Tag: CATL

China Electric eMobility eV Giga Shanghai Tesla Tesla Team

Tesla reportedly laying off some battery workers at Shanghai plant

Post author By Phate Zhang/CnEVPost
Post date July 7, 2023

Earlier this week, Tesla began notifying some employees on the battery cell assembly lines at the first phase of its plant in Shanghai about that layoff, according to Bloomberg.

(Image: Screenshot from a Tesla China video.)

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) is laying off some battery production workers at its Shanghai plant, amid heavy discounts on cars from all manufacturers, Bloomberg reported today.

Earlier this week, Tesla began notifying some employees on the battery cell assembly lines at the first phase of its plant in Shanghai about the layoffs, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Some employees have been allowed to move to another shop, such as stamping, painting or general assembly, the people said. It's unclear how many battery workers may be let go, or the specific reasons behind the layoffs, according to the report.

Tesla employs about 20,000 people at its Shanghai plant, which can produce about 1 million vehicles a year, the report noted.

While Tesla uses batteries made by LG Energy Solution and CATL in its vehicles, those battery cells must be made into battery modules and packs before they can be installed in the cars, a process that is done for the most part in Tesla's battery workshop.

Some automation equipment that could help replace human labor on the battery production line is in the design and construction stages, one of the people said, according to the report.

The report did not provide more details on the layoff plan, though a local media outlet reported yesterday that more than 50 percent of the phase one battery assembly line workforce would be cut.

The layoffs are partly due to the US government's ban on subsidies for batteries imported from China, requiring local car companies to use US-made batteries, Chinese media outlet Shifang Zhixing said in a report yesterday, citing an insider.

In addition, the ample battery assembly capacity at Tesla's Shanghai plant is also a major reason for the layoffs, according to the report.

The battery assembly line in phase two has a capacity of 870 batteries on a single shift, while the day shift plus the night shift in the two battery plants can provide 3,400 batteries, more than the amount needed for vehicle production, according to the report.

Vehicle manufacturing-related jobs have not been affected by the layoffs yet, after all, Tesla vehicle sales are still strong, the report said.

Tesla sold 93,680 China-made vehicles in June, including exports, the second highest on record after 100,291 in November 2022, according to data released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) on July 4.

Tesla's Shanghai plant produces the Model 3 and Model Y, and their breakdown sales figures are currently unknown.

In May, Tesla sold 42,508 vehicles in China, ranking third in China's new energy vehicle (NEV) market with a 7.3 percent share, according to the CPCA. Tesla's Shanghai plant exported 35,187 vehicles in May.

Model Y retail sales in China in May were 31,054, making it the best-selling SUV in China that month, according to the CPCA's rankings.

From January to May, Model Y retail sales in China were 152,461 units, also the best-selling SUV in China during that period.

Yesterday, 16 car companies, including Tesla, BYD, Nio, Xpeng and Li Auto, signed a pledge in Shanghai to jointly maintain order in China's auto market and not to disrupt fair competition with abnormal prices.

Earlier today, Tesla ramped up referral incentives for the Model 3 and Model Y in China to boost sales of the two models.

Tesla to equip revamped Model 3 in China with CATL's new battery, report says

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Tags BYD, CATL, Li Auto, NIO, Tesla, XPeng

Battery Data Battery News BYD CALB CATL China Electric eMobility eV Gotion High-Tech Monthly Data SNE Research Tesla

Global EV battery market share in Jan-May: CATL 36.3%, BYD 16.1%

Post author By Phate Zhang/CnEVPost
Post date July 5, 2023

CATL's battery installed base grew 59.6 percent year-on-year in January-May, while BYD's grew 107.8 percent year-on-year, according to SNE Research.

China's CATL and BYD (OTCMKTS: BYDDY) continued to dominate the global power battery market in the January-May period, the latest figures show.

From January to May, total global battery consumption for electric vehicles (EVs) was 237.6 GWh, up 52.3 percent from 156.0 GWh in the same period last year, according to data released today by South Korean market research firm SNE Research.

CATL installed 86.2 GWh of batteries in January-May, up 59.6 percent from 54.0 GWh in the same period last year.

