Category: China

NIO’s 3rd-gen swap station makes real-life debut as mass production nears

Starting in June, will basically keep building 120-150 battery swap stations per month, William Li previously said.  |  NIO US | NIO HK | NIO SG

(Image credit: NIO)

NIO (NYSE: NIO) today gave its third-generation battery swap station its real-life debut in a test run, though it didn't go live as previously teased.

The next-generation station made its debut today next to a hotel in Haikou, in China's southernmost province of Hainan.

Executives including William Li, founder, chairman and CEO of NIO, and Shen Fei, senior vice president of NIO Power, were present for the introduction of the trial run.

(A screenshot of a live video shows NIO CEO William Li introducing the company's third-generation battery swap station in Haikou.)

NIO's third-generation battery swap station, unveiled at the NIO Day 2022 event on December 24, 2022, is capable of storing up to 21 battery packs, up from 13 for its predecessor generation and 5 for the first generation of the facility.

The latest facility increases the daily service capacity of a single station to 408, a 30 percent increase over the second generation.

Notably, some of NIO's third-generation battery swap stations will be equipped with two LiDARs and two Nvidia Orin chips, for a total computing power of 508 TOPS.

NIO announced plans to add 400 battery swap stations in 2023 late last year, but that plan was raised to 1,000 a month ago.

Li said on February 21 that the company will further accelerate the deployment of battery swap stations, aiming to have a cumulative total of more than 2,300 battery swap stations by the end of 2023.

Production of NIO's third-generation battery swap stations was well underway, with mass production expected to begin in April and deployment accelerating in May, Li said at the time.

Starting in June, NIO will basically maintain a construction rate of 120-150 battery swap stations per month, he said.

On March 20, NIO said in an article posted on the NIO App that the first 10 third-generation battery swap stations would go live on March 28.

However, this has not become a reality, and NIO's current plans appear to be consistent with the previous schedule.

NIO has already built some third-generation battery swap stations in cities including Beijing and Shanghai, although they have not yet been officially put into operation.

On March 23, CnEVPost visited NIO's delivery center in Jiading, Shanghai, where there is a third-generation battery swap station with the same exterior design as the previous two generations. The delivery center, NIO's largest in the world, opened on January 1.

(A third-generation battery swap station at NIO's delivery center in Nanxiang, Jiading, Shanghai. Image credit: CnEVPost)

Of the 1,000 battery swap stations NIO plans to add in 2023, about 900 will be third-generation facilities, NIO Power's Shen said at a media event last week.

The cost of equipment for NIO's three generations of battery swap stations is not very different, but the average cost per battery compartment has dropped significantly as service capacity has increased, Shen said at the time.

To date, the number of spare batteries in all of NIO's battery swap stations is roughly 11,000 to 12,000, Shen said in response to a question from CnEVPost.

NIO has added only 20 battery swap stations in China so far this year, bringing the total number of facilities to 1,325 so far, according to data monitored by CnEVPost.

The slowdown appears to be because NIO is waiting for the third generation of the facility to ramp up its capacity.

NIO reveals aggressive plan to add 1,000 swap stations in 2023

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SAIC’s Rising Auto launches battery swap-enabled mid to large-size sedan F7

The Rising F7 starts at a price range of RMB 209,900 ($30,490) to RMB 301,900, or RMB 145,900 in battery rental mode.

(Image credit: Rising Auto)

SAIC Group's Rising Auto has officially launched the battery swap-enabled mid to large-size sedan, the F7, its second model.

The Rising F7 is available in six versions with a starting price range of RMB 209,900 ($30,490) to RMB 301,900, about half the price of the ET7, according to information announced by Rising Auto at last night's launch event.

The car supports battery swap as NIO's models and allows consumers to purchase the vehicle body and rent a battery.

If consumers choose to purchase the car without the battery, the Rising F7 will start at RMB 145,900.

The car is an all-electric mid to large-size sedan with a length, width and height of 5,000 mm, 19,53 mm and 1,494 mm respectively, and a wheelbase of 3,000 mm.

For comparison, the NIO ET7 measures 5,101 mm in length, 1,987 mm in width and 1,509 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 3,060 mm, and has a starting price of RMB 458,000 including the battery.

The Rising F7 is available in 64-kWh, 77-kWh and 90-kWh battery packs, providing CLTC ranges of 500 km, 576 km, 600 km and 666 km.

