Phate Zhang

A CATL executive's words imply that initial sodium-ion batteries used in production vehicles may not abandon the use of lithium altogether, but rather a mix of the two.

People who originally drove BMWs won't go back to buying BMWs after buying Nio vehicles. That is the trend, Li said, adding that Nio is on the right side of the trend.

"We can't let the people who are learning from us run faster than us," William Li said.

The key to Xpeng regaining relevance is winning back demand, and that could take several quarters, creating significant uncertainty heading into 2023.

In addition to BYD, several other Chinese automakers, including Chery and Nio, are reportedly planning to order vehicle carriers.

Nio today put 10 supercharging stations into operation in Jilin, bringing its network of supercharging stations in the northeastern Chinese province to 35.

Xpeng's battery R&D team is currently around 100 people, and the company already has a lot of communication with upstream raw material suppliers, according to local media.

Nio has 25 battery swap stations in Hubei province, connecting 16 cities and covering multiple highways.

For users currently using Android-powered phones, they may not have to switch phones in a year, Li said, hinting that Nio's phone could be released within a year.

Deliveries of the Li L9 Max are expected to be delayed by one week and the Li L8 Pro by 2-3 weeks.