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Sep 18, 08:29
CATL looks beyond China's passenger-car squeeze as electric trucks become the next growth front
The expansive reach of CATL's entrenched battery grip on the EV market has persisted through years of undefeated market share, pinning many Chinese automakers against severe component constraints that have proved difficult to break away from.
China's rare earth export controls are changing the rules governing global critical mineral supply chains. For Taiwan, the real concern is not that China could suddenly halt all exports one day, but that export licensing, end-use reviews, price volatility, longer lead times, and "hidden dependencies" embedded in intermediate materials and components could gradually raise the cost and uncertainty of maintaining normal production.
Power battery technology has reached maturity in the new energy vehicle (NEV) market, but transferring it to humanoid robots presents two major barriers: the need for significant technological upgrades and the difficulty of spreading costs across a market characterized by low-volume, highly customized demand.

Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode materials maker Aleees said its new precursor plant will be built in Tainan, with trial production set for January 2027 and commercial shipments in July 2027, as it prepares to fulfill a 20-year long-term agreement with a North American customer. The move marks a major turning point for the company as it meets surging demand for localized supply chains in North American energy storage and EV markets.

Huawei and Seres, a Chongqing-based premium manufacturer of high-end electric NEVs, are reportedly adjusting their smart vehicle partnership in the AITO brand. Huawei would shift toward a more asset-light role, and Seres would take greater control over AITO's product, marketing, sales, and service operations.
Even as he leads SpaceX through the largest IPO in history and rolls out Tesla's Cybercab robotaxi fleet in Austin, Texas, Elon Musk has not let go of his ambitions for underground tunnel transportation, continuing to push forward the tunnel-drilling business of his company The Boring.
With Tesla's EV ambitions growing amid a years-long push toward full electrification, the deployment of the Cybercab has emerged as a major experiment testing the boundaries of autonomous driving.

BYD is lining up solid-state batteries, faster charging, and higher-level automated driving around 2027, potentially removing several of the remaining barriers separating electric vehicles from gasoline cars.

Polestar, the Swedish electric vehicle (EV) brand backed by Geely Holding, is facing a major restructuring of its US operations. In its first-half 2026 financial report filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on September 3, Polestar said the US Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) had denied its application for specific authorization under US connected vehicle regulations.

HS Hyosung Energy Solution Korea, a joint venture formed by South Korea's HS Hyosung Group and Belgian materials leader Umicore, signed a memorandum of understanding with Ulsan Metropolitan City on September 14 to construct a major silicon anode materials manufacturing base.

Tesla has established a subsidiary in Vietnam as it prepares to enter the local market. Reuters reported that filing documents show the unit is registered in Ho Chi Minh City with capital of US$3 million.

The world's largest automotive aftermarket trade fair, Automechanika Frankfurt, was held in Germany from September 8 to 12. Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said Taiwan is an important supplier to the automotive aftermarket, with 324 Taiwanese companies participating in this year's show, the third-highest number of exhibitors worldwide. To help Taiwanese businesses expand overseas, Taiwan will participate in several major international trade shows in 2026.