GreenergyDaily
Sep. 20, 2024
1. China and the EU engaged in a "comprehensive, in-depth, and constructive" consultation regarding the EU's ongoing anti-subsidy investigation into Chinese electric vehicles during a meeting between the Chinese Minister of Commerce Wang Wentao and the European Commission Executive Vice President and Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis in Belgium on Thursday, according to a statement released by China's Ministry of Commerce, noting both sides expressed clearly their political will to resolve differences through consultations.
2. The China-built Redstone Concentrated Solar Thermal Power Project was successfully connected to the grid recently in South Africa. The 100-MW project can supply 480 GWh of electricity for 200,000+ households annually.
3. Mercedes-Benz on Thursday cut its full-year profit margin for the second time in less than two months, after overall sales volume fell in China. The ongoing weakness of the Chinese market for luxury cars prompted the Stuttgart carmaker to trim its outlook after having already done so as recently as July.
4. The European Commission and China agreed to intensify efforts to avert EU import tariffs on China-built electric vehicles and could re-examine a minimum-price deal previously rejected by the EU, the Commission said on Thursday. EU trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis and Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao spoke on Thursday as EU countries prepare to vote on tariffs of up to 35.3%, on top of the EU's standard 10% import duty for cars.
5. Chinese electric vehicle startup Nio is reportedly in talks to acquire Audi's factory in Brussels. The company plans to make an offer to the German carmaker's parent firm, VW Group, before September 23. The plant, which primarily produced the Q8 e-tron, was shut down earlier this month due to weak sales.
6. Guangzhou Automobile Group has dissolved Shanghai Hino Engine, its commercial vehicle joint venture with Japan's Hino Motors, and plans to boost investment in its new energy truck business as the Chinese firm shifts focus to the fast-growing NEV market.
7. Retail sales of passenger new energy vehicles in China amounted to 445,000 units in the September 1-15 period, up 63% from the same period last year and up 12% from the same period last month, data released by the China Passenger Car Association today showed. So far this year, cumulative retail sales of passenger NEVs in China totaled 6.45 million units, up 37% from the same period last year.
8. China's first solar hydrogen hybrid-powered drone made its maiden flight in SW China's Chongqing recently. Thanks to its energy-saving capabilities, the drone can achieve day-night ultra-long flight time for power line patrol, environment monitoring, signal relay, and more.
9. In August, the total electricity consumption of the whole society in China was 964.9 bln kWh, up 8.9% YoY. Additionally, the domestic electricity consumption of urban and rural residents reached 191.8 bln kWh, up 23.7% YoY. From January to August, the total electricity consumption of the whole society was 6,561.9 bln kWh, showing a YoY increase of 7.9%. Furthermore, the domestic electricity consumption of urban and rural residents during this period was 1,039.8 bln kWh, up 10.9% YoY.
10. China's production and sales of automobiles rose 4.9% and 6.1% to 13.9 million and 14 million, respectively, in the first half of the year from a year earlier, according to data from the CAAM. Car exports soared 30.5% to 2.79 million units in the period.
