Yuan+ honor version is out. Cut 16k RMB across the board. another major wave of cuts this week
New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) in China
- Thread starter supercat
- Start date
NIO expects to have built 3,310+ battery swap stations and 41,000+ charging piles by the end of the year
NIO officially announced that it added 17 battery swap stations and 41 charging stations in the Chinese market in February, and installed 213 new charging piles.
According to data provided by NIO, so far, the company has deployed 2,379 power swap stations across the country, including 777 highway power swap stations. At the same time, the number of charging stations has reached 3,719, equipped with 21,634 charging piles. On the highway, NIO has built 358 charging stations and provided 1,406 charging piles. In addition, NIO has also cooperated with third parties to access more than 1 million charging piles to provide users with a wider range of charging network choices. NIO is confident about the future layout of charging and battery swapping infrastructure. The company predicts that by the end of 2024, more than 3,310 battery swap stations and 41,000 charging piles will have been built.
According to data provided by NIO, so far, the company has deployed 2,379 power swap stations across the country, including 777 highway power swap stations. At the same time, the number of charging stations has reached 3,719, equipped with 21,634 charging piles. On the highway, NIO has built 358 charging stations and provided 1,406 charging piles. In addition, NIO has also cooperated with third parties to access more than 1 million charging piles to provide users with a wider range of charging network choices. NIO is confident about the future layout of charging and battery swapping infrastructure. The company predicts that by the end of 2024, more than 3,310 battery swap stations and 41,000 charging piles will have been built.
I didn't get a chance to watch the full video yet, but some points
- Pricing is a greater factor that charging. Wider public charging will definitely help spur greater adoption, but for America, charging at home is a better option than it is in China. Though that becomes yet another additional cost for adoption.
- Lack of advanced plug in is something I've been harping on for a while. This bridges the gap and solves the "road trip" problem that is a real issue for many (North) Americans. In China, it is not uncommon to see 100 km+ EV range on PHEVs or ER-EV (non hybrid powertrains) which are cheaper.
Meanwhile in the USA, the most popular PHEV is the Wrangler 4xe which only gets about 30 Km EV range. Now the question is whether this is an engineering issue, or cost issue, as the PHEV versions are usually a $10,000 premium. That represents a probably recoverable cost over a 4 year period (larger battery naturally costs more). If you can get 100 Km EV at this premium, most will be able to meet their commuting and chores needs without using gas.
- Self-driving availability. I don't think this is a big deal for the 30K price bracket. If you have it, then it would be amazing, but it would need to be cheap because price is a factor here. 40 and up, definitely has an impact on adoption. If such features were common on 40K EVs, there would be more sales for sure. It is also here where the 5G/Sat plays a part.
PHEV is really unneeded anymore. Something like Seal base variant can drive 300km in practice, more if LR version. At 500km (realistic) range on a mainstream vehicle, the tech is there. PHEV now only exist as a gimped car artificially made for low price segment.
PHEV's niche is for underdeveloped country(lack charger) and artificial market segmentation.
PHEV's niche is for underdeveloped country(lack charger) and artificial market segmentation.
If you are from Canada, you should know it's pretty common to drive ~300 Km to skiing, cottage, etc.
500 Km Long range EVs are strictly for the premium segment, not mainstream (price-wise), even in China.
Until you can get 200+ Km in 5 min, there will still be a demand for hybrids. BYD, Geely, etc. still putting a lot of money into Hybrids. If BYD themselves (makers aforementioned Seal) still thinks there is a future for PHEVs, then I think it's safe to say they will be here for a while. Since they are vertically integrated including making the infrastructure for charging too, clearly the shortcomings will be persistent.
Yes, PHEV is a compromise, but it is the kind of compromise that makes sense to buyers and has very little downside.
Seal long range variant is not really a premium car due to tech. It is priced around Honda Civics in China. Only outside it is priced like 50k euro. This reflects the market, not inherent cost of the vehicle.
This reinforce my point it is an artificial market segmentation that made EV the 'premium' car.
Lethe
Captain
Sales of Chinese brand vehicles in Australia, February 2024, with brand rank (YTD) and change YoY (January + February 2024 against the same period 2023):
MG: 4474, #8, +1%
GWM: 3458, #12, +36%
BYD: 1549, #18, +176%
LDV: 1387, #16, +4%
Chery: 629, #22, n/a
GWM catching up to MG. It will be an interesting transition for MG over the next 12-18 months as their ageing volume sellers (MG 3 and MG ZS) are phased out and replaced with new-generation vehicles with no doubt higher price tags.
I noted last month that folks should not get too excited about BYD outselling Telsa locally in January as the latter encountered some serious but transitory roadblocks (cargo ship turned around for biohazard reasons, plus a "stop delivery" order for regulatory compliance failure for updated Model 3, same thing that initially held up BYD Atto 3 when it launched here Q4 2022). In February the usual order of things has been restored with Tesla sales (5665 in February, #8 for the month, #11 YTD) more than triple those of BYD.
MG: 4474, #8, +1%
GWM: 3458, #12, +36%
BYD: 1549, #18, +176%
LDV: 1387, #16, +4%
Chery: 629, #22, n/a
GWM catching up to MG. It will be an interesting transition for MG over the next 12-18 months as their ageing volume sellers (MG 3 and MG ZS) are phased out and replaced with new-generation vehicles with no doubt higher price tags.
I noted last month that folks should not get too excited about BYD outselling Telsa locally in January as the latter encountered some serious but transitory roadblocks (cargo ship turned around for biohazard reasons, plus a "stop delivery" order for regulatory compliance failure for updated Model 3, same thing that initially held up BYD Atto 3 when it launched here Q4 2022). In February the usual order of things has been restored with Tesla sales (5665 in February, #8 for the month, #11 YTD) more than triple those of BYD.
It isn't artificial. Manufacturers in China are able to swallow some margin because of reduced transport costs, established dealer networks, and other similar overhead costs. They are probably also prioritizing marketshare over profits to kill off weaker competition while the market is still relatively young. Once the markets outside of China are more mature, and there is a shakeout within China, prices will come closer together.
Again, why would BYD, the number 1 manufacturer in EVs, still plan for PHEVs in China, the number 1 country in EV adoption and infrastructure, if it is "artificial"? U8, one of their most expensive cars, features a range extender engine.
Li Auto is selling premium cars, again with range extender. Neither is "gimped for low price". Clearly a wrong statement.
Range is not the only issue.
As I mentioned, charging time.
Charging availability (This is a big issue in China because home charging options are limited), is it there when you need it?
Peace of mind/Flexibility
Human laziness/forgetfulness
I basically agree with your take. On plugin hybrid, it is both engineering knowhow and industrial supply chain. Since the car literally has two power trains plus the integration subsystem, it complicates the car management software as well as the cost calculation. Look at the history of Toyota Prius, which is just a hybrid for regenerative stopping. US simply does not have key ingredients to produce advanced plugin hybrid at scale and on cost. On self-driving, it is somewhat like introduction of iPhone in the world of keypad phones and handheld computers. Once the adopters get used to it, there is no going back. Browse Douin for M7/M9 videos by the owners and you can get a sense why (1) sales of M7/M9 have been phenomenal; and (2) there is no similar video from owners of competing models. China has already entered into the new EV phase of intelligent automobiles, whereas US/EU are still in the phase of plain old EV. And I will emphasize here again: what Huawei is trying to accomplish in intelligent mobility is extremely difficult in technological innovation as well as industrial production. In other words, China EV is already at a more advanced stage than US/EU EV themes. This is a generational gap.