Kandi Technologies Group, Inc. - Quarter Report: 2020 September (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

☒ Quarterly Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2020

or

☐ Transition Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

For the transition period from ______to______

Commission file number 001-33997

KANDI TECHNOLOGIES GROUP, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

(86 - 579) 82239856
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files)  Yes ☒ No ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).  Yes ☐ No ☒

As of November 3, 2020, the registrant had 56,531,702 shares of common stock issued and 54,610,758 shares of common stock outstanding, par value $0.001 per share.  

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I — FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements.

KANDI TECHNOLOGIES GROUP, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements

KANDI TECHNOLOGIES GROUP, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
(UNAUDITED)

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements

KANDI TECHNOLOGIES GROUP, INC.

AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(UNAUDITED)

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.

KANDI TECHNOLOGIES GROUP, INC.
AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(UNAUDITED)

See accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements

NOTE 1 - ORGANIZATION AND PRINCIPAL ACTIVITIES

Kandi Technologies Group, Inc. (“Kandi Technologies”) was incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware on March 31, 2004. As used herein, the terms “Company” or “Kandi” refer to Kandi Technologies and its operating subsidiaries, as described below.

Headquartered in Jinhua City, Zhejiang Province, People’s Republic of China (“China” or “PRC”), the Company is one of China’s leading producers and manufacturers of electric vehicle (“EV”) products (through the Affiliate Company, formerly defined as the JV Company), EV parts, and off-road vehicles for sale in the Chinese and the global markets. The Company conducts its primary business operations through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Zhejiang Kandi Vehicles Co., Ltd. (“Kandi Vehicles”), Kandi Vehicles’ wholly and partially-owned subsidiaries, and SC Autosports LLC (“SC Autosports”, d/b/a Kandi America).

The Company’s organizational chart as of the date of this report is as follows:

In June 2020, Jinhua An Kao Power Technology Co., Ltd. changed its name to Zhejiang Kandi Smart Battery Swap Technology Co., Ltd (“Kandi Smart Battery Swap”).

In September 2020, Kandi Vehicles transferred all of its equity interest in Yongkang Scrou Electric Co, Ltd. (“Yongkang Scrou”) to its wholly owned subsidiary, Kandi Smart Battery Swap.

In September 2020, to better monetize its dozens of patents in the field of battery swap systems and attract strategic investors to participate across the whole sector value chain, including battery swapping services and used battery recycling, the Company formed China Battery Exchange Technology Co., Ltd. (“China Battery Exchange”). Kandi Vehicles has 100% ownership interest in China Battery Exchange. As of September 30, 2020, China Battery Exchange has not commenced any business operations.

In September 2020, intending to operate a ridesharing service across China, Zhejiang Ruiheng Technology Co., Ltd (“Ruiheng”) was established by Zhejiang Ruibo New Energy Vehicle Service Company Ltd. (“Ruibo”), Jiangsu Jinpeng Group Ltd. (“Jinpeng”) and Kandi Vehicles. Ruibo, Jinpeng and Kandi Vehicles each owns 80%, 10%, and 10% of Ruiheng, respectively.

The Company’s original primary business operations consist of designing, developing, manufacturing and commercializing EV products (through Kandi Electric Vehicles (Hainan) Co., Ltd. and the Affiliate Company), EV parts and off-road vehicles. The COVID-19 outbreak has seriously impacted the EV market in 2020. As a result, the Company plans to manufacture and sell a number of ancillary products aimed at the dynamic power train system of intelligent transportation. For example, the dynamic power train system of Electric Scooters and Electric Self-Balancing Vehicles. The Company is pursuing these opportunities by expanding production of intelligent transportation products that exploit its advantages in the Yongkang Scrou’s power electric motor and Kandi Smart Battery Swap’s power battery pack.

NOTE 2 - LIQUIDITY

The Company had working capital of $ 79,767,999 as of September 30, 2020, an increase of $ 16,069,302 from the working capital of $63,698,697 as of December 31, 2019. As of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company’s cash and cash equivalents were $23,909,159 and $5,490,557, respectively. The Company’s restricted cash was $ 250,000 and $11,022,078, respectively.

After two years of negotiations, on March 10, 2020, a real estate repurchase agreement (the “Repurchase Agreement”) was entered into by and between Kandi Vehicles and Jinhua Economic and Technological Development Zone pursuant to which the local government shall purchase the land use right over the land of 66 acres (400 mu, 265,029 square meters) that is owned by Kandi Vehicles for RMB 525 million ($77 million). Payments to Kandi Vehicles shall be made in three installments pursuant to the Repurchase Agreement. In addition, if Kandi Vehicles achieves certain milestones that contribute to local economic development, the Company will be eligible for tax rebates totaling up to RMB 500 million ($74 million) over the next eight years. On May 22, 2020, the Company received the first payment of RMB 244 million (approximately $36 million) under the Repurchase Agreement. On July 9, 2020, the Company received the second payment of RMB 119 million (approximately $17 million) under the Repurchase Agreement. The final payment of RMB 162 million ($23.8 million) will be received when the Company vacates the land, factory buildings, and other real estate and moves to the new facility. Kandi Vehicles intends to use a portion of the proceeds from the land repurchase (approximately RMB 130 million, or $19.1 million) to fund the land use acquisition and factory construction in the New Energy Automotive Zone, and use the rest portion to fund growth initiatives and for general corporate purposes. Although the Company expects that most of its outstanding trade receivables from customers will be collected in the next twelve months, there are uncertainties with respect to the timing in collecting these receivables, especially the receivables due from the Affiliate Company, because most of them are indirectly impacted by the progress of the receipt of government subsidies.

