Volkswagen exploring another EV partnership in China, this time for Jetta
Volkswagen looks to be forming a new EV partnership in China, separate from its collaboration with XPeng Motors. According to a new report, Volkswagen is negotiating with Hangzhou-based EV startup Leapmotor to outsource its technology for its Jetta brand.
The media report from Cailian claims Volkswagen’s Jetta brand is holding talks with Leapmotor to use its technology with a focus on “economical electric cars,” citing sources.
A person familiar with the matter told reporters that FAW (Volkswagen’s JV partner) has issued an internal document saying, “After Xaiopeng, Volkswagen’s Jetta brand is negotiating cooperation with Leapmotor.”
However, if a deal is reached, it’s expected to differ from the collaboration with XPeng Motors (Xaipeng).
VW will utilize XPeng’s Edward platform, used in the G9 and P7 models, to launch two new electric models. The automaker invested $700 million for a nearly 5% stake in the Chinese EV maker.
Audi and Chinese state-owned manufacturer SAIC also confirmed a partnership a week before to speed up EV development in the region.
Volkswagen negotiating another EV partnership in China
Volkswagen’s new EV partnership is expected to be similar to the Audi-SAIC collaboration rather than the XPeng deal. According to the report, “This time FAW-Volkswagen is very likely to ‘buy out’ a certain generation of zero running platform technology.”
Jetta was once a popular Volkswagen brand, but the automaker broke it off in 2019, classifying it as a sub-brand.
Since then, Jetta has struggled to gain traction as the market moves to EVs. According to the report, Jetta’s sales fell by 13.48% to 146,900 units last year.
Industry insiders said the next three years will be critical for automotive intelligence development. The report notes German cars have the advantage in hardware but are lacking in the software department.
In the new EV era, customers are gravitating toward software-defined intelligent vehicles rather than basing their purchases strictly on looks. The industry insiders claimed:
If the cooperation with Leapmotor comes true, Volkswagen will fully rely on the technical strength of Chinese car companies to make up for its shortcomings in the field of intelligent driving.
They continued, “Volkswagen urgently needs the new energy vehicle technology of Chinese car companies to reverse disadvantages of the market.”
Several Jetta and Leapmotor models, such as the VS5 and VS7, are in the same price range, making the collaboration more accessible.
Leapmotor revealed a new EV platform this week as CEO Zhu Jiangming said the company was nearing deals with two foreign automakers to license its technology.
Electrek’s Take
Volkswagen has lost ground in China, a market it once dominated. The German automaker was surpassed by China’s largest EV maker BYD in passenger car sales in the first three months of the year, extending its lead through July.
As the report notes, Volkswagen is not only lagging behind rivals like BYD and Tesla, but up-and-coming EV makers like NIO, XPeng, and Li Auto are also gaining market share, in many cases, in the same segments as VW.
If the deal with Leapmotor goes through, Volkswagen will rely heavily on Chinese tech to carry sales in its most important market.
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JackRabbit, the maker of pint-sized electric microbikes, is back with a new product designed to quickly recharge their batteries from pure, uncut photons mainlined into an e-bike directly from the sun. In true independent charging form, the Solar Charging Kit from JackRabbit keeps riders rolling even when there’s not a convenient AC outlet in sight.
Unveiled this week, the Solar Charging Kit consists of a single folding solar panel and a tiny voltage converter that is configured to output 42.0V, which is the exact voltage required by JackRabbit’s little e-bike batteries. There’s also an added USB-A and a USB-C charging port for powering other devices in addition to charging JackRabbit batteries.
“This Solar Charging Kit plugs directly into your bike,” explained the company, “letting you recharge without needing an outlet, but with a speed comparable to the charger that comes with the OG/OG2 (42V, 2A).”
That would mean the panel outputs around 80W of solar power, which the company says can recharge its batteries in just three hours. That fairly quick recharging speed is helped by the fact that JackRabbit’s batteries are a mere 151 Wh, or around a third of the size of most e-bike batteries.
If that sounds small, then you’re right – it is. But JackRabbit is all about going micro, offering barely 25 lb rideables that are easy to store and bring on adventures, even when they aren’t actually being ridden.
