The Deepal S7 is a midsize SUV with BEV, EREV and FCEV powertrains. It is ready to rival the Tesla Model Y in China.
The post Changan’s Deepal S7’s pre-sales started in China. Price starts at 24,250 USD appeared first on CarNewsChina.com.
Category: China
The main misconception about the CLTC range
Some Chinese EVs have amazingly long ranges according to the CLTC test cycle. An explanation why this is not necessarily wrong.
The post The main misconception about the CLTC range appeared first on CarNewsChina.com.
Xpeng future model line exposed? Trademarks application revealed
Xpeng applied for six trademarks, hinting at the future development of its model line. Let's get acquainted with them.
The post Xpeng future model line exposed? Trademarks application revealed appeared first on CarNewsChina.com.
NIO starts delivery of 2023 ET7 sedan
On May 19, deliveries of the 2023 NIO ET7 began in several cities, including Shanghai, Beijing, Hefei, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Changsha.
NIO (NYSE: NIO) has begun deliveries of the 2023 ET7, its flagship sedan's facelift that was officially launched at the Shanghai auto show a month ago.
Deliveries of the 2023 NIO ET7 began on May 19 in several cities, including Shanghai, Beijing, Hefei, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Changsha, a company press release said, without disclosing the number of deliveries.
NIO launched the 2023 ET7 on the first day of the Shanghai auto show on April 18, bringing more than 15 upgrades, including improved seats and a 40w wireless charging panel for cell phones, but the prices remain unchanged.
Including the battery, the starting price for the new ET7 with the 75-kWh battery pack is RMB 458,000 ($65,350), and RMB 516,000 for the version with a 100-kWh long-range pack.
If consumers choose to purchase the car using the BaaS (battery as a service) program, both models start at RMB 388,000 and the monthly battery rental fee is RMB 980 and RMB 1,680 respectively.
In addition to these two versions, the new ET7 is also available in a Signature Edition with a 100-kWh battery pack for a starting price of RMB 536,000 including the battery. The model starts at RMB 408,000 under the BaaS plan, with a monthly battery rental fee of RMB 1,680.
The ET7, NIO's first sedan and the first model on its NT 2.0 platform, was initially launched at the NIO Day 2020 event on January 9, 2021 and sees first delivery on March 28, 2022.
In the second half of 2022, the ET7 was repeatedly in the top 10 of the China Passenger Car Association's (CPCA) monthly ranking of premium sedan sales in China with a starting price above RMB 300,000.
The sedan saw its highest sales month in June 2022, when 4,349 units were sold.
However, heading into 2023, sales of the model plummeted, selling less than 800 units in each of the first three months, according to data monitored by CnEVPost.
The day before deliveries of the 2023 ET7 began, NIO announced on May 18 that it was offering an upgrade program for the interior of the 2022 ET7 that would allow owners to pay for some of the additional features the new ET7 has.
Besides launching the 2023 ET7 on April 18, NIO also unveiled the new ES6, an SUV that is more important to the company, contributing about half of its deliveries from 2019 to 2021.
The launch event of the new ES6 will begin on May 24 at 7:00 pm Beijing time (May 24 at 7:00 am US Eastern time), and its deliveries will begin on May 25.
($1= RMB 7.0079)
NIO pins high hopes on new ES6 with unprecedented delivery efficiency and marketing campaign
The post NIO starts delivery of 2023 ET7 sedan appeared first on CnEVPost.
For more articles, please visit CnEVPost.
NIO’s new ES6 launch event to begin at 7:00 pm Beijing time on May 24
Show cars of the new ES6 are already available at NIO stores, and those interested can visit NIO Houses to check out the model, NIO said.
(Image credit: CnEVPost)
NIO (NYSE: NIO) announced earlier this week that the new ES6 would be officially launched on May 24, but no specific time was announced, and now they've been known.
The launch of the new ES6 will begin at 7:00 pm Beijing time on May 24 (7:00 am US Eastern time on May 24), and viewers will be able to watch a live video stream on channels including the NIO App, NIO.com and NIO Weibo, the electric vehicle (EV) maker announced today.
The new ES6 show cars are already available in NIO stores, and those interested can visit NIO Houses to check out the model, NIO said.