The car is available in single-motor rear-wheel drive and dual-motor four-wheel drive versions, with the single-motor model having a peak motor power of 250 kW and a peak torque of 400 Nm and accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.7 seconds.

The dual-motor model has a maximum total motor power of 400 kW and a peak torque of 700 Nm, accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.7 seconds.

The car's smart cockpit system, Rising OS, is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip and features a 43-inch integrated screen inside the car, including LCD instrument screen, an OLED center console and a passenger seat screen.

Like Rising Auto's first model, the Rising R7 SUV, the Rising F7 also supports battery swap, which can be completed in 2.5 minutes under ideal conditions.

It is worth noting that Rising Auto is in the beginning stages of infrastructure development, with only three battery swap stations in Shanghai and over 50 battery swap stations under construction in 10 cities.

For comparison, as of March 27, NIO had 1,325 battery swap stations in China.

Rising Auto, previously known as R Auto, launched the Rising R7 on September 28, 2022, its first model since rebranding. Deliveries of the model began in October last year.

In early September 2022, SAIC announced that it had joined hands with Sinopec, China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC), and Shanghai Automobile City to form a company specializing in battery swap services.

SAIC said at the time that its Rising Auto, Roewe, MG and Maxus brands would launch battery swap-enabled models.

Rising Auto delivered 1,501 and 1,523 vehicles in November and December, respectively, according to information it previously announced. The company did not announce deliveries this year.

($1 = RMB 6.8851)

SAIC's Rising Auto officially launches battery swap-enabled R7 SUV with subsidized starting price of $40,130

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NIO ES7 and ET5 wait times become shorter

Wait times for both the ES7 and ET5 are now around 3 weeks, compared to 4-6 weeks and 3-4 weeks respectively.  |  NIO US | NIO HK | NIO SG

(From left to right: EC7, EC6, ET7, ET5. Screenshot on March 28.)

NIO's (NYSE: NIO) ES7 SUV and ET5 sedan have slightly shorter wait times in China, after the expected delivery dates for the two models became longer half a month ago.

The NIO ES7 now has an expected delivery date of about 3 weeks, down from the previous 4-6 weeks, information from the NIO App monitored by CnEVPost shows.

NIO ET5 also has a current expected delivery date of about 3 weeks, down from 3-4 weeks previously.

On March 14, the wait time for the ES7 went from about 3 weeks to 4-6 weeks, and the ET5 went from 2-3 weeks to 3-4 weeks.

NIO App is currently showing eight models, including the ES8, ES6, and EC6 based on the NT 1.0 platform, and the new ES8, ES7, EC7, ET7, and ET5 based on the NT 2.0 platform.

The EC7 and the new ES8 were unveiled at NIO Day 2022 held on December 24, 2022, and deliveries will begin in May and June, respectively.

The wait time information is unchanged today for all models except for the ES7 and ET5.

The NIO App stopped showing the expected delivery time for the ET7 on March 13, and that information is still not displayed.

Late last night, a local media report said that the current NIO ET7 has been discontinued and its annual facelift may be unveiled during the Shanghai auto show next month.

The current ET7 has some minor interior issues, and the revamped version will be optimized and will also further enhance the quality of the interior, D1EV quoted a salesperson at an NIO store in Beijing as saying.

NIO is no longer accepting customized orders for the ET7, and consumers who buy the model now will only have the option of available stock cars, the report said.

(From left to right: All-new ES8, old ES8, ES7, ES6. Screenshot on March 28.)

