Fueled by new quality productive forces, Changzhou, Jiangsu province, is barreling down the fast lane in the new energy sector, helping the city achieve pole position in terms of economic growth.

In 2023, the GDP of Changzhou reached 1.01 trillion yuan ($139.2 billion), up 6.8 percent year-on-year, the local government said.

Changzhou, long known as a major new energy vehicle hub, became the fifth city in Jiangsu to boast a trillion yuan-plus GDP.

Located in the Yangtze River Delta region, the city has evolved into a thriving cluster of top-notch battery and NEV makers, infusing robust momentum into its economic growth.

In an industrial park in Changzhou, a batch of electric motorcycles undergo road tests. Its e-motorcycles, which have won the prestigious Red Dot Award: Design Concept 2024, were developed and manufactured by Hornwin Inc, a local hightech firm.

The company said the top speed of its e-motos is 200 kilometers per hour, achieving a record-breaking 0-100 km/h in just 2.8 seconds.

"We have applied augmented reality-enabled remote collaboration, 5G cloud-based automated guided vehicles, 5G-enabled artificial intelligence vision, digital twinning, data collection and energy management.

"The deployment of these applications helps us achieve high automation, refined production and digitization. Measurable achievements include a 50 percent increase in production efficiency, a 30 percent reduction in operating costs, a 30 percent shorter product delivery cycle and an 80 percent decrease in defective production rates," said the company.

Currently, Hornwin's e-motos are sold to more than 100 countries and regions. In 2023, the company sold $1 billion worth of e-motos to Africa.

On May 31, Beijing-based NEV maker Li Auto rolled out its 20,000th L6 model in Changzhou.

The company currently owns two major production bases nationwide, with the other being in Beijing.

Chen Jinhu, Party chief of Changzhou, said, "The new energy industry is a winning formula for Changzhou's development."

In the future, Changzhou will make every effort to build a new energy industry base, representing Jiangsu's international competitiveness and high-quality development level, Chen said.