China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has unveiled stricter listing requirements for new energy vehicles (NEVs), set to take effect from 2026. Vehicles must meet these revised specifications to qualify for inclusion on the official MIIT listing, a prerequisite for receiving favourable tax treatment. How will the new PHEV rules affect the market? From […]
> China has postponed the implementation of its expanded rare earth export controls announced in early October following high-level US-China trade negotiations in South Korea this week. It marks a temporary easing in what had become an escalating front in the tit-for-tat US–China trade confrontation. The announcement follows extensive economic and trade consultations in Kuala Lumpur, […]
> Benchmark has tracked over $50 billion of energy transition funding, throughout 2025 in its Energy Transition Capital database, with the largest share allocated to the battery supply chain. The role of debt, grants, and equity Debt The EV, battery, and battery materials markets have matured rapidly over the past few years. As a result, debt is playing an increasingly […]
> Zangge Mining’s wholly-owned subsidiary has resumed lithium mining in Qinghai province after receiving approval from local authorities, which had ordered operations to be suspended in late July after flagging “non‑compliant” extraction activities in relation to recent amendments to China’s New Mineral Resources Act. The miner – which had targeted 11kt LCE production from its Qinghai […]
> After an almost two-year hiatus, the German government plans to revive subsidies for electric vehicles (EVs) in January 2026, aligning with many other European nations in subsidising EVs. The package, expected to total around EUR3 billion (~$3.3 billion), will be funded through the federal Climate & Transformation Fund and the EU’s Social Climate Fund. How will the support […]
> In the first half of 2025, the global BESS battery market showed clear signs of accelerated growth, with cell shipments in the first six months of 2025 surpassing the total volume of 2023 by over 17%. Explore how the top 10 ESS cell producers has evolved since 2023 in the interactive graphic below. Previously we examined the top BESS […]
> California has led the way in the electrification of the US’ vehicle market with one in four of all new vehicle sales in 2024 being an EV, higher than the country-level penetration rate of 10%. As the most populous state, it commands a large proportion of the total vehicle market (11%) but this is dwarfed […]
> China has announced sweeping export controls on rare earth elements that cover not only domestic supply but any products containing magnets with traces (0.1%) of Chinese‑origin supply, or that utilise Chinese technological expertise. The measures were unveiled just days before a scheduled meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. By leveraging […]
> Luxury electric vehicle developer, Lucid Motors is headquartered in California but is majority funded by the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund, Public Investment Fund (PIF). The company completed construction of its first manufacturing facility, AMP-1, in Arizona, US in December 2020 and opened a second, knock-down kit facility (AMP-2) in Saudi Arabia in September 2023. […]