China

This week, prominent Chinese EV automaker NIO and CATL, the world’s leading battery manufacturer, announced a new strategic partnership to combine and standardize their respective industries technologies and implement the “largest and most advanced battery swap network for passenger vehicles.”

ACME stock soars on today’s cartoonishly silly episode of Quick Charge, we watch Tesla Autopilot crash into a wall with a painting on it, make the Elon stans look silly when they point out shady behavior from their fearless leader, and toss out the notion that some franchise dealers might help the troubled EV brand make more sales in red states.

The Xpeng G6 all-electric SUV has received a raft of 81 updates for the 2025 model year – and chief among these is a new, “bulletproof,” ultra-fast 5C charging “A.I. battery” that can go from 10 to 80% charge in just twelve minutes.

Yet another luxury automaker is looking to cash in on China’s EV tech boom. As legacy OEMs struggle to keep pace, more are turning to Chinese-made tech to help turn things around.

Global offshore wind is gearing up for a comeback in 2025, with new capacity additions expected to hit 19 gigawatts (GW) and spending projected to soar to $80 billion, according to Oslo-based independent energy research firm Rystad Energy. That’s a big rebound after a sluggish end to 2024 when new installations dropped to around 8 GW – 2 GW lower than in 2023.

BYD is cementing its place as the global leader in plug-in car production with new models, innovative battery tech, and rapid global expansion plans – even in the face of tariffs. BYD’s latest accolade? Record-setting sales!

In case you needed another reason to feel jealous of Chinese car enthusiasts, the Chery Exeed VX C-DM three-row SUV is officially available for pre-order with 610 hp, 1,300 km (over 800 miles) of EREV range, and a starting price of $33,085 US.

Packing up to 852 hp and a cutting-edge technology stack developed by Huawei, Chinese luxury brand Maextro just revealed its latest entry into the Mercedes-Maybach EQS and Rolls-Royce Spectre segment of ultra-luxe EVs. Meet the all-new Maextro S800.

London-based Rho Motion just dropped the latest numbers on global EV sales for January 2025, and here’s the headline: 1.3 million electric vehicles were sold worldwide. That’s down by more than a third from December’s record-breaking numbers, but don’t let that fool you – January 2025 still saw an 18% jump compared to the same month last year.

The details of Chinese EV automaker NIO’s ultra-affordable sub-brand, Firefly, continue to trickle in from overseas. A spy image of the interior of the first Firefly model is spreading like wildfire across Chinese social media, sharing our first look at its front seat.

Last month I was fortunate enough to take a trip to China and visit seven different micromobility companies, each of which invited me to tour their factory, test out their new products, or attend their major events. The trip is something of a sequel to the first Chinese factory tour trip I took last year (with the documentary of that trip racking up millions of views on YouTube).

In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing detailed articles and videos about each of the following visits. But in the meantime, consider this as a preview of what’s to come.

This isn’t exactly my first time dropping a container full of Chinese electric vehicles in the yard and cracking it open with childlike glee. But it is likely one of the most unique experiences I’ve had so far doing this, revealing inside a fleet of battery-powered Chinese electric mini-excavators and assorted accessories.

China saw monumental solar and wind growth in 2024, according to data released today by its National Energy Administration (NEA).

On today’s exciting episode of Quick Charge, Tesla’s redesigned Model Y is grabbing headlines, but the solar Cybertruck might be the thing for you. We’ve also got news from BYD, and an innovative new energy storage system in California.

Mere hours after images emerged of a seemingly new Tesla Model Y performing winter testing in China, XPeng Motors unveiled a new SUV called the G7 that will compete directly with the world’s best-selling BEV.

Electric equipment from XCMG can now be ordered with interchangeable battery swap tech, enabling heavy trucks and construction equipment to swap out their BYD-developed, 400 kWh battery packs in just three minutes, and top-off as quickly as diesel.

Infantile EV automaker Xiaomi Automotive has capped off 2025 with delivery numbers that cannot be ignored. The company has delivered an impressive 135,000 units of its flagship SU7 EV… after launching it in late March 2024. Looking ahead to 2025, Xiaomi looks to more than double that EV output with the help of a second model and an additional phase of its production footprint.

As we bid adieu to 2024, XPeng founder and CEO He Xiaopeng is setting the stage for a big 2025. The EV executive posted an internal letter to XPeng staff outlining the company’s key goals for the upcoming year, imploring all to prepare for fiercer competition in the EV segment and even predicted a price war on the immediate horizon.

Trina Solar has sold its Texas solar panel factory as the US scrutinizes Chinese companies cashing in on Inflation Reduction Act tax breaks.

After starting off slow, China’s EV industry has reorganized itself in record time, going from a global laggard to the global leader in about 5 years – showing other countries how it ought to be done.

At 5,228 meters (17,152 feet) above sea level, phase two of the world’s highest-altitude solar plus storage project has begun generating power, setting a new benchmark for renewable energy in extreme conditions.