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Microvast Holdings, Inc. (MVST) FY 2022 MD&A

Verbatim Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis from Microvast Holdings, Inc.'s 10-K for fiscal year 2022. Filing date: 2023-03-16. Report date: 2022-12-31. Accession: 0001760689-23-000014.

This page reproduces the company's own Item 7 MD&A text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.

Extracted from Item 7 to the first post-MD&A boundary after HTML sanitization. Confidence: high.

Company profile: MVST · All MD&A years: index · Previous year: FY 2021 · Next year: FY 2023

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion and analysis provides information that our management believes is relevant to an assessment and understanding of our consolidated results of operations and financial condition. The discussion should be read together with the historical consolidated financial statements and related notes that are included elsewhere in this Annual Report. This discussion may contain forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties.

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The Business

Microvast Holdings, Inc. is an advanced battery technology company headquartered near Houston, Texas, and is publicly traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange (the “NASDAQ”). We design, develop and manufacture battery components and systems primarily for electric commercial vehicles and utility-scale energy storage systems (“ESS”).

When we founded Microvast in 2006, our guiding principle, which remains at the heart of everything we do today, was to adopt an innovative and creative approach to the design of lithium-ion batteries without relying on past technologies. We call this true innovation. Our design approach began without preconceptions on how to make a lithium-ion battery, which contrasts to many other battery companies which took legacy battery technologies used in consumer electronics and adopted those for use in new market opportunities, such as electric vehicles, which we believe is product development, not innovation. To understand this difference, is to understand what we have set out to achieve.

Our mission is to use our innovative approach to create the battery technologies and solutions to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles and the integration of renewable energy sources in order to power the transition to a sustainable economy. In particular, we seek to lead the charge in establishing and securing U.S. domestic battery production, which will strengthen the U.S. battery manufacturing base and reduce reliance on foreign battery manufacturing, in what is becoming a sector with significant strategic importance. We believe continuous investment in our technology and operations will deliver long-term targeted revenue and income growth.

We have developed proprietary technologies covering the entire battery system through our vertically integrated approach: from basic cell materials like the cathode, anode, electrolyte and separator, to cooling systems and software controls for the battery pack. Since our inception, we have primarily focused on developing new battery solutions for the transportation industry which requires batteries that are ultra-fast charging, high energy density, long lasting and safe.

In the future, in addition to expanding our production of battery systems and battery components, we expect to increase our focus on producing ESS solutions to support the shift to electrification, with the goal of becoming a leading global ESS solution provider to the energy market. This is a necessity because electric vehicles can only be considered as a green technology if the energy used to power them is also green. Addressing this symbiotic relationship is at the heart of our research activities and we expect it will shape our strategies for the foreseeable future.

Our most recent innovation is our high-energy nickel manganese cobalt (“NMC”) 53.5 ampere-hour battery cell (the “53.5Ah”), whose performance characteristics make it an attractive solution for commercial vehicle and ESS applications. To bring this product to market we have made significant investments in capacity expansions in Huzhou, China and Clarksville, Tennessee. Both facilities are using the same fully-automated production equipment for the 53.5Ah cell which will give us considerable operating efficiencies. We expect the 53.5Ah cell to be our dominant revenue driver for this next phase of our growth.

Since 2009, when we launched our first ultra-fast battery system, we have sold and delivered approximately 3,347.9 megawatt hours (“MWh”) of battery systems. Our revenue for the year ended December 31, 2022, increased $52.5 million to $204.5 million, a 35% increase compared to the year ended December 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2022, we had an order backlog of approximately $410.5 million for our battery systems (the equivalent of approximately 1,599.7 MWh), nearly 90% of which is attributable to the U.S. and Europe. We expect to fulfill a majority of our backlog within 2023 and 2024.

Recent Developments

On October 3,2022, we launched our new energy division (“Microvast Energy”). The new division will design, develop and manufacture ESS containers that are co-located with solar solutions or operate as stand-alone energy assets using our battery technology. The engineering, sales, after-sales and marketing and customer care departments for Microvast Energy are headquartered in northern Colorado.

