News / ニュース

Feb 8, 2023
3DOM Alliance begins shipping samples of X-SEPA, a revolutionary separator technology

TOKYO, February 8, 2023 – 3DOM Alliance Inc. (“3DOM Alliance”) announces that samples of the X-SEPA, a revolutionary separator technology, have begun shipping. The X-SEPA, as first announced in December 2022, has a unique structure that helps to improve the performance of existing battery technologies and accelerate the speed of next-generation battery development, thereby promoting the transition to a more sustainable electric society.

Last year, 3DOM Alliance announced that preparations had been made for mass production following eight years of separator research and development. The company has now started providing X-SEPA samples to battery manufacturers around the world. 3DOM Alliance is already working to respond to requests for samples from more than ten companies and preparing to increase X-SEPA production volume by the end of the year.

The X-SEPA is comprised of multiple layers of highly heat-resistant polyimide membranes, within each a uniform three-dimensional array of pores. This unique structure allows for fine control over separator properties in each layer and overall optimization according to the application and desired battery performance. The X-SEPA thus transcends the conventional function of a separator to provide new added-value to batteries. The structure and material provide longer life, higher reliability, and high-rate discharge performance. This offers a solution to several challenges in the battery industry, including the need for adequate safety and technologies suitable for up-and-coming applications such as electric vehicles in high-temperature regions of the world or air mobility. Furthermore, the regularity of the structure allows for flexible design and optimization as well as simulation through high-precision modeling, which has the potential to drastically accelerate the battery development process.

noco-noco Pte. Ltd. (“noco-noco”), 3DOM Alliance’s Singapore-based subsidiary, will buy long-life batteries equipped with the X-SEPA that have been manufactured by strategic allies and utilize those in services spanning battery first- and second-life use. The aim is to address environmental issues by reducing the required number of batteries in circulation by as much as 75% while maximizing the efficiency of their use. noco-noco intends to encourage this shift away from the unsustainable economic system of mass production and mass consumption through an innovative “Data & Profit Sharing” business model, in which companies that help to extend product life can gain access to battery-related information and continually receive a share of profits over the span of the product’s service life.

By reimagining the role of the separator and repositioning batteries as social infrastructure, 3DOM Alliance and noco-noco are working to address shortcomings in today’s battery industry and unlock the full potential of batteries to mitigate urgent environmental issues.

Jan 10, 2023
noco-noco announces its successful run at CES 2023
The decarbonization solutions company exhibited its Smart Battery for efficient home energy management

SINGAPORE, January 10, 2023 – noco-noco Pte. Ltd. (“noco-noco”) announces the conclusion of its first successful participation at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which recently ended on January 8, 2023. Held annually in Las Vegas, CES is the most influential tech event in the world and the proving ground for breakthrough technologies and global innovators. This year’s theme focused on sustainability, with noco-noco’s Smart Battery exhibiting efficient home energy management.

Close to 1,000 visitors entered noco-noco’s recreated living room booth and experienced nono-noco’s vision for the world of Web 6.0. In Web 6.0, devices hold data, communicate with other devices when triggered by human actions, and exchange and develop information. This communication system, called RCT (Rhizome | Cell | Tsunagu/Tsumugu), is modeled after plants’ communication network. Web6.0 digitally reproduces the way information is naturally connected in the human brain and creates a world where humans and devices (machines with CPU, memory, and communication functions) coexist, thereby holding the potential to redesign our future.

noco-noco’s participation at CES reinforced its commitment to decarbonization and will return to CES next year, January 9-12, 2024, in Las Vegas.

 

About noco-noco Pte. Ltd.
noco-noco aims to truly solve environmental problems, driving a “no-CO²” future with intelligence and heart. For more information, visit noco-noco.com, follow on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/company/noco-noco), or email contactus@noco-noco.com.

