The Seagull is a very small electric car made in China that’s designed to be easy to drive and park in cities. People talk about it because it’s a cheap and simple way to get around in busy places.
The Tesla Cybertruck is a new kind of electric truck that looks very different from normal trucks. Instead of a round steering wheel, it uses a special steering control called a yoke.
Big screens are large touchscreens in cars that let you control music, maps, and other things instead of using buttons. But they can sometimes distract drivers.
The Mercedes-Benz EQB is a small electric SUV that looks fancy and is made by Mercedes. It’s like a regular car but runs on electricity, making it cleaner and quieter to drive.
LIVE
The number one resolution for people last year was to save more money,
but nearly half gave up by February.
Don't let that be you.
Download Rocket Money to reach your financial goals this year.
Track your spending, cut waste, and automate savings in one simple app.
Rocket Money shows you all your expenses and categorizes them so you know exactly
where your money's going and where you're overspending.
From there, the app cuts waste by canceling your unused subscriptions and lowering your bills.
No customer service needed.
With that money freed up, the app will automatically set some cash aside for your goals.
Whether it's an emergency fund, paying off debt, or saving for vacation,
Rocket Money's got you covered.
Users love the app with over 186,000 five-star ratings.
And on average, users can save up to $740 a year when using all of the app's premium features.
Make saving money a priority this year.
Go to rocketmoney.com slash cancel to get started.
That's rocketmoney.com slash cancel.
If you're an HVAC technician and a call comes in, Granger knows that you need a partner that helps you find the right product, fast and hassle-free.
And you know that when the first problem of the day is a clanking blower motor, there's no need to break a sweat.
With Granger's easy-to-use website and product details, you're confident you'll soon have everything humming right along.
Call 1-800-GRANGER, click Granger.com or just stop by.
Go to Granger for the ones who get it done.
No guesswork needed.
Get alerts before bills hit, track budgets, and see every subscription you're paying for.
Rocket Money also finds extra ways to save you money by canceling subscriptions you're not using and negotiating lower bills for you.
On average, Rocket Money users can save up to $740 a year when using all of the app's premium features.
Start the year off right by taking control of your finances.
Go to RocketMoney.com slash cancel to get started. That's RocketMoney.com slash cancel.
RocketMoney.com slash cancel.
Weight Watchers now offers access to affordable GLP ones. It works for members like
I'm Hailey and I've lost 100 pounds. Weight Watchers has everything I need.
From weight loss medications to nutrition support and help with my side effects, it's all in one place.
Weight Watchers handles the insurance for you and offers affordable cash pay options.
In the program, our members are losing more weight with expert nutrition and side effects support.
I'm Mike and I've lost 135 pounds. Weight Watchers prescribing GLP One medications. It's been life changing.
I'm Shariah and I lost 80 pounds on Weight Watchers.
I realized that it would take more than a prescription to lose weight and feel good on a GLP One.
Better results. Expert support. Lose more weight. Make it last.
I can't imagine doing a GLP One without Weight Watchers.
Get started for as low as $25 at WeightWatchers.com slash GLP One.
For over 60 years, we've helped millions of members find what works for them.
Now, it's your turn. Weight Watchers, watch it work.
Welcome back to EV News China today, an EV boom over the Spring Festival.
Small EV sales slump and NEO achieves a swapping record.
Plus they tuned later in the show.
I'll tell you why reports. Last week about Ford planning a China-U.S. joint venture,
look to have come from a place of truth despite the initial denials.
Welcome to EV News China, the podcast dedicated to the world's largest EV market every day.
I bring you the latest headlines, insights and analysis from the heart of China's booming EV industry.
And I try and decode how the fast-moving developments in the East matter for the global EV industry.
China ended last year with 43.97 million EVs on the road.
That's pure BEVs and hybrids and EREVs.
Nearly 70% of that was fully electric.
That fleet doesn't merely change how China drives.
It changes how China charges.
And nothing exposes that more brutally than the Spring Festival.
Peak daily charging demand during the holiday is forecasted to exceed 34 million kilowatt hours daily.
It's incredible. That's up 17% on last year alone with highway demand 11 million kilowatt hours.
The state grid has activated over five and a half thousand support stations
and is distributing more than a million coupons via its e-charge app
to steer drivers towards urban charges.
