【SMM New Energy News】Zhengzhou's NEV Production Up 23.2% YoY, Li-ion Battery Output Soars 65.7% in Jan-May

On June 25, the Leap Motor D99, the first MPV on Leap Motor's flagship D platform, was officially launched with a selling price of 249,800 to 319,800 yuan. As the flagship masterpiece embodying a decade of Leap Motor's accumulated full-stack in-house R&D technology, the new vehicle is the industry's first to feature dual Qualcomm 8797 central domain control chips built on a 4nm process, delivering a total computing power of 1,280 TOPS. It creates a cockpit-driving integrated super collaboration architecture, providing intelligent upgrade redundancy for the next five years. The Leap Motor D99 offers two powertrain options: range-extender and pure electric. The range-extender version is equipped with an 80.3 kWh range-extender-specific CATL LFP battery, offering a CLTC pure electric driving range of up to 480 km. The pure electric version features the world's first CATL molecular-level fusion super hybrid battery cell, with a battery capacity of 115 kWh and a CLTC pure electric driving range of 700 km. It adopts a full-stack 1,000 V high-voltage architecture, with peak fast charging power exceeding 460 kW, adding over 350 km of driving range with a 15-minute charge.

Zimbabwe's Finance Minister Ncube Mthuli stated unequivocally on June 24 that, despite a collective industry request for a postponement, the government will not extend the ban on lithium concentrates exports originally scheduled to take effect in January 2027. He noted that enterprises unable to build their own plants could be encouraged to sign processing trade agreements with supplied materials with companies possessing processing capacity. The minister's remarks came after most of the country's lithium producers requested more time last week to complete the construction of beneficiation plants.

The Ministry of Commerce, National Development and Reform Commission, Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, and four other authorities have jointly formulated an action plan for a special campaign against the illegal recycling and dismantling of scrapped motor vehicles. The initiative aims to crack down on the illegal acquisition of end-of-life vehicles under the guise of "used car purchasing" and their subsequent resale to unauthorized dismantling sites. It will trace vehicle origins to sever illegal recycling supply chains.