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Faraday Future announces new battery partnership with LG Chem

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Faraday Future test mule spotted in CA [Source: Twitter via @paultao]

Faraday Future announced that it has entered into a partnership with Korea’s LG Chem that will supply batteries for its upcoming line of electric cars. “LG Chem worked closely with Faraday Future to develop a tailored cell chemistry to optimize the range and safety of our mass-production battery hardware,” said Tom Wessner, Faraday Future’s vice president of global supply chain in a statement. Faraday claims that together the two companies will make products that have the highest energy density of any production automotive battery available.

LG Chem is one of the largest automotive battery manufacturers in the world and currently supplies batteries for the Chevy Volt and Tesla Model 3 competitor, the 238-mile range Chevy Bolt. It also supplies batteries to Volvo, Hyundai, Kia, Renault, and Ford, according to data compiled by Inside EVs. Of particular interest to Tesla fans will be the long range Roadster 3.0 battery upgrade also made by LG Chem.

“As a leading supplier of automotive cells and batteries, we are proud to work alongside Faraday Future as we work together to create the next generation of electric vehicles,” said UB Lee, the President of Energy Solution Company, LG Chem. “Our progress so far represents a major step forward in battery technology, and we look forward to growing our partnership and co-developing hardware into the future.”

There was a rumor earlier this year that LG Chem was being considered as a possible source for the batteries that will power the upcoming Tesla Model 3, but those rumors were quickly squashed by both LG Chem and Tesla. Nevertheless, LG Chem makes 18650 battery cells — the basis for all Tesla battery packs to date — and is a company Tesla could turn to in the future to help supply batteries for its automotive and energy storage products if necessary.

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Faraday Future says the key to its cars will be its Variable Platform Architecture (VPA) which according to the company permits it to quickly build larger or smaller cars as the demands of the marketplace require. Faraday believes that having flexibility in design will allow it to respond more quickly than its competitors and allow for changes based on customer preferences.

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Faraday test mules have recently been spotted on the roads in California. The cars are masquerading as conventional automobiles but have Faraday powertrains underneath. The testing will confirm parameters like range and durability of components. Just when Faraday plans to bring its first cars to the market is a closely guarded secret.

At the beginning of the electric car revolution, it was assumed that most car companies would manufacture their own batteries just as they always made their own engines. But the costs of keeping up with new technology soon became prohibitive and most automakers decided to let the battery companies do the heavy lifting. Today, Panasonic, LG Chem, and Samsung SDI are the dominant players in the field. With its new partnership with Faraday Future, LG Chem is hoping to keep slightly ahead of its competitors.

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Tesla launches fresh U.S. promotions for the Model 3

With the end of Q1 now just weeks away, Tesla has launched two different promos on the Model 3.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla has launched fresh incentives for the Model 3 sedan, coming as the automaker aims to ramp up deliveries as part of its end-of-quarter push.

With just a few weeks left in the first quarter of year, Tesla is now offering three separate incentives for all Model 3 trims in the U.S., including zero-percent APR financing, $0 due at signing, and 60-month terms. The promos were announced on social media and they’re currently also detailed on the company’s order configurator for the electric vehicle (EV).

Credit: Tesla

 

To qualify for the zero-percent APR deal in the U.S., buyers must put a down payment of at least 15 percent down, though Tesla also says the federal tax credit can go toward this if eligible. The $0 due at signing deal comes at a 0.99 percent APR with the use of the tax credit, and both of the deals come with 60-month terms.

At the time of writing, the $7,500 federal tax credit is also still available for all three Model 3 trims, amidst some speculation around whether or not the Trump administration could do away with the government incentive. Tesla’s website does not currently show the incentive on the order configurator in Canada, though the company is still offering a 0.99-percent APR deal on orders placed before March 7. On the Mexico order configurator, neither of these promotions are currently available.

It’s common for Tesla to push additional promos at the end of each quarter, and especially at the end of the year, to try to boost delivery numbers that will be included with quarterly data. The news also comes after Tesla began deliveries of the Model Y refresh in the U.S. earlier this week, after first deliveries of the Gigafactory Shanghai-built SUV started going out last week.