The Chinese power battery giant continues to rank first in the world with a 36.3 percent share and remains the only battery supplier in the world with a market share of more than 30 percent.

This is up from its 34.6 percent share in the same period last year and up from its 35.9 percent share in the January-April period.

CATL's batteries are installed in many major passenger EV models in China's domestic market, such as the Tesla Model 3, Model Y, SAIC Mulan, GAC Aion Y, and Nio ET5, as well as Chinese commercial vehicle models, and continue to grow steadily, SNE Research said.

BYD installed 38.1 GWh of power batteries from January to May, up 107.8 percent from 18.4 GWh in the same period last year.

The company ranked second with a 16.1 percent share from January to May, up from 11.8 percent in the same period last year and unchanged compared to January-April.

BYD has gained popularity in China's domestic market with its competitive pricing by establishing a vertically integrated supply chain management, including battery self-sufficiency and vehicle manufacturing, SNE Research said.

With the launch of the Atto 3 model, BYD showed explosive growth by expanding its market share outside of China in Asia and Europe, SNE Research said.

LG Energy Solution installed 33.0 GWh of power batteries from January to May, up 56.0 percent year-on-year.

The South Korean company ranked third in the world with a 13.9 percent share, slightly up from 13.6 percent a year ago and down from 14.1 percent in the January-April period.

Panasonic of Japan ranked fourth with an 8.0 percent share, SK On of South Korea ranked fifth with 5.2 percent share and CALB of China ranked sixth with a 4.3 percent share.

Samsung SDI of South Korea, China's Gotion High-tech, Eve Energy, and Sunwoda ranked seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth respectively, with 4.2 percent, 2.2 percent, 2.2 percent, and 1.6 percent shares in January-May.

It is worth noting that CALB's power battery installed base of 10.2 GWh continued to be higher than Samsung SDI's 9.9 GWh in January-May.

From January to March, CALB's 5.7 GWh was lower than Samsung SDI's 6.5 GWh. From January to April, CALB's 8.4 GWh exceeded Samsung SDI's 7.5 GWh.

In 2023, Chinese companies are expected to push into overseas markets such as Europe, preparing for a gradual decline in growth in China's domestic market, SNE Research said.

Europe is the largest EV market after China and is aggressively implementing environmental policies, so it is highly likely to be the biggest battleground in the future, according to SNE Research.

In the future, the proportion of LFP batteries in Europe is expected to increase as Chinese companies enter the European market in earnest, the report said.

Nio starts to get cells from WeLion, as deliveries of 150-kWh batteries set to begin in Jul

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Tags BYD, CATL, GAC Aion, NIO, Tesla

China Electric eMobility eV Tesla Tesla Model Y Wait Times

Tesla Model Y wait times get longer in China

Post author By Phate Zhang/CnEVPost
Post date June 30, 2023

The latest wait times for all three versions of the Tesla Model Y in China are a slightly longer 2-6 weeks, the second change this year since January 9.

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

Tesla's (NASDAQ: TSLA) Model Y -- the best-selling SUV in China -- is seeing longer wait times, the second such change in the first half of this year.

The latest expected delivery dates for all three available versions of the Model Y in China -- the entry-level rear-wheel drive Model Y, the dual-motor all-wheel drive Model Y Long Range, and the dual-motor all-wheel drive Model Y Performance -- are all 2-6 weeks, CnEVPost's monitoring shows.

The last change in wait times for the Model Y in China was on January 9, when both the entry-level Model Y and Model Y Long Range went from 1-4 weeks to 2-5 weeks, and the Model Y Performance stayed at 1-4 weeks.

CnEVPost has been tracking wait times and price changes for Tesla models in China on a daily basis since April 2022. The latest change in Model Y wait times is the second in the first half of the year.

(Vehicle information displayed on Tesla's China website on June 30, 2023.)

Tesla has a factory in Shanghai that produces the Model 3 and Model Y. The expected delivery dates for the two versions of the Model 3 -- the entry-level rear-wheel drive version and the dual-motor all-wheel drive Model 3 Performance -- remain unchanged at 1-4 weeks.

The Model 3 and Model Y showed no change in price or core specification information today. There have been some changes to their pricing information in China in the first half of this year.