Of note for China EV trio watchers, XPeng (NYSE: XPEV) will report its first-quarter financial results on May 24 before the US markets open, with its earnings call starting at 8:00 pm Beijing time that day.
NIO announced on May 16 that the new ES6 will be officially launched on May 24, test drives will be available on the same day and deliveries will begin on May 25.
This will be NIO's fastest model from official launch to delivery, as its local peers, including Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI), have proven that efficient delivery is critical to success in the highly competitive Chinese EV market.
NIO launched the first-generation ES6 in December 2018 and began delivering the model in China in June 2019.
From 2019 to 2021, NIO delivered 155,722 vehicles, of which the ES6 contributed 80,852, or 52 percent, data monitored by CnEVPost shows.
Available data for 2022 show that from January to August, the ES6 delivered 32,877 units, contributing 46 percent of NIO's total deliveries of 71,556 units for the period.
NIO pins high hopes on new ES6 with unprecedented delivery efficiency and marketing campaign
The post NIO's new ES6 launch event to begin at 7:00 pm Beijing time on May 24 appeared first on CnEVPost.
For more articles, please visit CnEVPost.
Nio ES6 official ad with It’s my life song released as the car arrived at stores
Trucks full of ES6 are recently everywhere in China. Nio reportedly has 3,000 produced cars ready for immediate delivery on May 25.
The post Nio ES6 official ad with It’s my life song released as the car arrived at stores appeared first on CarNewsChina.com.
Gotion unveils new battery based on LMFP chemistry with range up to 1,000 km
The pack is based on Gotion's new L600 LMFP cells with an energy density of 240 Wh/kg and will be in mass production in 2024.
(Astroinno Battery. Image credit: Gotion High-tech)
Several Chinese power battery makers have previously announced batteries with ranges of up to 1,000 km, but all are based on nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) ternary materials.
Now Gotion High-tech has unveiled a new battery technology, which claims to be able to achieve a range of 1,000 km even without the use of expensive ternary materials.
Hefei, Anhui-based Gotion unveiled its L600 LMFP battery cells based on lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry and a battery pack called Astroinno Battery at its 12th technology conference today.
The L600 LMFP cells have an energy density of 240 Wh/kg, or 525 Wh/L. The cells support 4,000 cycles at room temperature and 1,800 cycles at high temperature, according to the company.
A battery system based on the L600 LMFP cell could have an energy density of 190 Wh/kg, which is higher than the energy density of packs based on ternary chemistry systems that are in mass production now, Gotion said, adding that the new cell will be in mass production in 2024.
The energy density growth of mass-produced LFP cells has faced a bottleneck, and further improvements require chemical system improvements, so the LFP solution with manganese addition was born, said Cheng Qian, Gotion's executive president of international operations.
Gotion unveiled the Astroinno Battery based on L600 LMFP cells, saying that the pack uses a sandwich structure with double-sided liquid cooling technology and minimalist design, resulting in a 45 percent reduction in the number of structural components and a 32 percent reduction in the weight of structural components.
The minimalist electrical design thinking makes the pack's wiring harness length only 26 percent of the previous one, from the original 303-meter harness down to 80 meters, with a volumetric grouping efficiency of 76 percent, according to the company.
The pack has an energy density of 190 Wh/kg, surpassing the energy density of ternary batteries currently on the market, Gotion said.
Gotion is not the first manufacturer to release a 1,000-km range battery pack, but it is the first to achieve that range based on the LFP chemistry system.
CATL, China's largest power battery maker, unveiled Qilin Battery, or CTP (cell to pack) 3.0, on June 23, 2022, claiming an energy density of up to 255 Wh/kg to support a vehicle with a 1,000km range.
The Qilin Battery is an innovation in battery structure, not a chemical system, and a 1,000 km range battery pack requires NCM chemistry.
The first Qilin Battery with a 1,000 km range is the Zeekr 001 of Zeekr, a premium electric vehicle brand of Geely, and deliveries of the model with this range have already started on May 16.
On April 21, Svolt Energy, which was spun off from Great Wall Motor, made the real-life debut of its Dragon Armor Battery at the Shanghai auto show.
Dragon Armor is also an innovation in battery pack structure without involving battery chemistry.