Relieving the worst could congestion on the motorway network.
The Ministry of Transport plans to add more than 10,000 charging guns.
That's just the terminology there. You might call them connectors.
Highway service areas in 2026 and they're emphasizing high-power units.
Slow charging and an entire country traveling.
Well, they go well together.
Car makers have turned highway charging into a battleground.
Lio now has 8,643 battery swap stations.
Last time I checked including over a thousand on the motorway networks.
Lio also claims the largest cell phone supercharging network with 22,173 charges
and more than 1200 superchargers on the highways.
Alongside priority power allocation and remote battery preheating.
All things that are trying to alleviate this big hit on the grid.
ExPung runs a mobile charging program for emergency assistance
while Xiaomi offers recovery and reimbursement for any breakdown.
The infrastructure exists in China.
The question is whether it holds when the entire fleet all moves at once.
And so far, the answer is not comfortably, but it just about holds together.
Now, let's talk about some more January data coming in.
China's full purchase tax exemption on AVs ended at the end of last year in December.
From January buyers received only a 50% reduction and that's capped at 15,000 RMB.
It's a smidge over US$2,000 per vehicle.
Now, the small EV segment felt that impact the most.
Looking at the data today I can see that
Ji Li's Xing Wan led with 29,000 units 19% down on December.
MG4 took second on 10,000 units again down 29% on December.
Trailing by nearly three to one and losing further ground on the leader.
The declines deepened as you go down the table as well.
The Wuling Hongguang Mini EV for many years,
the number one EV sold in China, couldn't move it from the top of the charts.
That fell below 10,000 units in January for the first time.
That was at 7,133.
A 75% collapse month on month.
The Wuling Bingo S was fourth.
BYD's small models also suffered.
The Dolphin was down in fifth, a smidge under 5,700 units.
Down 63% though.
The Seagull was down.
The Ark Fox T1 down in seventh.
Firefly was eighth.
The Wuling Bingo ninth.
And the Ion UT rounding out the top 10 tables.
That lower price point EV was really hit by the change of policy.
Let's move on.
NEO completed almost 150,000 battery swaps yesterday on the 15th of February.
So the actual number was 146,649 battery swaps in a day.
It's the first day of China's spring festival holiday yesterday.
Just nine days after they hit 100 million total swaps,
the numbers speak for themselves.
The timing is obviously no accident.
China waves the expressway tolls during major holidays
and traffic surges accordingly.
The Ministry of Transport has forecasted 55 million vehicles a day
on the national highway network over the holiday period.
They forecast 4.5% more vehicle travel in total.
They're forecasting a single day peak of 71 million vehicles on the road
on the 22nd of February.
New energy vehicles will be 12 million moving per day,
peaking at 15 million on the 22nd.
That'll be over a fifth of all traffic on China's roads.
NEO's network now covers 3,750 swap stations nationwide
on the highways, as I mentioned in the previous story,
over 1,000 across nine of the north-south and 11 of the east-west routes.
They cover 550 cities.
The company also operates almost 5,000 charging stations,
almost 30,000 charging piles.
That's just a dispenser, if you like.
They call them piles in China.
Since its first swap station in 2018,
it was the 20th of May, it was in Shenzhen, actually,
and they spent more than 2.6 billion US dollars equivalent
on infrastructure.
For this year, they want to put 1,000 more swap stations in.
They've got the fifth-generation swap station technology,
which improves already on about 2.5 minutes
to stop for a whole new fully-charged battery.
And I think that swapping record they hit yesterday,
of 147,000 swaps almost,
in a day is definitely going to be beaten.
I'll keep an eye on that over the next week or so.
Let's talk about how China will force
physical car controls from next year.
I mentioned this on Friday show at the end of last week
when they're banning yoke steering wheels.
There's some issues around that.
Check out that podcast if you want.
It's to do with the safety of a yoke,
how they, at the minute, don't fully understand
how they deform, if you like, in a crash incident
and how 46% of driver injuries can come from a steering part.
China wants to reduce that.
And there's not enough known about,
they call them non-circular steering wheels.
We'll call them yokes like Tesla Cybertrucks
and the Toyota system,
Toyota are moving over to yokes.
