CHINA: XPENG L4 Autonomy, BYD Sodium Ion Batteries and Geely Joins 1500km Club | 10 Feb 2026

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Welcome back to EV News China.

Today, X-Pungs Level 4 Autonomy.

BYD's sodium ion batteries.

And Geely joins the 1,500-mile club.

Plus, stay tuned.

Later in the show, I'll tell you why a potentially thorny battery issue involving

Volvo's and Zika's has been settled out of court.

Welcome to EV News China, the podcast dedicated to the world's largest 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 of the global landscape.

Let's kick off an X-Pung.

It's testing Level 4 Autonomous Driving on its unreleased Range Rover look-alike,

the GX.

It's the flagship SUV and they're testing it in Guangzhou with a camouflage test vehicle

spotted on public roads marked Level 4 Autonomous Driving Test.

The six-seat GX was announced on February the 5th with three official images.

The CEO, He Xiaoping, confirmed the SUV uses their SEPA or C-Perth 3 architecture

incorporating steer-by-wire and rear-wheel steering.

There are four Turing AI chips powering the vehicle delivering 3,000 tops of power.

Each Turing chip provides approximately 700 tops and was unveiled in June of last year

for things like autonomous driving and cockpit functions across multiple X-Pung models.

The configuration matches X-Pung's robo-taxi setup, targeting Level 4 autonomy.

So November's AI day, that was last year, the company announced three robo-taxi models

launching in 2026 with trial operations beginning sometime this year.

Robo-taxies use X-Pung's second-generation VLA model.

They say it processes visual inputs directly into the driving commands without language

translation.

I presume that's computer languages rather than, you know, Mandarin.

I don't know.

VLA2 adopts or adapts to global traffic patterns and has passed what they call closed

venue testing.

Interesting they're putting this highly autonomous technology into something which is, like I say,

a six-row, very high-end, premium, no other way of describing it, Range Rover wannabe.

There's not a single angle I can find on this vehicle.

Maybe the bonnet is slightly shorter.

Maybe.

I've not done a side-by-side.

Maybe the bonnet is slightly shorter because this is either a bev or an e-rev than a Range

Rover.

Maybe slightly stubbier.

Otherwise, there's not a single angle I can find that would not come out of Jaguar

Land Rover.

Okay, let's move on.

I won't flog that horse too much.

Now, BYD has disclosed in an investor briefing that it's developed sodium ion batteries

with a cycle life reaching 10,000 discharges, a significant jump from 2,000 to 3,000

cycles.

The mainstream lithium-ion phosphate battery is used in passenger vehicles.

Energy storage systems already achieve 10,000 cycles, but automotive applications face harsher

conditions involving weight space and thermal stress.

It is very interesting because there are some days that I drive my EV a couple of miles

down the road to do an errand, and some days I'll do long trips.

However, the home battery that I have, which is, by the way, NCM, it's not LFP.

I'm surprised by that.

It's a solar-age battery, and that is not a cheaper LFP chemistry.

But either way, that's the choice they made.

That gets a workout all day every day.

So overnight, we're recharging from the grid.

During the day, we're about to start recharging it.

What are we in now?

February?

Yeah, kind of March time, April.

Certainly, when the clocks change, I'll notice a big difference of charging during

the day, constantly charging, discharging.

So my storage, my stationary storage, arguably gets a different kind of workout than my car.

I mean, I'm never pulling more than five kilowatts from it because that's the maximum

that I can do through my inverter.

So BYD says its sodium ion development has reached a third-generation tech platform.

It says it addressed sodium precipitation and high-temperature issues through highly

stable poly-anion material systems and electrochemical advances.

BYD has not set a production date saying the timeline will depend on market and customer

demand.

This contrasts with CATL, which launched its first sodium ion battery many years ago now.

However, their most recent one, the Naxstra battery, was launched in 2025 with a relatively

low energy density compared to the leading alternative chemistries, 175 watt-hours

per kilogram.

That is probably comparable to mainstream LFP cells.

CATL and Changana releasing a sodium ion passenger vehicle this year.

