EV News Daily - Technology and Business of EVs May 13, 2026

CHINA: BYD Adds Flash Charging To Atto 3, China Set For 10 Million EV Exports and NIO ES8 Dominates SUVs | 13 May 2026

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Term

flash charging

Flash charging means the car can charge much faster than normal. Whether it’s truly “fast” depends on the battery and the car’s charging system.

Car

BYD Ato3

The BYD Ato3 is BYD’s compact SUV. This episode says the updated version is getting new battery and faster-charging tech, along with suspension changes to improve ride/handling.

Car

The BYD Atto 3 is an electric SUV. The podcast says it’s called something else in its home market, but it’s the same vehicle. It’s discussed because it’s selling well and helps show BYD’s growth in EVs.

Term

rear wheel drive

Rear wheel drive (RWD) means the electric motors send power to the rear axle. This affects traction and handling balance compared with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive setups.

Term

adaptive damping

Adaptive damping is a suspension feature that changes how stiff the shocks feel. It tries to make the ride smoother when you need it and more controlled when you drive hard.

Brand

Fang Cheng Bao

Fang Cheng Bao is a BYD brand that makes more rugged, off-road-style electric SUVs. In this episode, it’s getting flash-charging upgrades across multiple models.

Car

Bao 5

Bao 5 is a rugged-style electric SUV from BYD’s Fang Cheng Bao lineup. The episode says a flash-charging version is available, aimed at faster charging.

Car

Bao 8

Bao 8 is a rugged electric SUV from BYD’s Fang Cheng Bao lineup. This episode says it also has a flash-charging version.

Car

Ti7 Fang Cheng Bao

The Ti7 is an EV model associated with BYD’s Fang Cheng Bao sub-brand. The podcast mentions it as having a “flash charging” version, meaning it’s designed to charge faster than standard versions. It’s brought up because charging speed can make EVs easier to use day to day.

Term

blade battery

BYD’s “blade battery” is a special way of building the battery cells. The goal is to make the battery safer and easier to fit in the car.

Term

peak charge rate

Peak charge rate is the fastest charging speed the car can handle. Higher numbers generally mean you can add energy more quickly.

Term

plug-in hybrid range

Plug-in hybrid range is how far the car can go using electricity after you charge it. After that, it leans more on the gas engine.

Term

DSUS P ultra high-end suspension system

DSUS P is an advanced suspension setup that can raise and lower the car for off-road situations. It’s meant to help the car deal with mud, obstacles, and even flat tires.

Term

four-wheel lifting extractions

This is a feature that can lift the car’s wheels to help get unstuck. It’s designed for tough off-road situations like mud.

Term

active stabilization

Active stabilization is the car’s computer helping keep it steady when something goes wrong. In this case, it helps the car stay controllable even if a tire fails.

Term

energy storage market

The energy storage market is the business of building systems that store electricity. The episode compares companies by how much of that market they supply.

Term

BESS

BESS means big battery systems used by the power grid. They store electricity when it’s available and release it when it’s needed.

Company

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence

Benchmark Mineral Intelligence is a research company that studies the battery industry. In this segment, they’re the source for the market-share numbers mentioned.

Car

Renault Fluence

The Renault Fluence is an electric car model. The podcast mentions it while talking about who has what share of the EV market. It’s included because it helps show which EVs are selling and gaining attention.

Term

battery energy storage

Battery energy storage is big battery equipment that saves electricity for later. It helps the power grid handle renewable energy that doesn’t produce at a steady rate.

Term

megapack

Megapack is Tesla’s big battery system for storing electricity. It’s used by the grid, and the episode is saying Tesla relies on specific battery cell suppliers for it.

Term

LFP cells

LFP cells are a type of EV battery chemistry. They’re generally known for being safer and lasting a long time, which is why major battery makers and automakers use them.

Concept

year on year export growth

Year-on-year (YoY) export growth compares how many vehicles a country exports this year versus the same period last year. It’s a common way to show whether export momentum is accelerating or slowing, independent of short-term fluctuations.

Concept

new energy vehicles

In China, “new energy vehicles” is a label for cleaner cars like fully electric cars and plug-in hybrids. The episode uses it to explain what’s boosting China’s export numbers.