NIO stops ET7 production, to launch facelift this year, report says

Changes in wait times for NIO models

DateModelPrevChangeLatest
03/28/23ET5 (NT 2.0)3-4 weeks↓About 3 weeks
03/28/23ES7 (NT 2.0)4-6 weeks↓About 3 weeks
03/14/23ET5 (NT 2.0)2-3 weeks↑3-4 weeks
03/14/23ES7 (NT 2.0)About 3 weeks↑4-6 weeks
03/13/23ET7 (NT 2.0)About 3 weeksNAStop showing
02/14/23ES7 (NT 2.0)3-4 weeks↓About 3 weeks
02/14/23ET7 (NT 2.0)3-4 weeks↓About 3 weeks
02/14/23ET5 (NT 2.0)About 3 weeks↓2-3 weeks
02/6/23ET5 (NT 2.0)3-4 weeks↓About 3 weeks
01/28/23ES7 (NT 2.0)2-3 weeks↑3-4 weeks
01/28/23ET7 (NT 2.0)2-3 weeks↑3-4 weeks
01/28/23ET5 (NT 2.0)7-9 weeks↓3-4 weeks
01/11/23ET5 (NT 2.0)8-10 weeks↓7-9 weeks
01/5/23ET5 (NT 2.0)9-11 weeks↓8-10 weeks
12/29/22ET5 (NT 2.0)10-12 weeks↓9-11 weeks
12/22/22ET5 (NT 2.0)12-14 weeks↓10-12 weeks
12/20/22ES7 (NT 2.0)4-6 weeks↓2-3 weeks
12/13/22ET5 (NT 2.0)13-15 weeks↓12-14 weeks
12/13/22ET7 (NT 2.0)About 2 weeks↑2-3 weeks
12/13/22EC6 (NT 1.0)About 2 weeksNAStop showing
12/2/22ET5 (NT 2.0)21-23 weeks↓13-15 weeks
11/25/22ES7 (NT 2.0)7-9 weeks↓4-6 weeks
11/25/22ET7 (NT 2.0)3-5 weeks↓About 2 weeks
11/23/22ES8 (NT 1.0)About 2 weeksNAStop showing
11/16/22ET7 (NT 2.0)4-6 weeks↓3-5 weeks
11/10/22ES8 (NT 1.0)2-3 weeks↓About 2 weeks
11/10/22ES6 (NT 1.0)2-3 weeks↓About 2 weeks
11/10/22EC6 (NT 1.0)2-3 weeks↓About 2 weeks
11/3/22ES7 (NT 2.0)11-13 weeks↓7-9 weeks
11/3/22ET7 (NT 2.0)6-8 weeks↓4-6 weeks
11/3/22ES8 (NT 1.0)2-4 weeks↓2-3 weeks
11/3/22ES6 (NT 1.0)2-4 weeks↓2-3 weeks
11/3/22EC6 (NT 1.0)2-4 weeks↓2-3 weeks
10/31/22ES7 (NT 2.0)12-14 weeks↓11-13 weeks
10/31/22ES8 (NT 1.0)3-5 weeks↓2-4 weeks
10/31/22ES6 (NT 1.0)3-5 weeks↓2-4 weeks
10/31/22EC6 (NT 1.0)3-5 weeks↓2-4 weeks
10/21/22ES7 (NT 2.0)13-15 weeks↓12-14 weeks
10/21/22ET7 (NT 2.0)11-13 weeks↓6-8 weeks
10/21/22ET5 (NT 2.0)21-23 weeksNAStop showing
10/21/22ES8 (NT 1.0)4-6 weeks↓3-5 weeks
10/21/22ES6 (NT 1.0)4-6 weeks↓3-5 weeks
10/21/22EC6 (NT 1.0)4-6 weeks↓3-5 weeks

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NIO stops ET7 production, to launch facelift this year, report says

A revamped version of the ET7 is expected to be optimized for exterior and interior details and will likely be unveiled during the Shanghai auto show, according to a local media report.

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

NIO (NYSE: NIO) is rumored to have stopped production of its flagship sedan ET7, which would not be surprising if it turns out to be true, as the NIO App stopped showing the wait time for the model earlier this month after months of low deliveries.

The current NIO ET7 has been discontinued and its annual facelift will be launched within the year, local automotive media D1EV reported late last night, adding that a revamped version of the ET7 is expected to have optimized exterior and interior details and will probably be unveiled during the Shanghai auto show next month.

The current ET7 has some minor interior issues, and the revamped version will be optimized and will also further enhance the texture of the interior, the report said, citing a salesperson at an NIO store in Beijing.

There is no way to know what specific changes will be made, but the salesperson mentioned that the overall texture of the upgraded ET7's interior will be closer to that of the ES7, according to the report.

NIO is no longer accepting orders for customized models of the ET7, and consumers who buy the model now will only have the option of available stock cars, the report said.

As is NIO's practice, the company is expected to offer upgrade options for ET7 vehicles that have already been delivered, according to the report.

The NIO ET7, the company's first sedan, was launched at the NIO Day 2020 event on January 9, 2021, with deliveries beginning March 28, 2022.

In April 2022, the ET7's first full month of delivery, the sedan was ranked No. 10 on the China Passenger Car Association's (CPCA) list of premium sedans with a starting price above RMB 300,000 ($43,570) with 693 units sold at retail.

