Chinese micro EV surprises markets with consistent growth

The Chinese-made Wuling Hongguang Mini EV continues to dominate domestic electric vehicle sales, despite the diminutive vehicle being just two years into its release cycle. Industry experts believe the little car’s remarkable staying power is likely because of its incredibly modest price tag. At just $5 000, the Wuling Mini EV costs about as much…

New Chinese drone technology closer to hive-mind flight

A research team from Zhejiang University in China says it has developed technology that would facilitate swarms of drones to operate fully autonomously, without the small unmanned crafts crashing into one another. Inspired by how birds almost instinctively fly through wooded areas without collision, the team believes the breakthrough will allow conservationists and ecologists the…

China looks to build high-speed train service between Johannesburg and Durban

China has contacted South African officials regarding the construction of a high-speed rail network and several other large projects, including 5G infrastructure. Large-scale investment into the country is expected to create thousands of jobs in the next three years, said Chinese ambassadors to South Africa. The ambitious rail project had been discussed between the two…

China’s BYD says goodbye to internal combustion engine

One of China’s largest automotive brands, BYD, has discontinued manufacturing vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICE). The last petrol and diesel-powered motor vehicles had rolled off factory assembly lines in March, announced a recent statement released by the Shenzhen-based firm. Instead, BYD is directing most of its research and development towards greener power units like…

Chinese ‘Flubber’ has real applications despite 1 April launch

Scientists have developed what social media users have dubbed the ‘magnetic turd’ and they hope the medical field will one day employ to retrieve foreign objects from inside the body. The Chinese researchers responsible for the slimy creation say the brownish, slug-shaped substance, immediately compared to the 1997 sci-fi film Flubber, can reportedly make ‘C’…

China helps Kenya to add nuclear to its energy mix

After years of delays and pre-feasibility tests, Kenyan officials have selected two sites for the East African nation’s first nuclear energy production facilities. The project will be run in partnership with China’s National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC). Kenya’s Nuclear Power and Energy Authority (NuPEA), scheduled to break ground at the end of the decade, will add…

Chinese heavyweights team up in EV joint venture

Chinese automotive heavyweight BYD recently committed to running Baidu’s autonomous driving systems in its vehicles, with the partnership expected to boost profitability for both brands. Sources working closely with the companies told South China Morning Post (SCMP) that Baidu’s natively developed autonomous driving platform, Apollo Navigation Pilot (ANP), had been selected by the Warren Buffett-backed…