On January 6, Tesla significantly lowered the prices of the full range of Model 3 and Model Y in China. The specific adjustments at that time were as follows:

The price of the entry-level Model 3 was reduced by RMB 36,000 from RMB 265,900 ($36,660) to RMB 229,900 on January 6, and the Model 3 Performance was reduced by RMB 20,000 from RMB 349,900 to RMB 329,900.

The price of the entry-level Model Y was reduced by RMB 29,000 from RMB 288,900 to RMB 259,900 on January 6, and the Model Y Long Range was reduced by RMB 48,000 from RMB 357,900 to RMB 309,900. The Model Y Performance was reduced by RMB 38,000 to RMB 359,900 from RMB 397,900.

On February 10, Tesla increased the price of the base Model Y in China by RMB 2,000 to RMB 261,900.

On February 17, Tesla increased the price of Model Y Long Range and Model Y Performance in China both by RMB 2,000 to RMB 311,900 and RMB 361,900, respectively.

On May 2, Tesla increased the prices of the entire Model 3 and Model Y lineup by RMB 2,000 in China. Following this adjustment, the starting prices for the two versions of the Model 3 were RMB 231,900 and RMB 331,900, respectively, and the starting prices for the three versions of the Model Y were RMB 263,900, RMB 313,900 and RMB 363,900, respectively.

Prices for the Model 3 and Model Y have not changed in China since the May 2 price change.

Tesla sold 42,508 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in China in May, and the Shanghai plant exported 35,187 vehicles, according to the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

Model Y retail sales in China in May were 31,054 units, up 428.58 percent year-on-year and up 16.05 percent from April.

This makes the Model Y the best-selling SUV in China in May, above the second-place BYD Yuan Plus with 26,072 units and the third-place BYD Song Plus with 22,079 units, according to a ranking by the CPCA.

From January to May, Model Y retail sales in China were 152,461 units, up 87.03 percent year-on-year, making it the best-selling SUV in China during that period.

Yesterday, local media outlet 36kr reported that Tesla's revamped China-made Model 3 will have an upgraded battery pack, with the base rear-wheel drive version using CATL's new M3P lithium iron phosphate battery, which will be upgraded from 60 kWh to 66 kWh in capacity.

The 66-kWh battery pack will not only be used in the improved Model 3, but also in the future upgraded Model Y, the report said, citing sources.

($1 = RMB 7.2525)

Tesla starts offering insurance subsidies for car purchases in China again

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Tags BYD, CATL, Tesla

China Electric eMobility eV Product Launch Tesla XPeng XPeng G6

Xpeng officially launches G6 with starting price of $29,010 to regain past glory

Post author By Phate Zhang/CnEVPost
Post date June 29, 2023

The G6 is expected to be the top-selling smart electric SUV in China in the RMB 250,000 price level within two months, said Xpeng's CEO.

(Image credit: Xpeng)

Xpeng (NYSE: XPEV) today officially launched its highly anticipated new SUV, the G6, in China at prices significantly below the pre-sale price to recapture its past glory.

The G6 is a direct competitor to the Tesla Model Y, and Xpeng is offering it in five versions, including two Pro versions and three Max versions.

These five versions start at RMB 209,900 ($29,010), RMB 229,900, RMB 234,900, RMB 254,900 and RMB 276,900 respectively.

The starting price is RMB 15,100 lower than Xpeng's G6 pre-sale price of RMB 225,000 announced on June 9.

The G6 measures 4,753 mm in length, 1,920 mm in width and 1,650 mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 2,890 mm, which is essentially the same as the Tesla Model Y, which measures 4,750 mm in length, 1,921 mm in width and 1,624 mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 2,890 mm.

The Model Y is currently available in three versions in China, with starting prices of RMB 263,900, RMB 313,900 and RMB 363,900 respectively.

The Tesla model sold 31,054 units at retail in China in May, making it once again the best-selling SUV in the country, according to a ranking released earlier this month by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

Xpeng began pre-sales of the G6 on June 9 and later announced that the model had received more than 25,000 orders in 72 hours.

At today's launch event, Xpeng chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng said the G6 had more than 35,000 pre-sale orders as of June 28 since June 9.