Dec 28, 2022
Article announcing X-SEPA published in media outlets in Japan and abroad

noco-noco’s December 22nd announcement of the X-SEPA™, a revolutionary separator technology, was published in many media outlets in Japan and abroad. The article was picked up by a total of 921 media outlets throughout Asia Pacific, the US, and Europe.

Select Examples
MarketWatch(US)
https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/noco-noco-announces-x-sepatm-a-revolutionary-separator-technology-2022-12-22?mod=search_headline

Asahi Shimbun Digital (Japan)
https://www.asahi.com/and/pressrelease/423446107/

Sustainability Magazine (UK)
https://sustainabilitymag.com/pr_newswire?rkey=20221222EN72585&filter=22558

kjxf.HC360.com(China)
http://www.kjxf.hc360.com/template/meitongshe.html?rkey=20221222ZH72585&filter=23154

Dec 22, 2022
noco-noco announces “X-SEPA™“, a revolutionary separator technology
X-SEPA™ transcends the typical concept of a separator to provide new added value to batteries; samples to start shipping January 2023

SINGAPORE, December 22, 2022 – noco-noco Pte. Ltd. (“noco-noco”) announces the launch of the X-SEPA™, a ground-breaking separator that helps to improve the performance of existing battery technologies and accelerate the speed of next-generation battery development. The X-SEPA™ features a three-dimensionally ordered array of pores, and with a multilayer structure, offers an optimal combination of membrane strength, high porosity, and improved battery performance. noco-noco has now overcome the challenges of mass production and will start shipping X-SEPA™ samples in January 2023.

Creating a new market
X-SEPA™ is a technology platform that transcends the typical concept of a separator to provide new added value to batteries. noco-noco’s parent company, 3DOM Alliance Inc. (“3DOM Alliance”), developed the X-SEPA™ over eight years of research and development in order to truly solve environmental problems. The separator has the most important function in a battery – it is a component that isolates the anode and cathode, holds electrolyte, and ensures ion conductivity between the electrodes. 3DOM Alliance’s single-layer separator has higher porosity and a uniform labyrinthine pore structure, which suppresses the formation of dendrites. However, increasing the porosity reduces the strength of the separator. Thus, in the pursuit of greater strength, dendrite suppression, and higher porosity, the multi-layer X-SEPA™ was born. The X-SEPA™ successfully balances performance in the outer layers of higher porosity and strength in the middle layer of lower porosity. These results were obtained from a New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)-funded project.

3DOM Alliance’s patent-pending multi-layer separator with a three-dimensionally ordered macroporous structure provides batteries with longer life, greater reliability (reduced rate of accidents, etc.), and higher rate discharge. Batteries equipped with the X-SEPA™ also have excellent heat resistance and are suitable for high-power applications such as air mobility take-off and landing. Most conventional batteries are unable to withstand high temperatures and deteriorate too quickly in tropical areas of high temperature and high humidity. Due to its unique structure and material, which makes it compatible with other temperature-resistant components, the X-SEPA™ is ideal for high temperature regions where high growth and large-scale electrification are anticipated.

Promoting digital transformation (DX) in battery development and manufacturing – High-precision modelling accelerates next-generation battery R&D
With the increase in demand for electric vehicles (EVs), there is a need for fundamental improvements in battery performance. Battery accidents hinder the spread of EVs worldwide; recalls cost automakers, and the disposal of EVs along with their batteries can result in very serious soil pollution. The unique structure of the X-SEPA™ prevents a major cause of short circuiting, and the highly heat-resistant material reduces battery accidents and damage. Additionally, the X-SEPA™ provides excellent high-load performance in batteries and reliability under various abnormal conditions due to the high temperature resistance of the polyimide material.

