Hyundai Motors announced today that it started the construction of a brand-new EV factory in Ulsan, South Korea. The investment amounts to $1.52 billion and it’s the company’s first South Korean factory in 29 years. The plant should be ready by 2025 and will start producing EVs exclusively in 2026. Since Hyundai encompasses Hyundai, Kia and Genesis, it’s no surprise that the first EV model to roll out of the plant in 2026 will be a Genesis-branded SUV. The production capacity of the factory is said to be 200,000 units per year. This will add to the already existing capacity of… Read more…

Volkswagen made a bold move with the introduction of the ID.7, and now the company is setting a high price point in a market that is causing the VW already many headaches. Despite its steep starting price of €63,930 in the UK, the ID.7 brings to the table a mix of innovation and luxury that Volkswagen hopes will justify its cost. The ID.7’s design follows the aerodynamic efficiency seen in the ID. Aero concept, featuring a teardrop shape aimed at maximizing efficiency. The front end of the ID.7 aligns with Volkswagen’s ID. lineup, displaying a small grille and slim LED headlights… Read more…

Volvo now officially expanded its electric vehicle portfolio with the introduction of the EM90, its first electric minivan. Diverging from its recent focus on SUVs, Volvo’s EM90 ventures into a segment, where electric-propelled options have been severely limited. Borrowing heavily on design elements from its sibling, the Zeekr 009, the EM90 presents a less audacious yet equally impressive appearance. The front fascia features a subtler illuminated grille and new headlights reminiscent of those on the EX90 electric SUV. The minivan’s profile can’t hide its Zeekr origins, while the rear… Read more…

Chery and Huawei have officially unveiled their latest venture into the growing world of electric vehicles, the Luxeed S7. This electric sedan, now available on pre-sales in China, is a significant leap forward in the EV space, challenging stalwarts like BYD Han EV and the Neta S. Priced starting at RMB 258,000 (approximately €33,100), the Luxeed S7 is not just a car; it’s a statement. The Luxeed S7, a joint effort between the automotive expertise of Chery and the technological prowess of Huawei, showcases an interesting fusion of industries. While Chery leads the manufacturing and… More…

Among the most anticipated entries into the automotive landscape that is witnessing a transformative EV era, is the electric 2025 Mercedes G-Class. The yet-to-be-named EQG is a vehicle that promises to redefine luxury EVs while maintaining the iconic status of its G-Class lineage. That is a lot of lineage to live up to and Mercedes is taking its sweet time to – hopefully – ensure the end product exceeds the expectations. The company took to X (the good old Twitter) to remind us that the all-electric G-Wagon is coming soon, and in the process revealed more images. The vehicle in question,… More…

Lucid Motors introduced RangeXchange, a new charging adapter the enables vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) charging. Lucid Air owners with the latest firmware can share their charge with other EVs, by simply hooking the two with the new cable. At its core, RangeXchange utilizes Lucid’s bi-directional charging technology, embedded in every Lucid Air through its proprietary Wunderbox system. The adapter allows energy to flow from the Lucid Air’s battery pack to another EV, effectively turning the car into a mobile charging station. Lucid Air charging Tesla The speed of RangeXchange is… More…

Today, BMW announced that the BMW 7 Series will get Level 3 driving assistance by next spring. The feature will be available for order this December and the first cars with it will ship in March 2024. Strangely enough the eDrive50 and M70 xDrive aren’t eligible so you can only get it on the middle eDrive60 drivetrain. Right now, the company is offering Level 2 automated driving that includes features such as automatic lane change and adaptive cruise control, allowing the driver to take their hands off the wheel but you still need to pay attention to what is happening on the road. The… More…

Renault Korea Motors (RKM) is embracing the EV future with help from an unlikely partner. Starting in the second half of 2025, RKM’s Busan plant will produce and export pure electric vehicles, beginning with the much-anticipated Polestar 4. The agreement, forged between Polestar, Geely Group, and RKM, marks a significant milestone for the South Korean auto manufacturer. The partnership aims to roll out the Polestar 4, a pure electric vehicle, not just for the domestic South Korean market but also for exporting to North America. Located with direct access to major exporting ports,… More…

A few days ago Zeekr announced that it’s going to unveil its first ever sedan, the Zeekr 007, on November 17 (a huge missed opportunity to do it on November 7, we think, but anyway, let’s not digress). Today the brand’s official global X account shared the images you can see below, which pretty much give away the entirety of the car’s looks – and we’re not complaining, since it does look stunning. The 007 has LiDAR technology, as is obvious by the sensors sitting up top. This will be the first time a Zeekr features LiDAR, although the popularity of LiDAR in the Chinese EV market has… More…

Samsung’s SmartThings is possibly the biggest smart home platform in the world and is now offering integration with EvLoop’s EV charging network. The integration is also working with some EVs. The SmartThings app now allows you to track and control the charging process, just like the native Loop EV Charger app. For instance, you can schedule the charging process to start during off-peak hours. Additionally, the SmartThings app can monitor and manage your charger with the app available on your smartwatch, tablet, TV and even the fridge. The future is now! EvLoop is a charging network… More…