The G6 is expected to become the top-selling smart electric SUV priced at the RMB 250,000 level in China within two months, he said.

It's worth noting that while Xpeng previously emphasized that the G6's most direct competitor is the Tesla Model Y, Mr. He's comments seem to rule out comparisons to the Model Y, which is priced above RMB 250,000 for all versions.

In China, consumers generally prefer SUVs with more space, which is why the earliest models from startups including Xpeng, Nio (NYSE: Nio) and Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI) were all SUVs.

Tesla's Model Y has also quickly become one of the best-selling electric vehicles in China after it starts production at its Shanghai plant in 2021.

From January to May, Model Y retail sales in China were 152,461 units, up 87.03 percent year-on-year, making it the best-selling SUV in China during that period.

Based on the 800 V platform, the Xpeng G6 boasts more than 100 advanced features, including a 3C battery that supports ultra-fast charging, and the company's signature driver assistance software, XNGP.

Four versions of the vehicle are single-motor rear-wheel drive models, offering a choice of two ranges -- 580 and 755 kilometers. The most expensive version is a dual-motor four-wheel drive model with a CLTC range of 700 kilometers.

The G6 can be charged from 0 to 80 percent in as little as 20 minutes, with combined energy consumption as low as 13.2 kWh per 100 km.

The model is equipped with battery cells from CATL's local rival CALB and battery packs produced by Xpeng's plant in Wuhan, Hubei, according to a previous regulatory filing.

In terms of performance, the lowest-priced Xpeng G6 can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.6 seconds, while the highest-priced 4WD version is 3.9 seconds.

XNGP is an all-scenario assisted driving system, and Xpeng aims to have it provide driving assistance in all scenarios including highways, city roads, internal campus roads, and parking lots.

On June 15, Xpeng announced that the urban part of the system, City NGP (Navigation Guided Pilot), became available in Beijing after Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Shanghai.

Xpeng announced at today's launch event that XNGP will cover an additional 50 Chinese cities in the second half of the year, with the goal of being available in 200 cities next year.

The G6 show cars and vehicles for test drives are already available in Xpeng showrooms in China, and deliveries of the model will begin in July.

Xpeng also said today that the G6 is based on Chinese and European five-star safety standards and that deliveries in Europe will also begin next year.

Xpeng restarted its European expansion, once on hold, with the launch of the G9 and the new P7 in Europe in February.

The G6 will be crucial for Xpeng to boost weak sales, which fell to 5,218 units in January and have only recovered to just over 7,000 units in the past three months.

The G6 will be a hot seller in China's new-energy SUV market in the RMB 200,000 to 300,000 range, and will enable Xpeng's total deliveries to grow well above the industry's pace in the third quarter, the company's management said in a May 24 analyst call following its first-quarter earnings announcement.

Xpeng management also said at the time that it had set aside about two months between the start of production and delivery of the G6, a model that Xpeng hopes will reach more than double the sales of the P7i.

This means that Xpeng management expects monthly sales of the G6 to reach 6,000-8,000 units, Deutsche Bank analyst Edison Yu's team said in a May 30 research note.

($1 = RMB 7.2353)

XPeng making its last stand with G6, says Deutsche Bank

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Tags CATL, Li Auto, NIO, Tesla, XPeng

China Electric eMobility eV Tesla Tesla Model 3

Tesla to equip revamped Model 3 in China with CATL’s new battery, report says

Post author By Phate Zhang/CnEVPost
Post date June 29, 2023

Tesla's revamped China-made Model 3 will use CATL's new M3P lithium iron phosphate battery, with the base model battery pack capacity upgraded from 60 kWh to 66 kWh, according to 36kr.

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

Tesla's revamped China-made Model 3 will have upgraded battery packs, and the rear-wheel drive base model will use CATL's new M3P lithium iron phosphate battery, with capacity upgraded from 60 kWh to 66kWh, local media 36kr reported today.

Tesla has a practice of upgrading its batteries with every facelift, previously, the standard range version of the China-made Model 3 has been upgraded from 55 kWh to 60 kWh, the report noted.

The 66-kWh pack is not only available for the upgraded Model 3, but can also be used in future revisions of the Model Y, the report said, citing sources.