Further, in October 2022, we were notified by the DOE that we had been selected, in collaboration with General Motors, to receive $200 million in grant funding as part of the DOE's Battery Materials Processing and Battery Manufacturing initiative pursuant to the recently enacted infrastructure law, subject to negotiation of specific terms. Once finalized, the grant funding will remain subject to certain conditions precedent and other terms and conditions to be agreed

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between us and the DOE. The grant funding is expected to support the construction of a new polyaramid separator manufacturing facility in the U.S.

Completion of the Business Combination

On July 23, 2021, Microvast Holdings, Inc. (formerly known as Tuscan Holdings Corp.) consummated the previously announced acquisition of Microvast, Inc., a Delaware corporation, pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger dated February 1, 2021, between Tuscan, Microvast and TSCN Merger Sub Inc., a Delaware corporation, pursuant to which Merger Sub merged with and into Microvast, with Microvast surviving the merger.

Subsequent Events

See Note 29 to the audited consolidated financial statements of this Annual Report.

Key Factors Affecting Our Performance

We believe that our future success will be dependent on several factors, including those discussed below. While these areas represent opportunities for us, they also represent challenges and risks that we must successfully address in order to continue the growth of our business and improve our results of operations.

Technology and Product Innovation

Our financial performance is driven by development and sales of new products with innovative technology. Our ability to develop innovative technology has been and will continue to be dependent on our dedicated research team. As part of our efforts to develop innovative technology, in October 2021, we expanded our R&D footprint in Orlando by purchasing a 75,000 square foot facility dedicated to R&D. We plan to continue expanding our R&D presence in the U.S. We also plan to continue leveraging our knowledge base in our overseas locations, including China and to continue expanding our R&D efforts on a global basis. We expect our results of operations will continue to be impacted by our ability to develop new products with improved performance and reduced ownership cost, as well as the cost of our R&D efforts.

Market Demand

Our revenue and profitability depend substantially on the demand for battery systems and battery components, which is driven by the growth of the commercial and passenger electric vehicle and energy storage markets. Many factors contribute to the development of the electric vehicle and battery energy storage sector, including product innovation, general economic and political conditions, environmental concerns, energy demand, government support and economic incentives(e.g., the IRA in the U.S. and the E.U. Green Deal, E.U. Fit for 55). While governmental economic incentives and mandates can drive market demand for the markets in which we operate and, as a result, battery systems and components, governmental economic incentives can always be gradually reduced or eliminated. Any reduction or elimination of governmental economic incentives may result in reduced demand for our products and adversely affect our financial performance.

Manufacturing Capacity

Our growth depends on being able to meet anticipated demand for our products. In order to do this, we will need to increase our manufacturing capacity. As of December 31, 2022, we had a backlog of approximately $410.5 million for our battery systems, equivalent to approximately 1,599.7 MWh. So far we have used $238.8 million of the proceeds from the Business Combination to expand our manufacturing facilities in order to increase our manufacturing output, enabling us to address our backlog and to capture growing market opportunities, and we plan to spend in the range of $180 million to $210 million during 2023 on continued expansions of our facilities in Huzhou, China and Clarksville, Tennessee.

Future capacity expansions, which are already being planned, will require significant capital expenditures and will require a corresponding expansion of our supporting infrastructure, further development of our sales and marketing team, an expansion of our customer base and strengthened quality control. This capacity expansion will be carried out in a measured manner based on our ongoing assessment of medium- and long-term demand for our solutions.

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Sales Geographic Mix

After initially being focused on the Asia & Pacific regions, we have expanded and continue to expand our presence and product promotion to Europe and the U.S. to capitalize on the rapidly growing electric vehicle and battery energy storage markets in those geographies. As we continue to expand our geographic focus to Europe and the U.S., we believe sales of our products in Europe and the U.S. will have the potential to generate higher gross margins because average sales prices for customers in the U.S. and Europe are typically significantly higher than the average sales prices in China. It has been our experience that buyers in Europe and the U.S. are more motivated by the technologies and quality of our products than are buyers in China, making them less sensitive to the price of our products than are similarly situated buyers in China where we are also faced with intense competition from local Chinese battery manufacturers, some of which have state support. Therefore, the geographic sources of our revenue will have an impact on our revenue and gross margins.