They're going to be banned in China
from the 1st of January next year
because there's safety concerns around them
compared to a round steering wheel
and things like airbags as well.
There's actually more to the story
that I didn't tell you about last week,
only because I didn't get to researching it.
So, from the 1st of July next year,
so six months after the yoke ban,
all new EVs in the country
must have physical controls
for a newly defined list of functions.
This is a revision to the national standard
pushed through by the MIIT.
The rule takes direct aim at these minimalist cars.
The cars that probably Tesla made famous.
Now Tesla aren't guilty of this solely,
but of course Tesla did for many people
in the mainstream
lead the move to a single big touchscreen
and they've done a lot, of course,
to encourage that reputation as well,
moving things like gear selection,
getting rid of a physical stalk
and moving that to the screen.
In fact, getting rid of a driver display
in front of you in their Model 3 Model Y
and so they've led that.
Others have followed and copied
and I've long talked on the main EV news daily podcast
about how I'm not a huge fan of that
in luxury vehicles
because I don't think it feels premium.
I think a big screen in a cheap vehicle
can keep costs down,
but the minute you get to a mid-segment vehicle,
for me it feels cheap
and nearly everyone disagrees with me,
so I'm happy to be wrong on that one,
but I feel if you particularly want to get to the premium segment
and luxury segments,
big screens almost become tacky.
How are they going to date?
Especially because car makers have to carry on
updating their systems for,
well, all of time, really.
It's a vicious cycle they get themselves into.
You put a big screen in the car,
then you have to carry on supporting
the cars that you've sold.
Now, many consumers and drivers would say,
that's great, my car gets better
as I continue to drive it
and I entirely agree with that, by the way,
but there's a huge burden on the car makers
with these big screens
and then there are safety issues
and China has now said
enough's enough.
Tesla might have pioneered it,
but we've seen it from BYD, from Xiaomi and more,
all enthusiastically adopting it.
The list of hardware is not short,
so what cannot be moved to the screen
in China from next summer?
Turn signals, hazard lights,
horn, windscreen
or windshield wipers,
defroster, all must have
dedicated physical controls.
Gear selection, so
reverse, neutral and drive
are not allowed to be on the touchscreen alone.
They can be, doubled up,
but they must have a physical control.
Drive resistance systems,
power windows
can no longer be on the touchscreen.
Emergency call buttons
and even a switch to depower the car.
Every control must have
a minimum surface area,
they've even given it a 1cm by 1cm surface area.
It must be in a fixed position.
It must support blind operation
usable without looking, muscle memory.
So the way that many people learn
to drive, you keep your eyes on the road
and you can reach down and close a window
because you know that button is what closes the window.
You haven't got to take your eyes off the road at high speed
even momentarily. China says
that's not safe.
The revision hasn't come overnight.
They began the process in 2023.
They involved the likes of Geely, BYD
and others in forming the new rules.
The automated driving rules form a separate
but related strand of the same efforts.
China's mandatory standard for level 3
and level 4 automation
requires a safety performance equivalent
to a competent human driver.
It's now proposed rules introducing
some safety obligations, documented evidence
that the system meets standards alongside
new minimal risk conditions as well
requiring any vehicle whose automation
fails to reach a safe state
and so remote human assistance
for fully automated vehicles and more.
It's fascinating. I've mentioned this a lot
on the main podcast. I think probably even here
as well how China is
moving along its
journey over the last few decades
in terms of automotive from
copying
let's be honest about it.
A carbon copy of something
and that still happens in places
that the West has done
to forcing joint ventures to learn
from the West and to incorporate
Western technology moving on to
innovating itself and decoupling
itself from needing those joint ventures
to now setting the rules
and if they can work with
major areas such as the
European Union
those China rules become
de facto global standards.