The Company’s primary need for liquidity stems from its need to fund working capital requirements of the Company’s businesses, its capital expenditures and its general operations, including debt repayment. The Company has historically financed its operations through short-term commercial bank loans from Chinese banks, as well as its ongoing operating activities by using funds from operations, external credit or financing arrangements. Although the Company has paid off all the short-term bank loans as of September 30, 2020, it still retains the credit line, which can be used at any time when the Company has special needs. In addition, the Company received the remaining RMB186 million (approximately $27.3 million) equity transfer payment from Geely in July, 2020. The management believes that the Company currently has sufficient working capital to support its ongoing operations for the next twelve months. 

NOTE 3 - BASIS OF PRESENTATION

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim information, and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Rule 10-01 of Regulation S-X promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by U.S. GAAP for annual financial statements. In the management’s opinion, the interim financial statements reflect all normal adjustments that are necessary to provide a fair presentation of the financial results for the interim periods presented. Operating results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results that may be expected for an entire fiscal year. The condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2019 has been derived from the audited consolidated financial statements as of such date. For a more complete understanding of the Company’s business, financial position, operating results, cash flows, risk factors and other matters, please refer to its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 (the “2019 Form 10-K”).

Beginning in 2020, a strain of new coronavirus (“COVID-19”) has spread globally and at this point. Though it becomes more stable in China, there are new cases reported continuously at present. The extent to which the COVID-19 may impact operations of the Company, with majority of operations based in China, is alleviated though it remains uncertain due to the fact that the COVID-19 is not completely over. The extent of the impact of the COVID-19 on the Company’s business and operations will depend on several factors, such as the duration, severity, and geographic spread of the pandemic, development of the testing and treatment and stimulus measures of the government. The Company is monitoring and assessing the evolving situation closely and evaluating its potential exposure. The operating results for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 may not be indicative of the future operating results for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2020 or other future periods, particularly in light of the uncertain impact COVID-19 could have on the Company’s business.

NOTE 4 - PRINCIPLES OF CONSOLIDATION

The Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements reflect the accounts of the Company and its ownership interests in the following subsidiaries:

Equity Method Investee

The Company’s consolidated net income also includes the Company’s proportionate share of the net income or loss of its equity method investment in the Affiliate Company, in which the Company owns 22% equity interest.

All intra-entity profits and losses with regard to the Company’s equity method investee have been eliminated.

NOTE 5 - USE OF ESTIMATES

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the condensed consolidated financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Management makes these estimates using the best information available at the time the estimates are made; however actual results when ultimately realized could differ from those estimates.

NOTE 6 - SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Our significant accounting policies are detailed in “Note 6 - Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” of the Company’s 2019 Form 10-K, excepting the following.

(v) Reclassification

Certain reclassifications have been made to the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for nine months ended September 30, 2019 to conform to the presentation of condensed consolidated financial statement for nine months ended September 30, 2020. The Company reclassified the following 1) grouping due from employees into other receivables and other assets; 2) grouping customer deposits and deferred income into other payables and accrued liabilities; 3) reclassifying a portion of other receivables and other assets under operating activities to loan to third party under investing activities; 4) reclassifying a portion of other payables and accrued liabilities under operating activities to repayments of loan from third party under financing activities.

NOTE 7 - NEW ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS

In February 2018, the FASB released ASU 2018-2, “Reclassification of Certain Tax Effects from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income.” This standard update addresses a specific consequence of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”) and allows a reclassification from accumulated other comprehensive income to retained earnings for the stranded tax effects resulting from the Tax Act. Consequently, the update eliminates the stranded tax effects that were created as a result of the historical U.S. federal corporate income tax rate to the newly enacted U.S. federal corporate income tax rate. The Company is required to adopt this standard in the first quarter of fiscal year 2020, with early adoption permitted. The amendments in this update should be applied either in the period of adoption or retrospectively to each period in which the effect of the change in the U.S. federal corporate income tax rate in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act is recognized. The Company adopted this ASU in the first quarter of 2020 and the new standard did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13 Disclosure Framework — Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement, which eliminates, adds, and modifies certain disclosure requirements for fair value measurements under ASC 820. This ASU is to be applied on a prospective basis for certain modified or new disclosure requirements, and all other amendments in the standard are to be applied on a retrospective basis. The new standard is effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019, with early adoption permitted. The Company adopted this ASU in the first quarter of 2020 and the new standard did not have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In December 18, 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, income Taxes — Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes serves to simplify the accounting for income taxes by removing certain following Codification exceptions, including exception to the requirement to recognize a deferred tax liability for equity method investments when a foreign subsidiary becomes an equity method investment. This guidance will be effective after December 15, 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the new guidance and do not expect the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In January 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-01, Investments—Equity Securities, Investments—Equity Method and Joint Ventures, and Derivatives and Hedging, which clarifies the interaction of the accounting for equity securities under Topic 321, the accounting for equity method investments in Topic 323, and the accounting for certain forward contracts and purchased options in Topic 815. This guidance will be effective in the first quarter of 2021 on a prospective basis, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of the new guidance and do not expect the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

