TOPIC

Future of transport

Future of transport
From electric cars to on-demand car service apps, companies like Uber, Google and Didi Dache are changing the way we get from place to place, and having a potentially irreversible effect on employment in this key sector.
Illustration by Lau Ka-kuen
Electric & new energy vehicles

Self navigating to the top: why China leads the global autonomous-driving race

After stamping their authority on EV technology, Chinese firms make strides in adding self-driving features.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV industry pressed to accelerate global expansion amid tariffs

Science

EV expert Xu Fuguo returns to China after leaving US$30 million project in Japan

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Electric & new energy vehicles

BYD out-earns Tesla after out-making, out-selling Model 3 producer

Chinese EV maker is forecast to widen its lead over Tesla in 2025 and 2026 global sales, according to consensus compiled by Bloomberg.

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The BYD logo is displayed at the Beijing Auto Show in April 2024. Photo: AFP
China-EU relations

Unaffected by EU’s tariffs on EVs, China’s hybrid-vehicle exports surge to bloc

With Brussels’ tariffs not a problem, China’s plug-in hybrid EVs have become the fastest-growing Chinese export item to the 27-nation bloc.

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Science

China aims to deploy maglev rocket launch pad by 2028, challenging SpaceX

Advances in rocket acceleration to supersonic speeds before ignition are part of plan to create hub of private rocket manufacture.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

BYD launches a ‘Model 3 killer’ at half the price of Tesla’s top seller

The Qin L and Xpeng’s Mona M03, which are priced around US$16,500, arrive as the US company’s mainland sales are dropping.

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BYD Qin L EV starts at 119,800 yuan (US$16,526). Photo: Handout
Electric & new energy vehicles

BYD’s Denza unveils N9 SUV to challenge Mercedes, BMW in premium EV segment

The N9 starts from 389,800 (US$60,860), equipped with BYD’s autonomous driving systems and can support on-vehicle drone systems.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV maker Nio’s fourth-quarter loss widens, revenue outlook underwhelms

‘This year marks the beginning of a new product cycle for our three brands,’ says founder, chairman and CEO William Li Bin.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Xpeng sets up first self-branded EV supercharging station in Hong Kong

Fierce competition among auto manufacturers is extending to charging technologies.

Xpeng X9 electric vehicles in Guangzhou. Photo: AFP
China-EU relations

Tech transfer a must for Chinese EV investors in Europe, EU trade chief suggests

Ahead of his trip to Beijing next week, Maros Sefcovic says US tariffs could unleash a flood of Chinese overcapacity on Europe.

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The EU is reportedly investigating whether a factory in Hungary owned by Chinese EV maker BYD received undeclared state subsidies from Beijing. Photo: Reuters
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese carmaker Geely’s profit soars 213% driven by EVs, asset sales

Geely sold 2.18 million vehicles last year, of which 1.76 million units were delivered on the mainland while 414,522 units were exported.

Hong Kong economy

Food deliveries by drone to take flight in Hong Kong as early as April

One lawmaker also expects authorities to ease civil aviation regulations by October to allow wider usage of commercial drones.

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Science

How China is solving the nightmare that killed Elon Musk’s Hyperloop

Chinese engineers have overcome the hurdles that stopped the US billionaire’s idea for a vacuum tube transport system in its tracks.

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China has succeeded where Elon Musk failed with an ultra-high-speed low-vacuum pipeline maglev railway. Photo: CREC
Electric & new energy vehicles

Xpeng says robotics industry will get bigger than automotive sector

Xpeng plans to mass produce humanoid robots and flying cars for the consumer market by the end of next year.

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Workers at an Xpeng factory in Guangdong province. Photo: Xinhua
Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV maker Xpeng trims losses on 23% revenue rise

The carmaker expects revenue to increase by up to 140 per cent from a year earlier in the first quarter.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV maker Nio, battery king CATL join forces on swapping stations

CATL, which is planning a US$5 billion Hong Kong share listing, will invest up to US$345.6 million in Nio.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

BYD shares surge on unveiling of ‘fast as gas’ charging tech

The new battery and charger platform from the world’s biggest EV maker operates at 1 megawatt, twice the power of Tesla’s fastest offering.

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Visitor view a BYD Sealion 7 EV at the 41st Thailand International Motor Expo, in Bangkok, Thailand, on November 29, 2024. Photo: Reuters
China airliners

China tests huge transport drone capable of airlifting over 1 ton of goods

The TP1000, which completed its maiden flight on Saturday, has a larger payload and longer range than any previous unmanned transport aircraft in China.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla plans cheaper model to put brakes on China sales slide

The US company’s share of the world’s largest EV market has dropped to 4.3 per cent from more than 16 per cent in 2022.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla pins hope on refreshed Model Y to revive faltering sales in China

Orders for the revamped model, which starts from US$36,292 have crossed 200,000 units, according to Chinese tech site 36kr.

Customers check a Tesla Model Y at a delivery centre in Beijing on February 27, 2025. Photo: AFP
Electric & new energy vehicles

Exclusive | Hesai eyes Europe’s smart EVs for lidar sales after Mercedes-Benz deal

Hesai’s 2025 profit may jump to between 200 million yuan and 350 million yuan, from 14 million yuan last year, said its chief financial officer Andrew Fan.

Hesai’s lidar. Photo: Handout
Electric & new energy vehicles

1.2 million EVs were sold worldwide last month, mostly in China

About three-quarters of the 1.2 million EVs and hybrids sold worldwide in February were delivered in China, according to Rho Motion.

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Indonesia

EV use set to soar 500% on Indonesian roads during Eid ul-Fitr

To support the increase, the country’s state-run electricity company has prepared 1,000 public charging stations along major routes and 12 mobile units for help.

Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV maker Zeekr to take on BMW, Mercedes in SUV segment

Zeekr will unveil the 9X Grand hybrid SUV next month and price it at the 1 million yuan (US$137,840) level.

Zeekr, Chinese carmaker Geely’s premium EV brand, will launch a luxury SUV priced at 1 million yuan. Photo: Reuters
Electric & new energy vehicles

Xpeng chairman calls on Hong Kong to open up to self-driving EVs

He Xiaopeng says company will introduce two models in the city this year in a launch ‘not just for Hong Kong, but also for the world’.

He Xiaopeng, chairman and CEO of Xpeng, kicks off global shipments of the X9 in Guangzhou, Guangdong province on February 22, 2025. Photo: Coco Feng
Electric & new energy vehicles

Tesla’s February sales slump as China buyers turn to BYD, Xiaomi, Xpeng

Sales of the Model Y and Model 3 on the mainland sink 51.5 per cent month-on-month to 30,688 units in February.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Xpeng to test autonomous driving software in Hong Kong to support go-global push

He Xiaopeng says tests of company’s Xpeng Navigation Guided Pilot would be conducted in Hong Kong soon.

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