Smart and Sustainable Electric Mobility
Filed under: Government/Legal,Green,Electric,Infrastructure
Continue reading EV charger makers brace for slowdown as new Made In America rules kick in
EV charger makers brace for slowdown as new Made In America rules kick in originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Mar 2023 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Kia just revealed the 2024 EV9 electric SUV in production-ready form, but the automaker on Monday revealed a smaller electric SUV concept. Called the EV5, the concept previews a "production model destined initially for Chinese market later this year," according to Kia. Note the use of the word "initially," which hints that the EV5 is coming to... Lithium carbonate prices continue to decline, leading to a heavy wait-and-see mood among downstream customers, who are reluctant to place large orders.
The price of lithium carbonate has dropped by half from five months ago, with panic selling not stopping.
Battery-grade lithium carbonate prices in China fell RMB 12,500 per ton ($1,818 per ton) today, bringing the average price down to RMB 300,000 per ton, according to Mysteel.
Industrial-grade lithium carbonate also fell by RMB 12,500 per ton today, leaving the average price at RMB 260,000 per ton.
Compared to yesterday's average prices, battery grade lithium carbonate and industrial grade lithium carbonate fell by 4 percent and 4.59 percent respectively, the new biggest drop of the year.
The price of battery-grade lithium carbonate has fallen 49 percent compared to RMB 590,000 per ton on November 21 last year, and the drop this year is about 40 percent.
Lithium carbonate is still being sold off at an accelerated pace, a report in local media Yicai today quoted an unnamed industry source as saying.
The continued decline in lithium carbonate prices has led downstream customers to shy away from placing large orders, with a heavy wait-and-see mood, the source said.
On March 20, a company in northwest China's Qinghai province dropped its sell offer for battery-grade lithium carbonate to RMB 280,000 per ton, and some local battery-grade lithium carbonate ex-factory prices dropped to RMB 250,000 per ton, the report noted.
As lithium prices continue to fall in China, some analysts previously said the drop will not last long as imports become more attractive.
Overseas lithium products have seen a significant premium, which could support prices for lithium products in China, said CITIC Securities in a March 7 research note.
Notably, Yicai's report today said there have been withdrawals of lithium carbonate orders in overseas markets, which has further pushed down the price of lithium carbonate.
A month ago, it was reported that CATL was pushing a lithium rebate program to car companies, with some cells to be settled at RMB 200,000 per ton of lithium carbonate.
CATL acknowledged the plan on March 9, but did not mention the base prices.
CATL's lithium sharing plan was not motivated by a price reduction, but rather that the company already owns some mineral resources and does not want to reap windfall profits, the company said.
CATL's proposed price benchmark of RMB 200,000 per ton for lithium carbonate has further lowered market expectations for the price, accelerating the panicked drop in lithium carbonate prices, Yicai's report today quoted several industry sources as saying.
($1= RMB 6.8742)
Lithium prices see biggest drop this year in China as decline accelerates
The post Panic selling of lithium carbonate just won't stop appeared first on CnEVPost.
For more articles, please visit CnEVPost.
Filed under: Government/Legal,GM,Autonomous Vehicles
Continue reading GM Cruise wants to test self-driving vehicles across California
GM Cruise wants to test self-driving vehicles across California originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Mar 2023 06:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
Deliveries of Zeekr's Zeekr 009 MPV, the world's first vehicle to be powered by the Qilin Battery, are expected to begin in the second quarter.
(Image credit: CATL)
Chinese power battery giant CATL's Qilin Battery has achieved mass production and has a 13 percent higher capacity than 4680 batteries in the same volume, local media outlet The Paper reported today.
As the world's first vehicle to be powered by the Qilin Battery, deliveries of Zeekr's Zeekr 009 MPV are expected to begin in the second quarter, 1-2 months behind the battery's mass production, the report said.
A high percentage of consumers who ordered the Zeekr 009 opted for the version with the Qilin Battery, a Zeekr source said, adding, "This surprised us."
On June 23, 2022, CATL officially unveiled its highly anticipated CTP (cell to pack) 3.0 Qilin Battery, which it said brought battery system integration to a new level.
The Qilin Battery allows volume utilization to exceed 72 percent and energy density to reach 255 Wh/kg, easily allowing vehicles to achieve a range of 1000 km, CATL said at the time.
With the same chemistry system and the same pack size, Qilin Battery delivers 13 percent more power compared to 4680 batteries, achieving an overall improvement in range, fast charging, safety, life, efficiency, and low-temperature performance, according to CATL.
Last August 27, Zeekr and CATL announced that the Zeekr 009 MPV will be the world's first vehicle to carry the Qilin Battery, and the Zeekr 001 will use an ultra-long range version of the Qilin Battery, which will be the world's first production vehicle to carry the 1000-km range Qilin Battery.
In a post on its WeChat account at the time, Zeekr said that deliveries of the Zeekr 009 with the Qilin Battery are expected to begin in the first quarter of 2023, while the Zeekr 001 with the battery will be available in the second quarter of 2023.
"With its 140-kWh battery pack, the Zeekr 009 ME version sets a global record for a mid to large size MPV achieving an all-electric range of 822 kilometers," The Paper quoted Liu Changyan, CATL's executive president of China passenger vehicle business, as saying.
In addition to Zeekr, several other vehicle brands, including Li Auto, Neta, Lotus and AITO, have previously said they will use CATL's Qilin Battery.
It is worth noting that the Qilin Battery is a CATL innovation in pack structure, not in battery chemistry. This means that both ternary batteries, as well as lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, can use this pack structure.
The Qilin Battery can achieve energy densities of 255Wh/kg with ternary cells and 160Wh/kg with LFP cells, CATL previously said.
CATL's innovation was named the best invention of 2022 by Time magazine in the US, according to information shared by the battery maker on Weibo on December 30 of last year.
CATL unveils Qilin Battery, says it can easily achieve 1,000 km vehicle range
The post CATL has begun mass production of Qilin Battery, report says appeared first on CnEVPost.
For more articles, please visit CnEVPost.
Filed under: Green,Performance,Sedan,Polestar
Continue reading Polestar 2 shows an even sportier side with limited BST Edition 230 model
Polestar 2 shows an even sportier side with limited BST Edition 230 model originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 21 Mar 2023 05:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | Comments