The range of the China-made Model 3 rear-drive version is currently 556 kilometers. The range of the facelifted Model 3 is expected to increase after receiving a 6-kWh boost in battery capacity, the report said.

The revamped Model 3, with the project code name Highland, is expected to launch in the third quarter, the report said, citing industry chain sources.

Tesla has a factory in Shanghai that produces the Model 3 and Model Y, with an annual capacity of about 1.1 million vehicles, making it the largest Tesla factory in the world.

On March 1, Reuters reported that Tesla was working to retool its Shanghai plant for a Model 3 facelift, a project codenamed Highland by Tesla.

The Highland version of the Model 3 is expected to go into production in Shanghai in September, the Reuters report said, citing a person familiar with the matter.

With Highland, Tesla aims to cut production costs and boost the appeal of the electric sedan, which debuted in 2017, people involved in the project said.

In addition to the Highland version of the Model 3, the Reuters report also mentioned that Tesla was preparing to make production changes to the Model Y.

The changes to the Model Y -- which Tesla has codenamed Project Juniper -- involve the exterior and interior of the SUV, with the goal of starting production in 2024, according to Reuters.

On May 16, Bloomberg reported that Tesla was nearing the final stages before starting trial production of its revamped Model 3 sedan in Shanghai.

The revamped Model 3 is slightly longer, sportier and has a sleeker interior design than earlier versions, according to the report.

On the battery front, it's worth noting that there were rumors last August that CATL would supply M3P batteries to Tesla.

CATL will begin supplying M3P batteries to Tesla in the fourth quarter, and will put them in Model Y using 72 kWh packs, local media outlet LatePost reported on August 3, 2022.

The lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) material used in CATL's M3P battery will be supplied by Shenzhen Dynanonic Co, which had plans to put 110,000 tons of LMFP material into production in the second half of 2022, according to the report.

Tesla was also developing LMFP batteries, but with a long development cycle, it will first source such batteries from suppliers, the report said.

LMFP batteries are an improvement on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries.

Batteries are usually named after the cathode materials they use. LMFP cathode materials can be made by adding manganese to the LFP cathode materials currently used to make LMFP batteries.

The LMFP route can be divided into two types, using 100 percent LMFP material as the cathode or doping the LMFP material with other materials such as aluminum or magnesium to make the cathode.

CATL's M3P batteries' cathode materials are doped with lithium ternary materials and LMFP materials, a solution that solves the problem of short cycle life and high internal resistance of LMFP batteries, as noted in the LatePost report.

On August 18, 2022, Sina Tech cited two people familiar with the matter as saying that Tesla would soon launch a new China-made Model 3, with the biggest highlight being that the entire lineup will use M3P batteries supplied by CATL, with a range improvement of at least 10 percent.

With the new battery pack, the two versions of the China-made Model 3 are expected to have a range of more than 600 km and 700 km, up from the previous 556 km to 675 km, the report said.

Tesla starts offering insurance subsidies for car purchases in China again

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Tags CATL, Tesla

AVATR China Electric eMobility eV Industry News

New patent hints BEV maker Avatr may launch models with combustion engines

Post author By Lei Kang/CnEVPost
Post date June 21, 2023

The appeal of PHEVs or EREVs is clearly hard for Chinese EV companies to ignore, and the strong deliveries of the Li Auto further underscore this.

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

While adding an internal combustion engine to an electric vehicle (EV) model is seen as a step backward, the approach could lead to higher sales and thus make it attractive.

A new patent granted to Avatr Technology, an EV brand backed by CATL, Huawei and Changan Automobile, hints that it could potentially add models with internal combustion engines to its product array.

Avatr was granted a patent related to refueling ports on May 5, meaning that the battery electric vehicle (BEV) maker could potentially introduce models that can refuel in the future.

Avatr was originally founded as Changan NIO by Changan and NIO on July 10, 2018.

However, its product launches have not progressed well over the past several years, and with the introduction of new financing, NIO has essentially exited from the joint venture.

After several years of bumpy development, Avatr finally launched its first model, Avatr 11, on August 9, 2022, and its deliveries began at the end of December last year.

