Daily Archive: June 5, 2023

Tesla sells 77,695 China-made vehicles in May, up 2.44% from Apr

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(NASDAQ: TSLA) sold 77,695 China-made vehicles in May, including exports, according to data released today by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

That's up 2.44 percent from 75,842 vehicles in April and up 141.55 percent from 32,165 vehicles in the same month last year.

Tesla has a factory in Shanghai that produces the Model 3 and Model Y. The vehicles produced at the factory are supplied to local consumers and also exported.

From January to May, Tesla sold 382,859 China-made vehicles, up 77.37 percent from 215,851 units in the same period last year, according to data monitored by CnEVPost.

Tesla's China-made vehicle sales in April included 39,956 units delivered in China and 35,886 units exported. The breakdown figures for May are expected to be available in the coming days.

Tesla's pattern is to produce cars for export in the first half of the quarter and for the local market in the second half.

Musk once laughed at BYD, but now thinks 'their cars are highly competitive'

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Battery Electric Vehicle Sales In South Africa Up 106%

Sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have been quite slow in South Africa but are now showing signs of significant progress.  In the first four months of 2022, 138 battery electric vehicles were sold in South Africa. Now, one year later, sales of battery electric vehicle have doubled over the same period. 284 battery electric […]

Battery cell prices in China fall 9% MoM in May, report says

Strong increases in lithium carbonate prices will not be immediately reflected in lithium battery prices, and prices of other raw materials are still falling, TrendForce said.

Battery cell prices in China fall 9% MoM in May, report says-CnEVPost

Prices for power battery cells continued to fall in May, even though the price of lithium carbonate, a key raw material, saw a big drop, according to a new report.

The average price of battery cells used in electric vehicles (EVs) fell about 9 percent in May from April, local research firm TrendForce said in a research note today.

The average price of square ternary cells fell 9.4 percent to RMB 0.75 ($0.1054) per Wh in China in May, while square lithium iron phosphate cells fell 9.5 percent to RMB 0.67 per Wh and soft pack ternary cells fell 9 percent to RMB 0.79 per Wh, according to the report.

The average price of battery-grade lithium carbonate in China has rebounded to RMB 254,300 per ton in May, up more than 28 percent from April, TrendForce said.

As of the end of May, battery-grade lithium carbonate was priced at RMB 305,000 per ton in China, up 57.22 percent from RMB 194,000 per ton on May 4, according to data from Mysteel monitored by CnEVPost.

Although the strong price increase in lithium carbonate is driving up the cost of cells, this will not be immediately reflected in lithium-ion battery prices in the short term, TrendForce said.

In addition, prices of other materials needed for lithium-ion batteries, such as cathode precursor materials, anode materials, diaphragms, electrolytes and PVDF, are still falling, so lithium-ion battery prices continued to be lower in May, the report said.

After a strong rebound in lithium prices in early mid-May, they have gradually stabilized in the second half of the month, TrendForce said, adding that the Chinese power battery market is still slowly recovering in May, with demand improving slightly.

Lithium prices rose rapidly on one hand because of the low willingness of suppliers to offer lower prices, and on the other hand because of increased demand from downstream battery makers to replenish their inventories in May, according to the report.

Lithium prices began a strong rebound in May, with a single-day gain of up to 10,000 yuan per ton, which is an irrational increase, TrendForce said.

Actual demand for lithium was not growing at a high rate, but was steadily recovering, TrendForce said, adding that the peak in demand is expected to come in June.

($1 = RMB 7.1190)

Lithium carbonate prices up RMB 2,500 per ton

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Wuling mulls post-delivery fuel-engine option for Baojun Yep

Wuling is considering offering a range-extender option for the Baojun Yep, which would provide the mini EV with the ability to get an extra 80 kilometers of range by refueling.

(Image credit: Baojun)

SAIC-GM-Wuling is considering a range-extender option for the Baojun Yep mini electric vehicle (EV), which went on sale only last month, highlighting a new approach to trying to address range anxiety among EV consumers.

Baojun will not offer an official extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) version of the Yep, but will consider offering a post-delivery range-extender option for the model, Zhou Xing, vice president of SAIC Wuling's brand division, said on Weibo yesterday.

"Because of the call from everyone, the team is looking into the possibility of putting a small generator in the engine compartment," Zhou wrote.

The option, which could cost about 2,000 yuan ($280), could hold four liters of gasoline and thus provide an additional 80 kilometers of range, according to a supplier proposal, he said.

The option is similar to a power bank for a cell phone and would additionally allow the vehicle to support external discharge capability, according to Zhou.

Zhou asked his followers on Weibo if they really wanted the option and if so, they would speed up the rollout process.

Consumers expecting the option can still buy the Baojun Yep now, as it can be installed after delivery, Zhou said.

It's not clear if Wuling's planned option complies with China's vehicle modification regulations.

SAIC-GM-Wuling officially launched the Baojun Yep on May 25, offering it in two versions with starting prices of RMB 79,800 and RMB 89,800, respectively.

Both versions of the model have a battery pack capacity of 28.1 kWh and a combined CLTC range of 303 km.

Baojun's idea to offer a range-extender option for the Yep underscores the appeal of plug-in hybrid or quasi-plug-in hybrid models at a time of transition to electrification in the Chinese automotive industry.

Among Chinese EV startups, (NASDAQ: LI) is known for its EREVs, which delivered a record 28,277 vehicles in May.

For comparison, (NYSE: NIO) and (NYSE: XPEV), which only offers battery electric vehicles (BEVs), have had weak deliveries over the past few months, delivering 6,155 and 7,506 units in May, respectively.

Their peer Leapmotor has abandoned its insistence on offering only BEVs, attracted by the larger market space.

On February 1, Leapmotor unveiled its first EREV model -- an EREV variant of its flagship SUV, the C11. The Leapmotor C11 EREV went on sale on March 1 and deliveries began in mid-March.

In May, Leapmotor delivered 12,058 vehicles, the fourth consecutive month of growth and well above the 1,139 units delivered in January.

($1 = RMB 7.1061)

Leapmotor delivers 12,058 units in May, higher-priced C-series dominate-CnEVPost

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BYD Tops April EV Sales Table in Singapore

BYD topped the EV sales charts in Singapore in April. 121 BYDs were sold in April in Singapore, and it looks like BYD sales are accelerating rapidly in Singapore, as BYD sold as almost as many units in April as it did in the first quarter of the year! In Q1, 124 BYDs were sold […]