High Capacity

Chinese EVs are transforming the global auto industry. Tu Le, founder and Managing Director of Sino Auto Insights, joins me on the High Capacity podcast to talk about what's happening with Chinese EVs: technology and features, global expansion, new approaches to manufacturing, hybrids, and robotaxis.00:00 Introduction to Tu Le00:56 Cool Technology in Chinese EVs05:16 Chinese EVs at CES in Las Vegas07:18 Geely's Ambitious Plans for the US Market09:50 Who are the Major Chinese EV Players?17:07 Are EVs like Consumer Electronics?25:16 Manufacturing Changes in the Auto Industry29:05 Overcapacity and Chinese EVs31:43 Overcapacity and Global Implications37:33 Partnering with Chinese EV Makers44:12 The Future of Hybrids and the EV Transition50:18 The Rise of Robotaxis and Autonomous Driving

Links:

• Sino Auto Insights
• SAI Newsletter
• China EVs & More podcast
• At the Wheel podcast

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In this episode, I speak with Georg Stieler, Asia Managing Director and Head of Robotics and Automation at Stieler, a global technology consulting firm. He’s a leading expert on robotics in China with over a decade of experience based in Shanghai.

Key takeaways:

• Know-how for robotics applications is now flowing from China to the West. Previously, Western and Japanese firms brought automation expertise to China. But now this flow of knowledge has flipped, especially EVs and batteries.
• China’s robotics market is also flipping. Made in China 2025 was a huge market opportunity for foreign robotics firms. But now they’re being challenged by Chinese players who are moving into global markets.
• Chinese robotics firms won in newer and simpler segments first like “cobots” (collaborative robots) and mobile robots, then moved up the industry ladder. The pandemic gave Chinese firms an opportunity to gain market share.
• The EV and electronics industries caused a step-change in the pace of production. Chinese manufacturers have accelerated development cycles, driving an acceleration in the global auto industry.
• Humanoid robots are part of China’s push into “physical AI.” China has an edge in robotics supply chains. A crucial factor will be the development of vision-language-action (VLA) models that power the “brains” of robots.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction to Georg Stieler

00:43 Background working on robotics in China

04:52 Changes in China's robotics and industrial automation

09:08 The shift to EVs and industrial robotics

14:49 Which areas of robotics is China making progress in?

17:34 How the pandemic changed China's industrial robotics

21:15 Key players in China's industrial automation industry

27:18 The rise of China's humanoid robots

35:39 VLA models and training data

38:46 China's robotics supply chains: brain vs. body

43:17 Geopolitics and robotics supply chains

45:25 Future trends in Chinese robotics and industrial automation

49:19 The importance of systems integrators

53:57 Learn more about Georg Stieler's work

Follow Georg Stieler on Twitter / X and LinkedIn

Georg Stieler’s recent publications:

• The Robot Report: China experiences physical AI surge — and how the U.S. should respond
• The Robot Report: iREX 2025: From programmed to perceptive
• The Robot Report: CIIF 2024 shows major robotics trends in China

Subscribe to the High Capacity podcast on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Podcasts.

Read the High Capacity newsletter

Follow Kyle Chan on Twitter / X