Smart has put its first own ultra-fast charging station into operation in Shanghai. The charging station, designed for 800-volt electric cars, is located in Shanghai and offers up to 480 kW of power. This suggests that Smart is preparing the introduction of new 800-volt electric cars. Read more…
Author: electrive.com
Tesla launches Model 3 Highland in North America
The revised version of the Tesla Model 3 is now also available in Canada and the US. Tesla presented the facelift of the Model 3 in September 2023, but did not provide any dates for the US version at the time. Read more…
Primobius to build Mercedes’ battery recycling hub in Kuppenheim
Primobius will realise the previously announced hydrometallurgical refinery in Kuppenheim, Germany, on behalf of Mercedes-Benz. The battery recycling joint venture is already building a shredding plant on site. Read more…
Toyota releases updated bZ4X in the USA
Toyota has released the 2024 version of its all-electric bZ4X for the US market. The 2024 Toyota bZ4X will have a starting Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price of $43,070 on the XLE grade and $47,180 on the Limited grade. Read more…
Honda previews new generation of electric cars from 2026
Honda presented its new generation of electric cars at CES with two design concepts under the name ‘Honda 0 Series’. The market launch of the first model of the new 0 Series is scheduled to begin in North America in 2026. Read more…
VW increased EV deliveries by 21 per cent in 2023
The VW brand delivered around 394,000 fully electric vehicles worldwide in 2023, an increase of 21.1 per cent compared to the previous year. However, business with combustion cars remains strongly dominant at Volkswagen. Read more…
Herbert Diess becomes Executive Chairman of the Board at The Mobility House
Diess succeeds Alexander Landia, an energy market expert who has held the position since 2017, at the technology company for vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and intelligent charging. According to the press release from The Mobility House, Landia will “continue to contribute his outstanding energy market expertise to the company” as an ordinary member of the Board of Directors. Read more…
FLEXeCHARGE secures millions in funding
Volkswagen to integrate ChatGPT into vehicle design
Volkswagen is integrating ChatGPT into its vehicles. As the Group announced at the CES in Las Vegas, the chatbot based on artificial intelligence will be made available in its own voice assistant, which can be used to control infotainment, navigation and air conditioning, for example, or to answer general knowledge questions. Read more…
Here announces more accurate range forecasts
The map and navigation provider Here wants to enable electric car manufacturers to make more accurate range predictions. The ‘Here EV Range Factors’ system that has now been announced is intended to incorporate numerous values in order to achieve a more accurate prediction of the remaining range. Read more…
Revo Zero’s hydrogen-electric SUV available for pre-order in the US
The US electric vehicle startup Revo Zero has opened the order books for pre-orders of its SUV called Energy. The vehicle uses both a hydrogen fuel cell and an electric battery. It is not clear when the car will hit the road or what the final price will be. Read more…
Volvo hands over first EX30 to European customers
Volvo has started deliveries of the EX30 in Europe. The first examples of the all-electric compact SUV were handed over to customers in Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal. Read more…
US researchers increase energy density of sodium-ion batteries
Researchers at the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have developed and patented a new cathode material for sodium-ion batteries. This should enable a significantly higher energy density than other sodium-ion cells – but still lags somewhat behind lithium-ion technology. Read more…
24M presents innovative battery separator
The US battery cell developer 24M, which is supported by Volkswagen, is presenting a battery separator called Impervio. The new technology is designed to significantly improve the safety of lithium-ion and lithium-metal batteries and will be ready for the market in one to two years. Read more…
BASF and Stena join forces in recycling batteries
BASF and Stena Recycling have signed an agreement on purchasing black mass. The deal is part of a broader collaboration between the two companies to establish a value chain for battery recycling for Europe’s EV battery market. Read more…
France tightens penalty tax for polluting and heavy new vehicles
France not only has a reformed subsidy scheme for electric vehicles since the beginning of the year. A penalty tax, the so-called “malus ecologique” for polluting and heavy combustion vehicles, has also been increased to keep said vehicles off the road. Read more…
US EPA awards nearly $1 billion in clean school buses
In a new round of funding, the US government has awarded a total of almost one billion dollars to 67 applicants for the procurement of “clean” school buses and their infrastructure. Read more…
BMW increases EV sales by 75 per cent in 2023
The BMW Group sold a total of 376,183 all-electric vehicles in 2023. That is 74.4 per cent more than in 2022, with the BMW core brand achieving even stronger growth thanks to several new models, while Mini only saw a slight increase. Read more…
Kia to launch electric vehicles on modular PBV platform from 2025
Kia presents its future “Platform Beyond Vehicle” (PBV) strategy at CES 2024. The focus is on modular electric cars and integrating software solutions, robotics and autonomous driving. The Concept PV5 presented in Las Vegas previews the first PBV series model. It will launch in 2025. Read more…
Bosch & Cariad launch automated valet charging tests
Bosch has been trialling automated parking with partners for a while now. Now the concept is to be expanded to include the automated charging of electric cars. Bosch and VW software subsidiary Cariad are now testing the system in two multi-storey car parks. Read more…