With increased capacity, ET7 sales continued to grow after deliveries began and reached a monthly high of 4,349 units in June 2022.

Deliveries of the ET7 remained around 3,000 units per month for the vast majority of the second half of last year, but the figures slipped to 1,379 units in December, missing the CPCA's top-tier sedan sales ranking for the first time.

In January and February of this year, NIO ET7 deliveries slipped further to 521 and 649 units respectively, according to data from the CPCA monitored by CnEVPost.

On March 1, when asked on an earnings call whether the ET7 would have a revamped version this year, William Li, NIO's founder, chairman, and CEO, did not give a positive answer but said that the company had been working on the product iterations and improvements and that it would communicate in a timely manner.

Long-time NIO follower @肉肉爸比ev hinted on March 10 on Weibo that a revamped version of the ET7 is not far from launch.

On March 13, the NIO App stopped showing the expected delivery time for the ET7, previously the wait time for the model was about 3 weeks.

($1 = RMB 6.8851)

NIO App no longer shows ET7 wait time as talk of revamped model heats up

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Tesla starts deliveries of new Model S and Model X in China

Deliveries of the new Model S and Model X have begun in the Chinese mainland, nine years after the first vehicle entered the country in 2014.  |  TSLA.US

Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) has started deliveries of the new Model S and Model X in China, although its China website shows expected delivery dates for both models in the second quarter.

Deliveries of the new Model S and Model X have begun in the Chinese mainland, nine years after the first Tesla vehicle entered the country in 2014, Tesla said today on Weibo.

Tesla did not provide any more information on Weibo, and its China website shows expected delivery dates for both models in the second quarter.

Here's a video Tesla shared on Weibo showing a large number of the new Model S and Model X being shipped to China.

On January 6, Tesla announced the prices of the new Model S and Model X, which are not produced locally, in China at the same time as it significantly reduced the prices of the Model 3 and Model Y.

The Tesla Model S is available in China in two versions, a regular version with dual motors and all-wheel drive, and a Plaid version with tri motors and all-wheel drive.

The Model S starts at RMB 789,900 ($114,790) and the Model S Plaid starts at RMB 1,009,900.

The Model X is also available in China in two versions, a regular version with dual-motor all-wheel drive and a Plaid version with tri-motor all-wheel drive.

The Model X starts at RMB 879,900 and the Model X Plaid starts at RMB 1,039,900.

On February 28, six imported Tesla pure electric vehicles, which were driven out of containers at the Nangang Terminal of Shanghai Yangshan Port, were inspected on site by customs officers, a previous report by Shanghai Securities News said.

On March 15, Tianjin Port Group said the latest batch of 867 Tesla new Model S and Model X vehicles arrived in Tianjin.

(1 $= RMB 6.8814)

Tesla Model Y ranks No. 2 in top-selling SUVs in China in Feb

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XPeng revs up for comeback after ending 2022 in the slow lane

forecast its deliveries would drop about 46% in the first quarter, but expects to rebound in the second half with a steady stream of new product launches.  |  XPeng US | XPeng HK

(Image credit: CnEVPost)

This article by Trevor Mo was first published in The Bamboo Works, which provides news on Chinese companies listed in Hong Kong and the United States, with a strong focus on mid-cap and also pre-IPO companies.

Key Takeaways:

  • Former highflyer XPeng's electric vehicle deliveries grew just 23% last year, down from the triple-digit growth in the previous two years
  • Management says things will improve this year, but first the company must survive a bloody price war throttling China's EV sector

Last year was a tough one for former electric vehicle (EV) highflyer XPeng Inc. (XPEV.US, 9868.HK), which stumbled badly in the second half of the year on a series of major missteps. But investors seem to be buying into the company's newly detailed comeback story, driving up its valuation ratios past its top two rivals in the days after its latest results announcement.

Only time will tell if the rally is justified, following a dismal 2022 that XPeng would probably rather forget. In the race for buyers in China's ultra-competitive electric vehicle (EV) market, XPeng spent last year falling further behind its two main rivals, (LI.US; 2015.HK) and (NIO.US; 9866.HK), as its losses also ballooned.

XPeng's revenue rose by a modest 28% to 27 billion yuan ($3.9 billion) for all 2022, according to its latest earnings report issued earlier this month. Its vehicle deliveries for the year rose by a similar 23% to 120,757 units, slowing sharply from the triple-digit growth in the previous two years. The company's net loss nearly doubled to 9 billion yuan, despite a drop in both sales and marketing and R&D expenses.

