This week, Tesla has been very active in Asia, especially China, where BYD closely follows Tesla’s layout in the energy sector. In addition, Chinese internet companies have also been active in the field of electric vehicles.

There have also been many new electric vehicles this week, and both technology enthusiasts and those who value aesthetics can feast their eyes on them.

Tesla’s Ambition

Make persistent efforts to turn around the weakness in China

1) On June 20th, in order to expand its share in the rapidly growing Chinese electric vehicle market, Tesla launched a zero down payment, zero interest rate loan program in cooperation with Fuxing Group. This project will continue until the end of this year, mainly stimulating the sales of Model S 90D and Model S 75.

2) On June 21st, it was reported that Shanghai Jinqiao Group and Tesla signed a memorandum of understanding with no legal effect, planning to establish a Tesla automobile factory in Jinqiao Logistics Park in Shanghai Pudong, which is the main smart manufacturing industry cluster. The two sides plan to invest CNY 30 billion each. The news has not been confirmed by Tesla. In addition to Shanghai, Suzhou, Hefei and other places are also actively competing to become Tesla’s factory site.

3) On June 23, China became the first country and region in the Asia-Pacific region to deliver Model X – the Model X China delivery ceremony was held in Beijing Jingang Tesla Experience Center. The first six Model X owners received their car keys from Mr. Robin Ren, president of Tesla Asia Pacific. Tesla said that they will do their best to make all waiting for customers worthwhile.

Enter South Korea

Last month, Tesla negotiated with TK, the second largest telecom company in South Korea, seeking a suitable broadband network service for their cars. This week, Tesla completed the registration procedures in South Korea and began looking for suitable office locations in Seoul, while also officially launching their recruitment process. Additionally, TK stated that Model S and Model X may begin delivery in South Korea in 2017, while Model 3 is set for 2018.

You may say that it is not wise for Tesla to enter the Korean market, as the country values the development of its own brands. However, the selection of electric vehicle models available in the Korean market is very limited, so this issue may not exist.

In addition to Asia, the Middle East and South America are also included in Tesla’s global expansion plan.

3. Milestones in the New Energy Field

On June 21st, Tesla announced the acquisition of their sister company SolarCity (founded in 2008, it is the number one civil solar panel provider in the United States, offering comprehensive solar services). The offer price was 21% – 30% higher than the closing price of SolarCity that day.

Upon the announcement, SolarCity’s stock price rose by 16%, while Tesla’s stock price fell by 10%. The market doesn’t seem to favor Tesla’s acquisition. On June 23rd, Adam Jonas, a Tesla analyst known as “TeslaCaptain,” even downgraded his rating of Tesla’s stock from “Buy” to “Hold,” and the stock’s expected price also fell by 26%.

However, on June 22nd, Musk said that the acquisition would help Tesla’s market value reach $1 trillion within 10 years, surpassing Apple and becoming the highest-valued company. Because SolarCity produces clean, renewable energy, Tesla Energy stores this energy, and Tesla Motors uses this energy, this will be an excellent solution to solve global warming.

In addition, on June 23rd, most stakeholders of Tesla and SolarCity expressed their support for the acquisition.# BYD’s Advance

1. Consensus with Tesla in the field of new energy

On June 22, BYD announced a revolutionary new energy business model of “photovoltaic energy storage integration” at the 2016 Munich International Solar Technology Exhibition in Germany. At the scene, they signed the first global “photovoltaic energy storage integration” project agreement. This agreement aims to overcome the bottleneck of traditional photovoltaic power generation and meet the diverse market demands for clean electricity. Does this resemble Tesla’s acquisition of SolarCity?

2. Building a 10 GWh battery factory with investment

At the “Lithium Industry-New Ecology” International Summit Forum held on June 20, BYD Chairman Wang Chuanfu disclosed that China’s lithium-ion battery will form new business models in the “13th Five-Year Plan”, so BYD will cooperate with Qinghai province, a province that possesses large lithium resources, to invest in a 10 GWh battery factory this year.

3. Variables arise, and the top spot may not be guaranteed

Everything seems to be going well for BYD. However, the catalog of the fourth batch of companies in the “Regulations and Requirements for the Auto Power Battery Industry” released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on the same day seems to convey a message – policies do not suppress the development of ternary lithium batteries. In addition, major electric vehicle companies at home and abroad are committed to the R&D of ternary lithium batteries. Therefore, as the “guardian” of lithium iron phosphate batteries, and owning the world’s largest power battery production base, BYD may face challenges in the future.

Internet Companies In Action

1. Lenovo participates in the first round of funding for LeEco Super Car

On June 22, Lenovo participated in the first round of financing for LeEco’s super car.On the evening of June 21st, Lenovo officially announced its participation in the first round of financing for LeSEE Motors to supplement its own business line and gain a share in the Internet auto industry. Although Lenovo has not yet made a statement on the specific investment amount and whether the funds are in place, investment insiders stated that the financing funds were in place last weekend with an investment scale of over 100 million yuan.

