BASF Shanshan Battery Materials Co., Ltd. (BSBM), a BASF majority-owned company in China (BASF 51%; Shanshan 49%), is expanding its battery materials capacity in Changsha, Hunan Province, and Shuizuishan, Ningxia Province, to meet the fast-growing local and global demands of the electric vehicle (EV) industry. The expansion project will enable... Read more →

NIO held a product launch event that premiered the ES7, a smart electric mid-large SUV, and the 2022 ES8, ES6, and EC6. NIO ES7 inherits the second generation high-efficiency e-drive platform with the SiC power module. 0 to 100 km/h acceleration is within 3.9 seconds. Brembo 4-piston front calipers are... Read more →

A team from Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) and China First Auto Works Corporation (FAW) has developed a 2.0L direct-injection (DI) turbocharged hydrogen engine that delivers clean, efficient, and high-power performance. Peak power of 120 kW @ 4400 rpm and a maximum torque of 340 N·m @ 2000 rpm can... Read more →

Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Group (MCHG) will increase the production capacity of natural graphite anode material from 2,000 tons/year to 12,000 tons/year at its Chinese subsidiary Qingdao Anode Kasei and affiliated company Qingdao Lingda Kasei. The production line is scheduled to start operation in the first half of fiscal 2023. MCHG... Read more →

LG Chem is forming a cathode material production joint venture with Tianjin B&M; Science and Technology (B&M;), a subsidiary of China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt (Huayou Cobalt) that specializes in cathode materials. The establishment of the joint venture further cements our vertical integration system with key raw materials to produce affordable,... Read more →

Geespace, a wholly owned subsidiary of Geely Technology Group and China’s first privately owned developer, operator, and mass producer of low-orbit commercial satellites, has successfully launched its first nine satellites into low earth orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. Rendering of Geely Future Mobility Constellation Geespace’s terrestrial base station... Read more →

Researchers at the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have developed an innovative method of pre-enriching uranium in seawater by membrane filtration. Uranium is the vital source for nuclear power generation. There are about 4.5 billion tons of uranium existing in seawater—1000 times more... Read more →

The BMW Brilliance Automotive joint venture (BBA) has established a closed loop for reuse of the raw materials nickel, lithium and cobalt from high-voltage batteries that are no longer suitable for use in electric vehicles. The batteries come from fully and partially-electric development vehicles, test systems and production rejects and,... Read more →

WeRide, a Level 4 autonomous driving technology company, announced a strategic investment from Bosch. The two parties have signed a strategic cooperation agreement and will jointly develop autonomous driving (AD) software. This cooperation will accelerate the process of developing Bosch China’s advanced driving solution, moving SAE Level 2-3 AD towards... Read more →

Rheinmetall, together with its Chinese joint venture KPSNC, has won a major order for transmission housings from a world-leading maker of electric vehicles. Set to run for six years, the order package encompasses millions of transmission housings. Consisting of an aluminum alloy and produced using the pressure casting method, the... Read more →

Nidec Corporation will build a flagship factory to produce its E-Axle traction motor system in the city of Pinghu, Zhejiang Province in China. The new factory to be built will be Nidec’s fifth traction motor-related production site, and the fourth E-Axle assembly plant, in China. Construction is planned to start... Read more →

The number of gigafactories in the pipeline has surpassed 300; there is now 6,387.6 gigawatt hours (GWh) of lithium ion battery capacity in the pipeline as assessed in Benchmark Mineral Inelligence’s May 2022 Gigafactory Assessment—a 68% year-on-year increase. China continues to dominate gigafactory announcements, but North America and Europe have... Read more →

Element 1 Corporation (e1NA), Zhejiang Methanol Hydrogen Technology (ZMHT) and Zhejiang Element 1 (e1China) have formed a joint venture company—Zhejiang Hydrogen One Energy Technology Co., Ltd.— to drive methanol-based hydrogen generation technology and commercialize e1NA’s technology throughout Greater China. The new JV will have rights to sell e1NA’s S-Series product... Read more →

Geely recently launched its Methanol Hybrid Emgrand (earlier post) in the Chinese market. The methanol hybrid is based on Geely’s fourth-generation B-segment Modular Architecture (BMA) Emgrand sedan. Geely also offers a non-hybrid methanol-fueled version of the Emgrand. Previous generation methanol vehicles faced difficulties with cold starts but with Geely Auto’s... Read more →

In 2021, China imported more liquefied natural gas (LNG) than any other country, according to data from Global Trade Tracker and China’s General Administration of Customs, gathered by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). Prior to 2021, Japan had been the world’s largest LNG importer for decades, according to data... Read more →

Chinese lithium and cobalt sulfate prices fell this month as strict COVID-19 lockdowns in Shanghai and elsewhere limit demand in the world’s largest electric vehicle market. Chinese battery-grade lithium prices fell by 5% this month to a mid-point of RMB 478,000 (US$72,600) per tonne, according to Benchmark Mineral Intelligences’s Lithium... Read more →

