Onvo’s president re-emphasized that this month’s target of delivering more than 10,000 units will be met, after weekly data showed that deliveries remained slow last week. Read more…
VW acquires stake in Canadian lithium company for PowerCo
The Volkswagen Group and its battery subsidiary PowerCo are investing directly in the lithium supply chain for the first time, buying a 9.9 per cent stake in Patriot Battery Metals for $48 million. The company plans to start industrial lithium production at its Shaakichiuwaanaan project in Quebec, Canada, soon. Read more…
Solaris hands over first of 50 electric buses in Berlin – including battery pass
Solaris has delivered the first of 50 newly ordered electric articulated buses to Berlin’s public transport operator, BVG. The unique feature is that the electrically powered vehicle has a battery passport – a good two years before this becomes mandatory in the European Union. Read more…
Nio’s battery swap network completes coverage of China’s major highways
Nio’s battery swap network has completed coverage of 18 of China’s busiest highways, reaching 913 stations along them. Read more…
Dekra certifies that EV batteries last longer than expected
The testing organisation Dekra reports that more than 25,000 ‘state-of-health’ tests have now been completed using its patented rapid battery test procedure. Based on the data collected, Dekra states that ‘the batteries of electric cars are more durable than consumers sometimes fear’. Read more…
Honda and Nissan consider merger
Japanese car manufacturers Honda and Nissan are considering joining forces far beyond the agreed cooperation on software-defined electric cars. It would create the world’s third-largest car company in terms of unit sales, with only Toyota and the Volkswagen Group being larger. Read more…
CATL reveals ambitious plans aimed at standardizing swappable batteries
CATL has unveiled two standardized Choco-SEB battery packs and plans to launch 10 models using the packs with partners, one for each of the following quarters. Read more…
Will the Porsche Taycan be made in Leipzig in the future?
Porsche is apparently considering relocating Taycan production from Zuffenhausen to Leipzig. Other electric models are also likely to be delayed or adapted. These are still only considerations – but they have a serious background. Read more…
Esso to start looking for lithium in Germany
ExxonMobil subsidiary Esso has gotten the green light to look for lithium in Germany, Specifically in the state of Lower Saxony. The State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology (LBEG) allocated four so-called licence fields for the exploration of lithium for an initial period of five years. Read more…
Tesla’s China factory chief set to leave this week, report says
Song Gang joined Tesla Shanghai in December 2018 and was the No. 1 employee at Giga Shanghai. Read more…
EVPassport to install EV chargers at Daly Seven hotels in mid-Atlantic US
Charging network operator EVPassport has announced it will deploy several hundred EV chargers at Daly Seven’s portfolio of 42 hotels. Daly Seven operates a portfolio of 42 Hilton-, Marriott- and InterContinental Hotel Group-branded hotels in three states, namely North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. This is its first foray into offering guests access to EV chargers…. Read more…
Audi-FAW EV venture’s plant goes into production
The production site is Audi’s first in China to focus exclusively on purely electric models and will start with the Audi Q6L e-tron series. Read more…
Avatr closes $1.5 billion in new funding, targets 2026 IPO
Avatr closed over RMB 11 billion ($1.5 billion) in series C funding, with a goal of going public in 2026. Read more…
WeaveGrid secures $28-million investment for EV grid integration software
San Francisco-headquartered WeaveGrid, a developer of charging management software for integrating EVs into power grids, has raised $28 million in a funding round led by Woven Capital, Toyota’s growth fund. The investment will be used to broaden collaborations with automakers and electric utilities. WeaveGrid’s EV management system is designed to enable grid-integrated EV charging, and… Read more…
ZF opens new EV axle drive plant in China
German automotive and industrial systems manufacturer ZF has opened its third plant in Shenyang, China, known as ZF Electric Mobility Systems, to produce and sell products such as electric axle drives for EVs. The transfer of production lines and equipment to the Shenyang plant is proceeding. The next stage will focus on refining the electric… Read more…
California wins the first round against Trump as Tesla faces down a union coup
On today’s episode of Quick Charge, the Trump administration has lost its first battle against state’s rights in California while Tesla faces down (what it’s calling) a union coup in Germany. Meanwhile, SoCal Edison puts 280 Chevy Silverado EV pickups to work on California’s roads and Colorado is putting up a bunch of new DC fast chargers. Read more…
Nio shares new images of ET9 as official launch 3 days away
On Nio Day 2024, the official launch of the ET9 and the launch of the Firefly brand will mark a significant expansion in the price range covered by Nio’s product lineup. Read more…
Mercedes adds human-like conversation support to its MBUX Voice Assistant
Mercedes announced a new feature update to its MBUX Voice Assistant. Starting today, Mercedes owners can update their MBUX free of charge and take advantage of the new, advanced AI capabilities. The features include human-like conversation support as well as AI-powered general knowledge. The two features are powered by Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service, which taps into ChatGPT and Bing. You… Read more…
Nio starts warming up for Firefly: Brand logo unveiled, mobile app available
The Firefly brand will be officially launched at Nio Day 2024 on December 21, when its first model will also be unveiled. Read more…
Check out this custom Lucid Air cleverly designed so 7-foot Shaq can fit
Lucid’s luxury EV just got the Shaq treatment. A Lucid Air was converted into a slick two-door model so that Shaq could fit inside. Check out the custom electric car below. Read more…