The annual slowdown covered up fourth-quarter results that looked far worse as the company rapidly lost momentum in the second half of the year. Its revenue fell 40% year-on-year during the quarter to 5.14 billion yuan, as its vehicle sales tumbled by an even larger 47%.

XPeng's vehicle deliveries for the year put it behind Li Auto and NIO, which delivered 133,246 and 122,486 units in 2022, respectively, according to their latest annual reports. XPeng fell to third in the race among that trio, all venture-funded startups, after leading the other two in 2021 with 98,155 EV deliveries, versus 90,500 for Li Auto and 91,400 for NIO.

XPeng's reversal of fortune owed to a series of missteps. The biggest was a sort of “identity crisis” for its flagship product, its midsize G9 SUV, which launched last September. The G9 was sold as a series with a range of prices from as little as 309,900 yuan to as much as 469,999 yuan, based on different configurations, such as driving range and software capability.

Such a strategy was meant to impress customers by offering a wide range of options. But it failed to make a splash, and the G9 sold a dismal 6,189 units in the final quarter of last year – a far cry from the 35,000 units XPeng had aimed to deliver by the end of 2022.

XPeng is grappling with a lack of consistency in its marketing strategy, said Wang Cun, an analyst with the China Automobile Dealers Association (CADA). "Its G9 models seek to target high-end customers with two of its largest competitors – NIO and Li Auto – in mind. But it definitely has yet to build up a high-end brand awareness among customers," said Wang.

Comeback brewing?

Despite the poor performance, investors greeted XPeng's latest earnings with enthusiasm. The company's shares ended up 6% the day of the announcement, and continued gaining in the following days. Its Hong Kong close of HK$9.62 last Friday was 15% higher than where it traded before its earnings release on March 17.

That rally lifted XPeng's shares to a price to sales (P/S) ratio to just over 4 times, ahead of NIO and Li Auto, at 2 and 3.37 times, respectively. Investors may have been encouraged by XPeng Chairman and CEO He Xiaopeng's positive outlook for 2023 after the difficulties in 2022.

"I believe XPeng is approaching an inflection point," said He, predicting a comeback for the company this year. "As we have clearly identified what our goals are and what our strengths and weaknesses are, we're now building recovery momentum in our sales and market share expansion."

He said XPeng had implemented a series of strategy adjustments to help regain its previous momentum. Central to that is an ongoing company restructuring, which began last October after the disappointing G9 rollout.

The restructuring aims to give XPeng a "flatter and more concentrated structure," He said, using a term that often implies layoffs through elimination of middle-management jobs.

But even if it can create a leaner, more efficient company, XPeng's road to recovery will be pocked with obstacles created by external market factors.

Most notably, China's EV market has started to slow considerably after several years of rapid expansion. New-energy vehicle (NEV) sales in China reached 933,000 units in the first two months this year.

That was up just 20.8% year-on-year, marking a sharp slowdown from a near doubling in sales for all of last year, after the expiration of national subsidies for NEV purchases at the end of 2022, according to the latest data from China Association of Automobile Manufactures.

The sharp slowdown touched off a price war that has rapidly heated up. It started with price cuts by (TSLA.US) late last year, which were quickly followed by nearly all major brands in China. Analysts have warned the price war could spark a long-anticipated consolidation in the Chinese EV industry, wiping out less competitive and smaller players.

XPeng hasn't been spared from the price war's effects, announcing discounts of up to 36,000 yuan for some of its models in late January. But those cuts have yet to translate to greater sales.

The company expects its vehicle deliveries to plummet 45% to 47.9% year-on-year during the current quarter to around 18,000 to 19,000 units, similar to the fourth-quarter decline rate, He said.

He added XPeng expects its deliveries to gradually pick up in the second half of the year with its launch of new models. Among those, the P7i – a new generation sedan to complement its earlier P7 model – started delivery this month. The company will also start shipping a G6 compact SUV in June, and a seven-seat multipurpose vehicle in the second half of the year.

CADA's Wang believes XPeng could stand a chance of catching its rivals, but only if it moves swiftly to rectify some of its missteps. Despite the difficult road ahead, Wang said XPeng is in a relatively good position to survive the current price war, with over 38 billion yuan in cash and short-term investments at the end of 2022.

XPeng Q4 earnings call: Key points of transcript

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