CATL is serving as Changan's exclusive sodium ion battery partner, supplying packs across

Avatar, DePau, Siwan, and Unibrand.

BYD ranks as the world's second-largest power battery manufacturer behind CATL,

of course.

Its portfolio centers on LFP.

CATL produces both LFP and ternary packs.

BYD confirmed it explores three solid-state battery routes.

So BYD is concurrently working on oxide, polymer, or sulfide solid state.

It expects small-scale production to begin in 2027 of true solid state.

Now also staying with BYD, unverified, this is Chinese social media, unverified pictures

show that BYD is now at least rolling out test stations.

BYD is developing 2,100 kilowatt charging systems.

The company's not confirmed it, though.

CarNewsChina website reported on February the 2nd that earlier leaks described as 1,500

kilowatt systems, which frankly is still far and away anything else that the West gets,

which is 1,500 kilowatts, 1,500 amps of juice at 1,000 volts.

The newer 2,100 kilowatt system, or 2.1 megawatt, is again a massive jump forward,

but it's unconfirmed.

If accurate, it would double BYD's first-generation flash chargers, which launched in March last

year on their Super-Re platform delivering 1,000 kilowatts or a megawatt peak power on

a 1,000-volt architecture with dual guns, plugging in two connectors to your car.

The first-generation charger would add 400 kilometers of range in five minutes under

ideal conditions.

BYD integrated it into the Han-L and the Tang-L, the Hanzo sedan, the Tang's

SUV, and they're rolling out their chargers in China right now.

Leaked posts reference individual channels between 1,200 and 1,500 kilowatts, so perhaps

power splitting going on there, maybe 2,100 kilowatts, is the rating for the actual charger.

Nothing publicly disclosed on this.

Now, let's move on.

BYD launched in Egypt on February the 4th through a partnership with a local group

introducing three models, the Dolphin Surf, C-Line 6, and the C-Line 6 DMI, their plug-in

hybrid.

These are rebadged versions, so the Dolphin Surf is otherwise known as the Dolphin.

The C-Line 6 EV is the Song Plus EV at home, and the C-Line 6 DMI is the Song Plus DMI

back at home.

The Dolphin retails for 99,800 RMB at home in China.

The Song Plus models no longer sell domestically, but BYD deploys them in export markets.

BYD's overseas sales last year over a million, by the way, it's a huge milestone, 1,046,000

overseas sales for BYD in 2025, up 150%, 110 countries.

The automaker operates in 30 Middle Eastern African territories and countries.

Overall, NEV sales last year was 4.6 million, 7.7% growth for BYD overall, passenger EVs,

4.54 million of the 4.6, so a small commercial business, but nearly all passenger EVs and

looking to overseas markets for the growth now launching in Egypt.

Now, let's talk Geely launched the Beoyu EREV, apologies if I got the pronunciation

wrong.

By the way, I'm always going to get something wrong, but I think it's Beoyu.

It's an EREV and they launched it in China.

This is an extended range electric variant of its SUV sold internationally as the Star

Ray, the Ascara, or the Atlas.

The model does 375 km, pure electric range, 1,525 km total range, so really, really

big number there for the total range.

EREVs still largely an unknown quantity outside of China, overseas, of course, going back,

there was the BMW Y3, REX as it was called, range extender.

Many Western car makers are making positive noises around EREVs.

In China, 1,500 km is not the best.

We've seen those numbers up towards 2,000 km, I think, and some above, I think, however,

that's still a huge number.

So if you are going to fill the thing with fuel and charge it, that's a massive distance,

albeit on the China cycle.

Haven't got battery capacity for you or charging performance or acceleration or even weight on

this.

Now, the exterior design mirrors the Rilian 7, that's Julie's electric SUV, so 4.7

metres long, 1.9 metres wide, 1.65 metres tall with quite a short 2.7-metre wheel

base.

The Rilian 7, Rilian 7 is a battery-shopping variant as well.

Geely absorbed that brand following the Taizhou Declaration in March 2025.

The joint venture between Leafan Technology and Geely were launched in 2022, producing

vehicles for ride-hailing service and consumer sales as well.