Term

plug-in hybrids

Plug-in hybrids are cars that use both gas and electricity. You can charge them from a plug, but they also have a gas engine for longer trips.

Term

BEVs

BEV means fully electric car. It doesn’t use gasoline—it runs on a battery you charge from electricity.

Brand

NEO

NIO is an electric-car brand. Here, the hosts are talking about NIO’s ES8 SUV and how it’s doing very well in China.

Car

NIO ES8

The NIO ES8 is a big electric SUV with room for a family. The hosts are saying it sold a lot very quickly after it launched.

Car

Xiaomi YU7 GT

Xiaomi YU7 GT is a sportier version of Xiaomi’s electric SUV. It’s meant to look and drive more aggressively, with bigger wheels and upgraded braking and handling features.

Car

Xiaomi SU7

The Xiaomi SU7 is an electric sedan made by Xiaomi. The podcast talks about different versions, including one that’s meant more for track-style driving. It’s mentioned because the lineup and naming help buyers understand what each version is for.

Brand

Brembo

Brembo is a company famous for making high-performance brakes. The segment is saying the Xiaomi YU7 GT uses Brembo braking tech.

Term

carbon ceramic discs

Carbon-ceramic brakes are a premium type of brake rotor designed to handle high heat. They’re meant to keep braking strong even when you drive hard.

Term

air suspension

Air suspension uses compressed air instead of traditional steel springs to control ride height and damping. That lets the car lower for a sportier stance at speed and raise for comfort or rough-road clearance.

Term

rear axle torque vectoring

Torque vectoring means the car can send different amounts of power to the left and right rear wheels. That helps the car grip better and turn more confidently.

Car

Maestro S800

The Maestro S800 is a high-end sedan in China, priced over 700,000 yuan. The hosts say it sold the most in April among its premium rivals.

Brand

Mercedes

Mercedes is a luxury car brand. In this segment, it’s mentioned as one of the cars the Maestro S800 is competing against.

Car

Porsche Panamera

The Porsche Panamera is a luxury sedan from Porsche. The segment uses it as an example of the kind of premium car the Maestro S800 is trying to beat in sales.

Car

Mercedes-Benz Sclass

The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is a top-level luxury car from Mercedes. It’s designed to be very comfortable and packed with technology. It’s mentioned because it’s a major “flagship” model, so its sales can show how well luxury cars are doing in a market like China.

Car

Bmw 7

The BMW 7 Series is BMW’s most upscale, high-comfort sedan. It includes an electric version called the i7. It’s discussed because it shows how BMW is competing in the premium luxury market as more buyers move toward EVs.

Company

Huawei

Huawei is a big tech company, and here it’s getting involved in EVs by providing technology and systems. The hosts say Huawei can lead the product/tech side while automakers handle the vehicle work.

Company

JAC

JAC is an automaker. In this segment, it’s described as working with Huawei in a partnership where one side brings the tech and the other side builds the vehicles.

Company

CATL

CATL is a major company that makes EV batteries. Here, they’re talking about using computer “learning” to design batteries faster and improve how they’re made.

Term

AI driven design

AI driven design means using computers to help design batteries. Instead of engineers trying combinations by hand, AI can search through lots of options and find better settings faster.

Term

solid state batteries

Solid state batteries are a newer type of EV battery that uses a solid material inside instead of a liquid. The goal is often better safety and more energy, but making them reliably is harder than today’s batteries.

Term

conductivity

Conductivity is a measure of how easily electricity can move through a material. In batteries, better conductivity can help the battery charge and work more efficiently.

Concept

HIMA model

The HIMA model is a partnership approach. One company leads the technology and product side, while the automaker partner focuses on building the EVs.

Company

Stellantis

Stellantis is a big car company. Here, they’re mentioned in connection with possibly taking over Maserati, which would change how Maserati cars are designed and sold.

Brand

Maserati

Maserati is an Italian luxury sports-car brand. The hosts are saying Maserati is struggling, especially in China, where sales have fallen a lot.

Term

proprietary chip

A proprietary chip is a computer chip a company designs for its own cars. It can help the car run advanced features more smoothly because it’s built to match that company’s software and systems.