NOTE 8 - CONCENTRATIONS

(a) Customers

For the three-month period ended September 30, 2020, the Company’s major customers, each of whom accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s consolidated revenue, were as follows:

For the nine-month period ended September 30, 2020, the Company’s major customers, each of whom accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s consolidated revenue, were as follows:

(b) Suppliers

For the three-month period ended September 30, 2020, the Company’s major suppliers, each of whom accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s total purchases, were as follows:

For the nine -month period ended September 30, 2020, the Company’s major suppliers, each of whom accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s total purchases, were as follows:

NOTE 9 - EARNINGS (LOSS) PER SHARE

The Company calculates earnings per share in accordance with ASC 260, Earnings Per Share, which requires a dual presentation of basic and diluted earnings per share. Basic earnings per share are computed using the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the reporting period. Diluted earnings per share represents basic earnings per share adjusted to include the potentially dilutive effect of outstanding stock options and warrants (using treasury stock method). Due to the average market price of the common stock during the period below the exercise price of the options, approximately 3,900,000 options were excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share, for the three-month and nine-month period ended September 30, 2020.

NOTE 10 - ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE

Accounts receivable are summarized as follows:

NOTE 11 - INVENTORIES

Inventories are summarized as follows:

NOTE 12 - NOTES RECEIVABLE

As of September 30, 2020, there was $235,249 notes receivable from unrelated parties. As of December 31, 2019, there was $42,487,225 notes receivable from unrelated parties, which was commercial acceptance notes from payments for equity transfer of the Affiliate Company, which had been collected during the nine-month ended September 30, 2020.

NOTE 13 - OTHER RECEIVABLES

Other receivables consist of the following:

As of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company’s other receivable includes $50,925,239 and $3,577,145 short-term loan lent to an unrelated party with a 6% annual interest rate to maximize the use of idled cash. This loan can be redeemed at any time.

NOTE 14 - PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, NET

Property, plants and equipment as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, consisted of the following:

As of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the net book value of property, plant and equipment pledged as collateral for the Company’s bank loans totaled $0 and $6,484,497, respectively. Also see Note 17.

Depreciation expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 were $1,795,124 and $1,832,835, respectively. Depreciation expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 were $5,325,289 and $5,724,864, respectively.

NOTE 15 - INTANGIBLE ASSETS

Intangible assets include acquired intangibles of trade name, customer relations and patent.

The following table provides the gross carrying value and accumulated amortization for each major class of our intangible assets, other than goodwill:

The aggregate amortization expenses for those intangible assets were $156,040 and $154,027 for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The aggregate amortization expenses for those intangible assets were $463,743 and $471,497 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Amortization expenses for the next five years and thereafter are as follows:

NOTE 16 - LAND USE RIGHTS, NET

The Company’s land use rights consist of the following:

During June 2020, land use right in the net carrying value of $2.3 million was returned to the government as the Company began to perform its obligations under the Repurchase Agreement.

As of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the net book value of land use rights pledged as collateral for the Company’s bank loans was $0 and $4,937,138, respectively. Also see Note 17.

The amortization expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, were $65,229 and $80,462, respectively. The amortization expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, were $225,941 and $247,061, respectively. Amortization expenses for the next five years and thereafter is as follows:

NOTE 17 - SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM LOANS

Short-term loans are summarized as follows:

Long-term loans are summarized as follows:

The interest expenses of short-term and long-term loans for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 were $504,905 and $435,524, respectively. The interest expenses of short-term and long-term loans for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 were $2,095,222 and $1,304,062, respectively.

As of September 30, 2020, the aggregate amount of short-term and long-term loans guaranteed by various third parties was $0.

NOTE 18 - TAXES

(a) Corporation Income Tax

Pursuant to the tax laws and regulations of the PRC, the Company’s applicable corporate income tax (“CIT”) rate is 25%. However, Kandi Vehicles and Kandi Smart Battery Swap qualify as High and New Technology Enterprise (“HNTE”) companies in the PRC, and are entitled to pay a reduced income tax rate of 15% for the years presented. A HNTE Certificate is valid for three years. An entity may re-apply for an HNTE certificate when the prior certificate expires. Historically, Kandi Vehicles has successfully re-applied for such certificates when the its prior certificates expired. Kandi Smart Battery Swap has been qualified as HNTE since 2018. Therefore no records for renewal are available. The applicable CIT rate of each of the Company’s three other subsidiaries, Kandi New Energy, Yongkang Scrou and Kandi Hainan, the Affiliate Company and its subsidiaries is 25%.

