Robust competition

New models and new players in the industry have brought fierce competition.

Electric vehicles are easier to manufacture than those powered by gasoline, as they do not require sophisticated engines and transmissions, and battery output enables rapid acceleration.

As a result, electric vehicles have an advantage over gasoline models, but they face a problem of how to stand out from the competition.

Nio, a major electric carmaker in China, enjoys a loyal following simply by being customer-friendly.

This may sound simple, but such an approach requires far more than merely putting on a smile when potential buyers visit a dealership.

For example, Nio invites owners of its vehicles to make dumplings at the company's showrooms to celebrate Spring Festival. It also offers them a chance to meet the cast of a smash-hit movie.

During the Spring Festival holiday, Nio sent a rescue vehicle to help a car owner who had a flat tire on an island in Fujian province, where no mechanics were available.

Nio staff members also took care of a vehicle owner's cat during the weeklong Spring Festival holiday, when he flew to visit his parents.

Qin Lihong, Nio's president, said that during the Spring Festival travel rush, the company's 7,563-member service team handled more than 199,000 requests for assistance, ranging from a car wash and valet charging to emergency roadside services.

Jidu Auto CEO Xia Yiping said intelligent driving features are a key selling point for the manufacturer's cars, as they boast years of research and development on intelligent driving from technology giant Baidu.

Smartphone maker Xiaomi is on track to launch its first electric vehicle next year. Lei Jun, the company's CEO, said Xiaomi has advantages in electronics, user experience and network operation, which are important for electric vehicles.

Xiaomi has built an ecosystem incorporating smart devices and smart homes, winning a huge fan base. The company said it will use its internet of things technology for customers to experience this digital ecosystem in its vehicles.

The brand aims to achieve annual sales of 10 million vehicles and be among the top five auto manufacturers worldwide in the next 15 to 20 years.

The sector's rapid development has resulted in a technological breakthrough.

This month, HiNa Battery, a high-tech company affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Physics, unveiled an electric vehicle powered by a sodium-ion battery.

Sodium-ion is an emerging technology that has substantial cost, safety and sustainability advantages over conventional lithium-ion batteries.

Sodium-ion battery packs have an energy density of about 140 watt-hours per kilogram, lower than their lithium-ion counterparts, but the gap is closing as a result of innovations and breakthroughs in battery design and materials science, the company said.

The scarcity and cost of lithium have long been a challenge to the battery industry.

With companies around the world spending years seeking an alternative, sodium-ion battery technology has emerged as one of the most promising candidates.

China is home to the world's largest power battery makers, including CATL and BYD.

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