PART 1 Weekly Index
PART 2 Weekly News
① EPA Range of Model Y Performance Revealed
Recently, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the range of Model Y Performance: 315 miles (507 km). For comparison, let’s take a look at the range of traditional electric SUV models from major manufacturers:
-
Mercedes-Benz EQC has an EPA range of 328 km and the battery has a usable capacity of 79.2 kWh;
-
Jaguar I-PACE has an EPA range of 407 km and the battery has a usable capacity of 81 kWh;
-
Audi e-tron has a WLTP range of 436 km and the battery has a usable capacity of 86.5 kWh. (There is currently no EPA data, and the WLTP data is for reference. Generally, EPA values will be lower than WLTP values.)
(Image source: electrek)
Quick Comment: Referring to the range of traditional manufacturers, I believe everyone has a concept. In comparison, the EPA range of Model 3 Performance (with 19-inch wheels) is 489 km. That is to say, even if Model Y is equipped with 19-inch wheels, the range is 18 km longer than Model 3 Performance (with 19-inch wheels). It has to be said that Tesla’s improvement in driving efficiency is amazing. Have you heard of the “Tesla Effect”?
② Wuling, GAC, and BYD Shift Production to Masks
On February 6, SAIC-GM-Wuling Automobile and its suppliers shifted production to masks, and the daily output of masks can reach 1.7 million.
(Image source: official Wuling Motors)On February 8, BYD announced that it would design and manufacture protective equipment production equipment to produce masks and disinfectants. Masks and disinfectants are expected to be produced and delivered around February 17 (mask production capacity can reach 5 million a day by the end of this month, and disinfectant production capacity is 50,000 bottles a day), until the epidemic is alleviated and eliminated.
(Image source: BYD official website)
On the same day, GAC Group was also studying the construction of a mask production line. We learned that the mask production will only be used internally and will not be sold externally.
Commentary: Three car companies, SAIC-GM-Wuling, BYD, and GAC Group, are preparing mask production lines in an emergency situation, which makes me feel their determination to fight against the virus with concerted efforts. I hope the mask production lines can be put into use as soon as possible to ease the shortage of medical supplies. But nothing is more important than the virus ending as soon as possible. After all, this cross-border effort is not what we originally hoped to see.
③ The Ideal ONE will be equipped with WeChat
On February 8, Ideal Car staff released a video about the future OTA version of the Ideal ONE in the Ideal APP. The product manager of the intelligent system introduced the use of the WeChat used in the car.
The car owner can interact with the car-mounted WeChat simply through the control button on the steering wheel or voice. From the video, it can be seen that car-mounted WeChat can support sending messages and making voice calls.
(Image of video screenshot from the Ideal App)
Commentary: It is a very dangerous thing to use a mobile phone while driving. The car-mounted WeChat provided by the Ideal ONE allows car owners to avoid using their phones while driving to a certain extent. However, isn’t the interaction display interface of this car-mounted WeChat a bit small?
Additionally, from the video, it can also be seen that the time display in the future OTA version has changed to digital display, which is more intuitive than the previous pointer display. So here comes the question- after the OTA update, how much effect do you think the car-mounted WeChat will have on the Ideal ONE?
④ NIO announced the completion of a $100 million convertible bond financeThe investment this time is from two Asian investment funds, with amounts of 70 million USD and about 30 million USD respectively. In addition, NIO also stated in the announcement that it is currently launching several other financing projects, and the results of the current stage are uncertain, and will be disclosed according to the requirements of relevant laws for financing project progress.
(Image source: NIO official website)
Quick Comment: From the information shown in the announcement, NIO still needs financing a lot. In the current situation, financing is certainly important for NIO, but market confidence comes from NIO’s own hematopoietic ability. Whether NIO can maintain the stable sales growth of last year in 2020 is also a problem that NIO needs to pay attention to.
⑤ Tesla’s latest patent for steering wheel is exposed
Recently, Tesla’s latest patent for the steering wheel was exposed. From the figure, it can be seen that Tesla’s interior design will cancel the gear lever and realize full touch operation without physical buttons in the future.
The patent file shows several key information:
- The original gear lever was canceled, and the gear shifting is realized through the touch screen below the steering wheel;
- It has touch screen and tactile feedback, which can operate corresponding functions through different gestures;
- The steering wheel has RFID detection and NFC activation functions;
- In addition, Tesla is considering that more functions can be controlled through automatic driving in the new steering wheel design, such as video or multimedia through handwriting or other complex gestures.
Quick Comment: Cancelling the gear lever or not and whether it is operated with full touch operation or not are not important. It is most important to be easy to use. However, how will the experience be to put the gear shifting operation on the steering wheel? This has aroused my curiosity. I hope I can see the latest physical steering wheel soon.
⑥ Total number of Beijing small car indicators in 2020 announced
On February 7th, the total number of Beijing small car indicators for 2020 was announced, totaling 100,000. Among them, the number of ordinary small car indicators (personal) is 38,200, the number of new energy small car indicators (personal) is 54,200, and the rest are unit indicators and operating indicators.
Quick Take: Following our Weibo poll on people’s pessimistic expectations of this year’s car market due to the epidemic, many netizens expressed that they would need a private car during the current circumstances as public transport carries higher risks. On the other hand, some netizens said they would postpone their car-buying plans, concerned about the impact on jobs and income. Even if they have money, waiting would still be necessary. That prompts a question for the friends who are about to receive new energy credentials for this month: what is your plan?
⑦ Volvo and Geely are Planning to Integrate
On February 10th, Volvo officially announced that the Volvo Group and Geely Automobile Holdings Limited are planning to integrate their businesses. The official statement said that the joint effort is aimed at promoting deeper cooperation between the two sides and achieving more efficient coordination in technology Research and Development, cost control, and finance.
(Image source: Volvo official)
The newly integrated group will continue to maintain the positioning of its respective brands, Volvo Cars, Geely Automobile, Lynk & Co, and Polestar.
According to the official statement, the reorganized new business group will also consider being listed in Stockholm in the future.
Quick Take: My focus from this news is on cost control and finance. Geely has impressive sales figures for the past few years but also began to pay attention to cost control in the winter season. This is Geely’s “backward step”. Moreover, Geely also has its “forward step” which is to raise more funds through an initial public offering. This combination of steps can be the Geely way.
This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.