Emerging Chinese automakers Nio and Xpeng posted solid growth in sales in April, while rival Li Auto saw stagnant volumes when compared to the same month last year. Nio more than doubled its BEV deliveries year-on-year, registering 135pc growth, while peer Xpeng posted 33pc year-on-year growth in all-electric sales. Li Auto, however, saw deliveries stay flat year-on-year. Nio's impressive growth rate should be contextualised against a relatively low starting point in April '23. Even with last month's sales of 15,620 units, it still delivered around 10,000 fewer than Li, which sold 25,787 vehi ..read more

CEO Elon Musk says that Tesla will continue to expand its charging network at a slower pace, after fresh layoffs at the automaker decimated its charging business. The dismissals of key charging executives, including senior director of charging Rebecca Tinucci and special projects design lead Jia Liu, are confirmed by posts on networking site LinkedIn. Hundreds of other charging staff have also reportedly been let go. Musk, however, insists that the cuts do not signal a fundamental shift in the OEM's charging plans, but only a strategy tweak. "Tesla still plans to grow the Supercharger network ..read more

Amsterdam-headquartered conglomerate Stellantis expects to see the first concrete results from the joint venture (JV) it entered into with Chinese OEM Leapmotor in October last year in the second half of this year. And, while the European market will be the first target, other geographies may surprise the Chrysler-Fiat-Peugeot-Citroen automaker on the upside.   “Things are moving there quite rapidly,” says Stellantis CFO Natalie Knight of the JV. “We have had very positive progress and you will start to see the first sales and revenues coming in there in the second half.” Sign up for EV ..read more

Sino-Swedish EV pure play Polestar and Israeli battery firm Storedot have successfully demonstrated the latter’s Extreme Fast Charging (XFC) silicon-dominant cell technology in a car for the first time. Previous tests have involved individual cells in a laboratory environment. The new tech charged a Polestar 5 prototype from 10-80pc state of charge (SoC) in just 10 minutes. The test saw a consistent charge rate starting at 310kW, rising to a peak in excess of 370kW at the end of charging. Owing to the consistent charge speeds, with a suitable charger, consumers could stop for five minutes at ..read more

The EU may require up to 50pc import duties on Chinese EVs to prevent importing OEMs from undercutting the continent's auto market, a new report from research firm Rhodium Group finds. Since September last year, the European Commission has been conducting an antitrust probe into suspected unfair trade practices employed by Chinese automakers. In early March, the Commission said it had sufficient evidence to conclude that such subsidies were taking place, and even indicated that potential tariffs could be imposed retrospectively on previously imported vehicles. Rhodium's report, however, voice ..read more

German automaker Mercedes has blamed a lack of EV product availability for its 8pc year-on-year decline in all-electric deliveries in Q1, as the firm projects flat EV volumes for 2024 during a period of product changeover. Mercedes' 8pc decline in BEV volumes is the same as the contraction of 8pc seen in its overall car sales in the quarter. This means that despite the drop-off in absolute BEV volumes, Mercedes' share of all-electric sales remains unchanged at 10.3pc compared to Q1 last year. "We are in the situation where we do not have EV offerings in all the important segments of the marke ..read more

Chinese EV leader BYD saw its first quarter revenues fall short of estimates, largely on the back of ongoing price cuts in its home market of China. Net income rose by 11pc year-on-year to RMB4.57bn ($631mn) in the the first quarter. However, revenue grew by only 4pc to RMB124.94bn. The increase in net income despite broadly stable revenues is explained partly by a 161pc increase in government grants, which rose to just under RMB1.8bn, as well as a 153pc increase in what the OEM calls "gains from investments in joint ventures". However, the automaker saw its operating expenses grow significan ..read more

The EU will needs more than double its current target for public EV chargers by 2030, according to a new report published by the European auto manufacturers' lobby, Acea. Under the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (Afir), the European Commission is calling for 3.5mn charging points by 2030, as part of its target to reduce CO2 emissions by 55pc by the end of the decade. Acea, however, emphasises that Afir sets out only "minimum targets" and is insufficient on its own. Acea says that its projections "suggest a significantly higher demand, estimating the necessity of 8.8mn charging po ..read more

The premium B-segment EX30 e-SUV made by Sino-Swedish OEM Volvo Cars sold 8,000 units in Europe in March, making it the continent’s third highest-selling all-electric model after the Tesla Model Y and 3, the firm says.    “The EX30 was the third highest-selling EV in March, having only started its retail journey,” says Volvo CEO Jim Rowan. “The EX30 is the smallest fully electric premium SUV, but with big potential. “The Q1 performance showed the early prospects of this car, even though deliveries are still in the ramp-up phase. The car is a profitable growth driver for us as a busi ..read more

The recently appointed CEO of US battery making challenger Quantumscape says that EV adoption will not penetrate mainstream consumers without commercial solid-state batteries at mass scale, as the firm reported its Q1 results. Siva Sivaram, who has just finished his first quarter in charge of the firm, told analysts on the company's earnings call that automotive customers are "still uncomfortable with the EV value proposition" compared to ICE cars. The industry therefore has to to offer a battery solution that beats current options not only on range and charging speed, but also lifespan and c ..read more