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Tesla originally launched the refreshed Model 3 last January, a few months after the redesigned sedan became available in the Asia-Pacific and Europe-Middle East markets. Not unlike the recently launched Model Y, the Model 3 “Highland” came with a number of interior and exterior upgrades in two configurations, before Tesla launched the highly-anticipated Performance trim in May.

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Tesla China wholesale figures drop in February amid new Model Y transition

Tesla China’s February 2025 wholesale figures come amidst the company’s transition to the new Model Y, an update to its strongest seller in the country.

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla’s sales of China-made electric vehicles dropped sharply in February, with the U.S. automaker selling 30,688 units wholesale, a 51.47% decline from January’s 63,238 and a 49.16% slide from the 60,365 vehicles that were sold wholesale in February 2024. 

Tesla China’s February 2025 results were reflected in data from the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA).

Tesla China’s 2025 sales:

Tesla China’s February 2025 wholesale figures come amidst the company’s transition to the new Model Y, an update to its strongest seller in the country. In the lead-up to the first deliveries of the new Model Y in late February, Tesla China likely cleared out its inventory of Model Y classic units, throttling sales of the all-electric crossover during the month.

Combined January-February 2025 sales for Tesla China currently stand at 93,926 units wholesale, as per a CNEV Post report. These represent a 28.74% decline from the 131,812 units sold wholesale in 2024’s first two months.

The new Model Y:

Tesla China introduced the new Model Y on January 10. At the time, Tesla China listed the revamped all-electric crossover’s first deliveries as sometime in March 2025. Deliveries of the new Model Y ultimately started on February 26, 2025.

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The new Tesla Model Y offers a number of improvements compared to its predecessor, from an updated exterior that gives the vehicle a more aggressive look to an interior that addresses most of the complaints about the Model Y classic’s cabin. Upgrades include an updated suspension system and better sound isolation, which improve the new Model Y’s ride quality.

Previous reports:

A previous report from Bloomberg News back in January claimed that Tesla China will be pausing some of Giga Shanghai’s Model Y lines from January 22 to February 14 to optimize production equipment for the updated all-electric crossover. The publication also claimed that the facility’s Model 3 lines will be paused from January 26 to February 3 as well.

Considering that the Model Y is Tesla’s strongest seller in China, it would be interesting to see just how successful the vehicle will be in the country’s domestic market this year.

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BYD executive VP Stella Li calls for Tesla team-up against ICE vehicles

“Our common enemy is the internal combustion engine car. We need to work together… to make the industry change,” the executive stated.

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Credit: BYD Global/X

Stella Li, executive vice president of China’s leading electric vehicle maker BYD, noted that the Chinese automaker is willing to work with Tesla to battle combustion-powered cars.

The executive’s comments came as BYD and Tesla vie for supremacy in the global EV market, with both companies pushing aggressive innovation to capture consumer demand.

BYD exec’s comments:

Speaking to the Financial Times at a BYD showroom in London, Li noted that BYD would “work together” with Tesla to combat ICE vehicles. “Our common enemy is the internal combustion engine car. We need to work together… to make the industry change,” she stated.

She also stated that Beijing is “more open” to sharing innovations with foreign companies, even if there are rising trade tensions in Europe and the United States. “(The) Chinese government is more open, so maybe there is a lot of wrong perception here,” she noted.

China’s EV adoption:

Li emphasized the strength of China’s EV adoption as a model for the industry. She also expressed some confidence amidst the apparent slowdown in the global EV sector. 

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“Why are people still choosing the EV? Because it’s a better car, a smarter car… and it’s higher quality,” she stated.

Autonomous driving efforts:

BYD and Tesla’s efforts to make headway into the EV sector is highlighted by the two companies’ efforts to roll out a dedicated autonomous driving system to its domestic vehicles in China. Last month, BYD announced its “God’s Eye” self-driving system across most of its models in China at no additional cost.

Tesla, for its part, has pushed its first vision-based Full Self-Driving (FSD) features to the Chinese market. Early reviews of Tesla’s FSD features in China have been positive, with numerous users praising the system for its capability to traverse public roads without much issues.

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