The first production models of the BYD Yangwang U8, an electric SUV under BYD’s premium Yangwang brand, have started rolling off the factory line, marking a significant milestone for the new brand. Officially launched on September 20, the Yangwang U8 has already generated over 30,000 orders – a clear indication of the market’s enthusiasm for this luxury electric SUV. This high demand could be attributed to its unique blend of off-road prowess and advanced technology. The U8, priced at approximately RMB 1.098 million (just over €140,000), is assembled at a BYD production site in… More…

The Volkswagen ID.4 GTX is the latest car we’ve got for review and we are currently busy putting it through its paces. And while the full set of trials will take a while longer to complete we are now done with the range test, so we figured we might share the findings of that one with you. The ID.4 GTX version comes with a 82 kWh battery of which 77 kWh are available to use. That’s among the highest capacities in the price range and its WLTP rating of about 515km sounds very promising. In fact that’s after the range penalty that comes with the dual motor AWD drive of the 250kW GTX model… More…

In the first half of the year, CATL was still the reigning king in terms of EV battery market share. The global EV battery capacity sold in the first six months of 2023 grew 54% compared to the same period last year, reaching over 300GWh, according to Counterpoint Research. During the same period, global EV sales also experienced a 43% year-on-year growth. The leading regions in EV battery installations were China, the US, and Europe, unsurprisingly. CATL’s share of the market was 34%, followed by BYD at 16%, LG at 14%, Panasonic at 8%, SK Innovation and Samsung SDI at 5% each…. More…

Volkswagen has hit yet another bump on its electric vehicle journey. The company has announced a temporary halt in EV production at its Zwickau plant in Germany, attributing it to a shortage of electric motors. This news comes on the heels of a similar production halt at Volkswagen’s Dresden site last month, highlighting the challenges the auto giant faces in its transition to electric mobility. The Zwickau plant, Volkswagen’s largest EV production site in Europe, plays a pivotal role in the company’s ambitious electric plans. In 2018, Volkswagen invested nearly €1.21 billion to transform… More…

The Swiss Federal Council has announced that it’s removing the 4% import tax break on EVs, which was in place since 1997. The reason for the decision stems from the rampant adoption rate of EVs in the country and now 23% of all imported cars are EVs. The drop in average EV prices is another reason cited by the Swiss government. The Swiss government is also looking to improve the public transport and highway system, so the removal of the 4% credit will raise some additional funds for projects. The government estimates an additional revenue of at least €2.05 to €3.08 per year. The… More…

Volvo Trucks North America claims to have taken a serious leap forward with its groundbreaking SuperTruck 2. This tractor-trailer was aiming to meet the US Department of Energy’s challenge for a 100% efficiency increase and even exceeded it, achieving a 134% boost in efficiency. However one may argue that the task wasn’t so difficult since the baseline was set by a 2009 truck. At the heart of SuperTruck 2’s efficiency is (unsurprisingly) its aerodynamic design. The cabin is shaped into a sleek wedge, complemented by a wraparound windshield. This design, coupled with meticulously engineered… More…

Tesla’s much-anticipated Cybertruck is about to start deliveries by the month’s end. Amidst a sea of delays and hushed whispers of specifications, a new leak finally provides some specific numbers. Spanning a length of 5,660 mm, the Cybertruck sits between the hefty full-size trucks and the more agile mid-size alternatives. It’s a conscious dance on the edge of regulatory thresholds, with its 2,029.5 mm width just ducking under the 2,030 mm mark that would demand additional safety lighting. The height, however, tells a story of modesty in a segment known for its towering statures…. More…

EV sales kept climbing in September, nearly 9.5 million plug-in models have found their new owners in 2023 so far, of which over 6.5 million are BEVs. That’s around 16% of all cars sold in 2023 and 12% share for the BEVs alone. The data comes from EV-Volumes by way of Jose Pontes. September saw a record 1,291,077 new passenger plug-in cars sold, of which the majority – 890,000 – were EVs. Breaking down the total numbers by individual models, it’s no surprise that Tesla Model Y dominates with 121,258 sales in September. BYD’s Yuan Plus (aka Atto 3) is the next EV in the list with 35,378,… More…

Polestar’s Q3 report reveals the company is both accelerating and hitting speed bumps. The company’s third quarter of 2023 tells a story of growth, challenge, and strategic reorientation. Polestar’s revenue soared to €571 million, a robust 41% year-on-year increase. This growth is primarily fueled by the price hikes for the 2023 and 2024 model years, alongside an expansion in vehicle sales across various markets. The delivery of 13,976 cars is a 51% yearly increase and it underscores Polestar’s growing appeal in the electric vehicle market. Polestar 3 Despite the revenue uptick,… More…

Chrysler’s next new model will be an EV crossover launching in 2025, which will be based on the Chrysler Airflow concept presented in 2022 and seen in the image below. The new crossover will use the STLA Large architecture, shared with other models from Stellantis (which owns Chrysler). Chrysler Airflow concept The news comes straight from Chrysler CEO Christine Feuell. This will be a two-row crossover, and the brand is also considering, at some later point, the introduction of an all-new EV sedan to its lineup, to replace the long-running Chrysler 300, which is currently being… More…