Ford has started producing electric drives at its British plant in Halewood. The plant can produce up to 420,000 eDrives per year – and can thus supply 70 per cent of the electric vehicles sold by Ford in Europe. Read more…

The new EU Commission has launched a call for funding totalling €1 billion for the production of battery cells for electric cars. The EU will subsidise companies and consortia that produce innovative battery cells or use innovative manufacturing processes and technologies. It remains to be seen whether the aid will arrive in time for Northvolt, for example. Read more…

Smart UK has selected Ohme EV as its official home charging supplier. The two companies aim to provide the Smart’s vehicles with Ohme’s home-charging solution while using renewable energy. Read more…

BYD has commissioned its second dedicated transport ship for the export of its electric cars and plug-in hybrids. The 199.9 metre long freighter named BYD Changzhou has capacity for 7,000 cars and is currently on its way to Europe with almost 5,000 BYD vehicles. Read more…

The Avatr brand, which is jointly owned by Chagan and CATL, is updating its Avatr 11 SUV model. The model, initially launched as an all-electric vehicle, is now optionally available as an Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (EREV). Read more…

Central London’s Community Healthcare NHS Trust (CLCH) has nearly electrified its car pool fleet. The Trust’s fleet of 35 petrol cars has already seen 22 replaced with EVs. The rest are to follow by the end of the year. Read more…

As part of its Battery-as-a-Service offering, Nio is now offering its customers in the first European markets the flexibility to choose between the two battery sizes. This allows users to adapt the battery capacity to their current needs. Read more…

The energy infrastructure company Lynkwell is working with Recharge Alaska, creating a white-label DC charging network for the latter that meets the requirements to function reliably under extreme conditions in Alaska. Read more…

Renault subsidiary Ampere has signed a multi-year agreement with semiconductor company STMicroelectronics on the supply of Silicon Carbide (SiC) power modules. It is part of the strategic cooperation between the latter and the Renault Group announced for 2026. Read more…

The E.ON pilot project Bi-clEVer is testing the use of bidirectional charging in private households. According to E.ON, the project shows that vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid can save around 900 euros a year. Read more…

Audi has started construction of a battery assembly plant at its factory in the Mexican state of Puebla. It will be Audi’s first plant outside Germany to produce high-voltage batteries and modules. Read more…

StarPlus Energy, the battery cell joint venture between Stellantis and Samsung SDI, has received a conditional commitment from the US government for a loan of up to $7.54 billion for the two battery cell factories in Kokomo, Indiana. Read more…

The Stellantis brand DS plans to unveil its first all-electric model this year and is gradually releasing the first details. The new electric car will not be called the DS 8 E-Tense as expected, but the DS N°8, an SUV coupé that will be positioned in the luxury segment. Read more…

Norway’s government is extending the VAT exemption for electric cars until 2026, which applies to the purchase and leasing of electric cars with a price equivalent to just under 43,000 euros. Taxes for combustion engines and plug-in hybrids, on the other hand, are rising. Read more…

The Ford Puma is the brand’s best-selling model in Europe. Ford has now unveiled the electric version. The Cologne-based manufacturer emphasises its dynamic acceleration and efficiency. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether the Puma Gen-E will really be well received – because of the battery and its price. Read more…

Jaguar has unveiled the Type 00 concept car. The vehicle study provides a glimpse of the design language of the brand’s new electric cars. Jaguar plans to present the first production model, a four-door GT, at the end of 2025. The electric car will be based on the Jaguar Electric Architecture (JEA) and is expected to offer a WLTP range of up to 770 kilometres. Read more…

General Motors has announced that it will sell its stake in the Ultium Cells LLC battery cell plant in Lansing, Michigan, to its partner LG Energy Solution. At the same, the companies are extending their technology partnership to include prismatic cells. Read more…

Lion Electric, a Quebec-based electric bus manufacturer, says it will temporarily lay off 400 employees in the US and Canada. As a result, it will also suspend production at its facility in Illinois. But it has gotten a credit extension from its lenders. Read more…

The Spanish energy supplier Endesa and Transgourmet Ibérica are expanding the charging infrastructure for electric cars in Spain. The project involves the installation of a total of 134 charging points distributed across 36 GM Cash-Gros Mercat locations. Read more…

Opel has reduced production at its main plant in Rüsselsheim. According to a company spokesperson, assembly of the Astra compact car and its sister model, the DS 4, has come to a complete standstill this week. Read more…