Han Media: The competition in the European electric vehicle market is intensifying, and the Chinese companies' offensive should not be underestimated!
On August 6, the South Korean media "Today Digital" published an article stating that the competition in the European electric vehicle market is becoming increasingly fierce. With Chinese electric vehicle and battery companies accelerating their entry into the European market and adopting proactive investment and expansion strategies, the tension in South Korea's electric vehicle industry is also increasing.
According to industry insiders, the largest battery company in China, CATL, is focusing on expanding its production bases in Europe. Currently, CATL is building a large battery factory in Debrecen, Hungary, which is expected to become an important base for achieving supply chain localization with major European automakers such as BMW, Stellantis, Volkswagen, and Mercedes-Benz.
According to the Financial Times of the UK, CATL is also advancing its plan to expand its battery swapping business, which has been successfully commercialized in China, to Europe, no longer limited to simple battery production.
CATL management stated: "Battery swapping technology also has great potential in the European market," and they are currently discussing with local automobile manufacturers. CATL plans to build 10,000 battery swapping stations in China alone in the next three years, and plans to use this experience to deploy similar infrastructure in the European market. This is interpreted as a strategy targeting European consumers who hope to solve the inconvenience of electric vehicle charging.
Chinese electric vehicle company NIO has already been operating 60 battery swapping stations in Europe. Industry insiders have mixed opinions on the effectiveness of battery swapping, but some analysts say that if the battery swapping infrastructure expands long-term, Chinese companies that lead in technical standardization may dominate the market.
Automakers are also accelerating their entry into the European market. Chinese BYD has become the world's largest electric vehicle manufacturer and is currently building new factories in Hungary and Turkey, planning to start operations in October and March next year, respectively. It is expected that the total annual capacity of the two factories will reach 500,000 units.
BYD is developing rapidly, surpassing Tesla in the European market in May to become the monthly sales champion. In addition, BYD will further expand into existing major markets such as Germany, France, and the UK this year, entering Switzerland and Slovakia.
The high-end electric vehicle brand of Geely, Zeekr, recently entered Denmark and announced plans to enter the European markets of Switzerland, Belgium, and Greece within the year.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1839690078420234/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.