The interior features some light brown seats and trim, a floating central touchscreen, and

a fly-me sound audio system.

These elements distinguish it from the Rilian 7.

The Bo-yu E-rev competes against things like X-Pong's G7 E-rev, that's the 7-hint,

1,704 km, to be specific.

Voyeur have an E-rev called the Free E-rev, that's about 1,000 km, Arc Fox's Alpha

T5, that's about 1,200 km, and Leap Motor also offer E-revs over 1,000 km.

Full-text specs will be incoming.

Stick around, we'll come back.

We'll talk about Li Auto, a bit, and NEO, and a big number of battery swaps.

Stick around, back in a mo.

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All right, welcome back to the podcast.

Leauto activated its 4,000th supercharging station and completing its nine vertical and

nine horizontal expressway network plan.

The milestone arrived two years and 10 months after deploying its first supercharger in

April 2023.

All stations operate on an 800-volt platform with 5C superchargers delivering 520 kilowatts

of peak power.

The Leauto Mega will get to 80% in 12 minutes and there's now 4,000 of these across China.

The expansion supports Leauto's transition to pure electric vehicles beginning with

the Mega in March 2024, continuing with the i8 and i6 SUVs last year.

Total deliveries reached 1,567,000 by the end of last month.

Leauto integrates some preferred supercharging stations into its network as well.

Leauto plans to deploy VLA technology across 1,400 stations this year, enabling vehicles

to autonomously locate the charger, park themselves and complete payment without the driver being

involved.

Now, Leauto, also in the news today, unveiled its next generation L9 Livis.

This is, again, a very special vehicle.

It's coming in at 560,000 RMB, so very premium.

That's about US$81,000 equivalent, by the way, releasing this ahead of Lunar New Year.

Up against things like the Zika 9X, this, if I have to make comparisons, it's kind

of a bit lazy, but I have to sometimes think lucid gravity.

The front end, very lucid gravity.

The rear end's not a slopey, by the way, but as you can imagine, very premium from that

description.

As that price of US$81,000 equivalent matches the original L9 from four years ago, that

at the time was marketed as the optimal EV under that kind of price bracket.

The strategy has shifted from its approach previously of packing it full of tech like

refrigerators, TV, sofas.

Now, Leauto is moving towards what they say is more advanced technology.

The new Livis L9, or L9 Livis, features three hardware upgrades.

Leauto self-developed Mach 100 5nm chip, delivering 1,280 tops per unit.

They put two of these in for 2,500 total operations per second.

The vehicle meets China's new standard for electronic mechanical breaking and incorporates

full chassis by wire, so steer by wire and four-wheel steering, 360-degree LIDAR

array with side and rear sensors for level four autonomy.

The launch follows challenging performance metrics for Leauto.

They have struggled last year.

The company reported deliveries of 406,000 units last year.

That was down from 2024 and down a lot by 18 percent, eight consecutive

months of declining deliveries through to end of January this year brought volumes

to their lowest since March of last year.

Leauto posted a net loss in Q3 2025.

Vehicle revenue is falling 37 percent.

They've got work to do at Leauto.

I think it's probably an understatement, actually.

Zika's comparative 9X launched last September.

That is a 600,000 RMB vehicle.

That's a bit of a beast.

Over 1,000 kilowatts of power, 3.1 seconds, 0-62 miles an hour, 360-degree camera system

as well, three-row, 6C configuration, 17-inch OLED screen, used to all the toys.

So if you were a Range Rover buyer, a Bentley buyer in China, you'd probably switch over

to something like this.

Leauto is prioritizing experience and technology, they say, over the specification-driven

competition.

Hey, what, I'm to Neo, by the way, big number.

Neo completed its 100 millionth battery swap.

New this was coming.

It eventually came on February the 6th, by the way.

And that was 2,819 days after launching battery swapping.

Daily swaps now exceed 100,000 according to the CEO and founder William Lee.

The company's invested over $2.6 billion, that's 18 billion RMB in charging and

battery swap infrastructure over the last 11 years.