China processed record amounts of crude oil in 2021 to meet rising domestic consumption of petroleum products, according to analysis by the US Energy Information Administration (EIA). In the second half of the year, China processed slightly less crude oil and began exporting significantly less gasoline and diesel than in... Read more →

Pony.ai has been awarded a permit by Beijing city authorities to offer driverless service in southeastern Beijing. (Baidu also received a permit to offer driverless rides to passengers in the same area.) Pony.ai has had a permit to driverless test since October 2021 but not with the general public in... Read more →

Dongfeng Honda Automobile Co., Ltd., a Honda automobile production and sales joint venture in China, has begun sales of the all-new e:NS1 electric vehicle (EV) model. Honda Motor (China) Investment Co., Ltd.(HMCI), a wholly-owned Honda subsidiary in China, announced that GAC Honda Automobile Co., Ltd., another Honda automobile production and... Read more →

Pony.ai, a global autonomous driving technology company, announced it is the first autonomous driving (AD) company to obtain a taxi license in China. Pony.ai was awarded a permit to operate 100 autonomous vehicles as traditional taxis in Nansha, Guangzhou. In May, Pony.ai will start charging fares in the entire 800... Read more →

Yichun Contemporary Amperex Resources Limited, a subsidiary of China-based battery giant CATL, won the bid for the exploration rights to a lithium clay project in Yichun, east China’s Jiangxi province at a cost of 865 million yuan (about $135 million). In October 2021, CATL broke ground on a new lithium-ion... Read more →

China-based battery giant CATL officially launched its EVOGO battery swap services (earlier post) in Xiamen, southeast China’s Fujian Province, making it the world’s first EVOGO city. The first four fast battery swap stations that have started operation are located in Siming District, Huli District and Haicang District of Xiamen. The... Read more →

Audi has unveiled plans for the Audi urbansphere concept car. Designers and engineers initially created the Audi urbansphere for use in traffic-dense Chinese megacities, although the concept is also suitable for any other metropolitan center in the world. In these urban areas, where personal space is in particularly short supply,... Read more →

The global push to convert the world to electric vehicles will cause supply chain complexities that could undermine the alternative energy transition in the United States, according to a new report from Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. The detailed report—Need Nickel? How Electrifying Transport and Chinese Investment are... Read more →

DeepRoute.ai, an international autonomous driving technology company, announced a leading-edge Robotaxi fleet comprising 30 SAIC Motor MARVEL R SUVs equipped with DeepRoute’s proprietary L4 Driver 2.0 solution. This fleet distinguishes itself from other Robotaxis in its sleek rooftop design, replacing the traditional bulky sensor suite. With a 360-degree view and... Read more →

A research team led by Prof. Pan Xiulian and Prof. Bao Xinhe from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has achieved the direct synthesis of isoparaffin-rich gasoline from syngas using ZnAlOx-SAPO-11 oxide-zeolite (OXZEO) catalysts. Isoparaffins are preferred components of high-quality gasoline because they... Read more →

Global Internet of People, Inc. (SDH), an operator of a knowledge sharing and enterprise service platform, announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Zhuhai (Zibo) Investment Co., Ltd. has entered into an investment agreement with the following parties to form a joint venture dedicated to the production of high-grade lithium-ion power battery... Read more →

Protean Electric, a leader of in-wheel motor (IWM) technology for passenger cars, light commercial vehicles and future transport solutions, announced a new partnership between Dongfeng Motor Corporation Technical Center and Protean’s joint venture in China, Wuxi Weifu Electric Drive Technology (WFDT). The DFM Technical Center and WFDT partnership that will... Read more →

Bosch and the Mitsubishi Corporation, with Blue Park Smart Energy (BPSE), are partnering to create Battery as a Service (BaaS) innovations. The main idea here is that fleet operators will no longer have to purchase the batteries; they will simply pay to use them. This reduces not only the initial... Read more →

The BMW Group continues to broaden its portfolio of electrically powered vehicles with the addition of the fully electric BMW 3 Series, which will enter the Chinese market in May 2022. The BMW i3 eDrive35L is based on the successful BMW 3 Series, which led the premium-compact segment in China... Read more →

BYD and Shell signed a strategic cooperation agreement to help accelerate the energy transition and improve charging experience for BYD’s battery electric vehicle (BEV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) customers. The partnership will start in China and Europe and will extend to other regions across the globe. A BYD... Read more →

Geely is testing the world’s first methanol hybrid sedan in sub -40 °C (-40 ˚F) Arctic conditions in the frigid northern Chinese province of Heilongjiang. Geely’s latest Methanol Hybrid Emgrand is based on Geely Auto’s fourth-generation B-Segment Modular Architecture (BMA) Emgrand sedan. The new Emgrand runs on 100% clean methanol... Read more →