The Company’s tax provision or benefit from income taxes for interim periods is determined using an estimate of its annual effective tax rate, adjusted for discrete items, if any, that are taken into account in the relevant period. Each quarter the Company updates its estimate of the annual effective tax rate, and if its estimated tax rate changes, the management makes a cumulative adjustment. For 2020, the management estimates that its effective tax rate will be favorably affected by non-taxable income such as the share of income of the Affiliate Company and the gain from the change of fair value of contingent liabilities and certain research and development super-deduction and adversely affected by non-deductible expenses such as stock compensation inelegible for U.S. income tax deduction and part of entertainment expenses. The Company records valuation allowances against the deferred tax assets associated with losses for which it may not realize a related tax benefit. After combining research and development tax credits of 25% on certain qualified research and development expenses, the Company’s effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 were a tax expense of 56.99% on a reported income before taxes of approximately $2.4 million, a tax benefit of 13.05% on a reported income before taxes of approximately $0.3 million, respectively.

The quarterly tax provision, and the quarterly estimate of the Company’s annual effective tax rate, is subject to significant variation due to several factors, including variability in accurately predicting the Company’s pre-tax and taxable income and loss, acquisitions (including integrations) and investments, changes in its stock price, changes in its deferred tax assets and liabilities and their valuation, return to provision true-up, foreign currency gains (losses), changes in regulations and interpretations related to tax, accounting, and other areas. Additionally, the Company’s effective tax rate can be more or less volatile based on the amount of pre-tax income or loss. The income tax provision for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 was tax expense of $1,354,563 and tax benefit of $41,780, respectively.

Under ASC 740 guidance relating to uncertain tax positions, which addresses the determination of whether tax benefits claimed or expected to be claimed on a tax return should be recorded in the financial statements, the Company may recognize the tax benefit from an uncertain tax position only if 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. The tax benefits recognized in the financial statements from such a position should be measured based on the largest benefit that has a greater than fifty percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement. ASC 740 also provides guidance on de-recognition, classification, interest and penalties on income taxes, accounting in interim periods and requires increased disclosures. As of September 30, 2020, the Company did not have any liability for unrecognized tax benefits. The Company files income tax returns with the U.S. Internal Revenue Services (“IRS”) and those states where the Company has operations. The Company is subject to U.S. federal or state income tax examinations by the IRS and relevant state tax authorities for years after 2006. During the periods open to examination, the Company has net operating loss carry forwards (“NOLs”) for U.S. federal and state tax purposes that have attributes from closed periods. Since these NOLs may be utilized in future periods, they remain subject to examination. The Company also files certain tax returns in the PRC. As of September 30, 2020, the Company was not aware of any pending income tax examinations by U.S. or PRC tax authorities. The Company records interest and penalties on uncertain tax provisions as income tax expense. As of September 30, 2020, the Company has no accrued interest or penalties related to uncertain tax positions.

The aggregate NOLs in 2019 was $9.6 million deriving from entities in the PRC and Hong Kong. The aggregate NOLs in 2018 was $28.1 million deriving from entities in the PRC and Hong Kong. The NOLs will start to expire from 2021 if they are not used. The cumulative net operating loss in the PRC can be carried forward for five years, to offset future net profits for income tax purposes. The Company has $28,709 cumulative net operating loss in U.S. to carry forward as of September 30, 2020. The cumulative net operating loss in Hong Kong can be carried forward without an expiration date.

(b) Tax Holiday Effect

For the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, the PRC CIT rate was 25%. Certain subsidiaries of the Company are entitled to tax exemptions (tax holidays) for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019.

The combined effects of income tax expense exemptions and reductions available to the Company for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 are as follows:

(c) CARES Act

On March 27, 2020, the “Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act” was signed into law. The CARES Act, among other things, includes provisions relating to refundable payroll tax credits, deferment of employer side social security payments, net operating loss carryback periods, alternative minimum tax credit refunds, modifications to the net interest deduction limitations and technical corrections to tax depreciation methods for qualified improvement property. The Company does not anticipate significant income tax impact on its financial and continue to examine the impacts this CARES Act may have on its business.

NOTE 19 - LEASES

The Company has renewed its corporate office leases for SC Autosports, with a term of 15 months from January 31, 2020 to April 30, 2021. The monthly lease payment is $11,000 from February 2020 to April 2020 and $12,000 from May 2020 to April 2021. The Company recorded operating lease assets and operating lease liabilities at January 31, 2020, with a remaining lease term of 15 months and discount rate of 4.25%.

As of September 30, 2020, the Company’s right - of - use asset (grouped in other long term assets on the balance sheet) was $80,561 and lease liability (grouped in other current liability on the balance sheet) was $82,823. For the three months ended September 30, 2020, the Company’s operating lease expense was $36,000. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, the Company’s operating lease expense was $104,000.

