Author: Jackson Han

Japan’s second-largest oil refiner, Idemitsu Kosan Co Ltd, announced plans on Thursday to build a large-scale lithium sulphide plant at its Chiba refinery, located near Tokyo. This facility aims to produce a key material essential for all-solid-state batteries, which are anticipated to enhance the performance and safety of electric vehicles (EVs). This initiative is part of Idemitsu’s ongoing collaboration with Toyota Motor Corp to commercialize next-generation batteries. Toyota aims to introduce EVs equipped with all-solid-state batteries by 2027-2028, targeting significant improvements in driving range and reduced charging times compared to traditional lithium-ion batteries. See also: Mazda to Build 10 GWh…

BYD has applied for regulatory approval in China for its new electric sedan, the Seal 08, a model positioned as the sibling of the upcoming Qin L EV, according to official documents. The vehicle is expected to debut later this year, with a starting price below 150,000 yuan ($20,000). The Seal 08 will be available in two powertrain configurations—110 kW and 160 kW—and offer battery capacities of 46.1 kWh and 56.6 kWh. Measuring 4.72 meters in length, the model closely mirrors the Qin L EV, for which BYD submitted approval documents last week. Both models are part of BYD’s strategy…

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Li Auto said on Tuesday it will release its unaudited financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2024 on March 14, ahead of U.S. market hours. The company will hold an earnings call at 8:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern time (8:00 p.m. Beijing time) the same day to discuss the results and provide an update on its outlook, it said in a statement. See also: Li Auto Unveils Li i8, Its First All-Electric SUV, with Official Images Released Li Auto delivered 158,696 vehicles in the fourth quarter, falling short of its earlier guidance of…

China’s lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery industry is witnessing a rebound as demand picks up and major manufacturers secure new orders, following a period of price declines that impacted profitability. Several LFP producers have reported an increase in capacity utilization, with some running at full production to meet rising market demand, according to a report from Securities Times. “Mainstream LFP makers are now generally seeing an increase in capacity utilization, especially with strong demand for high-end products,” the publication quoted a lithium battery materials industry insider as saying. See also: China Dominates Global EV Battery Supply Chain, Study Finds In…

Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) maker BYD is set to introduce an advanced on-vehicle drone system in partnership with drone manufacturer DJI, as it moves to incorporate drone technology into more of its models. BYD announced on its Weibo account on Saturday that it would collaborate with DJI on March 2 for the launch of a smart in-vehicle drone system. “With eyes that can think, frame every moment of the excitement of traveling,” the company wrote, suggesting the system is designed to allow drones to track vehicles in motion. The automaker previously integrated a drone system into one of its…

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has placed an order for 58 Enviro400EV electric double-decker buses from British manufacturer Alexander Dennis, with delivery scheduled before the end of the year, the company announced. The Enviro400EV was developed to meet Transport for London (TfL) specifications and comes with a standard 472 kWh battery, accommodating up to 87 passengers. See also: Liverpool Allocates £26 Million for New Electric Double-Decker Buses as Part of Green Transport Initiative A smaller 354 kWh variant can transport up to 96 passengers, though Alexander Dennis has not disclosed which version Liverpool has ordered. The manufacturer highlighted the…

Tesla is utilizing publicly available videos of Chinese roads and traffic signs to train its Full Self-Driving (FSD) algorithm, as the company navigates data restrictions in China, CEO Elon Musk said. Musk made the statement on X, the social media platform he owns, in response to a discussion about the performance of Tesla’s smart driving features in China. See also: Tesla Deploys U.S. Engineers to China for FSD Development, Advances Local Algorithm Optimization Tesla began rolling out software update version 2024.45.32.12 to eligible vehicles in China, introducing advanced driver-assistance capabilities similar to FSD in the United States. However, the update…

Xiaomi EV, the electric vehicle unit of Chinese tech giant Xiaomi, announced on Monday that it will officially launch the SU7 Ultra, the high-performance variant of its debut electric sedan, on February 27 at 7 p.m. Beijing time. The SU7 Ultra was first unveiled on October 29, 2023, and entered pre-sales at a price of RMB 814,900 ($112,420). Xiaomi previously reported that the model received 3,680 pre-orders within the first 10 minutes of pre-sales. See also: Xiaomi SU7 Ultra Gets a Sleek Cosmic Silver Makeover The SU7 Ultra is positioned as a flagship offering, priced nearly four times higher than…

The European Commission should reject proposals from automakers to ease 2025 CO2 emission targets and related fines, two European electric transport groups said in a letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Friday. The letter, seen by Reuters, urged the EU executive to maintain existing climate goals and resist calls for a slower phase-in of emissions limits or a multi-year averaging system for fines. The groups argued that any penalties should be allocated to funding the bloc’s transition to electric vehicles (EVs). See also: EU Commission Allocates €422 Million for Charging and Hydrogen Infrastructure Projects EU automakers have…

Xiaomi EV has filed for regulatory approval of a new dual-motor variant of its upcoming YU7 SUV, marking the third version of the model submitted for clearance. The filing appears in China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s (MIIT) latest regulatory catalog, open for public feedback from February 20-26. Inclusion in the catalog is one of the final steps before a model can be sold in the Chinese market. See also: Xiaomi YU7 Electric SUV Revealed in Road Tests, Set to Compete with Tesla Model Y in Mid-2025 The newly registered variant, carrying the model number XMA6500LBEVA2, is a five-seater…

Nio’s sub-brand Onvo has officially named its second model the Onvo L90, dismissing earlier reports that suggested it would be called the Onvo L80. The announcement was made by Onvo president Alan Ai during a live video stream with Charles Zhang, founder of Chinese news portal Sohu. “I had so much fun talking with Charles today that I revealed the Onvo L90 will be coming soon,” Ai wrote on Weibo. Positioned as Onvo’s flagship SUV, the L90 will feature a three-row seating configuration, targeting large families. Ai confirmed that the model will debut in the second quarter of 2025 and…

Li Auto plans to integrate LiDAR sensors as a standard feature on all new models this year, including updated versions of its extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs) and upcoming battery electric vehicles (BEVs), Chinese media outlet 36kr reported on Wednesday. The move comes as competition in China’s smart driving sector intensifies. Li Auto currently offers two smart driving solutions: AD Pro for lower-priced variants and AD Max for premium versions. AD Pro, powered by Horizon Robotics’ Journey 5 chip with a computing power of 128 TOPS, currently lacks LiDAR and relies on supplier QCraft for its algorithms, limiting its autonomous driving…