The X-SEPA™ will drive battery development to a new stage. It surpasses a separator’s conventional role to isolate the anode and cathode – it transforms battery performance and allows for the development of high-performance batteries. Unlike conventional separators with irregular pores, the X-SEPA™ has a uniform hexagonal close-packed pore structure, which allows for simulation through high-precision modelling, flexible separator structural design, and the optimization of various parameters. As a result, X-SEPA™ can be adapted to any type of battery. This “computable” quality is also important in that it allows for information fed back from the lab or the market to be utilized for further developments, thereby holding great potential to speed up the development process and drastically increase the chances of technological breakthroughs. In this way, the X-SEPA™ will dramatically transform “analogue” sites of battery development and manufacturing into ones fit for the DX era.

Illustration of separator structure

Aiming to introduce the X-SEPA™ to all batteries worldwide within five years
The X-SEPA™ provides double or more battery cycle life, allowing batteries to serve in multiple applications over the course of their lives – after the batteries’ first-life use in EVs, they can serve second-life use in energy storage systems (ESS), for example. Not only is this environmentally friendly, it also reduces cost per charge cycle. Extending battery life with the X-SEPA™ minimizes the environmental impact of each battery and unlocks new opportunities for circular use.

Decarbonization solution provider noco-noco aims to reposition long-life batteries as social infrastructure. First- and second-life use, as well as recycling, are essential to preserve the environment. Although electrification appears to be progressing globally for the betterment of the environment, battery manufacturing squeezes the earth’s resources and emits large volumes of CO2, while discarded batteries can lead to grave pollution. noco-noco therefore strongly opposes business models that take advantage of increasing demand for EVs by mass producing and selling short-lived batteries. Instead, the company’s mission is to reduce CO2 emissions and prevent pollution by prioritizing efficient energy use and maximally utilizing the minimum number of long-life batteries. noco-noco is determined to curtail battery-related accidents and make batteries an affordable and safe social infrastructure for everyone to use.

With no time to spare before the earth’s temperature rises by 1.5 degrees Celsius and reaches a point of no return, noco-noco recognizes an urgency to introduce the X-SEPA™ to all batteries worldwide within five years, before it is too late to protect the environment. Therefore, noco-noco will make X-SEPA™ technology widely available to all battery manufacturers and buy the batteries equipped with the X-SEPA™ for use in products (EVs, ESS, etc.) that will be leased in the company’s carbon-neutral leasing service. The X-SEPA™ will allow for batteries with double or more lifespan to be used for first- and second-life use, driving down the required number of batteries by 75% or more. noco-noco will gather partners who also value product longevity and work to create a mechanism that promotes sustainable growth.

 
About noco-noco Pte. Ltd.
noco-noco aims to truly solve environmental problems, driving a “no-CO²” future with intelligence and heart. For more information, visit noco-noco.com, follow on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/company/noco-noco), or email contactus@noco-noco.com.

Dec 12, 2022
Article announcing new noco-noco company name published in media outlets in Japan and abroad

The December 7th announcement of the new noco-noco company name was published in many media outlets in Japan and abroad.
In the three days from December 7th to 9th, the article was picked up by a total of 771 media outlets throughout Asia Pacific, India, the US, and the UK, approximately half of which were in the US.

 

Select Examples
MarketWatch (US)
https://www.marketwatch.com/press-release/decarbonization-solution-provider-3dom-singapore-unveils-new-name-noco-noco-2022-12-07?mod=search_headline

Yomiuri Shimbun Online (Japan)
https://yab.yomiuri.co.jp/adv/culture/release/detail/0000271932.html

The News SINGAPORE (Singapore)
https://thenews.sg/pr-newswire/?rkey=20221207AE58367&filter=25075

Dec 7, 2022
Decarbonisation solution provider 3DOM Singapore unveils new name, “noco-noco”
Company to accelerate solutions for environmental problems through business models and technologies that emphasize value on longevity in product lifespan

SINGAPORE, 7 December 2022 – noco-noco Pte. Ltd. (“noco-noco”) a Singapore-based decarbonisation solution provider, announces their new company name today. The name noco-noco, a play on “no CO2,” affirms the company’s commitment to a truly “no-CO2” policy. Previously known as 3DOM Singapore, a subsidiary under parent company 3DOM Alliance Inc. (“3DOM Alliance”) of Japan, this rebranding to noco-noco marks a coming of age as the company moves to offer comprehensive solutions addressing decarbonisation and environmental issues. Masataka Matsumura, CEO of noco-noco and President of 3DOM Alliance, has strengthened noco-noco’s team with additional business professionals, IT personnel, and engineers to drive the business forward. Their new tagline, “Driving a no-CO2 future with intelligence and heart,” marks them as being at the forefront of technology and steering the movement towards decarbonisation.

