rack-space, power and cost requirements.

Completing the chain with grid-side storage

The grid-side system uses 314Ah lithium-ion cells and 160Ah sodium-ion cells, balancing long-duration energy storage, cycle life, and rapid power support. Together, the three layers create a coordinated portfolio extending from rack-level protection and system-level backup to upstream energy storage.

The portfolio combines lithium-ion and sodium-ion chemistries with prismatic and cylindrical platforms. Highstar's technology integrates cathode, anode, electrolyte and separator development with structural approaches including tabless current collection, precision pressure relief and directional venting.

From individual cells to application collaboration

The full-chain architecture is designed to reduce selection and integration complexity for power equipment suppliers, system integrators and data center operators. It also provides a common foundation for joint validation and application-specific development across AIDC power architectures.

During the summit, Highstar also participated in the launch of the "2026 Global AIDC Power Supply Industry Development Blue Book" and was honored as a "Top Benchmark in AIDC Energy Storage," earning authoritative recognition from the industry.

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Highstar Launches Full-Chain Battery Cell Portfolio for AI Data Centers