Term

mass production

Mass production means the product is being built in large numbers, not just a few test units. For chips and EV tech, that’s important because it shows the design can be made reliably and affordably.

Car

Li Auto L9

The Li Auto L9 is a top SUV from Li Auto. The episode connects it to new in-house computer chips that the company says will power its next tech features.

Term

first mover advantage

First mover advantage means being early to use a new idea and getting a head start. The hosts are saying Li Auto isn’t the earliest company to do this kind of chip strategy.

Term

silicon, software, and hardware

They’re talking about the whole system: the chip inside the car, the software that runs on it, and the physical parts it controls. The claim is that better coordination between these can make the car’s features work better.

Brand

Lotus

Lotus is a sports-car brand from the UK. In this segment, they’re changing direction: instead of going fully electric, they’re planning a hybrid supercar.

Term

mid-engined

Mid-engined means the engine is placed near the middle of the car. That can help the car feel more balanced and easier to steer, which is why many supercars use this layout.

Car

Lotus Type 135

Lotus Type 135 is a new supercar project planned for 2028. It’s a hybrid with the engine mounted in the middle, and the hosts say it will use a V8—something Lotus hasn’t done in about 24 years.

Term

V8 engine

A V8 engine is an engine with eight cylinders arranged in a V shape. The hosts are pointing out that Lotus hasn’t used one for a long time, so this is a big change for the brand.

Concept

multi-pathway strategy

A multi-pathway strategy means the company keeps more than one plan running at once. Instead of betting everything on one powertrain, they’re trying different approaches so they’re ready for whatever the market demands.

Company

Coventry design centre

Coventry is where Lotus says it will do the design work for this car. It’s basically telling you where the team building the car’s design is based.

Company

Hethel

Hethel is where Lotus plans to build the car. That’s the manufacturing location, so it tells you where the production will happen.

Car

Lotus Amira

The Lotus Emira is a sports car made to feel fast and fun to drive. It’s described as having a V8 option and also a hybrid setup. It comes up because it’s an example of how sports-car makers are changing their powertrains.

Term

EREV

EREV means the car is mainly an electric vehicle, but it can use a gas engine to generate electricity if the battery gets low. So it’s not just a pure EV with no backup.

Term

twin-turbo

Twin-turbo means the engine uses two turbochargers. They help the engine make more power by pushing more air into the cylinders.

Term

HEV

HEV means hybrid electric vehicle. It uses both gas and electricity, but you usually don’t plug it in—the battery is charged through driving and braking.

Term

900-volt system

A 900-volt system is a higher-voltage battery/electrical setup than many EVs use. Higher voltage can make it easier to move lots of power—often helping with faster charging.

Term

0-62

“0-62” is how fast a car accelerates from a standstill to 62 (usually mph). Lower time generally means quicker acceleration.

Concept

mild hybrid

A mild hybrid is a car that uses a small electric motor to help the gas engine. It usually can’t run the car on electricity alone for long.

LIVE

Welcome back to EV News China. Today, BYD adds flash charging to the Ato3, China set

for 10 million EV exports, and the Neo ES8 dominates in SUVs. Plus, they tuned later

in the show. I'll tell you how Lotus is trying to dig itself out of a slump with a curious

move. Welcome to EV News China, the podcast all about the world's EV market. Every day,

I bring you headlines, insights and analysis from the heart of China's booming EV industry

and decode how fast moving developments in the East shape the global landscape.

Let's get into it. The new BYD Ato3, sold domestically as the OnePlus, has reached dealerships.

It's officially on sale on May 21st. BYD showed the updated model at the Beijing Auto Show

last month. Speculation continues that because the vehicle is larger, by quite a lot actually,

it could be rebranded overseas. It could be called the Ato5. The two main hardware changes

over the outgoing generation are under the skin. BYD has added its second generation

blade battery and flash charging technology. Buyers get two rear wheel drive versions,

either 200 or 240 kilowatt motors. Depending on variants, up to 630 kilometers. BYD also

revised the chassis. The upgrade package includes its new Yun-NC adaptive damping.