Svolt Energy said that the Dragon Armor Battery with LFP cells could have a range of more than 800 kilometers, while such batteries with ternary cells could have a range of more than 1,000 kilometers.
Gotion installed 1.18 GWh of power batteries in China in April, ranking fifth with a 4.68 percent share, according to the China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance (CABIA).
In the LFP market, Gotion ranked fourth with a 6.17 percent share in April.
Gotion posts 135% year-on-year profit growth in Q1, site for US battery plant nears finalization
The post Gotion unveils new battery based on LMFP chemistry with range up to 1,000 km appeared first on CnEVPost.
For more articles, please visit CnEVPost.
NIO invests in nuclear fusion startup Neo Fusion
NIO has acquired a 19.9 percent stake in Neo Fusion and NIO Capital has acquired a 10.1 percent stake.
(Image credit: CnEVPost)
NIO (NYSE: NIO) has invested in a new nuclear fusion startup, its second such investment in the past year or so.
The Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker has invested in nuclear fusion startup Neo Fusion and told CnEVPost that the project will be funded by multiple parties, including NIO and NIO Capital, in phases, and that it plans to attract additional strategic and financial investors to support the project's long-term development.
The investment was first reported by Reuters earlier today. NIO invested RMB 995 million ($142 million) for a 19.9 percent stake, while NIO Capital, an investment firm founded by its founder, chairman and CEO William Li, invested RMB 505 million for a 10.1 percent stake, according to the report.
The newly formed Neo Fusion will research and develop technologies aimed at making controlled fusion available for global commercial use within 20 years, the report noted.
Neo Fusion has a registered capital of 5 billion yuan and is 50 percent controlled by China's eastern province of Anhui government-owned energy companies and investment arms, according to the report.
"Fusion power is a clean and efficient energy source, and also potentially one of the ultimate clean energy solutions to sustainability, making fusion power strategically significant to carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, as well as solving the global energy crisis," NIO said in a statement sent to CnEVPost.
Staying true to the original aspiration of Blue Sky Coming, NIO aims to facilitate the R&D and commercialization of nuclear fusion technology by making financial investment into this project, so that it can play a bigger part in realizing long-term suitability and enhance its influence industry-wide, the statement said.
Notably, NIO Capital had invested in a company engaged in a similar business a year earlier.
On February 25, 2022, Energy Singularity, a startup researching nuclear fusion technology, announced the closing of a nearly RMB 400 million round of funding, its first since founding in 2021.
NIO Capital and local gaming giant miHoYo were co-leaders in the funding, with Sequoia China Seed Fund and Bluerun Ventures participating in the financing.
The funds will be used primarily to develop and build the world's first small-scale tokamak experimental device based on high-temperature superconducting materials, and to develop advanced magnet systems that can be used in the next generation of high-performance fusion devices.
($1 = RMB 7.0217)
The post NIO invests in nuclear fusion startup Neo Fusion appeared first on CnEVPost.
For more articles, please visit CnEVPost.
NIO signs deal with Autoliv, world’s largest maker of airbags and seat belts
NIO and Autoliv are working together to develop a new airbag concept that provides comprehensive protection for different seating positions.
(Image credit: CnEVPost)
NIO (NYSE: NIO) has entered into a partnership agreement with Autoliv Inc, the world's largest manufacturer of airbags and seat belts, as the Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker continues to expand its partnerships.
Autoliv China, a subsidiary of Autoliv, signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with NIO that includes several new safety technologies for EVs, according to a press release from the Swedish company.
NIO and Autoliv will develop safety products for EVs and sustainable technologies, which will include a passenger airbag that deploys from the headliner using an environmentally friendly inflator.
The two are also co-developing a new airbag concept that provides full protection for different seating positions, according to the press release.
This could provide better protection and offer more freedom in the design of vehicle interiors, Autoliv said, adding that it also includes biology-based materials for both airbag cushions and seatbelt webbing.
"We have a shared commitment to innovation and sustainability, and we expect the cooperation will be extended to more areas, as we strive to enhance the driving experience and provide pleasant journeys for all global users", said Yu Pan, vice president of supply chain development at NIO.
This is the latest collaboration between NIO and auto parts suppliers.
