Beijing Foton Daimler Automotive (BFDA), the joint venture of Daimler Truck Holding AG and Foton Motor, celebrated the first locally produced Mercedes-Benz trucks with an inauguration ceremony at its new state-of-the-art production site in Huairou, Beijing. The new facility covers an area of more than 400,000 square meters and provides... Read more →

Castrol and BYD (China), one of China’s largest manufacturers of electric vehicles (BEVs), have signed a new three-year strategic collaboration agreement. BYD sold almost 600,000 BEVs last year, plans to increase this to a million units in 2022, and is actively promoting exports to more than 60 countries. BYD (China)... Read more →

CATL announced 5-year cooperation agreements with ZEEKR and SERES, with both EV makers announcing that mass-produced Qilin batteries—based on the third generation of CATL’s cell-to-pack technology (earlier post)—will power upcoming EV models. ZEEKR 009 will be the world’s first car with Qilin inside, and ZEEKR 001 will be the world’s... Read more →

Foton Mobility and Transit Systems Australia announced the arrival of two hydrogen fuel cell buses. The hydrogen buses are equipped with the fuel cell system jointly developed by SinoHytec and Toyota. (Earlier post.) The hydrogen fuel cell buses have been added to Transit Systems growing green fleet of sustainable transport... Read more →

As reported in the journal Science, China has slightly edged out the United States in the number of most cited scientific papers, a key measure of research impact, according to Japan’s National Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP). The milestone provides fresh evidence that China’s scholarship, known for its... Read more →

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., Limited (CATL) recently signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with the Chengdu Municipal Government. The two parties will carry out all-round cooperation in the fields of battery swap operation, research and development, comprehensive utilization of resources, manufacturing of key battery materials, new energy and energy storage.... Read more →

XPENG unveiled the interior and major features of the G9, the company’s next all-electric SUV, prior to its launch in China this September. The G9 features XPENG’s new powertrain system using China’s first 800 V mass-production Silicon Carbide (SiC) platform, allowing it to add up to 200 km of CLTC... Read more →

Baidu, Inc., a leading AI company with strong internet foundation, has secured the first permits in China to offer commercial fully driverless robotaxi services to the public on open roads. Apollo Go, Baidu’s autonomous ride-hailing service, is now authorized to collect fares for robotaxi rides—completely without human drivers in the... Read more →

Volkswagen Group China unveiled its first electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) passenger drone prototype, as part of its strategy to explore and break new ground in fully electric and sustainable individual mobility concepts. In 2020, Volkswagen Group China launched a Vertical Mobility project to explore the next generation of... Read more →

Autonomous driving technology company Pony.ai announced a strategic joint venture with SANY Heavy Truck (SANY), a subsidiary of SANY Heavy Industry, China’s number-one heavy equipment manufacturer and the third-largest heavy equipment manufacturer globally. Pony.ai and SANY will collaborate to create a world-leading autonomous truck brand. The two companies will deeply... Read more →

BYD Japan, the Japanese branch of China-based BYD, marked its official entry into the passenger vehicle market in Japan with the Japanese debut of three BYD models: BYD ATTO 3, BYD Dolphin, and BYD Seal. BYD ATTO 3 is slated to become the first BYD passenger vehicle sold in Japan,... Read more →

EVE Energy, a major battery maker in China; Zijin Lithium, a subsidiary of Longyan-based Zijin Mining Group; and Ruifu Lithium, a developer of lithium salts based in eastern China’s Shandong province; will establish a joint venture company in Hunan and invest in the construction of a project with an annual... Read more →

The International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that global refining capacity decreased by 730,000 barrels per day (b/d) in 2021—the first decline in global refining capacity in 30 years. In the United States, refining capacity has decreased by about 1.1 million b/d since the start of 2020, contributing 184,000 b/d to... Read more →

China-based Geely Group launched a new electric outdoors lifestyle vehicle brand, Radar Auto, as well as the new brand’s first electric adventure vehicle, the RD6 electric pick-up truck. The Radar brand is launched as an independent brand within the wider Geely Holding Group which will give the brand considerable access... Read more →

A team from the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) has devised a control strategy for 2.0L direct-injection hydrogen engines that delivers near-zero emissions with high power and high brake thermal efficiency. A paper on their work is published in the journal Fuel. Direct-injection (DI) hydrogen engines can generate high power... Read more →

Umicore will build a large-scale fuel-cell catalyst plant in Changshu in China to capture the fast emerging growth in fuel-cell technology. The plant will enable the accelerated transformation to hydrogen-based clean mobility, serving demand through to 2030. The greenfield facility is planned and prepared to be carbon-neutral from the start... Read more →

Among the technologies displayed at 2022 GAC Tech day at the GAC R&D Center was a new-generation LFP battery built on microcrystalline technology (SmLFP). Compared with the current mass-produced lithium iron phosphate batteries on the market, the super-energy lithium iron battery has an increase of 13.5% in mass energy density,... Read more →