In addition to the Avatr 11, Avatr also has a limited-edition model, the Avatr 011, for which deliveries began in February of this year.

In May, Avatr sold 1,200 units, according to local consulting firm Land Roads.

Most of China's earliest EV startups targeted the BEV market in the beginning, but experience over the past few years has shown that plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), which enjoy the same support policies as BEVs at the national level, are more popular.

In addition, Li Auto's (NASDAQ: LI) tremendous success in the extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) market is more evidence that PHEVs are more accepted.

Li Auto delivered a record 28,277 vehicles in May, the third consecutive month to surpass the 20,000-unit mark. It is aiming to deliver more than 30,000 units this month.

In an effort to reverse the sales slump, Leapmotor announced plans last year to release EREV models, all of its previous models were BEVs.

On February 1, Leapmotor unveiled its dual-power strategy and its first EREV model, an EREV variant of its flagship SUV, the C11. On March 1, the C11 EREV went on sale.

In May, Leapmotor delivered 12,058 vehicles, up 38.18 percent from 8,726 units in April and 10 times the 1,139 units in January.

Leapmotor delivers 12,058 units in May, higher-priced C-series dominate-CnEVPost

The appeal of PHEVs or EREVs is clearly hard to ignore for Chinese EV makers.

He Xiaopeng, chairman and CEO of XPeng, said in a speech on June 15 that he could foresee a large number of hybrid models appearing in China in the next two years, especially inside family cars.

"Because everyone sees the success, they will follow. Because they are following, a large number of models will focus on the same place. It's a very interesting thing," he said.

He stressed, however, that car companies should have a long-term view. "I think in the automotive space, for everything, you have to think about the layout for ten to twenty years, it's not possible to achieve a big change in three years' time," he said.

Leapmotor starts bringing back combustion engines for its offerings to reverse plummeting sales

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Tags CATL, Huawei, Li Auto, NIO, XPeng

Buick Buick Electra E4 China Electric eMobility eV Industry News Product Launch Tesla

Buick launches Electra E4 electric SUV in China at competitive pricing

Post author By Lei Kang/CnEVPost
Post date June 20, 2023

The Buick Electra E4 starts at RMB 189,900 in China, with deliveries set to begin in July.

(Image credit: Buick)

General Motors' Buick brand has clearly adapted to the competitive Chinese electric vehicle (EV) market, launching its second model built on GM's Ultium platform at a competitive price and fast delivery pace.

Buick officially made the Electra E4, an all-electric coupe SUV, available in China yesterday, just two months after the launch of the Electra E5, its first model built on the Ultium platform.

The Buick Electra E4 is available in four versions in China, starting at RMB 189,900 ($26,520), RMB 209,900, RMB 219,900 and RMB 259,900 respectively.

For comparison, the Tesla Model Y, the best-selling electric SUV in China, starts at RMB 263,900 and the EC7, NIO's coupe SUV, starts at RMB 458,000.

The model will gradually become available in showrooms and its delivery will begin in July, Buick said.

The car is an all-electric coupe SUV with a length, width and height of 4,818 mm, 1,912 mm and 1,581 mm, respectively, and a wheelbase of 2,954 mm.

For comparison, the Electra E5 measures 4,892 mm in length, 1,905 mm in width and 1,655 mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 2,954 mm.

The Buick Electra E4 is available in two power versions, the dual-motor version with a maximum output of 143 kW for the front electric motor and 68 kW for the rear electric motor, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.2 seconds.

Its single-motor version features a front motor with a maximum output of 150 kW.

The Buick Electra E4 is powered by a ternary lithium-ion battery supplied by a joint venture between CATL and SAIC, with a 65-kWh pack for the standard range version and a CLTC range of 530 km. Its long-range version has a pack capacity of 79.7 kWh and a CLTC range of 620 km.

Buick is one of the most aggressive in embracing the transition to electrification in the Chinese auto industry. It launched the Electra E5 on April 13, offering five versions with starting prices of RMB 208,900, RMB 222,900, RMB 225,900, RMB 239,900, and RMB 278,900 respectively.

On April 25, Buick announced that the Electra E5 received more than 8,000 orders after 12 days on the market.

