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As we bid adieu to 2024, XPeng founder and CEO He Xiaopeng is setting the stage for a big 2025. The EV executive posted an internal letter to XPeng staff outlining the company’s key goals for the upcoming year, imploring all to prepare for fiercer competition in the EV segment and even predicted a price war on the immediate horizon.

During the last hours of 2024, XPeng Motors ($XPEV) operates as one of the EV leaders in China. We at Electrek have covered much of the automaker’s rise to prominence, especially as it has expanded the availability of its EV lineup to global markets like Europe.

XPeng’s portfolio currently consists of seven all-electric models, including the new MONA M03 launched in 2024. Additionally, the company has established its own network of EV chargers and proprietary autonomous driving technology. It also has a business arm dedicated to aerial eVTOL travel, including a flying car prototype.

In 2025, XPeng Motors looks to continue to build on the momentum it has garnered in recent years. However, the company’s founder and CEO relayed that there is still room for improvement for the automaker to remain competitive and, in many ways, lead the industry in China.

XPeng 2025
Source: XPeng Motors / Weibo

XPeng starts 2025 to become #1 overseas

Many businesses may be slowing down and shuttering for a few days to ring in 2025, but XPeng founder and CEO He Xiaopeng remains dialed in. The CEO recently shared an internal letter with the XPeng staff, obtained by the Chinese media outlet CnEVPost.

In the letter, Xiaopeng outlined the company goals for the coming year as well as long term targets to continue global growth in hopes of becoming a household name in EVs. To get there, the XPeng founder said the company must be resilient as he predicts China’s EV industry will enter an elimination phase between 2025 and 2027. As such, he’s warned his staff to prepare for fiercer competition next year, going as far as stating a bold prediction. Per the internal letter:

The market will definitely see fiercer competition in 2025, and I can even make a bold prediction that price war will ignite from January.

Innovation and efficiency will be core tenets of XPeng’s strategy in the future to remain a leader in EVs in 2025 and beyond. Xiaopeng told staff that vehicle companies that lack innovative technology and core competencies, such as comprehensive R&D and marketing capabilities, will miss their opportunity for sustained growth. This could lead to a fading into irrelevance, as warned by Xiaopeng, over the next three years since the Chinese EV market is so saturated.

New Energy Vehicle (NEV) adoption continues to soar overseas, but an influx of similar EV styles and configurations will trigger even more competition and the vital need to stand out. Here are some additional goals for 2025 outlined by the XPeng CEO in the letter:

  • Over the next three years, XPeng needs to improve its “systemization capabilities.
  • The company must increase its capabilities’ upper limit through systemic innovation, acquire more comprehensive capabilities in the lower limit, and achieve a balance.
  • In the next 10 years, Xiaopeng wants to become a leading global AI car company in products, business, organization, and globalization.
  • The company plans to launch a new or facelifted model nearly every quarter in 2025.
  • Expand hiring to over 6,000 new employees next year.
  • XPeng 2025 will be the year XPeng’s internationalization strategy will be fully accelerated.
    • Xpeng has already entered 30 countries and regions but intends to exceed 60 by the end of 2025.

While China is its home and most prominent market, XPeng’s CEO sees bigger plans for the brand on a global level. The 2025 goal to “fully accelerate” internationalization is step one in Xiaopeng’s strategy to achieve half of the company sales coming from overseas while becoming the number 1 Chinese mid-to-high-end NEV brand in sales share within the next ten years.

He Xiaopeng told staff that global expansion requires close collaboration between international and domestic colleagues in all departments to achieve said goals. In the letter, Xiaopoeng called XPeng’s strengths in unique products and adjacent technologies “ammunitions” that, when organized more systematically, will get XPeng through the 2025 elimination round and into China’s qualifying round.

All eyes are on 2025 as XPeng remains one of the key Chinese automakers to watch.

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With glowing reviews, RIZON could soon be the #1 truck in the #2 business

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With glowing reviews, RIZON could soon be the #1 truck in the #2 business

Portable bathroom company Diamond Environmental showcased its new, all-electric RIZON medium duty commercial truck at a San Marcos, California mobility event last month – and the verdict is in: these electric trucks don’t stink!

City officials from San Marcos attended the electric vehicle and sustainability-focused event, including San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones, San Diego Land Policy Advisor Hunter McDonald, and councilman Ed Musgrove. The stars of the show, however, were Diamond Environmental’s four RIZON e18L medium-duty commercial EVs.

“RIZON trucks are perfect for our daily local operations and align with our environmental and sustainability goals,” explained Alex Fortunati, CEO of Diamond Environmental. “Thanks to San Diego County’s incentive programs, we could economically make the transition to electromobility.”

Diamond Environmental equipped their RIZON electric trucks with stake bed/flatbed style bodies for two of the trucks, enabling a wide range of versatility for transporting portable toilet facilities, sinks, and other sanitation supplies to construction job sites and outdoor events like the Super Bowl in San Diego and the Coachella Music Festival.

For their part, the RIZON seems genuinely excited for the high-visibility partnership with Diamond Environmental.

“We’re pleased to support Diamond Environmental in their transition to zero-emissions RIZON trucks, enhancing both convenience and flexibility in their operations. Our sales team collaborated closely with them throughout the selection process to customize trucks that perfectly meet their business needs,” said Alex Voets, General Manager of RIZON USA. “We are proud to contribute to the innovations in today’s electric truck market, driving towards a more sustainable future for our communities.”

The RIZON offers fast-charging options for its 124 kWh battery pack, including DCFC up to 104 kW and Level 2 AC up to 14.9 kW, minimize downtime for the company’s daily delivery routes, achieving a range of up to 160 miles on a single charge. More than enough, in other words, to handle whatever loads Diamond Environmental will dump on it.