Inceptio Technology, an autonomous driving truck t... Read more →

Honeywell and Oriental Energy Company announced that a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production facility with an annual output capacity of 1 million tons will be built in Maoming, Guangdong Province in China. The new facility will help meet a growing SAF demand, facilitate greenhouse gas emission reduction in aviation fuel... Read more →

Audi FAW NEV Company Ltd.—the first cooperation company with a majority interest held by Audi in China—is set too begin construction on its new EV plant in Changchun, following approval by the Chinese authorities. The new plant in Changchun will be the first production site in China where only all-electric... Read more →

DSM Engineering Materials is expanding its high-performance materials production capacity at its Jiangyin plant in Jiangsu Province, China. Work on an additional compounding line began in February 2022, with completion expected in 2023. The new line will help DSM to meet growing demand for high-performance polymers used in a wide... Read more →

Graphex Group has entered into an exclusive non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Municipal Government of Mashan District, Jixi City, Heilongjiang, China with the intention of expanding its graphite processing and production capacity within the Jixi Mashan Graphite Industrial Park. Graphex currently produces 10,000 metric tons per annum (TPA)... Read more →

The Audi-FAW NEV Company Ltd., a company jointly founded by Audi and its partner FAW, is is set to begin construction on a new plant in China for fully electric Audi models using the Premium Platform Electric (PPE). On an area of approximately 150 hectares, a highly modern plant for... Read more →

The BMW Group has extended the contract for the BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd. (BBA) joint venture until 2040. The agreement on the contract extension was signed by the two joint venture partners back in October 2018, on BBA’s 15th anniversary. The corresponding amendment to the contract comes into force with... Read more →

BASF and Heraeus have agreed to form a joint venture (BASF: 50%; Heraeus: 50%) to recover precious metals from spent automotive catalysts. The new company, named BASF HERAEUS (China) Metal Resource Co., Ltd will be set up in Pinghu, China. The founding of the legal entity is targeted in Q1... Read more →

ABB has increased its majority stake in Chinese electric vehicle (EV) charging provider Chargedot Shanghai New Energy Technology Co. to 80%. ABB acquired a 67% stake in Chargedot in March 2020. The additional investment is part of ABB E-mobility’s growth strategy and further strengthens ABB’s position in the rapidly growing... Read more →

Shell has started operations at the power-to-hydrogen electrolyzer in Zhangjiakou, a joint venture between Shell (China) Limited and Zhangjiakou City Transport Construction Investment Holding Group Co. Ltd. The electrolyzer—one of the world’s largest—will provide about half of the total green hydrogen supply for fuel cell vehicles at the Zhangjiakou competition... Read more →

Baidu’s intelligent electric vehicle arm JIDU has closed Series A financing, raising nearly $400 million. This round of financing was backed by Baidu and its strategic partner multinational auto manufacturer Zhejiang Geely Holding Group. JIDU’s first Robocar concept car will be unveiled at the Beijing Auto Show in April this... Read more →

Contemporary Amperex Energy Service Technology Ltd. (CAES), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd. (CATL), has launched its battery swap solution EVOGO featuring modular battery swapping. Comprising battery blocks, fast battery swap stations and an app, EVOGO will be first launched in ten cities, said Chen Weifeng, general... Read more →

Researchers in China report using air oxidation–water leaching to recover lithium selectively from spent LiFePO4 (LFP) material, in which the high leaching efficiency of lithium and the good separation effect of lithium and iron were achieved simultaneously. An open-access paper on their work is published in the RSC journal Green... Read more →

In its latest report, Tech, Media, & Telecom (TMT) Predictions 2022 – Thematic Research, data and analytics company GlobalData predicts that Tesla and China are set to maintain their dominance in the EV sector. GlobalData also suggests that the lithium shortage will not affect all players equally. In the short... Read more →

BASF has signed a joint development agreement with China BlueChemical Limited Company, a leading natural gas producer, and the chemical engineering company Wuhuan Engineering Co., Ltd. to promote low-carbon development and utilization of marine gas resources. In the Dongfang Industrial Park of Hainan Province, China BlueChemical extracts large quantities of... Read more →

Kandi Technologies Group signed a framework agreement with Hunan Hengrun Automobile Co., Ltd. jointly to produce battery-swap enabled pure electric vehicles. According to the agreement, Kandi and Hengrun will use their respective capabilities to produce battery-swappable pure electric vehicles. The specific division of labor and cooperation content will be clarified... Read more →

Autonomous driving technology company Pony.ai recently formed a joint venture with Sinotrans, part of China Merchants Group and one of China’s leading logistics and freight forwarding companies. The two companies will work together to build a smart logistics network featuring autonomous driving trucking technologies. PonyTron and Sinotrans self-driving truck The... Read more →

Tesla’s embrace of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries has propelled the chemistry into the mainstream of the automotive industry. Automakers including Volkswagen, Daimler, and Ford have also adopted the cost-effective technology in their lower-range EVs. However, more than 90% of the world’s LFP battery cell manufacturing capacity is based in... Read more →