As the world contends with a global energy crisis, nuclear power has the potential to play a significant role in helping countries to securely transition to energy systems dominated by renewables, according to a new special report by the IEA. In countries that choose to continue or increase their use... Read more →

The Yuchai YCK16H hydrogen-fueled engine was successfully ignited in Yulin, Guangxi. The engine, with a displacement of 15.93 liters and a maximum horsepower of 560 hp, is the largest hydrogen-fueled engine with the largest displacement and horsepower in China. The YCK16H adopts advanced fuel high-pressure common rail, high-pressure in-cylinder direct... Read more →

Wuxi Lead Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd. (LEAD) announced that it has been contracted by Volkswagen to supply battery manufacturing equipment for Salzgitter, accounting for more than 65% of the total equipment quantity for that 20 GWh gigafactory. Volkswagen has announced it will invest €30 billion to build 6 battery factories... Read more →

Volkswagen revealed the ID. AERO concept electric sedan in China as a foretaste of the brand’s first global fully-electric sedan. The future model will be positioned in the premium mid-size sedan segment. The production version for China is expected to go on sale in the second half of 2023. Volkswagen... Read more →

CATL launched Qilin, the third generation of its CTP (cell-to-pack) technology. With a record-breaking volume utilization efficiency of 72% and an energy density of up to 255 Wh/kg, it achieves the highest integration level worldwide so far, capable of delivering a range of more than 1,000 km. With the same... Read more →

CATL recently officially launched its EVOGO battery swap services in Hefei, capital of east China’s Anhui Province, making it the second EVOGO city in the country. CATL first launched the swap service in April in Xiamen, in southeast China’s Fujian Province. Three battery swap stations have started operation in Hefei... Read more →

Honda Motor (China) Investment Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned Honda subsidiary in China, a{announced} that GAC Honda Automobile Co., Ltd. (GAC Honda), a Honda automobile production and sales joint venture in China, began construction of its new EV plant, taking a forward step in establishing a suitable EV production system and... Read more →

The Volkswagen brand released design sketches of the ID. AERO concept vehicle, a fully-electric limousine planned for the Chinese automobile market. The digital world premiere of the pre-production study will take place on 27 June. The future production version of the ID. AERO will see Volkswagen expand its successful electric... Read more →

BASF Shanshan Battery Materials Co., Ltd. (BSBM), a BASF majority-owned company in China (BASF 51%; Shanshan 49%), is expanding its battery materials capacity in Changsha, Hunan Province, and Shuizuishan, Ningxia Province, to meet the fast-growing local and global demands of the electric vehicle (EV) industry. The expansion project will enable... Read more →

NIO held a product launch event that premiered the ES7, a smart electric mid-large SUV, and the 2022 ES8, ES6, and EC6. NIO ES7 inherits the second generation high-efficiency e-drive platform with the SiC power module. 0 to 100 km/h acceleration is within 3.9 seconds. Brembo 4-piston front calipers are... Read more →

A team from Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) and China First Auto Works Corporation (FAW) has developed a 2.0L direct-injection (DI) turbocharged hydrogen engine that delivers clean, efficient, and high-power performance. Peak power of 120 kW @ 4400 rpm and a maximum torque of 340 N·m @ 2000 rpm can... Read more →

Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Group (MCHG) will increase the production capacity of natural graphite anode material from 2,000 tons/year to 12,000 tons/year at its Chinese subsidiary Qingdao Anode Kasei and affiliated company Qingdao Lingda Kasei. The production line is scheduled to start operation in the first half of fiscal 2023. MCHG... Read more →

LG Chem is forming a cathode material production joint venture with Tianjin B&M Science and Technology (B&M), a subsidiary of China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt (Huayou Cobalt) that specializes in cathode materials. The establishment of the joint venture further cements our vertical integration system with key raw materials to produce affordable,... Read more →

Geespace, a wholly owned subsidiary of Geely Technology Group and China’s first privately owned developer, operator, and mass producer of low-orbit commercial satellites, has successfully launched its first nine satellites into low earth orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. Rendering of Geely Future Mobility Constellation Geespace’s terrestrial base station... Read more →

Researchers at the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have developed an innovative method of pre-enriching uranium in seawater by membrane filtration. Uranium is the vital source for nuclear power generation. There are about 4.5 billion tons of uranium existing in seawater—1000 times more... Read more →

The BMW Brilliance Automotive joint venture (BBA) has established a closed loop for reuse of the raw materials nickel, lithium and cobalt from high-voltage batteries that are no longer suitable for use in electric vehicles. The batteries come from fully and partially-electric development vehicles, test systems and production rejects and,... Read more →

WeRide, a Level 4 autonomous driving technology company, announced a strategic investment from Bosch. The two parties have signed a strategic cooperation agreement and will jointly develop autonomous driving (AD) software. This cooperation will accelerate the process of developing Bosch China’s advanced driving solution, moving SAE Level 2-3 AD towards... Read more →

