【4.27 Lithium Battery News】Ministry of Transport and Ten Other Departments: Aim for Pure EVs to Become New Sales Vehicles by 2035

Cui Dongshu, Secretary General of the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA), stated that China's car imports from January to March 2025 totaled 95,000 units, down 39% YoY. Cui Dongshu, Secretary General of the CPCA, noted that China's car imports have been declining at an average annual rate of around 8% since 2017, when they stood at 1.24 million units, dropping to 800,000 units in 2023. In 2024, car imports fell to 700,000 units, down 12% YoY. From January to March 2025, car imports amounted to 95,000 units, a 39% YoY decline, marking a rare significant drop for the first quarter. In March alone, car imports were 39,000 units, down 27% YoY, showing a slight improvement in the rate of decline.

Ganfeng Lithium announced that it has signed cooperation agreements with the Gongshu District Government of Hangzhou and Hangzhou Energy Group. Ganfeng Lithium (002460.SZ) announced that it has signed a "Framework Cooperation Agreement" and a "Strategic Cooperation Agreement" with the Gongshu District Government of Hangzhou and Hangzhou Energy Group, respectively. The three parties will collaborate on industrial cultivation and long-term development, establishing a mutually beneficial long-term strategic partnership. The company plans to invest in the construction of a high-specific-energy solid-state battery R&D and industrialisation base in Gongshu District, Hangzhou, focusing on electrification in the transportation sector, expansion of the new energy industry, broadening the energy supply chain, and comprehensive recycling of power batteries. (Cailian Press)

Huayou Cobalt stated that after LG's withdrawal from the battery project, the Indonesian government hopes the company will lead or jointly promote the project with industry partners. In response to rumors that "Indonesia's Minister of Mining stated that the EV battery project will be taken over by China's Huayou Cobalt instead of South Korea's LG," Chen Xuehua, Chairman of Huayou Cobalt, responded at the company's 2024 performance briefing, "Huayou has been participating in this project as a member of the LG consortium for five years, and it is regrettable that LG did not continue. This project is significant, encompassing businesses from mining to precursors and batteries. Given Huayou's full industry advantages, the Indonesian government hopes Huayou will form new partnerships to jointly advance this project. However, it depends on the conditions ahead. If there is an opportunity, we will push the project forward, but not alone; it may require partners across the industry chain to jointly promote it." (Cailian Press)

SK On has reached a battery supply agreement with Slate, an EV company backed by Bezos. SK On, the battery subsidiary of South Korea's SK Group, announced on Friday that it has been selected as the battery supplier for US EV startup Slate. According to the agreement, SK On will supply 20 GWh of batteries to Slate from 2026 to 2031, with the option to increase the quantity as production scales up. These batteries are sufficient to power approximately 300,000 mid-sized EVs. The financial terms of the contract were not disclosed, but industry estimates value it at around KRW 4 trillion ($2.78 billion). (Cailian Press)

Ten departments aim for BEVs to become the mainstream of new vehicle sales by 2035. The Ministry of Transport and nine other departments issued guidelines on promoting the integration of transportation and energy development. The guidelines state that by 2035, the integration and interaction between transportation and the new energy system will be fully promoted, initially establishing a transportation energy system that is primarily based on clean and low-carbon energy consumption, supported by technological innovation, and guided by green, smart, and efficient practices. The proportion of electricity in the terminal energy consumption of the transportation industry will remain high, and green power developed based on transportation infrastructure will be primarily consumed locally. BEVs will become the mainstream of new vehicle sales, new energy heavy-duty trucks will be scaled up, and a green fuel supply system for transportation will be basically established. Click for details.

The US has relaxed safety requirements for autonomous vehicles by lowering accident reporting standards. The US Department of Transportation announced the relaxation of some safety requirements for autonomous vehicles developed and manufactured by US companies to accelerate their deployment and enhance competitiveness. Under the new rules, if autonomous vehicles are used solely for research, demonstration, and other non-commercial purposes, US automakers can apply to skip certain safety regulations. Autonomous vehicles will no longer need to comply with some previous federal safety requirements for human drivers, such as the installation of rearview mirrors, to be allowed on the road. For accidents involving autonomous vehicles, the threshold for reporting property damage will be raised if the incident is not severe. Additionally, the Department of Transportation plans to establish national regulations on autonomous vehicle technology to replace the current state-by-state approach. (Cailian Press)