Manufacturing Costs

Our profitability may also be affected by our ability to effectively manage our manufacturing costs. Our manufacturing costs are affected by fluctuations in the price of raw materials. If raw material prices increase, we will have to offset these higher costs either through price increases to our customers or through productivity improvements. Our ability to control our raw materials costs is also dependent on our ability to negotiate with our suppliers for a better price and our ability to source raw materials from reliable suppliers in a cost-efficient manner. In addition, we expect that an increase in our sales volume will enable us to lower our manufacturing costs through economies of scale.

Regulatory Landscape

We operate in an industry that is subject to many established environmental regulations, which have generally become more stringent over time, particularly with respect to hazardous waste generation and disposal and pollution control. These regulations affect the cost of our products and our gross margins. We are also affected by regulations in our target markets, such as economic incentives to purchasers of electric vehicles, tax credits for electric vehicle manufacturers or developers of renewable energy projects, and economic penalties that may apply to a car manufacturer based on its fleet-wide emissions or more generally legislation aimed at reducing GHGs. Each of these regulations may expand the market size for both electric vehicles and energy storage , which would, in turn, benefit us. We have operations and sales in China, the Asia & Pacific region, Europe and the U.S. and, as a result, changes in trade restrictions and tariffs could impact our ability to meet projected sales or margins.

COVID-19

To date, COVID-19 has had an adverse impact on our sales and operations. During 2022, we continued to face unanticipated challenges caused by the continued impact of the global pandemic and emerging variants of the virus, in particular due to continued lockdowns and other restrictive measures in China. These lockdowns did not have a direct impact on our manufacturing facility in Huzhou, China; however, they have impacted the operations of certain of our third-party suppliers and our ability to book transportation of goods. In addition, the lockdowns and other restrictive measures have significantly disrupted supply chains across many industries around the globe. These and future lockdown measures may impact our ability to produce and/or timely deliver goods and services to our clients globally and further disruptions to supply chains in the automotive or energy industry may continue to reduce and/or delay our customers' demand for our products and services. In addition, lengthy mandatory quarantine periods continue to restrict our ability to have non-China based employees and other invitees visit our facilities in China.

Basis of Presentation

We currently conduct our business through one operating segment. Our historical results are reported in accordance with U.S. GAAP and in U.S. dollars.

Components of Results of Operations

Revenue

We derive revenue from the sales of our electric battery products, including LpTO, LpCO, MpCO, HpCO and HnCo battery power systems. While we have historically marketed and sold our products primarily in China and the wider

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Asia-Pacific region, we are also expanding our sales presence internationally. The following table sets forth a breakdown of our revenue by the major geographic regions in which our customers are located for the periods indicated:

Year ended December 31,
20212022
(In thousands)(In thousands)
Revenue%Revenue%
China93,32661%132,46965%
Other Asia & Pacific countries38,19025%52,56625%
Asia & Pacific Region$131,51686%$185,03590%
Europe19,54213%15,8098%
U.S.9181%3,6512%
Total$151,976100%$204,495100%

We have historically derived a portion of our revenue in a given reporting period from a limited number of key customers, which have varied from period to period. For the year ended December 31, 2022, one customer accounted for 12% of our net revenues. In 2021, one customer accounted for 11% of our net revenues.

Cost of Revenues and Gross Profit

Cost of revenues includes direct and indirect materials, manufacturing overhead (including depreciation, freight and logistics), warranty reserves and expenses, provision for obsolete inventories, and labor costs and related personnel expenses, including stock-based compensation and other related expenses that are directly attributable to the manufacturing of products.

Gross profit is equal to revenue less cost of revenues. Gross profit margin is equal to gross profit divided by revenue.

Operating Expenses

Operating expenses consist of selling and marketing, general and administrative and R&D expenses.

Selling and marketing expenses. Selling and marketing expenses consist primarily of personnel-related costs associated with our sales and marketing functions, including salaries and stock-based compensation, and other expenses related to advertising and promotions of our products. We intend to hire additional sales personnel, initiate additional marketing programs and build additional relationships with our customers. Accordingly, we expect that our selling and marketing expenses will continue to increase in absolute dollars in the long term as we expand our business.

