Autumn 2024 EV & Autonomous Driving

On the Ground

Companies Visited

EV Manufacturer

Xiaomi

Beijing factory tour and SU7 test drives; CEO Lei Jun personally welcomed the group via WeChat at 7am on the morning of the visit.

Autonomous Driving

UISEE

CEO-led test ride experience in a steering-wheel-free fully autonomous bus operating on a live urban route in Beijing.

Intelligent Transportation

VanJee

Founded 1994; technology briefing covering V2X connectivity, LiDAR systems, and automotive electronics for smart infrastructure applications.

Battery

Enpower Greentech

Semi-solid-state and solid-state battery developer with manufacturing operations across China, the United States, and Japan.

AI Software

SenseTime

Interactive AI demonstrations covering medical diagnostics, chess, conversational AI, and AI-generated photography applications.

Automotive Computing

ECARX

Co-founded by Eric Li; briefing on in-car infotainment systems, intelligent cockpit platforms, and proprietary automotive-grade chip development.

EV Manufacturer

Zeekr

Group attended the Zeekr Mix global launch event in Hangzhou; first international investors inside the vehicle; CFO briefing on the 52nd floor.

EV / Skateboard Platform

U Power

CEO Paul Li hosted; discussion of skateboard chassis innovation as an enabling platform for rapid EV brand development across multiple vehicle segments.

Autonomous Driving

ZDRIVE.AI

L2 ADAS and L4 autonomy developer; CEO previously held senior roles at Tesla and XPeng; roadmap discussion covering commercialization milestones.

EV Charging

Zhida

Smart home EV charging leader; 70+ automotive brand partnerships; discussion of global expansion strategy and software platform differentiation.

Analysis

Key Takeaways

CEO-level access is genuine and unusually direct

From a personal early-morning WeChat welcome to a CFO briefing with panoramic views of Hangzhou, this cohort accessed executive relationships that outside investors rarely obtain through conventional channels.

The AV commercialization gap is narrowing faster than consensus assumes

The UISEE autonomous bus experience and multiple developer briefings confirmed that China's AV sector is advancing toward commercial deployment at a pace that most Western analysts are still underweighting in their models.

The Zeekr Mix is a case study in design divergence

Designed entirely around Chinese consumer lifestyle needs, the Zeekr Mix launch exemplifies how China's EV design philosophy has developed on a separate trajectory from Western automotive conventions — with distinct implications for competitive dynamics.

What Participants Said

In their words

"Excellent immersion into EV/AV industry — zero hassle logistics, comfortable hotels, great food."

Participant

"Sneak peek into the future of mobility — unlike anything else available to outside investors."

Participant

Original Reporting from This Trip

Full Substack writeup — Autumn 2024 EV & Autonomous Driving

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Trip Details

Autumn 2024 EV & Autonomous Driving

Dates October 2024

Cities Beijing · Shanghai · Hangzhou

Duration ~5 days

Led by Lei Xing · Freya Zhang

Status Completed

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Autumn 2024 EV &Autonomous Driving

Companies Visited

Key Takeaways

In their words

See China's tech ecosystem firsthand

Autumn 2024 EV &
Autonomous Driving