On May 2, Dutch-headquartered computer chip maker NXP Semiconductors announced that NIO will use its 4D imaging radar solution, which offers benefits far beyond those of conventional radar.
4D imaging radar will significantly improve the performance of front-facing radar in today's vehicles, and NXP's imaging radar technology extends the functionality of radar from measuring range and speed to include direction, angle of arrival and altitude measurements, the chipmaker said.
NIO delivered 6,658 vehicles in April, up 31.22 percent from 5,074 a year ago, but down 35.85 percent from 10,378 in March, as its product switch continues.
The EV maker is now marketing the new ES6 with unprecedented intensity, with the model set to be officially launched on May 24 and deliveries to begin on May 25.
NIO pins high hopes on new ES6 with unprecedented delivery efficiency and marketing campaign
The post NIO signs deal with Autoliv, world's largest maker of airbags and seat belts appeared first on CnEVPost.
For more articles, please visit CnEVPost.
NIO pins high hopes on new ES6 with unprecedented delivery efficiency and marketing campaign
The new ES6 will be NIO's fastest model from official launch to delivery, and the company is marketing the model with unprecedented intensity. | NIO US | NIO HK | NIO SG
NIO's (NYSE: NIO) previous operational issues not only cost some models' potential orders from the initial hype, but also left many supporters disappointed.
Now, the upcoming new ES6 is key to turning its image around, and the company can't afford to face similar failures.
NIO made the new ES6 debut on April 18, but no pricing information was announced at that time.
On May 16, the company announced that the new ES6 will be officially launched on May 24, with test drives available on the same day and deliveries to begin on May 25.
This will be NIO's fastest model from official launch to delivery, as its local peers, including Li Auto (NASDAQ: LI), have proven that efficient delivery is critical to success in the highly competitive Chinese EV market.
Although the new ES6 is still days away from its official launch, NIO appears to have already produced thousands of the model so that initial order holders can get their hands on the vehicle on the first day of delivery.
On Chinese social media, images of the new ES6 being shipped to various cities have started to appear in the past two days.
Here are images shared on Weibo today by longtime NIO follower @肉肉爸比ev, saying that these ES6s were photographed in a service area in Guangzhou.
(Image credit: @肉肉爸比ev)
Yesterday, another auto blogger Wu Ying shared several similar pictures, saying that NIO has been shipping the new ES6 out of its Hefei factory since May 17.
(Image credit: @吴颖碎碎念)
While improving delivery efficiency, NIO is also marketing the new ES6 with unprecedented intensity.
Since May 5, NIO has released four marketing videos about the ES6 with the theme "Life Is On" to introduce the model's performance, interior, space, and assisted driving package to potential consumers.
Here is the fourth episode of the series released by NIO today.
The new ES6 has taken up most of the space on the recommended section of the NIO App's home page, and NIO has also opened a special showcase page for the model.
In addition to NIO's own channels, other channels are also ready to market the new ES6.
The company invited local journalists and influencers to Beijing earlier this week to take test drives for the new ES6.
After these test drives are allowed to be published, mainstream Chinese social media platforms are expected to be filled with content about the new ES6.
The unprecedented preparation for the new ES6 underscores the model's strategic importance to NIO.
NIO launched the first generation ES6 in December 2018 and began deliveries of the model in China in June 2019.
In 2019, NIO delivered 20,565 vehicles, including 9,132 ES8s and 11,433 ES6s, with the ES6 contributing 55.59 percent, according to data monitored by CnEVPost.
In 2020, the company delivered 43,728 vehicles, including 10,861 ES8s, 27,945 ES6s and 4,922 EC6s, with a 63.9 percent contribution from the ES6.
In 2021, NIO delivered 91,429 vehicles, including 20,050 ES8s, 41,474 ES6s and 29,905 EC6s, with a 45.36 percent contribution from the ES6.
Available data for 2022 show that from January to August, 32,877 ES6 units were delivered, contributing 46 percent of NIO's total deliveries of 71,556 units during this period.
NIO to officially launch new ES6 on May 24, delivery to start next day
The post NIO pins high hopes on new ES6 with unprecedented delivery efficiency and marketing campaign appeared first on CnEVPost.
For more articles, please visit CnEVPost.