On May 29, SAIC Motor, a joint venture between GM and SAIC, said the first deliveries of Electra E5 vehicles had begun, but did not announce the number of deliveries.

($1 = RMB 7.1614)

Buick Electra E5 gets over 8,000 orders in less than 2 weeks after launch in China

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Tags CATL, NIO, Tesla

China Electric eMobility eV Ford Industry News

US can’t yet compete with China in EV production, says Ford chairman

Post author By Lei Kang/CnEVPost
Post date June 19, 2023

"They developed very quickly, and they developed them in large scale. And now they're exporting them," Bill Ford said.

(Image credit: Ford China Weibo)

The US is not ready to compete with China in electric vehicle (EV) production, Ford executive chairman Bill Ford said on CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS" Sunday program.

"They developed very quickly, and they developed them in large scale. And now they're exporting them," Ford said, adding, "They're not here but they'll come here we think, at some point, we need to be ready, and we're getting ready."

Ford CEO Jim Farley said in May that Chinese EV makers are its main competitors in the segment and that Ford would need a unique brand or lower cost to beat them.

"I think we see the Chinese as the main competitor, not GM or Toyota. The Chinese are going to be the powerhouse," Farley said.

China has a well-established EV industry chain that Ford is trying to tap into in its electrification transformation efforts.

On February 13, Ford announced it is investing $3.5 billion to build a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery plant in Marshall, Michigan.

The plant, which is wholly owned by Ford, is the first battery plant in the US to be wholly owned by an automaker and will introduce LFP battery solutions for Ford's EV products.

Notably, Ford will use technology provided by Chinese power battery giant CATL.

Ford has a new agreement with CATL, which will provide technical and service support for the production of the LFP battery plant, and Ford engineers will work on cell and vehicle integration, it said at the time.

In China, Ford appears to be scaling back its efforts on electrification, after initial attempts didn't yield the desired results.

Earlier this month it was reported that Ford was making organizational changes that would see the Mustang Mach-E team integrated back into Ford China, and that the separate entity running the program would be written off in the future.

That's because Mustang Mach-E sales were too poor for the separate company to sustain losses for long, Jiemian said on June 8, citing a person familiar with the matter.

The reshuffling of the team does not mean the Mustang Mach-E will be withdrawn from China, and the project will continue to be produced by Changan Ford, Ford's joint venture in China, according to the report.

($1 = RMB 7.1265)

Ford scaling back ambitions for Mustang Mach-E in China amid poor sales

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Tags CATL

China Electric eMobility eV Li Auto Li Auto Family Tech Day Li MEGA Tesla

Li Auto Family Tech Day: 1st BEV named Li MEGA, aims to be top seller above $70,000 in China

Post author By Phate Zhang/CnEVPost
Post date June 17, 2023

"We are confident that it will be the No. 1 seller of all passenger cars priced at RMB 500,000 ($70,160) or more, regardless of energy form and regardless of body form," Li Auto said.

Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI) announced the naming of its first battery electric vehicle (BEV) model and set an ambitious goal for its sales.

Li Auto's first BEV, its super flagship model, has been officially named Li MEGA and is expected to be released by the end of 2023, the company announced today at its first Family Tech Day event held at its facility in Changzhou, Jiangsu province.

"We are confident that it will be the No. 1 seller of all passenger cars priced at RMB 500,000 ($70,160) or more, regardless of energy form and regardless of body form," the company said.

Li MEGA will break the traditional perception that high-end pure electric vehicles cannot be hot sellers, Li Auto said.

Li Auto currently has three models on sale, the five-seat Li L7, and the six-seat Li L8 and Li L9, all of which are extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs), essentially plug-in hybrids.

The Li MEGA will be Li Auto's first foray into the BEV market, and it will be an MPV (multi-purpose vehicle, or van) model, according to information it previously shared.

By 2025, Li Auto's product array will include one super flagship model, five EREVs, and five BEVs, it said on the first day of the Shanghai auto show on April 18.

By then, Li Auto's models for the market priced above RMB 200,000 will fully meet the needs of family users, the company previously said.

Li Auto models currently on sale have a starting price range of RMB 319,800 to RMB 459,800.

