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…

Running an electric car was 33 percent cheaper than operating gasoline cars in the EU last year. That’s according to the ‘EV Transition Check’ study by the renowned ICCT thinktank. This year, the cost difference is likely to be even larger due to the oil crisis. Read more…

Electric cars could link both the energy and transport transitions, but the right framework remains absent. However, energy expert Dr. Tim Meyer sees bidirectional charging as the “sleeping giant” of the energy system. Ahead of the CharIN Testival & Conference Europe 2026, Dr. Meyer explains why both regulation and the energy industry are lagging behind the technology. Read more…

In the Greek city of Thessaloniki, 50 new e-buses have entered service. The 18-meter-long articulated buses from Chinese manufacturer Yutong are operated by OASTH, the city’s public transport authority, on four routes. OASTH now has around 160 electric buses. Read more…

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has initiated a $45 m programme to accelerate the deployment of electric trucks and charging infrastructure. The scheme is in partnership with CALSTART. Read more…

In the UK, Zest is partnering with Heart of England Co-op to deliver high-powered charging at nine supermarkets in the Midlands. Zest will fund and operate the infrastructure under a multi-year agreement. Read more…

BMW is advancing its preparations for the Neue Klasse at its Regensburg plant. During a three-week production pause, the automaker installed a new pre-assembly line for the integration of high-voltage batteries, among other updates. Read more…

UltraTech Cement, the world’s largest cement company by sales volume and capacity outside China, has announced plans to scale its logistics fleet operation by introducing over 600 new electric trucks by December 2026. Read more…

Surprisingly, the Volkswagen supervisory board has approved the management board’s restructuring plan early. According to Volkswagen, the vote was unanimous – partly because a decision on potentially spinning off the core Volkswagen brand has been deferred, removing some of the immediate pressure for now. Read more…

China is gradually phasing out tax incentives for electric cars and batteries. Since September, the previously announced consumption tax on lithium-ion batteries has been in effect, and further benefits will be removed in 2027. Read more…