When China sets the global standards
that I argue
is the end game of EV dominance
because if you make
the rules, if you set the rules
well everybody else has
to play your game
and I think over the last
few months
possibly years certainly
what I see coming down the line
is an increasing move
to the next phase
where China becomes the rule setter
and these rules all sound very reasonable
to me so if you want to sell a car there
if you're Tesla well now you have to redesign your cars
from the 1st of July
next year and there's often
there's also
exemptions for cars that are already being sold
you've got some extra time to
do them isn't that interesting we'll take a break we'll come back
and we'll talk a lot more
from Geely and Leo to stick around
5 years ago I was paying $65
a month for my subscriptions
today those same subscriptions cost $111
and I don't even use half of them anymore
that's why now I use
Rocket Money to manage my subscriptions for me
the app gives you a list of all your
subscriptions and reminds you of upcoming
payments so you're not hit with any surprise charges
on top of that it also
sends you alerts when subscription prices go up
so you always know the price you're paying
if you decide you no longer want a subscription
you can cancel it right from the app
no customer service needed
and the best part is Rocket Money even
reaches out and tries to get you refunded
for some of the money you lost
on average people that cancel their subscriptions
with Rocket Money save $378 a year
and overall
Rocket Money has saved its members
$880 million in cancelled subscriptions
stop wasting money on things
you don't use
go to RocketMoney.com
to get started
that's RocketMoney.com
RocketMoney.com
If you're an HVAC technician
and a call comes in
Granger knows that you need a partner
that helps you find the right product
fast and hassle free
and you know that when the first problem
of the day is a clanking blower motor
there's no need to break a sweat
with Grangers easy to use
website and product details
but in you'll soon have everything humming
right along call
1-800-GRANGER click Granger.com
or just stop by Granger
for the ones who get it done
If you decide you no longer want a subscription
you can cancel it
right from the app
no customer service needed
and the best part is
RocketMoney even reaches out
and tries to get you refunded
for some of the money you lost
on average people that cancel their subscriptions
with RocketMoney save $378 a year
and overall
RocketMoney has saved its members
$880 million in cancelled subscriptions
stop wasting money on things
you don't use
go to RocketMoney.com
slash cancel to get started
that's RocketMoney.com
slash cancel
RocketMoney.com
slash cancel
Weight Watchers now offers access
to affordable GLP once
it works for members like
I'm Haley and I've lost a hundred pounds
Weight Watchers has everything I need
from weight loss medications
to nutrition support
can help with my side effects
it's all in one place
Weight Watchers handles the insurance for you
and offers affordable cash pay options
with our program our members are losing more weight
with expert nutrition and side effects support
I'm Mike and I've lost 135 pounds
Weight Watchers prescribing GLP1 medications
it's been life changing
I'm Sharia and I lost 80 pounds
on Weight Watchers
I realized that it would take more than a prescription
to lose weight and feel good
on a GLP1
it's expert support
lose more weight make it last
I can't imagine doing a GLP1
without Weight Watchers
get started for as low as $25
at WeightWatchers.com slash GLP1
for over 60 years we've helped millions
of members find what works for them
now it's your turn
Weight Watchers watch it work
welcome back to the podcast
Geely does not want to build
its own factories in a world
that has unused production capacity
we've decided the smart move is to use
someone else's factory
the chairman Li Shufu has been explicit
about the logic global car manufacturing
has too many plants already adding more
piles cost on to the industry
the groups hardware
so the groups answer is
contract manufacturing use capacity
that's unused outside of China
Geely has the scale to make it credible
last year they sold 4.12 million vehicles
up 26% year on year
and over half of those were EVs
the strategy is already moving a partnership
with Renault in South America
built on Geely's architecture
rolling off the line at Renault's Korean plant
as well discussing with Ford
in Europe following the same logic
in a market with too many factories
Geely says making better use of existing capacity
is better than building our own new factories
Li Auto's legal department
says it's made progress
against counterfeiting in China
after an operation on
February the 13th last Friday
with police Li Auto's team
dismantled a
hub that was making counterfeit charges
the operation seized infringing products
fake trademarks
stickers and stamps and moulding Li Auto says
suspects admitted to running
online stores selling counterfeit
Li Auto charges urging buyers