LeSEE Motors has already cooperated with several powerful auto companies since its establishment and its development speed is surprising. What sparks will Lenovo and LeSEE Motors create together?

William Li Bin: Cars Will Be Redefined

At the 2016 China Internet Conference, the founder of NIO Motors, William Li Bin, shared his understanding of the future of cars + the Internet. He believes that the deep development of mobile Internet and big data technology will redefine the user experience of cars:

The popularity of unmanned driving will be much faster than most people imagine, because the technology is already very mature, and the cost of high-sensitivity sensors is also continuously decreasing.
With the rapid development of battery technology, a range of 500 kilometers will become a standard feature of electric vehicles, and mobile Internet will also make electric vehicle charging very convenient.
Mobile Internet will make the communication cost between auto companies and users tend to zero, so auto companies will be able to provide users with a truly worry-free experience throughout the journey.
Cars will become a way of life, not just a means of transportation. Personalized experience will be a development direction of future cars.
Didi Plans to Have 1 Million Electric Vehicles on Its Platform in 5 Years

At the China Internet Conference, Didi Chuxing President Liu Qing gave a speech. After analyzing the huge market space for shared travel in China by using the United States as an example, she revealed that Didi has been thinking about how to use its own strength to promote the upgrading of the entire environmental industry. Therefore, in response to the country’s promotion of the development of electric vehicles, Didi plans to have 1 million electric vehicles on its platform in the next five years.

Latest Electric Cars and Aircrafts

Tesla Model 3 Spy Shots

This week, spy shots of the Tesla Model 3 have surfaced one after another.

Firstly, a road test photo, suspected to be a prototype of the Model 3, was exposed.Translate the following Markdown Chinese text into English Markdown text in a professional manner, with HTML tags inside the Markdown being preserved, and only the corrections and improvements being output, without explanations.

Another suspected photo of Model 3 taken at a Tesla service center has been uploaded to the Internet. This time, even the interior photo is available.

Is this really the true face of Model 3? What do you think of its attractiveness score?

2. BMW i8 Pure Electric Version

In 2017, BMW will launch a new version of the i8, and the pure electric version of the i8 is expected to be released at the same time.

It is reported that the i8 pure electric version will be driven by three electric motors with a layout of one in the front and two in the rear, with a maximum power of 272 horsepower. In addition, the new version of the i8 will use more carbon fiber materials to create the body, so even if it is equipped with very heavy batteries, its weight will not increase compared to the current model.

3. The World’s First Wireless Charging Car: Mercedes-Benz S550e Plug-in Hybrid

Daimler announced that the electromagnetic induction wireless charging system will soon be installed in the plug-in hybrid version of the Mercedes-Benz S550e (and S550eL). This means that a set of large secondary coils will be installed under the chassis of the S-Class car to receive energy from the primary coils buried underground. It is said that the energy conversion rate here can exceed 90%.

Unlike wireless charging for mobile phones, the transmission power of wireless charging for cars is very large, and it is not easy to achieve. Audi, BMW, Volvo, BYD and other car manufacturers are all researching wireless charging technology, but the number of car models put into mass production is still zero. Barring any unforeseen developments, the S550e series cars will become the world’s first car models with optional wireless charging systems.

4. The Fastest Electric Car in Accelerating to 100 Kilometers per Hour

The electric race car named Grimsel made by Swiss university students set a new world record for acceleration, achieving 0-100 km/h in just 1.513 seconds, compared to the previous record of 2.2 seconds set by the Porsche 918 Spyder, the fastest production car. Grimsel weighs only 168 kg, and is equipped with four advanced hub motors that generate a combined 200 horsepower and 1700 Nm of torque. A sophisticated traction control system allows each wheel to move independently, increasing the car’s acceleration performance. Does this mean that electric cars will be equal or superior to gas cars in terms of speed in the future?

5. A “Great Leap Forward” for Electric Planes

NASA plans to use a manned electric aircraft called X-57 for operations within the next 10 years. With the development of X-57, which has some ambitious targets to differentiate itself from other manufacturers, the agency is hoping to make a leap forward in the field of electric aviation. The goals for the X-57 project include, but are not limited to, entering the test flight phase by 2020, increasing its range to 1482 km (7 times the current benchmark), and achieving a speed of 323 km/h (double the current benchmark), requiring 30 times more energy than today’s electric aircraft. Despite the challenges, dreaming big and approaching the limits of what’s possible could lead to revolutionary new technology.

eWeek knows the most important news for electric vehicles every week.

In the amphibious vehicle sector, where does Tesla rank?Storabel talks about how Tesla will reconstruct the grid in this century

Why are Internet giants entering the automotive industry?