China’s NIO (NYSE: NIO) delivered over 20,000 vehicles in September, its fifth straight month crossing the mark. In just three days, NIO sold 832 Onvo L60 electric SUVs, the first of its new low-cost EV brand.
NIO ignited the industry after officially launching the Onvo L60 last month. Starting at just $21,200, the electric SUV kicks off NIO’s new affordable sub-brand.
The low starting price tag undercuts rivals, including Tesla’s Model Y, which starts at $34,600 (249,900 yuan) in China.
After handing over the first Onvo L60 on September 28, NIO announced it delivered 832 models in just three days.
NIO’s new electric SUV helped it achieve its second-highest monthly delivery total, with 21,181 vehicles delivered in September. The NIO brand delivered 20,349 models, while the Onvo L60 accounted for the remaining 832.
The growth was enough to put NIO over the 20,000-sales threshold for the fifth consecutive month.
It also helped push NIO to a new quarterly delivery record: 61,855 vehicles were handed over in Q3, up 11.6% from last year.
NIO Onvo L60 electric SUV (Source: Onvo)
NIO delivered 832 Onvo L60 electric SUVs in 3 days
NIO hit its guidance of between 61,000 and 63,000 vehicle deliveries in the third quarter. With L60 deliveries set to accelerate in October, will NIO top its monthly sales record of 21,209 in June?
NIO Onvo L60 electric SUV (Source: NIO)
The low $21,200 (149,900 yuan) price is for the battery rental model, which also includes a monthly subscription fee. The fee is $85 (599 yuan) for the 60 kWh battery or $125 (899 yuan) per month for the 85 kWh battery.
NIO Onvo L60 vs Tesla Model Y trims
Range (CLTC)
Starting Price
NIO Onvo L60 (Battery rental)
555 km (341 mi) 730 km (454 mi)
149,900 yuan ($21,200)
NIO Onvo L60 (60 kWh)
555 km (341 mi)
206,900 yuan ($29,300)
NIO Onvo L60 (85 kWh)
730 km (454 mi)
235,900 yuan ($33,400)
NIO Onvo L60 (150 kWh)
+1,000 km (+621 mi)
TBD
Tesla Model Y RWD
554 km (344 mi)
249,900 yuan ($34,600)
Tesla Model Y AWD Long Range
688 km (427 mi)
290,900 yuan ($40,300)
Tesla Model Y AWD Performance
615 km (382 mi)
354,900 yuan ($49,100)
NIO Onvo L60 vs Tesla Model Y in China
For the battery pack included, L60 prices start at $26,300 (206,900 yuan), still lower than the Model Y.
At 4,828 mm long x 1,930 mm wide x 1,616 mm tall, the L60 is slightly bigger than Tesla’s Model Y (4,750 mm long x 1,921 mm wide x 1,624 mm tall). However, its longer wheelbase (2,950 mm vs. 2,890 mm) gives way more interior space.
NIO Onvo L60 interior (Source: Onvo)
Inside, the L60 is almost a replica of the Model Y. The 17.3″ infotainment screen is the center of an otherwise minimalistic setup.
NIO’s new Onvo L60 is expected to be a genuine rival to the Model Y and other top-selling electric SUVs in China. The low-cost EV is already earning praise from analysts as NIO looks to enter its next growth phase.
NIO (NYSE: NIO) stock chart from October 2023 through October 2024 (Source: TradingView)
NIO shares surged Monday following a new $470 million (RMB 3.3 billion) cash investment to fuel its expansion. NIO stock is up 68% over the last month, but share prices are still down 20% over the past 12 months.
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Solar panel giant Qcells announced today that it’s temporarily furloughing 1,000 US workers – 25% of its workforce – and reducing pay and shifts at its factories in northeast Georgia due to supply chain delays caused by US Customs.
Qcells furloughs 1,000 workers
The supply chain delays are hindering the company’s ability to import components to build its solar panels. This has resulted in Qcells’ two factories in Cartersville and Dalton being unable to operate at full capacity for several months.
Qcells spokeswoman Marta Stoepker shared the following statement in an exclusive with Channel 2 Action News in Atlanta:
The company says the furloughed workers, who were notified this afternoon, will retain full benefits and won’t be laid off. However, Qcells will no longer be using staffing agency employees in Georgia “at this time.”
