From BYD’s first-quarter profit to Xpeng’s August goal to overtake self-driving tech in China, here are seven EV stories you may have missed
2-MIN READ2-MIN ListenSCMPPublished: 3:30pm, 29 Apr 2026We have put together stories from our coverage on electric and new energy vehicles from the past two weeks to help you stay informed. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.1. China’s EV and battery makers race to cut charging times to under 10 minutesBattery makers and electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers have seized on the Beijing Auto Show to showcase technologies promising shorter charging times in a race triggered by BYD and Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd (CATL).
Li Auto, one of Tesla’s major rivals in mainland China, has set its sights on the Middle East and Asia-Pacific, with its premium intelligent models poised to take on petrol car brands such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
The world’s largest EV and energy-storage system (ESS) battery maker announced on April 27 that it would deliver 60 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of sodium-ion batteries to Beijing HyperStrong Technology over three years in a landmark deal for the new battery technology.