General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses consist primarily of personnel-related expenses associated with our executive, including stock-based compensation, legal, finance, human resource and IT functions, as well as fees for professional services, depreciation and amortization and insurance expenses. We expect to incur additional costs as we hire personnel and enhance our infrastructure to support the anticipated growth of our business.

R&D expenses. R&D expenses consist primarily of personnel-related expenses, including stock-based compensation, raw material expenses relating to materials used for experiments, utility expenses and depreciation expenses attributable to R&D activities. Over time, we expect our R&D expense to increase in absolute dollars as we continue to make significant investments in developing new products, applications, functionality and other offerings.

Subsidy Income

Government subsidies represent government grants received from local government authorities. The amounts of and conditions attached to each subsidy were determined at the sole discretion of the relevant governmental authorities. Our subsidy income is non-recurring in nature.

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Other Income and Expenses

Other income and expenses consist primarily of the interest expense associated with our debt financing arrangements, interest income earned on our cash balances, gains and losses from foreign exchange conversion, and gains and losses on disposal of assets.

Income Tax Expense

We are subject to income taxes in the U.S. and the foreign jurisdictions in which we do business, namely China, Germany and the U.K. These foreign jurisdictions have statutory tax rates different from those in the U.S. Accordingly, our effective tax rates will vary depending on the relative proportion of foreign to U.S. income, the absorption of foreign tax credits, changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities and changes in tax laws. We regularly assess the likelihood of adverse outcomes resulting from the examination of our tax returns by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and other tax authorities to determine the adequacy of our income tax reserves and expense. Should actual events or results differ from our current expectations, charges or credits to our income tax expense may become necessary. Any such adjustments could have a significant impact on our results of operations.

Income tax in China is generally calculated at 25% of the estimated assessable profit of our subsidiaries in China, except that two of our subsidiaries in China are qualified as “High and New Tech Enterprises” and thus enjoy a preferential income tax rate of 15%. The federal corporate income tax rate of 21% is applied for our U.S. entity. Our income tax in the U.K. is calculated at an average tax rate of 19% of the estimated assessable profit of our subsidiary in the U.K. The German enterprise income tax, which is a combination of corporate income tax and trade tax, is calculated at 27.9% of the estimated assessable profit of our subsidiary in Germany.

Results of Operations

This section of this Form 10-K generally discusses 2021 and 2022 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2021 and 2022. Discussions of 2020 items and year-to-year comparisons between 2020 and 2021 are not included in this

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Form 10-K, and can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in the Form 10-K filed on March 29, 2022.

Comparison of the Year Ended December 31, 2021 to the Year Ended December 31, 2022

The following table sets forth our historical operating results for the periods indicated:

Amounts in thousandsDecember 31,
20212022$ Change% Change
Revenues151,976204,49552,51934.6%
Cost of revenues(194,719)(195,422)(703)0.4%
Gross (loss) profit(42,743)9,07351,816121.2%
(28.1)%4.4%
Operating expenses:
General and administrative expenses(101,632)(104,572)(2,940)2.9%
Research and development expenses(34,385)(43,508)(9,123)26.5%
Selling and marketing expenses(21,431)(22,611)(1,180)5.5%
Total operating expenses(157,448)(170,691)(13,243)8.4%
Subsidy income6,1271,672(4,455)(72.7)%
Operating loss(194,064)(159,946)34,118(17.6)%
Other income and expenses:
Interest income4463,1792,733612.8%
Interest expense(5,411)(3,323)2,088(38.6)%
Other (expense) income, net(62)9441,006(1622.6)%
Loss on changes in fair value of convertible notes(9,861)9,861(100.0)%
Change in fair value of warrant liability2,469979(1,490)(60.3)%
Loss before income tax(206,483)(158,167)48,316(23.4)%
Income tax expense(33)(33)100.0%
Net loss(206,483)(158,200)48,283(23.4)%

Revenue

Our revenue increased from approximately $152.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 to approximately $204.5 million for 2022 primarily driven by an increase in sales volume from approximately 489.2 MWh for year ended December 31, 2021 to approximately 694.2 MWh for the same period in 2022, which is due to the increase in the sales of battery cell products to new and existing customers in the Asia & Pacific region and the U.S.

