Electric Vehicles

Aito, a brand born from the collaboration between tech giant Huawei and automaker Seres

will feature a sodium-ion battery from CATL capable of an astonishing 12C charging rate, theoretically allowing for a full charge in 5 minutes.

Bold claims, but that energy density would be amazing.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.zip/post/43089144

We estimate China's total electric vehicle fleet is already displacing over 1 million barrels per day in implied oil demand. That level is likely to rise by around 600,000 barrels per day over the next year.

Ford CEO Jim Farley said Chinese cars have "far superior" technology, lower costs and great quality.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/37887067

Archived

According to a report by Telex, more than 100 employees could soon be laid off at the CATL factory in Debrecen, the result of a top-down corporate decision. The round of layoffs is already underway. One affected worker said the reason was that in the “current market environment,” the company needs more Chinese professionals than Hungarian ones.

The terminations began last week, initially affecting employees still on probation. This week, the cuts extended to those with permanent contracts. Some of them had been with the company’s Hungarian subsidiary for over a year. The layoffs are impacting not just factory workers, but office staff, skilled labourers, quality inspectors, and process engineers as well. Chinese management has not provided the affected employees with a reason for the decision.

[...]

The company has struggled to attract workers. Resistance to battery manufacturing remains strong, and some employees leave shortly after being hired, spreading negative word-of-mouth and damaging the company’s reputation. These challenges may have led the Chinese leadership to stop recruiting locals for mid-level management and skilled positions. The immediate cause for the downsizing may be that CATL is no longer expanding production as previously planned. Construction on the second plant unit has been suspended indefinitely.

[...]

In 2022, CATL announced plans to build a massive battery plant in Debrecen with an investment of HUF 3 trillion (EUR 7.5 billion), creating thousands of jobs in three phases and absorbing a large share of the local workforce. For now, only the first unit has been completed. Test production is set to begin this fall, followed by mass production in the winter. It’s still unclear how the current layoffs will affect the Hungarian government’s significant financial investment in the project.

[...]

• BYD has already launched its “megawatt flash charging” technology, capable of up to 1000 kW with a single connector and 1360 kW with a dual connector.
• Huawei is focusing on high-power charging solutions, particularly for heavy-duty trucks, and has teased a 1.5 MW charger.
• Zeekr has introduced V4 charging piles and a liquid-cooled charging station for passenger cars with a peak power of 1.2 MW using a single connector.

cross-posted from: https://discuss.tchncs.de/post/39840451