Category: eV

Neta sees 300,000th production vehicle roll off line

delivered 11,080 vehicles in April, bringing its cumulative deliveries since inception to 285,305, according to data monitored by CnEVPost.

(Image credit: Neta)

Neta Auto, the electric vehicle (EV) brand of Hozon Auto, saw its 300,000th production vehicle roll off the line today, marking an important milestone in the company's history.

Neta saw its 100,000th vehicle roll off the line in January 2022. The company delivered 152,073 vehicles last year, up 118.26 percent year-on-year.

The latest milestone comes 16 months after it rolled off the line its 100,000th vehicle.

Neta has been seen as a budget EV maker since its inception in 2014, as its vehicles are priced primarily at the lower end of the market, with the previous main sellers Neta V and Neta U priced at around 100,000 yuan ($14,080).

Neta's flagship sedan, the Neta S, is its first effort at the premium end of the market, with the model primarily targeting a price range of RMB 200,000 to 300,000.

The Neta GT sports car was launched on April 18 with a starting price of RMB 178,800 to RMB 227,800.

Neta delivered 11,080 vehicles in April, bringing its cumulative deliveries since its inception to 285,305 units, data monitored by CnEVPost shows.

The company is expected to announce May's delivery figures on June 1.

Neta is targeting sales of 300,000 units in 2023, local media China Securities Journal reported on February 7.

Neta opened its global headquarters in Shanghai on May 29, as it tries to build a more premium brand image.

Previously it had a Shanghai headquarters in the Minhang district of Shanghai. It has a design center in Beijing and a factory in Tongxiang, Zhejiang province.

($1 = RMB 7.1037)

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Cost advantage of sodium-ion batteries decreases as lithium prices fall

With the price of battery-grade lithium carbonate falling back to around RMB 300,000 per ton, the cost advantage of sodium batteries is seen as no longer prominent.

The dramatic rise in lithium carbonate prices over the past few years has led many to look to the lower cost of sodium-ion batteries.

However, with the prolonged decline in the price of lithium carbonate, a key raw material for lithium-ion batteries, earlier in the year, the cost advantage of sodium-ion batteries is seen as having diminished significantly.

Battery-grade lithium carbonate surged in 2022, with prices once topping RMB 600,000 (84,400) per ton, and in this context, sodium-ion batteries were highly sought after, the Shanghai Securities News noted in a report today.

However, very few models are confirmed to carry sodium-ion batteries this year, with only Chery's iCar, Sehol E10X and Jiangling EV3 having been the few ones, the report said.

Meanwhile, the price of battery-grade lithium carbonate has fallen back to around RMB 300,000 per ton, and the cost advantage of sodium batteries is no longer prominent, the report said.

Lithium carbonate price in China rose to about RMB 600,000 per ton at one point in November 2022, about 14 times the average RMB 41,000 per ton price in June 2020.

After that, however, lithium carbonate price began to decline until a month ago, when it finally stopped falling.

Prior to April 21, lithium carbonate price had not seen a single day of gains in China this year, falling about 65 percent since the beginning of the year.

Battery-grade lithium carbonate today averaged RMB 305,000 per ton in China, while industrial-grade lithium carbonate stood at RMB 290,000 per ton, according to data from Mysteel.

The battery industry chain has been actively developing sodium-ion batteries in recent years, and currently has mass production capabilities, but the feedback from the demand side is not positive, the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) said in a report on May 22.

Sodium-ion batteries are still in the early stages of industrialization, and their cost advantages cannot be fully exploited at this time due to controversial core technology routes, inadequate supply chain preparation, and immature production processes, the CPCA said.

Sodium-ion's abundant resource reserves are difficult to quickly translate into cost advantages, and when the cost of lithium iron phosphate batteries is rapidly declining, automakers are hardly motivated to choose to carry sodium-ion batteries in the short term, according to the CPCA.

Nevertheless, the development of the sodium-ion industry chain in China continues.

There are currently more than 35 sodium-ion battery manufacturers in China in the interim-testing stage, with another 50 or more in the lab stage, Shanghai Securities News said, citing data from local think tank GGII.

Companies able to provide samples are expected to exceed 20 in the first half of 2023, and more than five companies will achieve mass production of sodium-ion batteries in the second half of the year, according to the report.

The sodium-ion battery industry chain is not yet mature, and it will take at least two to three years for the industry to really move toward industrialization, said Chen Liangqin, director of local lithium battery maker Veken Technology, as quoted by Shanghai Securities News.

($1 = RMB 7.1032)

Battery-grade lithium carbonate price up by RMB 2,500 per ton

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ARTILECT Brings Out The Best In Wool With Help From Modern Fibers

Wool has been one of the most widely used fibers in clothing over the course of human history and for good reason. Its antimicrobial properties allow it to fight off smelly bacteria while its ability to insulate when wet make it perhaps the ideal fabric for clothing. Wool’s achilles heel is the persistent itch that […]

BYD launches 2023 Yuan Pro SUV with prices starting at $13,500

The Yuan family of models sold 39,160 units in April, making it the second highest-selling model for the month.  |  BYDDY.US | BYD HK

(Image credit: BYD)

BYD (OTCMKTS: BYDDY) today officially launched the 2023 Yuan Pro, a compact SUV originally rolled out by BYD in March 2021.

The improved version of the Yuan Pro is offered in three versions with starting prices of RMB 95,800 ($13,500), RMB 105,800 and RMB 113,800 respectively.

BYD started the pre-sale for the 2023 Yuan Pro on April 7, when the pre-sale prices for these three versions were RMB 99,800, RMB 109,800 and RMB 119,800 respectively.

Compared with the pre-sales, the launch prices of the three versions of the 2023 Yuan Pro has been reduced by RMB 4,000, RMB 4,000 and RMB 6,000 respectively.

The model's length and height are 4,375 mm, 1,785 mm and 1,680 mm respectively, with a wheelbase of 2,535 mm.

It continues the Dragon Face 3.0 design language of the previously available model.

The 2023 Yuan Pro is based on the BYD e-Platform 3.0 and features an electric motor with a maximum power of 70 kW and a maximum torque of 180 Nm, accelerating from 0 to 50 km/h in 4.9 seconds.

The car offers two range versions, with a CLTC range of 320 km and 401 km, respectively. It is equipped with a lithium iron phosphate battery pack with a capacity of 38 kWh and 47.04 kWh, respectively.

The 2023 BYD Yuan Pro supports DC fast charging, which can replenish energy from 30 percent to 80 percent in 30 minutes.

The previously available BYD Yuan Pro was launched on March 21, 2021, when two versions were offered at a subsidized price of RMB 121,300 and RMB 131,400, respectively.

China's purchase subsidies for new energy vehicles (NEVs) end at the end of 2022, and the country's purchase tax exemption for such models was extended until the end of this year.

BYD sold 210,295 NEVs in April, up 98.31 percent from 106,042 units in the same month last year and up 1.55 percent from 207,080 units in March, according to data released on May 2.

Yuan family models sold 39,160 units in April, the second-highest-selling BYD model for the month, according to data monitored by CnEVPost. This represents a 158.18 percent year-on-year increase, but a 3.07 percent decrease from March.

The Yuan family of models includes the Yuan Pro as well as the Yuan Plus, for which breakdown sales figures are not available.

The Qin family of models sold a record 42,202 units in April, making it the highest-selling BYD model for the month.

($1 = 7.1036 RMB)

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