Supplemental information related to operating leases was as follows:

Maturities of lease liabilities as of September 30, 2020, were as follow:

NOTE 20 - CONTINGENT CONSIDERATION LIABILITY

On January 3, 2018, the Company completed the acquisition of 100% of the equity of Jinhua An Kao, currently known as Kandi Smart Battery Swap Co., Ltd. (“Kandi Smart Battery Swap”). The Company paid approximately RMB 25.93 million (approximately $4 million) at the closing of the transaction using cash on hand and issued a total of 2,959,837 shares of restrictive stock or 6.2% of the Company’s total outstanding shares of the common stock immediately prior to the closing of the acquisition valued at approximately $20.7 million to the former shareholders of Kandi Smart Battery Swap and his designees (the “KSBS Shareholders”), and may be required to pay future consideration of up to an additional 2,959,837 shares of common stock, which are being held in escrow and to be released contingent upon the achievement of certain net income-based milestones in the next three years. Any escrowed shares that are not released from escrow to the KSBS Shareholders as a result of the failure to achieve the milestones will be forfeited and returned to the Company for cancellation. While the escrowed shares are held in escrow, the Company will retain all voting rights with respect to such shares. For the year ended December 31, 2018, Kandi Smart Battery Swap achieved its first year net profit target. Accordingly, the KSBS Shareholders received 739,959 shares of Kandi’s restrictive common stock or 12.5% of the total equity consideration (i.e., 5,919,674 total shares) as part of the purchase price. For the year ended December 31, 2019, Kandi Smart Battery Swap achieved its second year net profit target. Accordingly, the KSBS Shareholders received 986,810 shares of Kandi’s restrictive common stock or 16.67% of the total equity consideration (i.e., 5,919,674 total shares) as part of the purchase price. All the escrowed shares have been included in the Company’s registration statement on Form S-3 declared effective by the SEC on April 5, 2019.

As the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 affected Kandi Smart Battery Swap’s operation and business, on July 7, 2020, the Company and the KSBS Shareholders made the following supplements to Condition III of the original Supplementary Agreement: The KSBC Shareholders have the right to receive an aggregate of 20.83% of the total equity consideration (i.e., 5,919,674 total shares), provided that Kandi Smart Battery Swap realizes a net profit of RMB50,000,000 or more for the period from January 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021 (as opposed to be the originally stated “December 31, 2020”), and such profit is audited or reviewed and Kandi Smart Battery Swap gets annual or quarterly financial report issued under US GAAP.

On July 1, 2018, the Company completed the acquisition of 100% of the equity of SC Autosports (d/b/a Kandi America). The Company issued a total of 171,969 shares of restrictive stock or approximately 0.3% of the Company’s total outstanding shares of the common stock immediately prior to the closing of the acquisition valued at approximately $0.8 million at the closing of transaction to the former members of SC Autosports within 30 days from the signing date of the Transfer Agreement, and may be required to pay future consideration of up to an additional 1,547,721 shares of common stock of the Company, which are being held in escrow and to be released contingent upon the achievement of certain pre-tax profit based milestones in the next three years. Any escrowed shares that are not released from escrow to the SC Autosports former members due to the failure to achieve the milestones will be forfeited and returned to the Company for cancellation. While the escrowed shares are held in escrow, the Company will retain all voting rights with respect to the shares. For the year ended December 31, 2018, SC Autosports achieved its first year pre-tax profit target. Accordingly, the former members of SC Autosports received 343,938 shares of Kandi’s restrictive common stock or 20% of the total equity consideration in the purchase price. For the year ended December 31, 2019, SC Autosports achieved its second year pre-tax profit target. Accordingly, the former members of SC Autosports received 515,907 shares of Kandi’s restrictive common stock or 30% of the total equity consideration in the purchase price. All the escrowed shares have been included in the Company’s registration statement on Form S-3 declared effective by the SEC on April 5, 2019.

The Company recorded contingent consideration liability of the estimated fair value of the contingent consideration the Company currently expects to pay to the KSBS Shareholders and SC Autosports’ former members upon the achievement of certain milestones. The fair value of the contingent consideration liability associated with remaining shares of restrictive common stock was estimated by using the Monte Carlo simulation method, which took into account all possible scenarios. This fair value measurement is classified as Level 3 within the fair value hierarchy prescribed by ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement and Disclosures. In accordance with ASC Topic 805, Business Combinations, the Company will re-measure this liability each reporting period and record changes in the fair value through a separate line item within the Company’s consolidated statements of income.

As of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company’s contingent consideration liability was $3,403,000 and $5,197,000, respectively.

Details of the contingent consideration liability as of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 were as follow:

NOTE 21 - STOCK AWARD

In connection with the appointment of Mr. Henry Yu as a member of the Board of Directors (the “Board”), the Board authorized the Company to compensate Mr. Henry Yu with 5,000 shares of Company’s restricted common stock every six months as compensation, beginning in July 2011.

As compensation for Mr. Jerry Lewin’s services as a member of the Board, the Board authorized the Company to compensate Mr. Jerry Lewin with 5,000 shares of Company’s restricted common stock every six months, beginning in August 2011.

As compensation for Ms. Kewa Luo’s services as the Company’s investor relation officer, the Board authorized the Company to compensate Ms. Kewa Luo with 5,000 shares of the Company’s common stock every six months, beginning in September 2013.

In November 2016, the Company entered into a three-year employment agreement with Mr. Mei Bing, to hire him as the Company’s Chief Financial Officer. Under the agreement, Mr. Mei Bing was entitled to receive an aggregate 10,000 shares of common stock each year, vested in four equal quarterly installments of 2,500 shares. On January 29, 2019, Mr. Mei resigned from his position as the Company’s CFO.