Redefining Batteries as a Social Infrastructure

noco-noco’s parent company, 3DOM Alliance, is a leader at the cutting edge of battery development. A deep understanding in this field has exposed an imperative to reposition batteries within society. noco-noco thus redefines batteries as infrastructure that optimizes data and power, rather than just storage devices for electricity use. noco-noco’s next-generation batteries have brains (intelligence) and will serve as Internet of Things (IoT) devices that are not “owned,” but “used” in a variety of applications, in which they collect data, optimize power consumption, and work as infrastructure to improve the efficiency of society as a whole.

Matsumura commented, “If we build an IoT platform, we will be able to increase the utilization rate of each and every ‘thing’ and ascertain the minimum number of devices required. We believe that we can reduce CO2 emissions through electrification and by increasing the overall efficiency of society using IoT. While IoT makes life more convenient, we must not forget that more IoT devices means more cloud usage, which will hurt the environment. We are unique in that we transform batteries, which will form the core of the IoT era, into an infrastructure, thereby solving environmental issues by operating IoT with the fewest possible devices and maximum utilization rate, without relying on the cloud.” In this way, noco-noco is an IoT company promising to change the decarbonisation game.

A New Mechanism to Stimulate Sustainable Growth, in Which Longer-Lasting Products Generate More Revenue

“Since the Industrial Revolution, the economic system of mass over production and over consumption without sufficient regard for CO2 emissions is at the root of environmental issues. Energy policies cannot be short-sighted, and society must demand greater accountability from businesses to move away from the manufacture of short-lived products to curb CO2 emissions,” remarked Matsumura. “We still have a chance to prevent irreversible climate change. We want to advocate a new set of values that prioritizes long product life and create a new supply chain.”

noco-noco proposes a new “Data & Profit Sharing” (“DPS”) business model, which steers away from sales generated by large quantities of short-lived products to instead focus on extending the life of products which are provided to users as services. Information and profits are shared among companies that have contributed to extending product life. This business model not only creates a flat and open supply chain, but also has the potential to spark technological breakthroughs as information on usage and R&D is shared.

Introduce a Series of Implementable Decarbonisation Solutions, Before Time Runs Out for Our Planet

noco-noco has devised a platform based on the DPS business model that specializes in the creation and use of long-lasting products. The company plans to bring the concept to life through projects in Thailand and the Philippines starting in December 2022 and January 2023, respectively. noco-noco will also present a revolutionary IoT device that enables humans and devices to “freely” communicate at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) 2023 this coming January in Las Vegas. noco-noco will present its ideal vision for the world, marked by clear concepts for cloud repatriation and the democratization of information (individual ownership of personal information), to address the problems that may arise in a future where everything from homes to cities are made “smart.”

In deploying the platform, noco-noco will offer three closely intertwined solutions:

  • X-SEPA – 3DOM Alliance’s ground-breaking separator technology
  • noco-noco – carbon-neutral leasing services for batteries and electric vehicles (EVs)
  • noco-noco+ a data-controlled, intelligent energy management system

noco-noco will offer revolutionary separator technology, the result of eight years of dedicated work by 3DOM Alliance, to various partners including battery and mobility manufacturers through the DPS business model. noco-noco will purchase batteries and EVs from those partners and deploy carbon neutral services progressively for battery first- and second-life use, then share the data collected through attached IoT devices with X-SEPA partners to further improve battery quality and lifespan.