Well, BYD has stretched the car to improve the rear seat space while keeping a compact SUV

proportion. That pushes the model closer to a large C-segment SUV in both sides and drivetrain.

Inside, BYD's got the larger central display, the redesigned center console with wireless charging

and a column mounted gear selector. It's kept physical buttons for core functions,

which counts as progress. Other changes include ambient lighting, revised air vents and more

storage and a flat floor in the rear as well. Very interesting if this one does end up in an

overseas market and whether it is sold as the Ato3, which is doing overseas or rebranded,

given its larger dimensions. Let's move on and we'll stay with BYD though. Their sub-brand,

Fang Cheng Bao, has launched flash charging editions of the Bao 5 and Bao 8. These are their

hardcore off-road SUVs. The move completes a full flash charging upgrade across Fang Cheng Bao's

four model lineup. The five flash charging edition starts at just under 306,000 yuan. That is about

£33,500 or $42,000. The Bao 8 edition starts at 420,000 yuan. That's about £46,000 or $48,000.

Both get the limited time order discount, which is very popular in China. Both models use the

second generation blade battery, which all BYD's are getting by the way. With a big enough battery,

in good conditions, that's a 1,500 kilowatt peak charge rate. BYD casts the system as a way to

cut range anxiety for off-roaders. The Bao 8 has a combined plug-in hybrid range of almost 1,400

kilometers. The Bao 5, 1,310. The two SUVs also bring BYD's new DSUS P ultra high-end suspension

system. This thing's really impressive by the way. Adding it to their off-roaders, it offers 200

millimeters, so 20 centimeters, that's eight inches, of body height adjustment and a nine tonne

lifting capacity with four-wheel lifting extractions. If you're stuck in the mud, it can lift all the

wheels independently and it works in temperatures from minus 40 Celsius to 85 Celsius. DSUS P ultra

allows a suspended tire change. This is so impressive. So if you get a flat, you haven't

actually got to use the jack to change the tire. It'll do, I don't know, like you can teach a dog

to do a party trick and lift its paw. It will just lift one tire off the ground and it will

compensate with the other three that you can do a tire change without jacking the vehicle.

Incredible. You can also drive on three wheels if you get a blowout, for instance,

with active stabilization. The sort of feature set aimed less at the school run and more about

hardcore off-roaders who want to leave the tarmac, but I think everybody would be impressed by those

capabilities. Final BYD story, BYD just passed Tesla to become, and I know what you're thinking,

you've done this story. They are the world's biggest TV maker. No, this is the world's biggest

energy storage integrator. Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, say BYD, had 13% of the global

energy storage market. BESS, Integrator Market, Tesla on 10%. BYD shipped over 60 gigawatt hours

of battery energy storage for the grid last year. Tesla, 46.7 gigawatt hours. And Tesla's doing

good growth, but BYD grew quicker. Sungrow was third. CATL are up there. Hyperstrong as well.

Huawei, Envision, Fluence, Sunwoda, about 4% of the market. Eight of the top 10

battery energy storage system providers are Chinese. China's scale explains that in December

last year, China installed 65 gigawatt hours of energy storage in December alone. That exceeded

the total deployed by the United States for the entire year in one month in China. China's not

hanging around. And China knows he has to move away from fossil fuels, the investment in everything

from solar to wind to now battery energy storage is impressive. Cell shipments for stationary

storage doubled last year. BYD makes their own batteries, of course. Their battery division

produced 113 gigawatt hours, at least in the first three quarters of last year. Tesla doesn't

follow that model. They source their megapack cells from BYD and CATL. And I think they're

going to get them from LG as well, the LFP cells from LG. Deliveries for that deal should start

this August. China auto exports are next in the news, with top 10 million. China's auto exports

should pass 10 million units this year, according to He Ye, Deputy Secretary General of the China

Association of Automobile Manufacturers. That would mean year on year export growth of 41%.

