Footage of a man recklessly driving his Li Auto ONE SUV has gone viral in China after he tricked his SUV into “full self-driving” mode. The video shows the driver reclining his seat all the way back with his hands off the wheel, allowing the car to drive itself using driver assist features.
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A team at University of Science and Technology of China has developed a new material that could potentially help lower the production costs of solid state lithium batteries and accelerate their commercialization into EVs. The new material, lithium zirconium chloride, offers a reduced material cost and necessary performance, all while remaining stable.
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After unveiling the ID.6 in Shanghai this past spring, Volkswagen has officially begun delivering the all-electric mid-size SUV to Chinese customers. The first version of the SUV to see deliveries is the Volkswagen ID.6 CROZZ, a result of a joint venture with state-owned automotive manufacturer FAW Group.
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Over the weekend, US automaker Ford unveiled a new, long-range RWD version of its Mustang Mach-E in China, priced at 282,000 yuan ($43,450) to qualify for state-led subsidies. This long-range SE version of Ford’s Mach-E is the fifth to see the EV market in China, but only the second priced low enough to qualify for subsidies.
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A new flying car prototype with autonomous capabilities has been unveiled by XPeng Huitian, a division of XPeng Motors in China. The X2, as its being called, is the fifth-generation flying car from XPeng, and according to the company’s Chairman and CEO, “marks another step closer to a more widely available and safe flying car.”
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Chinese automotive design and manufacturing company SAIC Motor says it will launch 40 to 60 Robotaxis capable of Level 4 self-driving throughout Shanghai and Suzhou before the end of 2021. The bold statement was made by Zu Sijie, vice president and chief engineer of the company, during this year’s World Artificial Intelligence Conference.
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Automotive conglomerate Geely has announced that it will exit as the majority shareholder of Zeekr, a premium EV brand launched in China earlier this year. By pulling out as majority shareholder, Geely now opens the door for outside financing in Zeekr. However, while Geely’s name may no longer be listed in any investor meetings at Zeekr, the automotive manufacturer is still very much tied to the EV brand and its future.
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In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):
We tend to cover a lot of big news pertaining to electric vehicle market leaders (by value and recognition). That said, there are a lots of lesser-known electric vehicle companies that don’t get as much love. The plan is to change that. This is the first of several pieces focusing on electric vehicle companies you may not know yet. One is Weltmeister aka WM Motor, based in China. Below is a quick background on Weltmeister, so you can casually name drop them next time you’re discussing the global EV market.
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China plans to require that all new cars sold after 2035 be eco-friendly “new energy vehicles” according to Nikkei Asia. The plans were announced in a future road map for new energy vehicles and will be regulated under China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
The specifics of the plan state that as of 2035, 50% of new cars sold in the country will be either electric, plug-in hybrid, or fuel cell vehicles, and 50% of new cars will be conventional hybrids, which still run entirely on gasoline.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping (above), in a surprise announcement yesterday, told the United Nations General Assembly via video that China would achieve a peak in carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060. This will require a radical reshaping of the Chinese economy.
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Tesla made about $354 million in Q1 2020 by selling regulatory credits. Fiat Chrysler and General Motors, among others, buy billions of dollars in CO2 credits a year to avoid paying fines. What if a similar credit system to get individuals to drive an electric car, or avoid driving altogether, were put in place? That’s what the Beijing Environmental Exchange launched today.
The first 500 units of the all-electric Aiways U5 SUV are on their way to Europe. Their arrival will mark the first batch of Made-in-China EVs to be put on European roads, paving the way for a new level of affordability for long-range electric vehicles.
In the latest update to Bloomberg’s “Electric Vehicle Outlook,” forecasters say the world will never buy as many traditional gas-powered cars and trucks as we did in 2017. While gas cars will continue to make up more than half of global auto sales for years ahead, gas cars have already peaked – and EVs will now take over.
Huawei’s 5G-based HiCar technology is not just another auto infotainment system. It’s more like an interface to the car’s core operating system and a vehicle-to-X channel to the road. HiCar will first appear on the BYD Han EV in June, before arriving in models from about 30 different auto brands.
The Shanghai Municipal Government yesterday announced its smart-city action plan. Activities include adding 100,000 charging ports, so-called Internet-of-Vehicle roadways, and 34,500 5G base stations. Those charging ports double as interactive devices that collect a lot of data, including “user portraits.”
With lockdowns lifting in China, car buyers are coming back in droves. Personal vehicles have new appeal as consumers hold fears about the safety of public transit. The return of car purchasing in China could be a boon for EV makers.
Retail auto sales in China dropped 45% in the first three weeks of March. It might take into the fall for the Chinese auto market to recover. So, to jumpstart the resumed sales of EVs, automakers are using creative but gimmicky methods. Will they bring car buyers back to dealerships and put them behind the wheel of an EV?
Wuling Motors, a joint venture with General Motors and SAIC Motor, revealed photos this week of its first all-electric vehicle. The company said that it’s inspired by Japanese Kei cars, among the world’s smallest highway-capable vehicles. It could give us a glimpse of the type of cars that GM will help fulfill the country’s promise of selling a million EVs a year by the middle of the 2020s.
Sales of electric vehicles in China were already in a slump after the government cut subsidies last year. The coronavirus is now resulting in a free fall for the overall vehicle market, including EVs. The drop in electric car sales is prompting Beijing to consider bringing back incentives, starting with local sources.
NIO’s last quarter and 2019 financial results show the EV startup is focused on increasing efficiency and reducing costs.
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More than 3,000 people have died from the coronavirus so far. And we still don’t know how far the virus will reach. At the same time, the virus is having an unanticipated impact on emerging technologies with global supply chains. That includes electric cars.
Xpeng is boasting that its P7 EV boasts the highest range of EVs made or assembled in China. This was verified by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) of China.
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It will take months to figure the extent of the catastrophic Coronavirus outbreak. To help fight off the Covid-19 epidemic, eHang is lending its eVTOL for medical relief.
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