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As Qcells introduced new supply chains to support its growing solar panel manufacturing facilities in Georgia, the company was recently forced to scale back production while our shipments into the US were delayed in the customs clearance process.
Although our supply chain operations are beginning to normalize, today we shared with our employees that HR actions must be taken to improve operational efficiency until production capacity returns to normal levels.
Stoepker said it expects to bring the furloughed workers back “in the coming weeks and months.” She continued:
Our commitment to building the entire solar supply chain in the United States remains. We will soon be back on track with the full force of our Georgia team delivering American-made energy to communities around the country.
Electrek’s Take
In January 2023, the Seoul-headquartered Qcells announced it would invest more than $2.5 billion to build a solar supply chain in Georgia – the largest-ever investment in clean energy manufacturing in the US to date. That included expanding the Dalton solar factory and building a fully integrated solar supply chain factory in Cartersville, Georgia, that will manufacture solar ingots, wafers, cells, and finished panels.
It’s not quite there yet, because that takes time. In the meantime, it’s being penalized by Customs. The US government under Trump says it’s keen on boosting domestic manufacturing. Why would it work against a company that’s onshoring an entire solar supply chain, including recycling?
Dalton and Cartersville employ nearly 4,000 people. Its total output will reach 8.4 GW of solar production capacity per year, which is equivalent to nearly 46,000 panels per day – enough to power approximately 1.3 million homes annually.
It’s ludicrous that it has been forced to furlough a quarter of its workforce due to the ineptness of the Trump administration’s US Customs policies. This is right up there with the ICE arrests at Hyundai’s plant in Georgia. Bravo.
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The breakthrough EV batteries Toyota says will double driving range and cut charging times are facing another setback. The company is once again delaying plans for a new battery plant in Japan.
Why is Toyota delaying its EV battery plant this time?
Earlier this year, Toyota bought a 280,000-square-meter plot of land in Fukuoka, Japan, where it planned to build a plant to produce the more advanced EV batteries.
A location agreement was expected to be signed by April, but Toyota pushed back construction by several months, blaming slower-than-expected demand for electric vehicles.
The agreement was expected to be finalized this Fall, but that will no longer be the case. According to Nikkei, Toyota is delaying the EV battery plant for the second time. Toyota will review and adjust plans over the next year.
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Fukuoka governor, Seitaro Hattori, confirmed the news with reporters on Friday following a meeting with Toyota’s president, Koji Sato. Hattori also shut down claims that Toyota was planning to scrap the battery plant altogether.
Toyota EV battery roadmap (Source: Toyota)
Toyota again blamed slowing EV demand for the delay. The decision comes despite Keiji Kaita, president of Toyota’s Carbon Neutral Advanced Engineering Development Center, confirming at the Japan Mobility Show just last week that it’s “sticking on the schedule” to introduce its first solid-state battery-powered EV by 2028.
Last month, Toyota said it aimed to “achieve the world’s first practical use of all-solid-state batteries in BEVs” after securing a partnership with Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. to mass-produce them. It’s also working with Japanese oil giant Idemitsu.
Idemitsu’s value chain for solid electrolytes used in all-solid-state EV batteries (Source: Idemitsu)
The company recently revealed a solid-state battery pack prototype that it claims can deliver 747 miles (1,200 km) range and 10-minute fast charging, but will we ever see it actually in production?
Electrek’s Take
Toyota has been making empty promises about EV batteries for almost a decade now. It initially planned to introduce solid-state EV batteries in 2020, then pushed it to 2023, then 2026, and now it’s saying it will be around 2028.
Mass production is likely closer to the end of the decade, if Toyota doesn’t delay it again. While it’s blaming the slowing demand, global EV sales are still on the rise. According to Rho Motion, global EV sales topped 2 million for the first time in a single month in September 2025. Through the first nine months of the year, EV sales are up 26% compared to the same period in 2024.
Even with the US ending the $7,500 federal tax credit and other policies designed to promote electric vehicles, global adoption will continue building momentum over the next few years.
Is it a demand issue, or is Toyota just looking for another excuse? With rivals like Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai, BMW, and Honda advancing next-gen EV batteries, Toyota will only fall further behind if it continues delaying key projects.
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