Toyota is expanding its electric range. Following the bZ4X, the Urban Cruiser, a fully electric compact SUV, will be launched on the European market in 2025. The design is already known from a concept, but now the specs are also public. Read more…

Stellantis brand DS Automobiles has unveiled its new flagship DS N°8. The SUV coupé will be the carmaker’s new flagship and the first DS model to launch exclusively with an electric drive. Read more…

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $735 million in funding for a total of 70 applicants and more than 2,400 zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles. About 70 per cent of the money will go towards zero-emission school buses. Read more…

German Transport Minister Volker Wissing believes drones and air taxis will “revolutionise air mobility.” His ministry has now presented a new strategy for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), which includes test routes for air taxis from 2026. Read more…

The California Energy Commission (CEC) has approved an investment plan totalling USD 1.4 billion for the expansion of charging stations and hydrogen refuelling stations in the US state over the next four years Read more…

The EPP has softened its position in the battle over CO2 fleet limits in the EU Parliament. While parts of the group were still calling for the standards to be postponed from 2025 to 2027 a week ago, a booking trick is now to help protect car manufacturers from climate penalties in 2025. Read more…

BMW has replaced its old wind tunnel at the Group’s Research and Innovation Center (FIZ) in Munich. The new Aeroacoustics and Electric Drive Center (AEC) is said to house a 100-metre wind tunnel, supposedly not only the largest vertical acoustic wind tunnel in the world – but also the quietest. Read more…

Germany’s Vice Chancellor and Federal Economics Minister, Robert Habeck, has drawn up a comprehensive “package to modernise the German automotive industry.” For example, EV buyers should receive a charging credit for publicly accessible charging points. He also considers tax incentives. Read more…

Electric mobility service provider Electrify America is cooperating with the US-based retail company Costco Wholesale to deploy charging stations at five Costco facilities. The charging stations include hyper-fast chargers delivering up to 350 kW of power. Read more…

The Norwegian fuel cell manufacturer Teco 2030 has to file for insolvency. There is no longer a realistic possibility of raising sufficient capital to continue operations. Read more…

Santa is switching from reindeer to electric power. He has swapped his old sleigh for a Tesla Model 3, which he was recently spotted driving in Oxford. At least this is the story behind a PR campaign by the British car trading platform Auto Trader. Read more…

The charging infrastructure manufacturer Ekoenergetyka and BP Pulse will be working together in future to offer fleet operators solutions for charging electric trucks overnight. This is not just about charging at the depot. Public charging, particularly along the TEN-T network, is also the focus of the cooperation. Read more…

VinFast founder Pham Nhat Vuong’s charging infrastructure company V-Green has signed a letter of intent with the Prime Group conglomerate to build 100,000 charging stations for VinFast EVs in Indonesia over the next three years. The roll-out is scheduled to begin in 2025. Read more…

The Fraunhofer IEG research centre is launching a three-year project called ‘BASE’ to look at battery supply lines, as well as setting up a digital passport to help track resources and technologies. They plan to utilize blockchain technology to support the process. Read more…

Port operator DP World has purchased eight electric straddle carriers from Kalmar for its deep-sea port near London. These are now being charged ultra-rapidly at 500A with fast chargers from Kempower. Read more…

California-based electric utility company Southern California Edison wants to expand its fleet with electric vehicles. As a result, the company has decided to introduce 280 Chevrolet Silverado EV electric pickup trucks from General Motors to its fleet. Read more…

The two semiconductor companies—Rohm from Japan and TSMC from Taiwan—have entered into a strategic partnership to develop and produce gallium nitride power elements for electric vehicle applications in series. Read more…

Ascend Elements says it will begin production of high-purity lithium carbonate (Li2CO3) recovered from used lithium-ion batteries at its Covington, Georgia, facility in 2025. The company plans to produce up to 3,000 tonnes of Li2CO3 per year. Read more…

US scientists at Stanford University have discovered that the batteries of electric vehicles could last up to 40 per cent longer than previously assumed. The reason: driving and charging habits in the real world are said to put less strain on batteries than laboratory tests suggest. Read more…

China has recorded its third record month in a row for sales of NEV cars, which includes both purely electric and plug-in hybrid cars. In November, around 1.51 million NEV cars were sold. Purely battery electric cars, in particular, saw a significant increase. Read more…