Apple may be really building a car and secretly developing a power battery in China

Wen/Li Suiyu Whether or not Apple makes a car has become the biggest suspense in the technology world. According to the exclusive information obtained by the First Finance, Apple is secretly developing a car battery with a Chinese power battery manufacturer, confirming that the Apple car project is not only software but also hardware. Apple may be really making a car. One is the global high-tech giant in the US Silicon Valley, and the other is a power battery manufacturer in Fujian, China. Apple and Ningde Times New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. ("Ningde Times", also known as "CATL") are conducting a confidentiality agreement. Project cooperation. According to sources close to this cooperation told CBN, the two are cooperating in the field of power batteries. In the era of Apple and Ningde, the two companies are no strangers to each other. New Energy Technology Co., Ltd. ("ATL") is the world's largest battery supplier of consumer electronics products. The Ningde era was split from the parent company's ATL power battery business and became an independent battery manufacturer in 2011. Ningde era founder Zeng Yiqun, president Huang Shilin and many other startup shareholders were once ATL executives. A month ago, Apple CEO Cooke told US media during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) that Apple was “focusing on automated (driving) systems” because “we think this is a very important core technology. Is almost the mother of all artificial intelligence projects." But he did not talk about Apple's automotive projects at the product level. Apple did not publish any news about its cooperation with Ningde, and Ningde refused to respond to this. Wu Hui, director of the new energy director of CCID Consulting, interviewed by the First Financial Reporter, said that if Apple and Ningde era cooperation in the power battery, does not rule out the possibility of Apple continue to build cars, one of the core components of self-driving electric cars is the power battery In recent years, the Ningde era witnessed a rapid development in the field of vehicle batteries. Panasonic and BYD have become the top three in global automotive battery sales. According to data from the China Chemical and Physical Power Industry Association, the BYD and Ningde Times ranked first and second in terms of shipments of power batteries in China in 2016, which were 7.4 GWh and 6.7 GWh respectively. These two companies had annual sales revenue of lithium-ion batteries last year. Both exceeded 10 billion yuan, of which BYD was 15.26 billion yuan, while the Ningde era was 14 billion yuan. In the Ningde era, which was originally ranked after Panasonic and BYD, this year it has increased its firepower and challenged BYD's dominance in the domestic power battery field. According to statistics from real lithium research institutes on the battery installed capacity of various types of electric vehicles in China, in the first half of 2017, the installed capacity of electric vehicles in the Ningde era was 1312.4 MWh, and the market share of domestic power batteries reached 20.98%, making BYD the first name. During the same period, BYD's electric vehicle battery capacity was 1084.9 MWh, and its market share was 17.35%. Different from BYD's self-sufficient vertical self-sufficient battery model, the Ningde era, which has not yet been involved in new energy vehicle manufacturing, is a supplier of power batteries to a number of car companies. In addition to close cooperation with BMW, it is also SAIC, BAIC and Changan. Geely, Great Wall, Yutong, Golden Dragon, GAC and many other domestic mainstream car companies supply power batteries. Not long ago, they also became battery suppliers for Beijing modern plug-in hybrid electric vehicle Sonata. With China's efforts to encourage the development of new energy vehicles, the Ningde era has continued to expand in the field of power batteries, and has recently entered the market guidance period, want to shake the capital market to accelerate the pace in the field of power batteries. Tesla, which is seen as an example for Internet companies, uses Panasonic power batteries. Apple and the Ningde era in hand cooperation, triggering industry speculation that Apple will continue to build cars. In recent years, Apple's road to building a car has been ups and downs. In 2013, Apple announced its advancement into the automotive industry, launched the iOS in the Car program, and completed the CarPlay trademark application in November 2013. In early 2014, Apple officially changed the name of iOS in the Car to the CarPlay system. At that time, Apple's partner Mercedes Benz displayed the C-Class model equipped with the CarPlay system at the Geneva Motor Show. In addition, many car manufacturers such as Ferrari, BMW, General Motors, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, and Toyota exhibited integrated interfaces for various models and CarPlay. In 2015, Apple recruited a large number of people, including digging high salaries from traditional car companies, setting up its own car R&D team, and calling its own car construction project the "Titan (Titan) Plan." In June 2016, Apple stated at the WWDC Developer Conference that the company’s smart car system, CarPlay, will be updated with iOS 10 and become the best partner for the new Apple Map and Siri. While the industry is eagerly awaiting Apple's use of subversive new energy vehicle products, Apple announced in October 2016 that it would abandon its automakers, turning to cooperation with traditional auto companies, and focusing on the development of unmanned technology systems. However, Cook's recent remarks triggered widespread speculation from Wall Street to Silicon Valley that Apple will eventually make cars.