On January 29, 2019, the Board appointed Ms. Zhu Xiaoying as interim Chief Financial Officer. Ms. Zhu was entitled to receive 10,000 shares of the common stock annually under the Company’s 2008 Omnibus Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “2008 Plan”) as a year-end equity bonus. Effective May 15, 2020, Ms. Zhu resigned from her position as interim Chief Financial Officer of the Company.

On May 15, 2020, the Board appointed Mr. Jehn Ming Lim as the Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Lim was entitled to receive 6,000 shares of the common stock annually, which shall be issuable evenly on each six-month anniversary hereof.

The fair value of stock awards with service condition is determined based on the closing price of the common stock on the date the shares are granted. The compensation costs for awards of common stock are recognized over the requisite service period.

On December 30, 2013, the Board approved a proposal (as submitted by the Compensation Committee) of an award (the “Board’s Pre-Approved Award Grant Sub-Plan under the 2008 Plan”) for certain executives and other key employees. The fair value of each award granted under the 2008 Plan is determined based on the closing price of the Company’s stock on the date of grant of such award. On September 26, 2016, the Board approved to terminate the previous Board’s Pre-Approved Award Grant Sub-Plan under the 2008 Plan and adopted a new plan to grant the total number of shares of common stock of the stock award for selected executives and key employees 250,000 shares of common stock for each fiscal year. On April 18, 2018, the Company granted 238,600 shares of common stock to certain management members and employees as compensation for their past services under the 2008 Plan. On April 30, 2019, the Company granted 238,600 shares of common stock to certain management members and employees as compensation for their past services under the 2008 Plan. On May 9, 2020, the Company granted 238,600 shares of common stock to certain management members and employees as compensation for their past services under the 2008 Plan.

For the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, the Company recognized $22,925 and $22,925 of employee stock award expenses for stock compensation and annual incentive award under the 2008 Plan paid to Board members, management and consultants under General and Administrative Expenses, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019, the Company recognized $870,471 and $1,337,333 of employee stock award expenses for stock compensation and annual incentive award under the 2008 Plan paid to Board members, management and consultants under General and Administrative Expenses, respectively.

NOTE 22 - EQUITY METHOD INVESTMENT IN THE AFFILIATE COMPANY

The Company’s condensed consolidated statement of operations includes the Company’s proportionate share of the net income or loss of the Company’s equity method investee. When the Company records its proportionate share of net income (loss) in such investee, it increases other income (expense) in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations and increase (decrease) the Company’s carrying value in that investment.

On March 21, 2019, Kandi Vehicles signed an Equity Transfer Agreement with Geely Technologies Group Co., Ltd. (“Geely”) to transfer certain equity interests in the Affiliate Company to Geely. Pursuant to the Transfer Agreement, the Affiliate Company converted a loan of RMB 314 million (approximately $46.2 million) from Geely in the year of 2019 to equity in order to increase its cash flow. As a result, the registered capital of the Affiliate Company became RMB 2.40 billion (approximately $352.8 million), of which Kandi Vehicles owned 43.47% and Geely owned 56.53%, respectively, upon the conversion of the loan into equity in the Affiliate Company. Kandi Vehicles further sold 21.47% of its equity interests in the Affiliate Company to Geely for a total consideration of RMB 516 million (approximately $75.9 million). Kandi Vehicles owns 22% of the equity interests of the Affiliate Company as a result of the transfer. As of September 29, 2019, the Company had received payments in cash totaling RMB 220 million (approximately $32.3 million) and certain commercial acceptance notes of RMB 296 million (approximately $43.5 million) from Geely, of which RMB 140 million (approximately $20.6 million) matured on January 20, 2020 and the remaining RMB 156 million (approximately $22.9 million) matured on March 29, 2020. As of September 30, 2019, the equity transfer had been completed. Therefore, in the third quarter of 2019, the Company recognized the gain from equity sale of $20,574,217. As of September 30, 2020, all the equity transfer payment has been collected.

The Company accounted for its investments in the Affiliate Company under the equity method of accounting. The Company recorded 22% of the Affiliate Company’s loss for the nine months ended September 30, 2020.

The consolidated results of operations and financial position of the Affiliate Company are summarized below:

The change for the Company’s investments in the Affiliate Company for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019 are as follows:

The gain from equity dilution for three months ended March 31, 2019 resulted from the Affiliate Company issuing shares to the major shareholder of the Affiliate Company, Greely, in exchange for extinguishment of a loan from Greely, resulting in dilution of equity ownership of the Company from 50% to 43.47%. This dilutive transaction was treated as if the Company sold a proportional share of its investment in the Affiliate Company.

Sales to the Company’s related parties, the Affiliate Company and its subsidiaries, for the three months ended September 30, 2020, were $6 (due to exchange rate difference) or 0% of the Company’s total revenue, a decrease of 100% from $4,720,159 of the same quarter last year. Sales to the Company’s related parties, the Affiliate Company and its subsidiaries, for the nine months ended September 30, 2020, were $ 962 or 0% of the Company’s total revenue, a decrease of 100% from $10,543,190 of the same period last year. Sales to the Affiliate Company and its subsidiaries were primarily of battery packs, body parts, EV drive motors, EV controllers, air conditioning units and other auto parts.