to only use the official sources
Mercedes-Benz will recall
almost 20,000 DVs in China
mostly EQ8s and EQBs
the campaign covers vehicles built from
August of April 2021
to March 2024
the company also flags a software risk
it says the battery management system
software may overload an individual cell
the recall starts in June
until then
affected owners are worried
so they've been told to limit charging
no more than 80% and please park your vehicle
outdoors
BYD plans an enhanced C-line
plug-in hybrid 06 DMI
early this year
using its mid-size SUV
further on electric range
the upgraded C-line 06 DMI
uses a 175kW motor
and a pure electric range of 220km
on the China cycle
the pricing will go up slightly but by no more than 5,000
you won
the C-line 06 will offer an optional
assisted driver systems called God's IC
buyers can enhance God's IC
with more LiDAR
BYD builds it on its E-platform
3.0 EVO
1.0 EVO
2.0 EVO
3.0 EVO
4.0 EVO
5.0 EVO
6.0 EVO
7.0 EVO
8.0 EVO
9.0 EVO
10.0 EVO
11.0 EVO
12.0 EVO
13.0 EVO
14.0 EVO
15.0 EVO
16.0 EVO
17.0 EVO
18.0 EVO
19.0 EVO
20.0 EVO
21.0 EVO
22.0 EVO
23.0 EVO
24.0 EVO
25.0 EVO
26.0 EVO
27.0 EVO
28.0 EVO
29.0 EVO
30.0 EVO
31.0 EVO
32.0 EVO
33.0 EVO
35.0 EVO
36.0 EVO
39.0 EVO
40.0 EVO
41.0 EVO
42.0 EVO
45.0 EVO
46.0 EVO
47.0 EVO
The reception, though, was cool. Some official warned the plans would face political resistance in Washington,
others see a formal investment agreement as a possible outcome of the United States and China meeting in April.
The model would invert China's historic playbook. For decades, Beijing required Western automakers to partner with local firms to gain market access.
Ford operates joint ventures with Chang'an and JMC under that legacy agreement.
China has since relaxed those rules, Tesla, Toyota Lexus plant as well now, wholly foreign-owned,
and Ford has separately explored partnerships with Geely on manufacturing.
Reports of talks with Xiaomi on US production were flatly denied only a few days ago,
and I wonder whether those stories which came out from reputable news organizations well sourced as well
are all part of what Ford's chief executive admitting to hear which he did have conversations with US officials about exactly this kind of thing.
And that's your podcast for today. Thanks for listening. See you on the next one.
Rocket Money shows you all your expenses and categorizes them so you know exactly where your money is going and where you're overspending.
From there, the app cuts waste by canceling your unused subscriptions and lowering your bills. No customer service needed.
With that money freed up, the app will automatically set some cash aside for your goals.
Whether it's an emergency fund, paying off debt, or saving for vacation, Rocket Money's got you covered.
Users love the app with over 186,000 five-star ratings.
And on average, users can save up to $740 a year when using all of the app's premium features.
Make saving money a priority this year. Go to rocketmoney.com.cancel to get started.
Welcome to your Peloton Pilates era, built on precision, backed by results and trusted by over two million members.
Experience instructors with true Pilates expertise, offering classes for every level, from foundational to powerfully challenging.
Choose from 10 to 45-minute sessions with little to no equipment, anytime, anywhere.
And with the cross-training swivel screen, you can move seamlessly from cardio to mat.
Press Pilates. Small moves. Big impact.
Find out more at onepeloton.com.
If you're the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant, you know having a trusted partner makes all the difference.
That's why hands down you count on Grainger for auto-reordering.
With on-time restocks, your team will have the cut-resistant gloves they need at the start of their shift.
And you can end your day knowing they've got safety well in hand.
Call 1-800-GRAINGER. Click Grainger.com or just stop by.
Grainger for the ones who get it done.
If you're an HVAC technician and a call comes in, Grainger knows that you need a partner that helps you find the right product, fast and hassle-free.
And you know that when the first problem of the day is a clanking blower motor, there's no need to break a sweat.
With Grainger's easy-to-use website and product details, you're confident you'll soon have everything humming right along.
Call 1-800-GRAINGER. Click Grainger.com or just stop by.
Grainger for the ones who get it done.
About this episode
China's EV market is experiencing a surge in demand during the Spring Festival, with peak charging demand expected to exceed 34 million kWh daily. Despite this boom, small EV sales have slumped due to reduced purchase tax incentives. NIO set a new record with nearly 147,000 battery swaps in a single day, highlighting the growing popularity of battery swapping infrastructure. Additionally, China is introducing new regulations banning yoke steering wheels and requiring physical controls for essential vehicle functions to enhance safety, impacting minimalist interior designs popularized by Tesla and others.