Cost of Revenue and Gross Profit

Our cost of sales for the year ended December 31, 2022 remained stable compared to the same period in 2021.

Our gross profit margin increased from negative 28.1% for the year ended December 31, 2021 to 4.4% for the same period in 2022. The increase in gross margin was primarily due to (i) better economies of scale resulting from increasing sales volume and (ii) $46.5 million of additional warranty cost for a legacy product that was accrued during 2021 not occurring in 2022. These improvements to gross margin were partially offset by (i) increases in raw material prices and (ii) $3.4 million of increased share-based compensation expenses.

Our legacy product that was sold during 2017 and 2018 to our China-based customers did not meet our high standards and experienced performance issues when in operation. Following a rigorous root cause analysis completed in October 2021, we determined that a component sourced from a third-party supplier was not meeting our performance standards. It is our expectation that the legacy product will need to be replaced before the expiration of the product warranty in their respective sales contracts with our customers. We believe this issue is limited to this legacy product,

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which we ceased selling in late 2018, as the component was not incorporated into any other products. Accordingly, the $46.5 million of additional accrual warranty cost for the legacy product during 2021 did not occur in 2022.

Operating Expense

Selling and Marketing

Selling and marketing expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased $1.2 million, or 5.5%, compared to the same period in 2021. The increase in selling and marketing expenses was primarily due to $0.7 million of increased share-based compensation expenses and other increases related to business expansion.

General and Administrative

General and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased $2.9 million, or 2.9%, compared to the same period in 2021. The increase in General and administrative expenses was primarily due to $7.8 million of increased share-based compensation expenses, $2.4 million of increased insurance fees after becoming a public company and other increases related to business expansion and other increases related to business expansion, offset by $6.9 million exchange gain and other expense saving.

Research and Development

R&D expenses for the year ended December 31, 2022 increased $9.1 million, or 26.5%, compared to the same period in 2021. The increase in R&D expenses was primarily due to (i) $3.9 million of increased personnel-related expenses as we increased headcount of our research team as a result of our efforts to further develop and enhance our products; (ii) $2.5 million of increased costs of materials used for experiments due to more testing activities, (iii) $0.9 million of increased share-based compensation expenses and (iv) other increases related to business expansion.

Subsidy Income

Subsidy income decreased from $6.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 to $1.7 million in the same period in 2022, primarily due to a one-time award granted by local governments in China in 2021.

Loss on changes in fair value of convertible notes

For the year ended December 31, 2021, we incurred a loss of $9.9 million due to changes in fair value of the convertible notes issued in January and February 2021 and converted to common stock upon the Business Combination on July 23, 2021. No such event occurred in 2022.

Gain on change in fair value of warrant liability

For the year ended December 31, 2022, we recorded a gain of $1.0 million due to the change in fair value of warrant liability compared to a gain of $2.5 million in the same period of 2021, primarily because of the fair value fluctuation of our warrants.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Since inception, we have financed our operations primarily from capital contributions from equity holders, issuance of convertible notes and bank borrowings. We expect existing cash, cash equivalents, short-term marketable securities, cash flows from operations and financing activities to continue to be sufficient to fund our operating activities and cash commitments for investing and financing activities for at least the next 12 months and thereafter for the foreseeable future.

As of December 31, 2022, our principal sources of liquidity were our cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term investments in the amount of $327.7 million.

The consolidated net cash position as of December 31, 2022 included cash and cash equivalents of $1.3 million, $23.5 million and $0.5 million held by our China, German and UK subsidiaries, respectively, that is not available to fund domestic operations unless funds are repatriated. Should we need to repatriate to the U.S. part or all of the funds held by

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our international subsidiaries in the form of a dividend, we would need to accrue and pay withholding taxes. We do not intend to pay any cash dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future and intend to retain all of the available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation and expansion of our business in China, the E.U. and the U.S.

