Electric Vehicles

In a process akin to "dumping" to gain market share, China's EV manufacturers are pocketing government sales bonuses, then dumping "sold" EVs in foreign markets at low prices.

Ford is moving forward with its $3 billion EV battery plant in Michigan despite political pushback and the potential loss of key U.S. tax credits that make the project financially viable.

Ford's argument is that by building batteries using technology licensed from China's leading battery producer, CATL, it is helping to re-shore important manufacturing expertise that was long ago ceded to China. [...] "LFP batteries are produced all around Europe, and the rest of the world," said Lisa Drake, Ford's vice president of technology platform programs and EV systems. "How can we compete if we don't have this technology? Somebody has to take the lead to do this," she said, adding that it will lead to homegrown innovation and the seeding of a domestic supply base. "I'm convinced this is the right thing to do for the United States," she said.

Drake said the tax subsidies are even more important in the face of slower-than-expected EV demand. "When EV adoption slowed, it just became a huge headwind," she said. "The [production tax credit] allows us to keep on this path, and to keep going." "We don't want to back off on scaling, hiring or training in an industry we need to be competitive in the future," she said. "It would be a shame to build these facilities and then have to scale back on the most important part of it, which is the people. These are 1,700 jobs. They don't come along very often."

Consumer tax credits for EV purchases get the most attention, but for manufacturers, the far more lucrative incentives come in the form of production tax credits. Companies could receive a tax credit of $35 per kilowatt-hour for each U.S.-made cell, and another $10 per kilowatt-hour for each battery pack. With an annual production capacity of 20 GWh, Ford's battery plant could potentially receive a $900 million tax credit, offsetting almost one-third of its investment. [...] The Republican-controlled Senate could vote as early as Wednesday on a budget bill that would rewrite language around EV tax credits. A House version of the bill passed last month effectively killed the production tax credits for manufacturers by severely tightening the eligibility requirements. It also specifically prohibited credits for batteries made in the U.S. under a Chinese licensing agreement -- a direct hit on Ford.

Remove the mud guards and it might be a go!

The rumors claimed BYD’s solid-state batteries have an energy density of 400 Wh/kg, or nearly twice that of current lithium-ion batteries.

The report also stated that BYD’s solid-state EV batteries set a record by gaining a 1,500 km (932 miles) range in just 12 minutes of charging.

According to the report, the test charged the battery to only 80%, claiming the total EV range could reach upwards of 1,875 km (1,165 miles).

BYD did not confirm anything of this report, so take it as a rumor for now. Still this sounds pretty impressive to me.

https://archive.is/J6fRf

Chinese EV brands, Xiaomi and Nio, offer regular tours for the general public this year, and three more automakers have announced plans to follow suit.

People who have visited the Xiaomi factory say they were struck by the amount of automation on display. The company says that the overall automation rate at the factory has reached 91 percent, with some production lines like casting fully automated.

cross-posted from: https://rss.ponder.cat/post/212925

From BBC News via this RSS feed

BYD’s profit margin (above 5%) was better in Q1 2025 than in most quarters in the past decade. There are just a few quarters that were even notably higher.

And BYD only has ~15% of the overall automotive market in China

their share of the overall Chinese market is less than GM’s share of the US market now

BYD could double sales and still have a smaller share of the overall Chinese market than VW has in Germany. Still not be close to triggering Chinese anti-monopoly measures.