China

Just over a year after being founded, intelligent EV startup JIDU is on the cusp of officially unveiling the concept of its first vehicle, referred to as the “Robocar.” Following delays due to COVID-19 restrictions in China, JIDU announced the EV concept will debut at its ROBODAY event in June.

Chinese automaker BYD Auto has officially begun taking pre-orders for its long-teased Seal sedan. The new EV model, anticipated by many to become a competitor to the Tesla Model 3, arrives in four different trim models and will be the first from BYD to include its new cell-to-body (CTB) technology.

EV startup Canoo is reportedly using a lawsuit to recoup profits made by DD Global Holdings and lead beneficiary Pak Tam Li, a significant stakeholder in Canoo with ties to China. In the lawsuit, Canoo is accusing DD Global of selling its shares in March while simultaneously doing an equity swap for the same amount of shares with an unknown buyer.

Two years after launching its Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) model, NIO has amended its program to allow those customers enrolled in battery swaps to opt out and purchase their EV battery. NIO states that its decision is based off feedback from consumers who regret their BaaS enrollment, but explains this group remains relatively small.

Autonomous driving developer Pony.ai announced it has received a license to operate its self-driving taxis in China, the first company to achieve the permit. Pony.ai will soon have 100 robotaxis in operation throughout Nansha, Guangzhou, charging riders fares alongside traditional taxis.

Chinese NEV automaker GAC Aion is expanding its repertoire of EV technologies to include battery swap stations. The company announced its first station has opened in Guangzhou and can replace an EV battery in under 2.5 minutes. GAC Aion is the latest company to implement battery swap stations in China.

Earlier this week, battery manufacturer CATL officially began operating four EVOGO battery swap stations in Xiamen, part of southeast China’s Fujian Province. With the start of battery swap services, CATL has declared Xiamen the world’s first EVOGO city, with plans for dozens more stations this year.

Fresh off news of its first expansion outside of China into Germany, CATL is expanding further as part of a new $6 billion dollar battery chain project in Indonesia. Through its subsidiary and an agreement with Indonesia PT AnekaTambang (ANTAM) and PT Industri Baterai Indonesia (IBI), CATL will have a majority stake in five of the six planned battery projects.

In what is being dubbed the “world’s largest electric cruise ship,” the Yangtze River Three Gorges 1 recently completed its maiden voyage out of its home port in Yichang, central China’s Hubei Province. The 100 meter long, zero-emissions ship can haul up to 1,300 passengers at a time and is powered by batteries totaling 7,500 kWh, equivalent to over 100 EVs.

NIO moves ever-closer to delivering its ET7 luxury sedan. The company announced the first batch of EVs has officially rolled off its assembly line in Hefei, China. ET7 deliveries remain on schedule to arrive to NIO reservation holders in China beginning March 28.

Chinese EV automaker BYD announced it has found an unlikely partner in Shell to expand and promote a good deal of energy and charging technologies together throughout Europe and China. This includes EV charging network services, integrated home energy solutions, electric vehicle service centers, and more.

The world’s largest battery manufacturer, is going green… or at least starting to. Earlier today, CATL announced it has built a zero-carbon battery plant in Yibin, Sichuan province of China. While the current details are scarce, we can expect to learn more following a presentation on Friday local time overseas.

EV-dedicated automaker XPeng Motors is celebrating the production of its 100,000th P7 sedan, claiming to be the first Chinese EV brand to do so. To mark this production milestone, XPeng will release a special “Black Label Edition” P7 featuring an entirely dark exterior.

Chinese multinational automotive company, Geely, has shared a recent update from its Technology Group subsidiary showing battery swap capabilities integrated into what it calls Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs). The battery swap stations operate under the same concept as passenger EVs, but use a different swap method without having to lift the hefty construction vehicles.

Chinese automaker NIO has officially begun initial test drives for its electric luxury ET7 sedan. Chinese customers had their drive experiences at the NIO House in Hefei, Anhui province, ahead of ET7 deliveries scheduled for the end of this month.

The China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA) said today that it expects China to add 75 to 90 gigawatts (GW) of solar power in 2022.

Intelligent EV startup JIDU announced a closed round of Series A funding that raised nearly $400 million dollars. The financing was led by JIDU’s parent company Baidu Group, and its business partner Zhejiang Geely Holding Group – the largest auto manufacturer in China. JIDU plans to use the funds for R&D of its teased “Robocar” concept, aiming for mass production in 2023.

Guangdong Hongtu Technology (GHT), a part supplier to Chinese EV automakers like NIO and XPeng, announced it will begin developing a 12,000-ton die-casting unit with the help of Tesla supplier LK Technology. Recent responses from representatives at NIO and XPeng hint that they might soon be using GHT’s large, one-piece die-casting machines to manufacture their own EVs.

Chinese automotive giant and Volvo/Polestar parent company, Geely, has signed an agreement with the French Renault Group to launch a new collaboration intended to bring fuel-efficient hybrid electric cars to South Korea, as well as export sales into other Asian markets.

The first fruits of a joint venture between Chinese automotive giant Geely and two-wheel experts Lifan have just been leaked ahead of their expected debut – and we can understand why someone just couldn’t wait. “Maple Leaf 60S” says it all!

Following confirmation of a new brand catered to battery swaps, CATL subsidiary CAES officially unveiled its EVOGO swap solution. In addition to implementing swap stations across ten Chinese cities to begin, CAES and EVOGO have also introduced modular battery blocks inspired by chocolate bars, and a coinciding app.