Rheinmetall, together with its Chinese joint venture KPSNC, has won a major order for transmission housings from a world-leading maker of electric vehicles. Set to run for six years, the order package encompasses millions of transmission housings. Consisting of an aluminum alloy and produced using the pressure casting method, the... Read more →

Nidec Corporation will build a flagship factory to produce its E-Axle traction motor system in the city of Pinghu, Zhejiang Province in China. The new factory to be built will be Nidec’s fifth traction motor-related production site, and the fourth E-Axle assembly plant, in China. Construction is planned to start... Read more →

The number of gigafactories in the pipeline has surpassed 300; there is now 6,387.6 gigawatt hours (GWh) of lithium ion battery capacity in the pipeline as assessed in Benchmark Mineral Inelligence’s May 2022 Gigafactory Assessment—a 68% year-on-year increase. China continues to dominate gigafactory announcements, but North America and Europe have... Read more →

Element 1 Corporation (e1NA), Zhejiang Methanol Hydrogen Technology (ZMHT) and Zhejiang Element 1 (e1China) have formed a joint venture company—Zhejiang Hydrogen One Energy Technology Co., Ltd.— to drive methanol-based hydrogen generation technology and commercialize e1NA’s technology throughout Greater China. The new JV will have rights to sell e1NA’s S-Series product... Read more →

Geely recently launched its Methanol Hybrid Emgrand (earlier post) in the Chinese market. The methanol hybrid is based on Geely’s fourth-generation B-segment Modular Architecture (BMA) Emgrand sedan. Geely also offers a non-hybrid methanol-fueled version of the Emgrand. Previous generation methanol vehicles faced difficulties with cold starts but with Geely Auto’s... Read more →

In 2021, China imported more liquefied natural gas (LNG) than any other country, according to data from Global Trade Tracker and China’s General Administration of Customs, gathered by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Prior to 2021, Japan had been the world’s largest LNG importer for decades, according to data... Read more →

Chinese lithium and cobalt sulfate prices fell this month as strict COVID-19 lockdowns in Shanghai and elsewhere limit demand in the world’s largest electric vehicle market. Chinese battery-grade lithium prices fell by 5% this month to a mid-point of RMB 478,000 (US$72,600) per tonne, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligences’s Lithium... Read more →

China processed record amounts of crude oil in 2021 to meet rising domestic consumption of petroleum products, according to analysis by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). In the second half of the year, China processed slightly less crude oil and began exporting significantly less gasoline and diesel than in... Read more →

Pony.ai has been awarded a permit by Beijing city authorities to offer driverless service in southeastern Beijing. (Baidu also received a permit to offer driverless rides to passengers in the same area.) Pony.ai has had a permit to driverless test since October 2021 but not with the general public in... Read more →

Dongfeng Honda Automobile Co., Ltd., a Honda automobile production and sales joint venture in China, has begun sales of the all-new e:NS1 electric vehicle (EV) model. Honda Motor (China) Investment Co., Ltd.(HMCI), a wholly-owned Honda subsidiary in China, announced that GAC Honda Automobile Co., Ltd., another Honda automobile production and... Read more →

Pony.ai, a global autonomous driving technology company, announced it is the first autonomous driving (AD) company to obtain a taxi license in China. Pony.ai was awarded a permit to operate 100 autonomous vehicles as traditional taxis in Nansha, Guangzhou. In May, Pony.ai will start charging fares in the entire 800... Read more →

Yichun Contemporary Amperex Resources Limited, a subsidiary of China-based battery giant CATL, won the bid for the exploration rights to a lithium clay project in Yichun, east China’s Jiangxi province at a cost of 865 million yuan (about $135 million). In October 2021, CATL broke ground on a new lithium-ion... Read more →

China-based battery giant CATL officially launched its EVOGO battery swap services (earlier post) in Xiamen, southeast China’s Fujian Province, making it the world’s first EVOGO city. The first four fast battery swap stations that have started operation are located in Siming District, Huli District and Haicang District of Xiamen. The... Read more →

Audi has unveiled plans for the Audi urbansphere concept car. Designers and engineers initially created the Audi urbansphere for use in traffic-dense Chinese megacities, although the concept is also suitable for any other metropolitan center in the world. In these urban areas, where personal space is in particularly short supply,... Read more →

The global push to convert the world to electric vehicles will cause supply chain complexities that could undermine the alternative energy transition in the United States, according to a new report from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. The detailed report—Need Nickel? How Electrifying Transport and Chinese Investment are... Read more →

DeepRoute.ai, an international autonomous driving technology company, announced a leading-edge Robotaxi fleet comprising 30 SAIC Motor MARVEL R SUVs equipped with DeepRoute’s proprietary L4 Driver 2.0 solution. This fleet distinguishes itself from other Robotaxis in its sleek rooftop design, replacing the traditional bulky sensor suite. With a 360-degree view and... Read more →