We continue to assess the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia/Ukraine crisis on our operations. The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic will impact our business and operations will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, such as the continuing spread of the infection, new and emerging variants of the virus, the duration of the pandemic, and the effectiveness of actions taken in the U.S. and other countries to contain and treat the disease. The extent to which the Russia/Ukraine crisis will impact our business and operations will also depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, including restrictive actions that may be taken by the U.S. and/or other countries, such as sanctions or export controls, and the duration of the conflict.

Financings

As of December 31, 2022, we had bank borrowings of $46.4 million, the terms of which range from three months to two years. The interest rates of our bank borrowings ranged from 4.50% to 4.80% per annum. As of December 31, 2022, we had convertible bonds of $43.9 million, with interest rates ranging from 3% to 4%. The convertible bonds are due in 2027. As of December 31, 2022, we were in compliance with all material terms and covenants of our loan agreements, credit agreements and bonds.

On July 23, 2021, we received $708.4 million from the completion of the Business Combination, $705.1 million net of transaction costs paid by Microvast, Inc. We have used $238.8 million of the net proceeds from the Business Combination to expand our manufacturing facilities and for the purchase of property and equipment associated with our existing manufacturing and R&D facilities. In addition, $54.3 million of the net proceeds were used for working capital as of December 31, 2022. We expect the total capital expenditures related to these capacity expansions in Huzhou, China and Clarksville, Tennessee to be in the range of $460.0 million to $490.0 million.

The exercise price for our outstanding warrants is $11.50 per share of common stock, and the trading price of our common stock was $1.20 as of March 10, 2023. There is no guarantee that the warrants will be exercised prior to their expiration, however, we do not expect this to impact our liquidity and we believe we will be able to meet our working capital requirements for at least the next 12 months and fund our expansion plans with proceeds from the Business Combination.

Capital expenditures and other contractual obligations

Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including, but not limited to funding planned production capacity expansions and for general working capital. We believe the proceeds from the Business Combination will be sufficient to cover our planned expansions and our general working capital needs. In addition, we may in the future enter into arrangements to acquire or invest in complementary businesses or technologies. We may need to seek additional equity or debt financing in order to meet these future capital requirements. If we are unable to raise additional capital when desired, or on terms that are acceptable to us, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected. There are no material off-balance sheet arrangements other than those described below.

Lease Commitments

We lease certain facilities and equipment under non-cancellable lease agreements that expire at various dates through 2036. For additional information, see Note 17 – Leases, in the notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Report on Form 10-K.

Purchase Commitments

We regularly enter into non-cancelable contractual obligations primarily related to purchases of inventory. As of December 31, 2022, such purchase commitments, which do not qualify for recognition on our Consolidated Balance Sheets, amount to $30.5 million, all of which is short-term.

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Our capital expenditures amounted to $87.9 million and $150.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2022, respectively. Our capital expenditures in 2021 and 2022 related primarily to the construction of manufacturing facilities under our expansion plans for our facilities in Clarksville, Tennessee and Huzhou, China.

In 2021, we started our capacity expansion plans in Huzhou, China, Berlin, Germany and Clarksville, Tennessee. The project in Germany was completed in 2021, and the China and Tennessee projects are expected to be completed in the first and fourth quarters of 2023, respectively. The completion of these projects is expected to increase our existing production capacity by 4 GWh once operational. We expect the total capital expenditures related to these capacity expansions in Huzhou, China and Clarksville, Tennessee to be in the range of $460.0 million to $490.0 million, which we plan to finance primarily through the proceeds from the Business Combination and bank borrowings, which we believe will be sufficient to cover all of the disclosed and estimated costs.

Our planned capital expenditures are based on management’s current estimates and may be subject to change. There can be no assurance that we will execute our capital expenditure plans as contemplated at or below-estimated costs, and we may also from time-to-time determine to undertake additional capital projects and incur additional capital expenditures. As a result, actual capital expenditures in future years may be more or less than the amounts shown.