With small batteries that fit under the 160Wh limit for many airlines in the US, the batteries can be quickly charged and taken to the widest number of locations. And for riders that want to go further than a single 10-mile (16-km) battery will allow, extra batteries are small enough to fit a pants pocket. The company also offers much larger Rangebuster batteries, though they won’t pass by TSA and make it onto an airplane in your personal item.
It sounds like the Solar Chargking Kit should be able to charge up JackRabbit’s large RangeBuster batteries, though likely in more than three hours.
The $349 Solar Charging Kit is a bit pricier than building something similar yourself, but it’s also safer and more convenient than hacking together your own battery charger since it’s designed to work with JackRabbit’s batteries right out of the box.
Technically it’s only inteded for JackRabbit’s micro e-bikes (themselves technically seated scooters, even if they look and feel more like a typical bike), but it’d probably work for just about any 36V e-bike that requires 42.0V to charge.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen solar charging kits for electric bikes, and it’s a trend that is certainly appreciated by outdoors and camping enthusiasts, festival goers, or anyone who finds themself and their bike spending extended periods in the great, sunny outdoors.
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Solar generated 11% of EU electricity in 2024, overtaking coal which fell below 10% for the first time, according to the European Electricity Review published today by think tank Ember.
EU gas generation declined for the fifth year in a row, and total fossil generation fell to a historic low.
“Fossil fuels are losing their grip on EU energy,” said Dr Chris Rosslowe, senior analyst and lead author of the report. “At the start of the European Green Deal in 2019, few thought the EU’s energy transition could be where it is today; wind and solar are pushing coal to the margins and forcing gas into structural decline.”
The European Electricity Review published today by global energy think tank Ember provides the first comprehensive overview of the EU power system in 2024. It analyzes full-year electricity generation and demand data for 2024 in all EU-27 countries to understand the region’s progress in transitioning from fossil fuels to clean electricity.
Wind and solar continue their meteoric rise in the EU
The EU power sector is undergoing a deep transformation spurred on by the European Green Deal. Solar generation (11%) overtook coal (10%) for the first time in 2024, as wind (17%) generated more electricity than gas (16%) for the second year in a row.
Strong solar growth, combined with a recovery of hydropower, pushed the share of renewables to nearly half of EU power generation (47%). Fossil fuels generated 29% of the EU’s electricity in 2024. In 2019, before the Green Deal, fossil fuels provided 39% of EU electricity, while renewables provided 34%.
Solar is growing in every EU country and more than half now have either no coal power or a share below 5% in their power mix. Coal has fallen from being the EU’s third-largest power source in 2019 to the sixth-largest in 2024, bringing the end into sight for the dirtiest fossil fuel. EU gas generation also declined for the fifth year in a row (-6%) despite a very small rebound in power demand (+1%).
The EU is reaping the benefits of reduced fossil fuel dependency
The surge in wind and solar generation has reduced the EU’s reliance on imported fossil fuels and its exposure to volatile prices since the energy crisis. Ember’s analysis found that without new wind and solar capacity added over the last five years, the EU would have imported an additional 92 billion cubic meters of fossil gas and 55 million tonnes of coal, costing €59 billion.
“While the EU’s electricity transition has moved faster than anyone expected in the last five years, further progress cannot be taken for granted,” continued Rosslowe. “Delivery needs to be accelerated particularly in the wind sector, which has faced unique challenges and a widening delivery gap. Between now and 2030, annual wind additions need to more than double compared to 2024 levels. However, the achievements of the past five years should instil confidence that, with continued drive and commitment, challenges can be overcome and a more secure energy future be achieved.”
Walburga Hemetsberger, CEO of SolarPower Europe said: “This milestone is about more than just climate action; it is a cornerstone of European energy security and industrial competitiveness. Renewables are steadily pushing fossil fuels to the margins, with solar leading the way. We now need more flexibility to kick-in, making sure the energy system is adapting to new realities: more storage and more smart electrification in heating, transport and industries.”
Read more: China installed a record capacity of solar and wind in 2024 – in numbers
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