It would follow growth of 21% in 2025, when China shipped 7 million vehicles overseas

and overtook Japan in 2025 to become the world's largest car exporter. New energy vehicles,

as you can imagine, are what driving the growth. China's EV exports reached 2.6 million units

last year. That was double the previous year. And a lot of plug-in hybrids being exported,

of course, there's no import taxes in Europe, unlike full BEVs. NEO's next in the news, their

big ES8, that's their large 3-row SUV, which is really impressive. Onto the third generation of

that vehicle now, it is topping, once again, China's SUV retail sales chart for large SUVs for the

fifth straight month in a row in April, selling over 13,000 units at retail. This is a segment of

vehicles priced over $400,000 yuan. It ranked first in April across all powertrains, so that's

everything, electric, e-rev, plug-in hybrid, combustion, and the model itself, the ES8,

is selling so well, it's over 44% of NEO's business now. NEO began deliveries of the

third-gen ES8, which is a lot better than the one it's replaced, is a lot cheaper and a lot bigger.

They unveiled that on the 20th of September, and it went on sale on the 21st. Yes, there were

people who had bought their ES8 second-gen version the day before who were, let's say, not very happy

about that, because the new one came out, and it's better in every way. The model is a three-row

electric SUV, six- or seven-seat layout, starts at $407,000 yuan, with the battery included,

of course, the ES8 reached 100,000 total deliveries last month as well, just 215 days after it launched.

NEO has kept the pressure on. Press support, like their five-year, zero-down payment,

interest-free financing continues at NEO. Buyers who order before the end of this month also get

a nice extra subsidy. Xiaomi's next, the YU7 GT version is coming, and now it's been seen on

public roads, so it should be the end of this month that we get the full debut. We know a lot

already. Factory build-up has started. Xiaomi expects to send those cherry red cars to the

Xiaomi Auto Showrooms across China soon. Xiaomi will pitch the GT version of the YU7 as a sports,

well, supercar-level performance in an SUV body. That's the brief. The firm has chosen the GT name

rather than Ultra to keep clear of the SU7 Ultra. That really is a track car. The YU7 GT wants

long distance, family hauling, but also high performance. The shape is the standard YU7,

long hood, GT-adding wide body stance, though. Xiaomi's widened the front vendors, fitted a

sharper front splitter, and cut in 10 sets of air channels. At the back, the car gets a large rear

diffuser and a rear spoiler with a central protrusion, looking very sporty, with some new

Adas sensors. The hardware matches the bodywork, new 21-inch wheels, bright red brake calipers,

and the braking package will use carbon ceramic discs and Brembo technology. Top speed, 300kmh,

the 101.7kWh battery backs up a range of 705kmh, air suspension, and rear axle torque vectoring.

All right, we'll take a break. We'll come back. We'll talk about a luxury and some AI battery

technology. Stick around. Hey, welcome back to the podcast. Let's talk about the top end,

and that is the Maestro. Now, the Maestro S800 has been topping China's premium luxury sedan

market. These are 700,000 Yuan plus vehicles. Once again, it was top in April, selling,

okay, so 1,142 of these. But let me put that in context. It's well ahead of its competitors,

which are, by the way, Mercedes, My Buck S-classes, and Porsche Panamera, as I suppose, in April.

It came close to the combined sales of its second and third place competitors itself,

and the gap matters because it's not a volume segment, obviously. If someone's, well, firstly,

you're going to be driven in this car. Nearly all, I would imagine a lot of the time you'll have a

driver, and a lot of the time you'll be turning up at, I don't know, business meetings, your kids,

things at the weekend, driving onto the tarmac to get on board a private jet, that kind of stuff.

And so not huge volume, but it says a lot that China is just pummeling the German competition

in this segment as well. So far this year, it's sold over 5,500 units. The My Buck S-class May Buck

is 3,000 in the BMW 7 series, which includes the electric i7, just slightly under as well.

So my extra is from Huawei and JAC's Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance. So you can get

any rev version of it or a pure Bev version. It starts at $100,000 and goes up to $141,000.

