Romanian Energy OMV Petrom will fully acquire Renovatio Asset Management, the owner of 400 EV charging points in the country. OMV Petrom will thus become the leading e-mobility provider in Romania. Read more…

In 2023, Nikola produced 42 and sold 35 Class 8 Nikola hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks. Of the seven trucks not delivered, three are being used in an extended field test with a fleet partner, while another two are in continued validation and engineering and the final two are being used for service training/customer demos. Read more…

US semiconductor manufacturer Onsemi announces the availability of nine new versions of its EliteSiC PIMs that enable bidirectional charging for DC ultra-fast EV chargers and energy storage systems. The technology is more efficient purely silicon-based semiconductors. Read more…

BYD has started construction of its first factory for sodium-ion batteries in China. The factory in Xuzhou in Jiangsu province is designed for an annual production capacity of 30 gigawatt-hours. The start of construction follows just a few weeks after the official announcement of the project. Read more…

French automotive supplier Valeo will present Ineez Air Charging at CES 2024 in Las Vegas next week. The wireless charging solution with V2G functionality is suitable for all public and private charging locations. Read more…

VinFast has signed agreements with five dealers across four states in the USA. This is a major step in the Vietnamese startups plan to launch its electric vehicles in the US market ahead of the planned factory in 2025. Read more…

Fisker produced 10,142 units of its electric SUV Ocean in 2023 and delivered around 4,700. The electric carmaker thus achieved its revised production target of just over 10,000 units. It also announced that it will move away from its strict direct sales approach. Read more…

Volvo Cars will get a EUR 420 million loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to develop a new electric car platform. The two parties have signed a financing agreement to that end to decarbonise transport in the EU and help Volvo reach its goal of manufacturing EVs only by 2030. Read more…

The German Federal Motor Transport Authority lists 54,654 new electric cars in its statistics for December. The month was characterised by the short-term announcement of the end of the environmental bonus, which is likely to have led to a spontaneous increase in registrations of electric cars. Read more…

Audi presents a special edition of the all-electric Q8 e-tron SUV with off-road characteristics. The Q8 e-tron edition Dakar has a raised chassis and is optionally available with special foiling. From the outside, the special model is reminiscent of the RS Q e-tron hybrid racing car designed for the Dakar Rally. Read more…

In California, traffic offences committed by driverless cars in autonomous driving mode cannot be punished under current legislation due to a legal loophole. Read more…

BYD Mexico has delivered the first batch of 20 electric buses to Mexico City Metrobús. It is the manufacturer’s largest bus fleet delivery in a single shipment to Mexico to date. Read more…

Volkswagen’s battery subsidiary PowerCo confirms progress in the development of solid-state battery cells from its partner QuantumScape following tests in its own laboratories. The cell is said to have significantly exceeded the requirements in the A-sample test. Read more…

The Chinese government has published implementation guidelines to improve the interaction of electric cars and plug-in hybrids with the power grid. The introduction of a national technical standard system for vehicle-grid interaction and a tariff mechanism for bidirectional charging is planned for 2025. Read more…

The joint venture Smatrics EnBW has announced the construction of 200 new HPC charging points in Austria with a capacity of up to 400 kW for the current year. These are to be installed along the road network and at urban supermarket car parks. Read more…

Ford Motor has officially alerted its dealers to price changes for the battery-electric F-150 Lightning. The US-American automaker revealed that prices on model year 2024 pickups have jumped by between $2,000 and $10,000 from the 2023 versions. Read more…

The US electric car manufacturer Rivian has exceeded its annual target of 54,000 vehicles for 2023. All the EVs came from the company’s only plant to date in Normal, Illinois. A second production facility will open its doors this year. Read more…

Siemens is gradually expanding its fleet in Germany by up to 1,000 VW ID.4. The electric cars will be leased by Siemens via Volkswagen Financial Services. Read more…

Vietnamese electric car manufacturer VinFast is planning to build a battery factory in India. An official announcement is expected in the coming days. Read more…

Fuel cell specialist Ballard Power Systems has signed a long-term supply agreement with the North American bus manufacturer NFI Group. An initial firm order includes at least 100 FCmove -HD+ modules, scheduled for delivery in 2024 for New Flyer’s Xcelsior Charge FC H2 buses for use in the USA and Canada. Read more…