The German battery material specialist IBU-tec based in the state of Thuringa is making good progress with the construction of its LFP production facility in Bitterfeld-Wolfen. The supplier to VW battery subsidiary PowerCo has now received a key approval from the State Administration Office of Saxony-Anhalt, required to commence operations. Read more…

Bus operators in Leicester can now apply for up to £5m in grant funding available to subsidise the purchase of additional electric buses and charging infrastructure. Leicester City Council will be administering the funding under its One Network bus plan. All operators within the Leicester Buses One Network Partnership are eligible. Read more…

Ola Electric, one of India’s leading electric two-wheeler brands, has launched its first e-scooter featuring LFP cells developed and manufactured in-house: the S1Z. It has priced the new electric scooter in the same range as traditional petrol-powered scooters, making it accessible for the masses. Read more…

According to a media report, a waiting list is forming for the VW ID. Polo even before deliveries have started – at least for individual configurations. The waiting time is said to be at least ten months, according to a major VW dealership group. So far, VW has registered more than 30,000 orders across Europe. Read more…

In the first eight months of this year, purely electric car uptake reached 25.6 per cent while the month of August saw a 29.8 per cent share of newly registered cars. While both figures represent a record high, the SMMT warns this is still significantly below the 33% headline mandate target. Electric vans also enjoyed greater uptake though similarly a long way off targets. Read more…

Toyota’s luxury brand Lexus will apparently build a next-generation electric SUV in China starting next year. According to Japanese media, the vehicle will be produced at the company’s new plant in Shanghai where a state-of-the-art gigacasting production process will be used. Read more…

Taiwanese solid-state battery specialist ProLogium is starting series production of its Generation 3.5 lithium-ceramic battery in Taiwan. According to ProLogium, the multinational German organisation for certifying vehicular standards, TÜV Rheinland, has confirmed that the cells used achieve a gravimetric energy density of 381 Wh/kg. Read more…

Lanxess has opened a new battery laboratory at its Krefeld-Uerdingen site in Germany. The specialty chemicals company plans to test and further develop its materials for LFP batteries directly in battery cells. Read more…

The Croatian capital Zagreb has put 62 electric buses from MAN and Iveco with corresponding charging infrastructure into operation. The municipal public transport operator ZET procured the 30 solo electric buses, 26 articulated electric buses, and six electric midi-buses, with total costs amounting to nearly 56.8 million euros. Read more…

The A2 e-tron is Audi’s up-market electric car for the compact class. Based on the updated Volkswagen Group Modular Electric Drive Matrix (MEB+), the new model is rolling off production lines at the company’s plant in Ingolstadt. Deliveries will begin from December 2026, and prices start at 38,200 euros. Read more…

Lucid is approaching its planned market entry in France for which the US manufacturer is collaborating with Emil Frey France. The Air and Gravity models are to be presented at the Paris Motor Show in October. So far, the American electric carmaker is still keeping details about the sales launch under wraps. Read more…