Accord (Honda)

On May 10, German police confronted environmental activists at Gigafactory Berlin where protesters angry about Tesla’s plans for a major expansion of the complex tried to break into the plant, according to a statement from local police.

“Multiple unauthorized people are trying to enter the grounds of the Tesla factory,” Brandenburg police said via X Friday. “We are in the process of preventing this.”

“The situation is dynamic,” a Brandenburg police spokesperson said, adding that there had been multiple roadblocks in the area due to the demonstrations.

Since Monday, May 6, a camp had been set up near the Tesla grounds, with participation increasing since Wednesday and peaking on a German bank holiday Thursday, police said.

The protest gatherings were planned for Friday, one stationary near the Tesla factory grounds and another involving a procession from the camp, according to the Brandenburg police.

However, disruptions ensued, including attempts to breach the Tesla premises and sit-in blockades on roads, leading to roadblocks.

Protesters also occupied a nearby airfield in the Neuhardenberg municipality, lighting pyrotechnics and blocking access roads, according to the police.

Police intervened, leading to multiple arrests and instances of force, after bringing in support from neighboring states and national forces.

Tesla had instructed its workers to stay home rather than come into the factory on Friday due to the planned protests in a “one-day planned production shutdown.”

(multiple sources on May 10, 2024)

On May 10, Zeekr Intelligent Technology Holding Limited shares opened nearly 24% above their IPO price in a strong start for the EV maker, the first major U.S. market debut by a China-based company since 2021.

Zeekr's stock opened at USD 26.00, compared with its IPO price of USD 21.00, and was at USD 28.26 by close of the trading day.

The company was seeking to raise USD 441 million through the sale of 21 million American depositary shares (ADSs).

Zeekr is valued at a fully diluted valuation of USD 6.8 billion, or about half the USD 13 billion evaluation it reached after a funding round in 2023.

"Zeekr is a global brand, and choosing to list in New York further demonstrates its global capabilities," said CEO Conghui An, who is also the president of Zeekr's parent company, Geely Holding Group.

Its first day of trading comes ironically as U.S. President Joe Biden's administration plans on boosting tariffs on Chinese vehicle imports to the U.S.

Zeekr was formed in 2021 and has since delivered nearly 200,000 cars mostly in China, according to its IPO filing.

Zeekr’s CEO said Geely aspires to become the Volkswagen Group of this era of new energy vehicles, and Zeekr's mission is to address the luxury EV market segment.

(Zeekr release and multiple sources on May 10, 2024)

On May 8, NIO and GAC Group signed a strategic cooperation agreement on charging and battery swapping in Guangzhou, Guangdong.

According to the agreement, the two parties will promote the establishment of a unified system for battery standards, develop battery-swappable passenger vehicles and battery swapping stations compatible with both parties’ battery swapping systems, facilitate the launch of battery-swappable models with a battery pack built to unified standards both parties endorse, and advance the application of battery swapping solutions serving models from both parties.

Furthermore, the two parties will promote the interconnection between battery swapping operation networks and suppliers, boost the establishment of a unified system for battery swapping operation and management, build a larger-scale standard and unified energy infrastructure network, create a lifecycle management system for power batteries, and establish an efficient battery asset management platform and operations mechanism.

For cooperation on charging platforms, the two parties will leverage their respective charging facilities to achieve interoperability of dynamic data from the platforms. By the end of May, their charging facilities will be interconnected, enabling users to enjoy a range of charging services via charging maps in the corresponding APPs, WeChat Mini Programs, and in-vehicle systems.

From a NIO press release