Got about 2,100 related patents on it as well.

Lee characterized the milestone as validation of battery swapping technology.

Yeah, I'd agree, in China, outside of China, we're not seeing any evidence yet

that the West is embracing battery swapping, not for the want of trying

though at Neo.

Profitability becomes the new priority.

The CEO and founder said the power business focuses on commercial sustainability.

They want to add 1,000 battery swap stations this year with construction

of their fifth gen stations that feels like they just launched their fourth

generation stations, but they're getting better and quicker.

And these battery swap stations turn over a battery and get you in and out

in a couple of minutes, just over a couple of minutes.

It's crazy fast now.

Firefly, which launched its first model last year, will soon gain

battery swapping capability.

The brand offers a battery as a service and soon fully integrated

into battery swapping.

Cherry will launch the Lepas brand in the United Kingdom.

So overseas in the UK, they did pretty well.

Emota, JQ and Cherry are launched there already in wider Europe.

Now the Lepas brand is coming.

The new brand targets the European market with plug-in hybrids and BEVs.

Three models have been unveiled internationally, the L4 and L6

crossovers for international internal combustion, plug-in hybrid

and fully electric powertrains as well.

The L8 is a midsize hybrid SUV.

The Lepas will use existing Cherry technology platforms to save money,

core technologies, things like that.

Initial production is in China.

UK localization is under consideration.

UK director Victor Zhang said the company is evaluating perhaps

using a British manufacturing facility that has excess production.

Here's looking at you, Jaguar Land Rover.

And finally, Sun Woda has settled a battery dispute

with Viridi e-mobility.

That's a subsidiary of Geely.

So Sun Woda's done the deal with Geely,

agreeing to pay $89 million, $608 million yuan after costs.

Viridi had initially claimed $2.3 billion yuan or $300 million

over alleged defects in cells supplied for the Zika,

Zika 001 from June 2021 to December 2023.

This is a historical issue.

The settlement announced recently will reduce Sun Woda's net profit

by 500 million to 800 million yuan.

Future replacement costs will be shared proportionately

and all affected battery packs become Sun Woda's property.

Zika had to recall the Zika 001 two days ago.

And it was 38,000 Zika 001s had to be recalled.

That's all of them made up to March 2024.

Because of manufacturing defects in Sun Woda's batteries,

they claimed, that would increase the internal resistance

over time.

It's potentially triggering thermal runaway.

Free battery pack replacements now begin.

And actually, I think it's early March they kick off.

So remote monitoring has begun.

Volvo have recalled 34,000 EX-30s,

including 10,000 here in the United Kingdom,

over the Sun Woda batteries.

That's approximately 0.02.

Yeah, that's right, it's a tiny percentage.

0.02% of Sun Woda's cells can potentially

experience that overheating.

But that is significant enough to prompt Volvo

to tell its owners to limit charging to 70%

until replacements arrive.

China's revised standard now mandates EV batteries

must not catch fire or explode, becoming mandatory

for new vehicle approvals from this July.

Existing approvals transitioned by July next year.

That is a case settled, hopefully,

with a satisfactory outcome for all owners

of those Zika's and Volvo's as well.

That's your podcast for today.

Thanks a lot for listening to EV News China,

and I'll see you on the next one.

Let's do the 60-second savings challenge.

Step one, download rocket money.

Step two, link your accounts

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Tap one you don't use and cancel it.

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In a week, you'll forget you set it up.

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In a year, you'll be shocked at how much money you've saved.

Bonus challenge, upload an internet or phone bill

and let rocket money try to lower it.

You only pay if they find you savings.

On average, rocket money members can save up to $740 a year

when using all the app's premium features.

Users love the app with over 186,000 five-star ratings.

Make saving money the resolution you actually keep.

Start the 60-second savings challenge

at rocketmoney.com slash cancel.

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CHINA: XPENG L4 Autonomy, BYD Sodium Ion Batteries and Geely Joins 1500km Club | 10 Feb 2026

Land Rover Range Rover

X9 Xpongs

i8 (I12)

Lucid Gravity

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