Funding for the trucks came, in part, from the Innovative Small e-Fleet (ISEF) Program that offers qualifying small fleets a minimum voucher of $120,000 toward an all-electric Class 4-5 electric truck, as well as region-specific incentives, like the San Diego County Air Pollution Control District’s grant program.

Electrek’s Take

There’s a total place in the North American market for an agile, easy-to-drive medium duty truck like the RIZON, and Daimler’s nationwide network of Freightliner and Western Star dealers should give first time MD buyers a bit more peach of mind than they might get from a startup brand.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Daimler Trucks North America (DTNA).

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Farmrobo iMog hopes to bring autonomous tractor to hobby farms

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Farmrobo iMog hopes to bring autonomous tractor to hobby farms

Developed by Indian company Farmrobo Technologies, the iMog is a fully autonomous, multipurpose electric farm tractor designed to be a cost-effective solution to support small-scale farming operations and hobby farms.

In constant development since 2019, the Farmrobo iMog weights in at “just” 550 lbs., and is just two feet wide and four feet long. That’s small enough to allow it to easily fit between tightly-packed rows of crops without damaging them. The robot’s small size also makes it pretty efficient – its 8 HP electric motor can run for up to 5 hours on its relatively small 90 AH LFP battery (about 4 kWh, assuming a 48V system).

The robot uses RTK-enabled GPS, which stands for “Real-Time Kinematic Global Positioning System.” RTK-enabled GPS combines standard GPS signals with real-time correction data from local base stations, delivering what the company calls “centimeter-level positioning accuracy.” The robot can then be programmed to operate on a given route or path by the farmer, or operated remotely via on-board cameras.

The iMog also features an innovative Power Take-Off (PTO) system that allows it to power a range of conventional attachments that includes a roto-tiller, high-tech sprayer, a mulcher, and more. The base robot retails for €12,000 and is available in India, the Middle East, and (now) in Europe.

As I write this, Farmrobo claims 20 examples of its iMog robot tractor are currently in operation, with many more on their way to customers.

Electrek’s Take

Y’all know I love a good electric tractor, but while the North American market seemingly wants to go bigger and badder than even Solectrac’s 25 HP machines, it seems the rest of the world understands that the biggest tool for the job isn’t always the right tool for the job.

Here’s hoping the Farmrobo team has better luck than Solectrac.

SOURCE | IMAGES: Farmrobo Technologies, via Future Farming.

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Awesomely Weird Alibaba EV of the Week: A $7,000 armored golf cart?

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Awesomely Weird Alibaba EV of the Week: A ,000 armored golf cart?

What would you get if you created the illegitimate love child of a Mercedes G-Wagon and a Brinks armored truck (and perhaps if the Mercedes chain-smoked through the pregnancy)? I think you’d wind up with something like the wacky-looking electric cart that has earned the dubious honor of being named this week’s Awesomely Weird Alibaba Electric Vehicle of the Week!

I’m not sure this is exactly an armored golf cart, so I wouldn’t invite any unnecessary potshots while cruising your hood, but I’m at a loss of how else to describe it.

It’s definitely not a “real” car, as evidenced by its US $6,999 price tag and the 30 km/h (18 mph) top speed. If you ask me though, that speed goes in the ‘advantages’ column. When you drive something that looks this good, you want to be going slow enough to give people a good, long look.

A vehicle like this is designed to send a statement. Unfortunately, I think that statement might be, “I wanted a Jeep but my spouse wanted to remodel the kitchen.”

So if it’s not a real car, then what is it?

Measuring a stubby 306 cm long (an entire half inch over 10 feet), this four-seater mini-SUV is less G-Wagon and more “Oh, gee” wagon. It can supposedly carry up to 370 kg (815 lb) in passengers or cargo, but there’s no telling how much of a dent that puts in the already challenged top speed.

Safety might also be a passing concern. It doesn’t have any seatbelts, but the tires look like they just about extend out past the front and rear, so at least you’ve got some nice shock-absorbent bumpers built into the design.

The advertisement claims a maximum range of up to 80 km (50 miles) per charge, which seems like several more miles than anyone needs from something like this.

There’s no word on battery technology, which means I’m assuming either features older lead acid tech or there’s a frunk full of lemons and a bunch of loose wires running through the firewall.

I’m glad to see that the roof rack is at least equipped with enough LED lights to make an airport runway jealous, just in case I find myself stuck in the wilds of my backyard after dark. And that roof rack even looks pretty heavy-duty, though since the cart is considerably taller than it is wide, tight turns with a heavily-loaded roof rack should probably be avoided.

As much as I love this thing, I don’t think I’ll be whipping out my credit card any time soon.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve bought plenty of bad ideas on Alibaba before. But since my $2,000 electric truck ending up costing me nearly 4x that much by the time it landed in the US, I’m a bit worried what the final price tag on a $6,999 Mini-MegaOverlander would become.

I don’t recommend anyone actually try buying this cute little TinyTrailblazer either, and I’m certainly not vouching for the vendor, who I discovered by chance while scrolling through Alibaba to procrastinate real work. Keep in mind that this is all part of a tongue-in-cheek column I write, diving into the depths of Alibaba’s weird and funny collection of awesome electric vehicles.

But hey, if someone does go that route, it wouldn’t be the first time my advice has been ignored and some awesome photos have landed in inbox several months later. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you if it turns out some Nigerian prince has your last paycheck and you’re up a creek with no MicroMudder to come bail you out!

When your local HOA finally gets its own tactical response unit

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