GreenergyDaily
Jul. 18, 2024
1. Volkswagen Anhui officially launched its first new energy vehicle for the Chinese market on Wednesday in Hefei city. The new model, ID. UNYX, is Volkswagen's first smart electric coupe SUV. It has a maximum range of 621 kilometers and is equipped with an 82.4 kWh battery from CATL. It also features a large language model developed in partnership with Iflytek, China's leading AI company.
2. A subsidiary of CRRC, China's leading train maker, on Wed. released a new type of railway bogie that can be used by high-speed trains running at 400 km per hour. Compared to standard externally mounted bogie, the new built-in bogie is 20% lighter. It can reduce a train's operational energy consumption by 15% and wheel-rail wear by about 30%, and lower the maintenance costs of lines and bogies by 15% throughout their life cycle, which will make electrical multiple-unit trains greener and more energy-efficient, according to CRRC.
3. Construction of the No. 2 power unit at the Xudapu Nuclear Power Plant in NE China's Liaoning commenced on Wed. With an installed capacity of 1.29 GW, the No. 2 power unit is the 4th to start construction at the power plant, and is scheduled to begin operation in 2029.
4. Saudi utility firm ACWA Power has finalized deals to sell 35% of its stake in two subsidiaries to China Southern Power Grid International for SR595.9 million ($158.87 million). In a statement to Saudi stock exchange Tadawul, the Public Investment Fund-backed company announced the closing of the sale and purchase agreement for its shareholding in ACWA Power Bash Wind Project Holding Co. and ACWA Power Uzbekistan Wind Project Holding Co.
5. Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD on Thursday outlined plans to aggressively expand its dealership network in Vietnam as it opens its first stores in the country this week, posing a formidable challenge to local rival VinFast . Thirteen BYD dealerships will open their doors to the Vietnamese public on Saturday and the automaker hopes to boost that number to about 100 by 2026.
6. Volvo Cars beat second-quarter operating earnings estimates on Thursday but lowered its full-year retail sales forecast citing the impact of European tariffs on Chinese-made EVs that could affect one of its key electric models. Automakers and suppliers have for years bet on rising demand for electric vehicles, but slowing sales now mean investment in capacity and technology are outpacing demand.
7. China's new energy vehicle retail sales growth accelerated last week compared to the previous week, improving its performance so far this month. For the July 1-14 period, retail sales of passenger NEVs in China totaled 286,000 units, up 27% from a year ago and up 6% from a month ago, according to data released today by the CPCA. In the previous week, July 1-7, retail sales of passenger NEVs in China were 130,000 units, up 37% from the same period last year and up only 3% from the same period last month.
8. China's carmaker GAC Aion, a subsidiary of GAC Group, opened its Thailand electric vehicle (EV) factory on Wednesday, as Aion's first global strategic model rolled off the assembly line in the factory, marking a milestone in the company's overseas expansion.
9. On July 17, NIO Power's charging network was opened to HarmonyOS Auto. NIO Power has established a nationwide charging network, which is open for sharing across the entire industry, with over 80% of the electricity service being used by non-NIO users.
10. China's state-owned oil and gas firm CNOOC said on Monday it achieved an exploration breakthrough in Bohai Bay, with a discovery well tested to produce about 210 cubic meters of crude oil and nearly 1 million cubic meters of natural gas. The discovery well LK7-1-1 was drilled and completed at a depth of about 4,400 meters and it encountered a total of 76 meters of oil and gas pay zones, CNOOC said.