In this way, noco-noco will shift to a circular model in which the optimal number of long-life batteries are maximally utilized, and profits are shared throughout the life of the batteries, thereby shifting away from mass production and mass consumption. “We believe that by offering a series of decarbonisation solutions at no additional cost to users, we can breathe new life into slow-moving decarbonisation efforts. We aim to bring together partners who share our vision and quickly work to transform supply chains and develop decarbonisation solutions that can be provided at no additional cost to users,” commented Matsumura.

Follow and Contact Us

For the latest updates, visit noco-noco.com and www.linkedin.com/company/noco-noco

Nov 24, 2022
3DOM’s next-generation lithium-ion batteries featured in Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun

24 November 2022 - A feature was published in the “TechX” section of the Nikkei Sangyo Shimbun introducing our next-generation separator and new lithium-ion batteries that utilize it.

“TechX” is a section that introduces the latest battery-related technologies. Our next-generation lithium rechargeable batteries were featured in this issue for characteristics including approximately twice the lifespan of conventional products, twice the energy density, and the ability to suppress dendrite formation.
Our technology was introduced as one new option for carbon neutrality efforts in Japan and abroad.

URL:https://webreprint.nikkei.co.jp/r/266DDD7885AD435DA94FF336BBD7BE51/

Oct 7, 2022
Transition to Company with Audit & Supervisory Committee and Change of Directors

3DOM Alliance Inc. hereby announces that at an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders held today, it was resolved to transition from a Company with an Audit & Supervisory Board to a Company with an Audit & Supervisory Committee in order to enhance corporate governance and sustainably increase corporate value by strengthening the supervisory function of the Board of Directors.

1.Purpose of Transition to a Company with Audit & Supervisory Committee
By abolishing the Audit & Supervisory Board system, which is unique to Japan, and shifting to a governance structure that is easier for overseas investors to understand, we aim to facilitate not only the listing of the Singapore subsidiary currently in progress, but also of 3DOM Alliance itself. Additionally, the Board of Directors will be able to resolve to delegate decision-making regarding the execution of important operations to Executive Directors, thereby enabling flexible decision-making in a rapidly changing business environment.
With these changes, we aim to continuously increase 3DOM Alliance’s corporate value.

 

2.Change of Directors

(1)Board Members (excluding Audit & Supervisory Committee members)

Name Position
Masataka Matsumura Representative Director
Shusuke Oguro Director
Heizo Takenaka Director
Mitsuhiro Furusawa Director
Akihiko Matsumura Director

 

(2)Audit & Supervisory Committee Members

Name Position
Minoru Tanaka Director
Noriyoshi Suzuki Director
Hiroshi Iizuka Director

 

Oct 7, 2022
Interview with IP representatives featured in METI Journal

7 October 2022 - An interview with 3DOM Alliance Executive Officer Masako Harada and two other intellectual property (IP) professionals, including one from Bridgestone, was published in “Policy Feature: ESG Management through Intellectual Property vol.4” on the Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s “METI Journal” website.

In the interview, they share their opinions and views on the handling of IP and intangible assets, the challenges facing IP, and IP strategy.

Publication: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry website “METI Journal ONLINE”
“How can corporate governance allow IP to thrive? Professionals reveal key points (Part 1)”
URL: https://journal.meti.go.jp/p/23628/
※Available in Japanese only

“How can corporate governance allow IP to thrive? Professionals reveal key points (Part 2)”
URL: https://journal.meti.go.jp/p/23682/
※Available in Japanese only

Aug 18, 2022
Article about Binex published in Newswitch

18 August 2022 – Newswitch, a website of the Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, published an article about Binex’s business. The article describes Binex Sorghum and how it can be utilized for biofuels.

Publication: Newswitch
“[Follow Deep Tech] Turning ‘Sorghum’ into Biofuel. Aiming for Food and CO2 Recovery”
URL: https://newswitch.jp/p/33379