I'm sure you can spec it higher as well. CATL is next in the news. Let's talk batteries. The

chief scientist at CATL, Wu Kai, using the 18th International Battery Fair in Shenzhen earlier

today to set out how artificial intelligence is changing batteries. Wu said that the industry

now moves towards AI driven design. The shift matters because battery development involves

many variables and in fact too many variables for an engineer or a team of engineers obviously

to juggle by instinct or regular technology. Wu said AI optimizes complex process parameters

beyond the grasp of engineers. Until now, CATL uses AI models to pre-screen large pools of

candidate materials and pick suitable chemical systems to try out. The company said this cuts

new material screening time by a factor of 100. It also shapes how CATL are working on solid

state batteries as well, saying it's team using AI to identify seven target materials in just three

months to boost conductivity as well in three months. The company also uses it to fine tune

complex manufacturing processes. For now though, that's all they're using it for,

saying that the current AI deployment remains task specific. Now, Huawei, JAC and Stellantis

could be working together for the Stellantis brand Maserati. They're in active talks to jointly develop

EVs. Badge does Maserati overseas. The proposed idea follows, well, the alliance I just talked about,

the HIMA model where Huawei leads on products and supplies the technology. JAC handles

co-development and the actual manufacturing. Of course, if Stellantis bought the Maserati badge,

well, they would do styling and brand. The plan points to dual badged models. The domestic

Chinese version would sit under the Huawei JAC Maestro brand overseas. They would be Maserati's.

The talk matters between the companies because, well, frankly, Stellantis needs some Maserati help.

They posted a net loss of 22.3 billion euros last year. That's about 19 billion pounds. Maserati's

global deliveries fell from 27,000 units only three years ago to just shy of 8,000 units last

year. That's a near 70% collapse in a couple of years. China is the problem for Maserati.

It was once their single largest market. China accounted for 30% of their business,

and it has collapsed as Chinese consumers prefer domestic brands.

Li Auto is next in the news. Their first proprietary chip is called Mac100, entering mass

production now ahead of the launch of the L9. That's their flagship SUV. The new model will use

dual Mac100 chips. Li Auto casts the chip as the base of their new tech push. Li Auto doesn't

enjoy first mover advantage in case you're wondering.

NEO have their own chip called Chenji. That's running on the road right now.

X-Pung's Turing chip. Car makers also buy third-party chips from Nvidia, Qualcomm,

and Horizon. They're 4U chips covering a lot of automotive use cases. The case for the Mac100

isn't on novelty. It's really about control. Li Auto wants tighter links between silicon,

software, and hardware. The company now needs to prove that this control gives drivers a better

product. And finally, Lotus. What is G-League going to do with Lotus? Well, the plan was to go

all electric, but they've changed their mind. Confirming development of the Type 135. It's a

mid-engined hybrid supercar, which all sounds good so far. It's coming in 2028, and it's the

first Lotus with a V8 engine in, well, 24 years. The announcement also kills off the Lotus plan

to go electric in its place is what they call a multi-pathway strategy. Hmm, that sounds like

hedging your bets. Lotus will develop the car in Coventry at their design centre, and they'll build

it at Hethel, which is not a million miles away from where I grew up in Norfolk. And that's obviously

the base of Lotus, so it means a lot to build the vehicles there, but they make the Amira and the

would be a V8 engine and a hybrid system. No, no, not EREV. plug-in hybrid. They're

going properly back to the Dark Ages. That's curious decision. Well, Lotus, no, they need to do

something. They have a partnership with Mercedes AMG for the four-litre twin-turbo charge V8s

for the combustion stuff, but still a standard HEV non-plug-in hybrid. That all seems not very

Chinese, of course. The firm chose that setup to preserve weight efficiency, they say. They've

also got their own hybrid system, because in China, they call it the Lotus 4Me model. The Lotus 4Me

is a 900-volt system, 1,000 horsepower, 3 seconds 0-62, starting at 75,000 US dollars equivalent.

They've got the technology they could use, but they're not. Curious. Lotus has chosen

breadth of technologies, keeping their foot in every camp. Internal combustion, gas guzzling,

mild hybrid, even pure electric one day, but to do it all at once, that makes them an outlier.

Let's hope it works for them. And that's your podcast for today. Thanks for listening. See you on the next one.

0:00

18:10

CHINA: BYD Adds Flash Charging To Atto 3, China Set For 10 Million EV Exports and NIO ES8 Dominates SUVs | 13 May 2026

BYD Ato3

Bao 5

Bao 8

energy storage market

Maestro S800

Lotus Type 135

Coventry design centre

Hethel

About this episode

Original notes