XPeng surprises public with the official name of its first EV under new MONA brand before launch
Nine days before XPeng Motors is expected to launch its new AI-centric BEV brand MONA publicly, it has given the social media world a little appetizer by sharing the official name and first full image of its first model.
XPeng’s ($XPEV) incoming sub-brand is called MONA, which is an acronym for “Made Of New AI.” This nods to previous commitments by the automaker’s Chairman and CEO, He Xiaopeng, who vowed to invest RMB 3.5 billion (~$492M) in “AI-enabled smart driving” technology in 2024 to support R&D and hire 4,000 new employees.
AI-driven technology has been at the forefront of the design philosophy in XPeng Motors’ latest models, and the Chinese automaker intends to take things to another echelon with MONA. Not only that, XPeng has promised that MONA BEVs will deliver the tech at an affordable price for all, targeting MSRPs around RMB 100,000-150,000 ($14,000-$21,000).
During the reveal of the sub-brand’s name, Xiaopeng also said it would make its official debut in June 2024, later confirmed to take place on the 20th. Up until now, the MONA name has been our only juicy tidbit about the new AI-EV brand, aside from a couple of shadowy images of its first model, whose name had yet to be shared.
We expected to see the complete look at the new MONA BEV in a couple of weeks, but XPeng surprised us by unveiling the first official image of its exterior alongside its name – the M03.
XPeng’s MONA brand will launch with an EV called “M03”
Surprise!
Per a Weibo post by XPeng Motors earlier today, the MONA brand’s first model is called the M03. The news came alongside the full exterior image seen above, as well as a tiny blurb:
A surprise after the holidays, the first product in the MONA series is named Xiaopeng M03! #小鹏MONA is here!
The post also links to a new Weibo page explicitly dedicated to the new MONA sub-brand, although posts and other details remain light at this point.
As you may have noticed from the post, there’s some confusing rhetoric about the new A-class sedan as XPeng describes the model as the ” Xiaopeng M03,” the first vehicle in the “MONA series.”
Is it a MONA BEV or an XPeng BEV?
We are sure we will learn more about the new brand and the M03 during XPeng’s official launch presentation, which is still expected to occur later in June. Be sure to check back soon for the latest updates on XPeng, MONA, and the M03 – whichever brand it launches under.
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Vammo, a battery-swapping service for electric motorcycles in Latin America, has just announced that the company has surpassed an impressive 1 million battery swaps in a little over a year.
The company has built its service around a combination of VMoto electric motorcycles and a battery-swapping service designed to keep those motorcycles rolling all day without stopping to charge.
Headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil, Vammo’s electric motorcycles and battery swap cabinets currently serve around 1,800 customers, with that number growing quickly. The service was launched just over a year ago and has already saved its customers a combined US $1.3 million in fuel costs. That’s on top of preventing the release of 3,050 tons of CO2 emissions.
Vammo’s subscription model saves users as much as 50% compared to gasoline-powered motorcycles, translating into annual savings of thousands of dollars. “Not only are we helping to cut carbon emissions by 85%, but we’re also putting significant savings back into the pockets of our customers,” said Jack Sarvary, Vammo’s co-founder and CEO. “Many of our users, especially delivery drivers, are saving as much as $2,000–$4,000 per year, making electric mobility both affordable and sustainable.”
That success has led to rapid growth for the company. Last year alone, Vammo saw 8x growth in both revenue and customer base.
“Our growth demonstrates the power of affordable, clean transportation,” said Billy Blaustein, Vammo’s COO. “We are proving that sustainable mobility can be both accessible and scalable.”
Vammo’s VMoto models have now become the #1 registered electric motorcycle brand in Brazil, likely making the company the top player in Latin America.
Battery swapping for electric motorcycles has gained significant interest in the last few years, especially as Gogoro has expanded its world-leading model for swappable electric scooter batteries. But unlike Gogoro, which built a swappable battery standard and then began persuading other companies to adopt it, Vammo built its service around existing electric motorcycles and their already operational battery designs.
Vammo began operations in São Paulo and has positioned its service as a solution not only for Brazil but also for broader Latin America.
Brazil is uniquely suited for electric motorcycles and battery swapping, as the country not only sells 4x the amount of motorcycles per year as the US, but has some of the cleanest electricity in the world. Over 90% of the country’s electricity is generated by clean sources, primarily hydroelectric power, with wind and solar also contributing to the mix. Compare that to the global average of just 13%.
Vammo is building on its momentum, recently announcing a partnership with app-based taxi provider 99, offering mototaxi drivers access to its electric motorcycles.
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