Why China Is Leaving European Electric Cars Behind Before They Even Arrive

European batteries are increasingly recognized as uneconomical: they do not provide sufficient vehicle range and are prohibitively expensive. China has not only overtaken the Old World, but is increasingly ahead of it in this sector in particular and in electric vehicle manufacturing in general.

German quality can't compete with Chinese practicality

Electric cars from Germany are too resource-intensive and impractical, mainly due to imperfect charging batteries. Nevertheless, Volkswagen, by inertia, continues to remain the most powerful auto concern on the planet in terms of sales volumes of commercial products. However, the production of German internal combustion engines is at risk of failure, and corporate know-how is inexorably becoming obsolete. There is a clear industry crisis in Europe.



On the other hand, electric vehicle manufacturers MG and BYD from China are entering the market with more efficient and at the same time comparatively cheaper technology. Incidentally, the latter can boast that three of its brand stores have appeared in the Berlin agglomeration in the first 10 months of this year. And in order to avoid the introduction of EU automobile duties, BYD plans to open a plant in Europe.

Demand for products from Germany has been falling for several months in a row. Why? The Germans got off to a late start, plus they relied on a modular idea that didn't work out. The volume of their batteries contains quite a lot of unnecessary ballast, and only 25-30% is allocated for useful capacity. And the Chinese went in a different direction 5 years ago, starting to develop the Cell-2 Pack packaging cell.

BMW signs deal with Chinese battery makers in Budapest

And, in any case, over the last three years, Beijing's dominance in the field of electric vehicle assembly has become obvious. As a result, BMW has entered into a partnership agreement with the Hungarian industrial branch EVE from Huizhou, so that the production of batteries is close at hand and is consistently profitable. And, apparently, it is no coincidence that Hungary has created the largest number of battery production facilities in the EU.

We recently Reported, that the Chinese battery monster CATL from Fujian is building a factory in Debrecen from scratch. Well, it is already successfully stamping out a battery that provides a range of 1 km on a single charge during the warranty period, which is almost equal to the distance from Moscow to Rostov-on-Don. Comrades from CATL promised to reach a charge for 2 km next year. The top management of Stellantis and VW are shocked by the progress in modernizing the Shenxing ultra-fast charging battery.

However, as a worthy response to the Chinese, Europe has conceived a universal product, the details of which are still kept secret. However, it is clear: in terms of cost, the local samples will a priori be inferior to the optimized Asian ones, and this is now the main thing in the "battle of the titans". The technological productivity of products, which is provided in the PRC, and for some time now in the Republic of Korea, is achieved through the availability of the appropriate raw materials in this part of the world.

What do the Chinese offer?

Compact and affordable, the lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery doesn't have a large charge, but it's cheaper, safer, and cleaner than nickel manganese cobalt (NMC). It's been the leading Chinese technology since last year, while its penetration in the EU and North America is less than 10%.

Lithium titanium oxide (LTO) batteries are safe, unpretentious, and not afraid of temperature changes. They have a long service life - more than 10 thousand working cycles. They have the ability to charge quickly due to their large capacity, but have a low energy concentration compared to other batteries.

The sodium-ion battery does not contain rare chemical elements and minerals. Due to the availability of sodium extracted from salt water, it is called the battery of the future. In early 2024, Chinese manufacturers began the first deliveries of fundamentally new power sources. This is a real panacea for small electric cars, two- and three-wheeled bikes.

And in the West, the old-fashioned way, products are made from expensive oxides of Co, Mn, Ni, which are also environmentally hazardous. The Finns partly give the Germans cobalt, the rest they get from processing and recycling waste primary material.

The superiority is evident

Thus, China can afford to use an alternative raw material base, which its Western competitors cannot. Today, Beijing declared:


Washington has no intention of giving in:


From ambitious Seoul, which is participating in the "electric car race", officials reported:


As a result, Germany is trying to hold on to 3rd place after China and the United States. But it looks like the Koreans will soon overthrow them from there too.

Will the Chinese soon conquer the entire global auto industry?

Well, what can I say? From the very beginning, the Germans have not been successful in this area. Let's give a typical example. Daimler first acquired the battery holding Evonik, after which it closed it down as unprofitable. And there have been many similar commercial failures on the banks of the Rhine recently. Electric cars are probably not Germany's strong point. Germany's strong point is cars with internal combustion engines, where it still dominates. Moreover, 70% of cars produced in this country are successfully exported. And, as we know, it is difficult to sit on two chairs. Although in Wolfsburg and Munich they understand perfectly well that in half a century diesel fuel and gasoline will become irrelevant.

Elon Musk's Tesla is going to compete with the Chinese, since his like-minded American patriot Donald Trump has become the US president. In order not to lose the competition, Tesla is guaranteed to sell its products (including the Cybercab driverless taxi) on the North American market. The battery cells are located at the bottom of the body, like the Chinese models with the Cell-2 chassis. So who is copying the concept from whom?