As of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the net amount due from the Affiliate Company and its subsidiaries, was $20,869,315 and $31,330,763, respectively. As of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 the net amount due from the Affiliate Company and its subsidiaries included $2,106,607 and $2,056,564 interest receivable related to the loan lent to the Affiliate Company that was paid off.

NOTE 23 - COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Guarantees and pledged collateral for bank loans to other parties

(1) Guarantees for bank loans

On March 15, 2013, the Company entered into a guarantee contract to serve as the guarantor of Nanlong Group Co., Ltd. (“NGCL”) for NGCL’s $2,940,614 (RMB 20 million) loan from Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Jinhua Branch, with a related loan period from March 15, 2013 to March 15, 2016. NGCL is not related to the Company. Under this guarantee contract, the Company agreed to assume joint liability as the loan guarantor. In April 2017, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank filed a lawsuit against NGCL, the Company and ten other parties in Zhejiang Province People’s Court in Yongkang City, alleging NGCL defaulted on a bank loan borrowed from Shanghai Pudong Development Bank for a principal amount of approximately $2.9 million and demanded that the guarantor bear the liability for compensation. On May 27, 2017, a judicial mediation took place in Yongkang City and parties reached a settlement in mediation, in which the plaintiff agreed NGCL would repay the loan principal and interest in installments. If there were an event of default that NGCL could not repay the loan, the Company may be obligated to bear the liability of defaulted amount. The Company expects the likelihood of incurring losses in connection with this matter to be remote.

(2) Pledged collateral for bank loans for which the parties other than the Company are the borrowers.

As of September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, none of the Company’s land use rights or plants and equipment were pledged as collateral securing bank loans for which the parties other than the Company are the borrowers.

Litigation

Beginning in March 2017, putative shareholder class actions were filed against Kandi Technologies Group, Inc. (“Kandi”) and certain of its current and former directors and officers in the United States District Court for the Central District of California and the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The complaints generally alleged violations of the federal securities laws based Kandi’s disclosure in March 2017 that its financial statements for the years 2014, 2015 and the first three quarters of 2016 would need to be restated, and seek damages on behalf of putative classes of shareholders who purchased or acquired Kandi’s securities prior to March 13, 2017. Kandi moved to dismiss the remaining cases, all of which were pending in the New York federal court, and that motion was granted by an order entered on September 30, 2019, and the time to appeal has run. In June 2020, a similar but separate putative securities class action was filed against Kandi and certain of its current and former directors and officers in California federal court. In September 2020, this action was transferred to the New York federal court and remains pending.

Beginning in May 2017, purported shareholder derivative actions based on the same underlying events described above were filed against certain current and former directors of Kandi in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The New York federal court confirmed the voluntary dismissal of these actions in April 2019.

In October 2017, a shareholder filed a books and records action against the Company in the Delaware Court of Chancery pursuant to 8 Del. C. Section 220 seeking the production of certain documents generally relating to the same underlying items described above as well as attorney’s fees (the “Section 220 Litigation”). On September 28, 2018, the parties, through their respective counsel, agreed to dismiss the Section 220 Litigation with prejudice and with each party bearing its own attorney’s fees, costs, and expenses, thereby concluding the action. In February 2019, this same shareholder commenced a derivative action against certain current and former directors of Kandi in the Delaware Court of Chancery. A motion to dismiss this derivative action was filed in May 2019 and that motion was denied on April 27, 2020.

Separately, in connection with allegations of misconduct identified in pre-suit demands made by putative shareholders of Kandi, Kandi formed a Special Litigation Committee (“SLC”) and retained a Delaware law firm as independent counsel to the SLC to aid in the SLC’s investigation of, and to ultimately report on, the allegations of misconduct set forth in the pre-suit demands. The SLC recommended to Kandi’s board of directors in June 2020 that the SLC be dissolved in light of the ongoing derivative action pending in the Delaware Court of Chancery, and this recommendation was adopted by the board in August 2020.

While the Company believes that the claims in these litigations are without merit and will defend itself vigorously, the Company is unable to estimate the possible loss, if any, associated with these litigations. The ultimate outcome of any litigation is uncertain and the outcome of these matters, whether favorable or unfavorable, could have a negative impact on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations due to defense costs, diversion of management resources and other factors. Defending litigation can be costly, and adverse results in the litigations could result in substantial monetary judgments. No assurance can be made that litigation will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s future financial position. 

NOTE 24 - SEGMENT REPORTING

The Company has one operating segment. The Company’s revenue and long-lived assets are primarily derived from and located in China and US. The Company does not have manufacturing operations outside of China.

The following table sets forth disaggregation of revenue:

NOTE 25 - SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

The Company has evaluated subsequent events through the date of issuance of the interim condensed consolidated financial statements, there were no other subsequent events occurred that would require recognition or disclosure in the interim condensed consolidated financial statements. 