Cash Flows

The following table provides a summary of our cash flow data for the years indicated:

Year Ended December 31,
20212022
Amount in thousands
Net cash used in operating activities(45,039)(53,928)
Net cash used in investing activities(87,862)(175,945)
Net cash provided by financing activities624,9494,967

Cash Flows from Operating Activities

During the year ended December 31, 2022, our operating activities used $53.9 million in cash. This decrease in cash consisted of (1) a net loss of $158.2 million and non-cash charges of $134.7 million, of which $19.8 million is depreciation of property, plant and equipment and $90.8 million is non-cash share-based compensation expense; and (2) a $30.4 million decrease in cash flows from operating assets and liabilities including $35.7 million cash outflow due to the net increase of accounts receivable and notes receivable and $43.7 million increase in inventories, $21.0 million decrease in accrued and other liabilities and prepaid expense and other current assets, partially offset by $20.6 million increase in accounts payable and notes payable and $49.4 million cash inflow from other operating assets and liabilities.

During the year ended December 31, 2021, our operating activities used $45.0 million in cash. This decrease in cash consisted of (1) $21.1 million in cash paid after adjusting our net loss for non-cash and non-operating items, of which $20.0 million is depreciation of property, plant and equipment, $9.9 million loss on change in fair value of convertible notes, and $2.5 million gain on change in fair value of warrant; (2) $23.9 million decrease in cash flows from operating assets and liabilities including $1.8 million cash outflow due to increase of accounts receivable and notes receivable.

Cash Flows from Investing Activities

During the year ended December 31, 2022, cash used in investing activities totaled $175.9 million. This cash outflow primarily consisted of $150.9 million of capital expenditures related to the expansion of our manufacturing facilities and to the purchase of property and equipment associated with our existing manufacturing and R&D facilities, and $25.0 million of purchase of short-term investments.

During the year ended December 31, 2021, cash used in investing activities totaled $87.9 million. This cash outflow primarily consisted of capital expenditures related to the purchase of property and equipment in connection with our expansion plans.

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Cash Flows from Financing Activities

During the year ended December 31, 2022, cash generated by financing activities totaled $5.0 million. This cash inflow was a result of $58.7 million proceeds from bank borrowings partially offset by $24.5 million repayment on bank borrowings and $29.2 million partial repayment on outstanding bonds.

During the year ended December 31, 2021, cash provided by financing activities totaled $624.9 million. This cash inflow was a result of $38.9 million proceeds from bank borrowings, $57.5 million proceeds from the issuance of convertible notes to new investors and $222.6 million from the trust account upon consummation of the Business Combination, net of transaction costs, partially offset by $37.6 million repayment on bank borrowings, a $139.0 million repurchase of a minority interest in a subsidiary and $482.5 million from PIPE investors upon consummation of the Business Combination.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses, and related disclosures. We evaluate our estimates and assumptions on an ongoing basis. Our estimates are based on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our actual results could differ from these estimates.

We believe the following critical accounting policies involve a higher degree of judgment and complexity than our other accounting policies. Therefore, these are the policies we believe are the most critical to understanding and evaluating our consolidated financial condition and results of operations.

Product Warranty

We provide product warranties, which entail the repair or replacement of non-conforming items, in conjunction with sales of products. Estimated costs related to warranties are recorded in the period in which the related product sales occur. The warranty liability recorded at each balance sheet date reflects management’s best estimates of its product warranties based on historical information and other currently available evidence.

Our product warranties generally range from one to eight years. We establish a reserve for the estimated cost of the product warranty at the time revenue is recognized. The portion of the warranties we expect to incur within the next 12 months is recorded in accrued expenses and other current liabilities, while the remainder is recorded in other non-current liabilities on the consolidated balance sheets. Warranty reserves are recorded as a cost of revenue.

In 2021, as a result of the increases in the repairing cost and frequency of claims with respect to a legacy product sold in 2017 and 2018, we conducted intensive experiments and a root cause analysis, which was completed in October 2021. We concluded that a component purchased from a supplier was not meeting our performance standards. As a result, we expect that the impacted legacy products sold will need to be replaced before the expiration of warranty term. This reassessment resulted in a change in estimate for additional accrual of $46.5 million for such legacy product in 2021. As the component was not incorporated into other products, no additional accrual was made to other existing products sold.

Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Cost is determined using the weighted average method. Inventory levels are analyzed periodically and written down to their net realizable value if they have become obsolete, have a cost basis in excess of expected net realizable value or are in excess of expected demand. We analyze current and future product demand relative to the remaining product life to identify potential excess inventories. These forecasts of future demand are based upon historical trends and analysis as adjusted for overall market conditions. Inventory write-downs are measured as the difference between the cost of the inventory and its net realizable value, and charged to inventory reserves, which is a component of cost of revenue. At the point of the loss recognition, a new, lower cost basis for those inventories is established, and subsequent changes in facts and circumstances do not result in the restoration or increase in that newly established cost basis. We recorded inventory impairment losses of $18.3 million and $4.8 million during the years ended December 31, 2021 and 2022, respectively. We monitor the inventory impairments periodically and, since battery technology continues to advance, we may incur inventory impairment losses in the future.

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Income Taxes

We utilize the asset and liability method in accounting for income taxes. Deferred tax assets and liabilities reflect the estimated future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. Deferred tax expense or benefit is the result of changes in the deferred tax asset and liability. Valuation allowances are established when necessary to reduce deferred tax assets where it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will not be realized. We make estimates, assumptions and judgments to determine its provision for its income taxes, deferred tax assets and liabilities, and any valuation allowance recorded against deferred tax assets. We assess the likelihood that our deferred tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income, and to the extent we believe that recovery is not likely, we established a valuation allowance.

We account for uncertain tax positions by reporting a liability for unrecognized tax benefits resulting from uncertain tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. Tax benefits are recognized from uncertain tax positions when we believe that it is more-likely-than-not that the tax position will be sustained on examination by the taxing authorities based on the technical merits of the position. We recognize interest and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense.

Stock-Based Compensation

We recognize compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the service period that awards are expected to vest, based on the estimated fair value of the awards on the date of the grant. We recognize forfeitures as they occur. Fair value excludes the effect of non-market based vesting conditions. The fair value of RSUs with service conditions is based on the grant date share price. We estimate the fair value of options utilizing the Binomial-Lattice Model. The fair value of non-vested shares that vest based on market conditions are estimated using the Monte Carlo valuation method. These fair value estimates of stock related awards and assumptions inherent therein are estimates and, as a result, may not be reflective of future results or amounts ultimately realized by recipients of the grants. For these awards with performance conditions, we recognize compensation expense when the performance goals are achieved, or when it becomes probable that the performance goals will be achieved. Management performs the probability assessment on a quarterly basis by reviewing external factors, such as macroeconomic conditions and the analog industry revenue forecasts, and internal factors, such as our business and operational objectives and revenue forecasts. Changes in the probability assessment of achievement of the performance conditions are accounted for in the period of change by recording a cumulative catch-up adjustment as if the new estimate had been applied since the service inception date. As a result, our stock-based compensation expense is subject to volatility and may fluctuate significantly each quarter due to changes in our probability assessment of achievement of the performance conditions or actual results being different from projections made by management. Liability-classified awards are remeasured at lower of capped value or fair value as of each report date during settlement.

Emerging Growth Company Status

Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can choose not to take advantage of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies, and any such election to not take advantage of the extended transition period is irrevocable.

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) as our last fiscal year revenue was less than $1.235 billion. We have elected to take advantage of the benefits of the extended transition period for new or revised financial accounting standards, although we may decide to adopt early such new or revised accounting standards to the extent permitted by such standards. This may make it difficult or impossible to compare our financial results with the financial results of another public company that is either not an emerging growth company or is an emerging growth company that has chosen not to take advantage of the extended transition period exemptions as a result of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest of (a) the last day of the fiscal year during which we have total annual gross revenues of at least $1.235 billion; (b) the last day of our fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our IPO; (c) the date on which we have, during the preceding three-year period, issued

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more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt; or (d) the date on which we are deemed to be a “large accelerated filer” under the Exchange Act, which would occur if the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates is at least $700 million as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter. Once we cease to be an emerging growth company, we will not be entitled to the exemptions provided in the JOBS Act discussed above.

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