Li Auto's first all-electric model will be the world's first to feature CATL's 4C Qilin Battery, it said on April 18.

C refers to the battery's charge multiplier, and 4C means that the pack can theoretically be fully charged in a quarter of an hour.

Notably, Li Auto began today's Family Tech Day event by introducing its 5C charging solution, which it said allows for charging power of more than 500 kW.

Li Auto has developed its own 800 V high-voltage all-electric platform and will mass-produce 5C all-electric vehicles, it said.

The company has optimized the battery at the system level to take fuller advantage of the battery's 5C charging multiplier, giving vehicles a range of 400 kilometers in 9 minutes and 30 seconds and 600 kilometers in 22 minutes of charging.

As a comparison, Tesla's latest V3 Supercharger has a peak charging power of 250 kW and can charge the vehicle with up to about 250 km of range in 15 minutes at peak power.

Li Auto will fast-track the deployment of the 5C supercharging network, completing more than 300 supercharging stations by the end of this year and more than 3,000 by 2025, it said.

Li Auto did not say whether Li MEGA will use that 5C solution, but said that with mass deliveries of its 5C BEV models, more Chinese households will enjoy the high-voltage, pure-electric technology that will replace fuel-powered vehicles on a large scale.

The company unveiled its auto-charging robot at today's event, saying it will provide an energy replenishment experience that goes far beyond refueling.

Li Auto's vehicles will automatically drive to charging spaces and park themselves, and the charging robot can automatically connect, charge and settle with the vehicle through visual recognition.

Li Auto also announced its progress on advanced driver assistance systems, saying it will open internal testing of City NOA (Navigation on ADAS) in Beijing and Shanghai this month.

In the second half of the year, Li Auto will open up the commute NOA feature and make City NOA available in more cities, it said.

For the commute NOA feature, vehicles can be activated for simple routes in less than 1 week and trained for more complex routes in 2-3 weeks.

Li Auto estimates that commute NOA can cover more than 95 percent of commuting scenarios, making the vehicle a "dedicated elevator" for owners.

The company said its City NOA is the first in China that doesn't rely on high-precision maps, and with the help of AI big models, will achieve driving performance close to that of a human driver.

Li Auto also unveiled the progress of its in-car voice assistant, Lixiang Tongxue, at today's event, saying it built Mind GPT, a cognitive big model, to make the feature even smarter.

With the help of Mind GPT, Lixiang Tongxue can turn into a teacher for users, a professional car butler, an expert in teaching drawing and programming, Li Auto said.

In addition to its technological advances, Li Auto announced that its 400,000th vehicle rolled off the assembly line today.

Li Auto delivered a record 28,277 vehicles in May, bringing cumulative deliveries to 363,876.

($1 = RMB 7.1266)

Li Auto says confident it will outsell German luxury brands in China in 2024

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Tags CATL, Li Auto, Tesla

China Electric eMobility eV Nio NIO ET5 Nio ET5 Touring Product Launch

NIO ET5 Touring launch: Live updates

Post author By Phate Zhang/CnEVPost
Post date June 15, 2023

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

NIO (NYSE: NIO) will officially launch the ET5 Touring today, with its launch event starting at 19:00 Beijing time, and CnEVPost will be updating the event's main content in real-time in this post.

Here is what is already known:

NIO starts accepting consumer reservations for the ET5 Touring in China on June 10, and its first deliveries will start tomorrow June 16.

NIO will hold the European launch of the model on June 16 at 1:00 am Beijing time (June 15 at 1:00 pm US Eastern time).

The ET5 Touring measures 4,790 mm in length, 1,960 mm in width and 1,499 mm in height, and has a wheelbase of 2,888 mm, in line with the regular ET5 sedan, a previous regulatory filing show.

It is equipped with dual motors with a maximum power of 150 kW and 210 kW, respectively, and can support a top speed of 200 km/h.

Its battery suppliers include CALB, in addition to CATL.

Below are the main contents of the NIO ET5 Touring launch event, with the latest at the top.

Including the battery, the starting price of the NIO ET5 Touring in China is RMB 298,000 ($41,620), which is the same as the starting price of the regular ET5.