Read previewAt the start of the year, Elon Musk issued a clear warning about who he thought posed the biggest challenge to Tesla's electric vehicle ambitions: Chinese EV makers.
Kyle Chan, a postdoctoral research associate at Princeton, recently drew attention to how Xiaomi's EVs have been made with machines similar to the "giga press" machines Tesla uses in its die-casting process.
AdvertisementWhen Tesla entered China, it helped Chinese firm LK Group develop the world’s largest casting machines to make Tesla parts.
Later, LK sold similar casting machines to 6 Chinese firms, likely automakers.
However, LK's die-casting expertise was no longer limited to Tesla after 2022, as the company was reported to have struck deals with six other Chinese companies to supply casting machines to them.
Persons:
—, Elon Musk, Tesla, Musk's, Lei Jun, Xiaomi, Kyle Chan, Chan, LK, pWQsy2KC7d — Kyle Chan, Liu Siong, Tesla's, LK's, there's
Organizations:
Service, Business, EV, Xiaomi, Princeton, Group, New York Times, Tesla, LK Group, giga
Locations:
Beijing, China