South China Morning Post
Advertisement
Advertisement
Electric & new energy vehicles
Get more with myNEWS
A personalised news feed of stories that matter to you
Learn more
BusinessCompanies

17 things you may not know about China's electric vehicle industry

  • China has one of the fastest growing EV markets in the world with an estimated 500 electric car makers having piled into the world's largest vehicle market
  • As the Chinese government prods indigenous innovation, home-grown brands such as Nio, Xpeng and Li Auto, have sprouted to get a larger slice of the market under the Made in China 2025 industrial master plan
Electric & new energy vehicles
SCMP Reporters
SCMP Reporters
Why you can trust SCMP

1. How will China's tech giants shake up the world’s biggest auto market?

Beijing could define the future of mobility. Learn more
A Geely factory in Ningbo, in China’s eastern Zhejiang province. As more established players and new entrants form partnerships, the former will focus on the assembly of EVs, while the latter provide new technologies. Photo: Xinhua

2. Which Chinese electric car company has the slickest fundraising machine?

NIO, Xpeng and hundreds of Chinese EV start-ups are rising billions of dollars to finance theirnew models and technology. Learn more
A Tesla Model 3 vehicle, centre, flanked by two Model Y cars. Photo: EPA-EFE

3. Why are 500 electric car makers battling for China’s lucrative vehicle market?

Car makers have piled into the world's largest vehicle market but which will come out on top? Learn more
Model 3 electric cars rolling off Tesla’s Gigafactory in Shanghai on January 7, 2020. Photo: Reuters

4. Do China's electric cars have the range to go the distance?

Manufacturers must balance between performance and price in a market of limited charging infrastructure. Learn more
Illustration by Perry Tse/SCMP

5. Does China lead the electric car battery industry?

China controls 80 per cent of the world’s capacity for raw material refining, with the capacity to produce 77 per cent of worldwide battery cells and 60 per cent for components. Learn more
The world needs to produce 10,000 gigawatt hours (GWh) of batteries every year for 15 years to convert the entire global fleet of vehicles into electric. Illustration: Perry Tse

6. What does the perfect electric vehicle look like in China?

It must go far and travel anywhere, without breaking the bank. Learn more
Illustration by Henry Wong/SCMP

7. Who is NIO and are they a true competitor to Tesla?

NIO, Xpeng and hundreds of Chinese EV start-ups are staking their claims with new models and technology. Learn more
The latest ET7 on display at NIO House on Tianfu Avenue in Chengdu, China on January 9, 2021. Photo: Daniel Ren

8. What is the manufacturing edge among China's EV start-ups?

Chinese parts suppliers ride Tesla-powered electric-car boom. Learn more
Employees install batteries onto an electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) during a media tour of the Nio production facility in Hefei, Anhui province, in December 2020. Photo: Bloomberg

9. How do China's EV start-ups get their capital?

Private-equity funds, venture capital and stock market listings. Learn more
The launch of the NIO ET7 model in Chengdu, in China’s southwest Sichuan province. Photo: AFP

10. Who are the Big Tech backers behind China's electric car start-ups?

NIO, Xpeng and hundreds of Chinese EV start-ups are backed by many of China's largest technology behemoths and carmakers. Learn more
People wearing face masks look at a NIO ES6 electric car at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, in Beijing, on September 27, 2020. Photo: Reuters

11. Why are China's EV makers expanding offshore?

Southeast Asia puts its electric vehicle revolution in gear. Learn more
A BlueSG electric car-sharing vehicle at a charging station in Singapore. Photo: Reuters

12. What are NEVs and which cities in China are buying them?

Here are the top five cities with the highest sales of new-energy trucks and vans in 2020. Learn more
Visitors looking at a new energy bus during a promotional activity for new energy vehicles in Beijing. Photo: Xinhua

13. Who is Xpeng and are they a true Tesla competitor?

NIO, Xpeng and hundreds of Chinese EV start-ups are staking their claims with new models and technology. Learn more
Xpeng’s new factory in the Guangdong provincial city of Zhaoqing touts 100 per cent automation for installation of car bodies at its welding workshops, with over 200 robotic arms. Photo: SCMP

14. Is Model Y helping Tesla grow market share in China's competitive EV market?

The American electric car giant delivered 4,630 Model Ys in February, compared to 1,641 in January 2021. Learn more
The Tesla Inc. logo is displayed on an electric vehicle charging station outside one of the companys showrooms in Beijing China, on Saturday, March 6, 2021. China, the worlds biggest car market, aims to boost auto sales and add more charging facilities for electric vehicles this year. Photographer: Qilai Shen/Bloomberg

15. Who are the market leaders in China's EV sales in 2021?

NIO, Xpeng and Li Auto are the biggest Chinese EV contenders. Learn more
Image of of the Xpeng P7. HANDOUT PHOTO

16. Who are Tesla's Chinese competitors, and what's the big deal?

NIO, Xpeng and hundreds of Chinese EV start-ups are staking their claims with new models and technology. Learn more
Xpeng’s second electric vehicle, the P7 intelligent coupe, started shipping in June. The company is now committing to releasing a new vehicle each year and will equip them with lidar systems to aid its self-driving technology starting in 2021. Photo: vogel.com.cna

17. What are the top 5 electric vehicle fundraisers to watch out for in 2021?

China’s fundraising boom for electric cars looks set to continue through the Year of the Ox. Learn more
Tesla electric vehicles charging in a garage. Photo: EPA-EFE
1