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

This report contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws that relate to future events or our future financial performance. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminologies, such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “project,” “predict,” “intend,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of such terms or other comparable terminologies, although not all forward-looking statements contain such terms.

In addition, these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding implementing our business strategy; development and marketing of our products; our estimates of future revenue and profitability; our expectations regarding future expenses, including research and development, sales and marketing, manufacturing and general and administrative expenses; difficulty or inability to raise additional financing, if needed, on terms acceptable to us; our estimates regarding our capital requirements and our needs for additional financing; attracting and retaining customers and employees; sources of revenue and anticipated revenue; and competition in our market.

Forward-looking statements are only predictions. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. All of our forward-looking information is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expected. Although it is not possible to identify all factors, these risks and uncertainties include the risk factors and the timing of any of those risk factors described in the 2019 Form 10-K and those set forth from time to time in our other filings with the SEC. These documents are available on the SEC’s Electronic Data Gathering and Analysis Retrieval System at http://www.sec.gov.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

The preparation of the condensed consolidated financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, as of the date of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reported period. If these estimates differ significantly from actual results, the impact to the condensed consolidated financial statements may be material. There have been no material changes in our critical accounting policies and estimates from those disclosed in on the 2019 Form 10-K. Please refer to Part II, Item 7 of such a report for a discussion of our critical accounting policies and estimates.

Overview

We are one of the leading manufacturers of EV products (through Kandi Hainan and the Affiliate Company), EV parts and off-road vehicles in China. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, we recognized total revenue of $44,526,718 as compared to $73,903,234 for the same period of 2019, a decrease of $29,376,516 or 39.7%. For the nine months ended September 30, 2020, we recorded $8,614,933 of gross profit, a decrease of 31.7% from the same period of 2019. Gross margin for the nine months ended September 30, 2020 was 19.3%, compared to 17.1% for the same period of 2019. We recorded a net income of $1,022,137 for the nine months ended September 30, 2020, compared to a net income of $361,811 in the same period of 2019, an increase of $660,326 or 182.5%.

The spread of COVID-19 around China and other parts of the world has caused significant volatility in the markets of China, U.S., and the rest of the world. The pandemic has resulted in quarantines, travel restrictions, and the temporary closure of stores and facilities in China and elsewhere. Although the Company’s operations in China has fully resumed in early March 2020, the COVID-19 has affected the Company’s business performance in 2020. Though it becomes more stable in China, there are new cases reported continuously at present. The extent to which the COVID-19 may impact operations of the Company, with majority of operations based in China, is alleviated though it remains uncertain due to the fact that the COVID-19 is not completely over. The extent to which the COVID-19 impacts our operations will depend on its future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted with confidence, including the duration of the outbreak, new information which may emerge concerning the severity of the coronavirus and the actions to contain the coronavirus or minimize its harm, among others.

As we approach year-end, despite the challenges posed by COVID-19 around the world, we were still productive in the third quarter. Most importantly, after a lengthy process of preparation, the ‘300,000 government-accredited pure EV within 5 years rideshare’ program—of which Kandi was a co-founder-- has begun its trial with the gradual delivery of 1,000 EVs to the city of Haikou in Hainan province and 2,500 EVs to the city of Shaoxing in Zhejiang province. All the EVs delivered for the program include our battery swap feature. We believe that this program can drive the production and sales of our EV parts and battery swap equipment, and we can thus restore growth in our pure EV business.

The COVID-19 outbreak has seriously impacted the EV market in 2020, leading us to explore how to augment our business. As we looked at other market opportunities that leverage our expertise, the management of the Company found potential in a number of ancillary products aimed at intelligent transportation. For example, Electric Scooters and Electric Self-Balancing Vehicles have distinct potential, with tens of millions of units sold each year around the world. The Company is pursuing these opportunities by expanding production of intelligent transportation products that exploit our advantages in the Yongkang Scrou’s power electric motor and Kandi Smart Battery Swap’s power battery pack. Our products aimed at this market combines our motors and battery packs into a dynamic power train system. Through extensive product trials, we are able to meet a leading standard in China, and thus went into production in the second quarter. As this business is developing quickly and progressing, the Company transferred all of its equity interest in Yongkang Scrou to Jinhua An Kao (changed name to Kandi Smart Battery Swap), and the work of listing Kandi Smart Battery Swap on Shanghai Stock Exchange’s STAR Board has been started.

The Company originally planned to export 2,000 to 5,000 units of electric vehicles to the U.S. in 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020, the plan are being adjusted according to the situation of COVID-19 control in the U.S, as well as the progress of clearance from relevant government agencies such as United States Environmental Protection Agency. As of the date of this report, it has received the required clearance from the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its two electric vehicle (EV) models, the K23 and K27 via Certificates of Conformity. We are performing self-inspection comparing to the safety standards published by the United States Department of Transportation. We are also in the process of modifying features, upgrading the software and technology for the EVs to cater for our potential U.S. constomers. Thus, no units of electric vehicles have been sold in the U.S.

Results of Operations

Comparison of the Three Months Ended September 30, 2020 and 2019

The following table sets forth the amounts and percentage to revenue of certain items in our condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive income (loss) for the three months ended September 30, 2020 and 2019.