In the Netherlands, the Heineken brewery already has one or two electric trucks in operation, but primarily for local deliveries within cities. With the help of Swedish company Einride, five heavy-duty electric trucks are now being added to transport beer between the brewery in Den Bosch and the central warehouse in Duisburg. Read more…

The Benteler Group could soon be getting some new cash. An external investor is looking to buy a significant amount of shares to help the company’s business with its autonomous vehicle grow. Read more…

Volvo Cars is building a new center for mobility innovations in Torslanda near Gothenburg. With this facility, Volvo wants to take new technologies out of the laboratory environment and test them in a realistic way. Read more…

Estonia’s capital Tallinn is apparently planning to procure 40 battery-powered trolleybuses, 22 of which are 18 meters long and 18 of which are 12 meters long. The first of these new buses are due to be launched in Tallinn at the end of 2024 or beginning of 2025. Read more…

According to a Spanish media report, Stellantis plans to start producing electric cars based on the STLA Small platform at its plants in Spain in 2026. There is now also an alleged model schedule – as well as initial forecasts for unit numbers. Read more…

Protecting electric car batteries against fire is crucial to the success of these vehicles. There is particular concern about thermal runaway. A new Quantix® ULTRA material class from Freudenberg Sealing Technologies significantly improves fire protection in electric vehicle drives: The thermoplastics made from this material can withstand temperatures of up to 1,200 degrees Celsius. The ability to process the material in injection molding makes it both versatile and economical. Given that today’s vehicles call for lightweight construction, its lower density compared to metallic materials is an additional advantage. Read more…

First, the new Audi CEO Gernot Döllner adjusted the initially ambitious model timetable for 2024. Now he seems to implement his “Audi Agenda” – which entails some changes to the structures and top personnel. Read more…

The electric version of the Ford Puma will be called Gen-E and revealed later this year. Like the combustion engine versions, the electric Ford Puma will roll off the production line at the Ford Otosan plant in Craiova, Romania. Read more…

The Czech city of České Budějovice (in English Budejovice) has ordered 35 new battery-powered trolleybuses from the Skoda Group. Specifically, Skoda will deliver 35 of its of the 18-metre-long Skoda 33Tr articulated trolleybus. Read more…

The US American hotel conglomerate Choice Hotels, which owns the Radisson, Cambria, Comfort, Country Inn & Suites, Quality Inn and other brands, has partnered with Tesla to install Tesla’s Universal Wall Connector at its hotels. By the end of 2024, all hotels are planned to have at least one charger installed. Read more…

Nikola’s first HYLA hydrogen refuelling station is up and running in the city of Ontario in the US state of California. The station can refuel up to eight Nikola H2 trucks per day. Read more…

Cake, the Swedish manufacturer of lightweight electric motorbikes, had to file for insolvency on 1 February. The insolvency administrator is currently preparing the tender documents for the sale of the company. Read more…

Knorr-Bremse has sold its subsidiary Kiepe Electric to the investment company Heramba. However, the Munich-based supplier will retain a 15 per cent stake in Kiepe Electric. Read more…

Daimler Truck and Linde Engineering have presented their jointly developed fuelling technology sLH2 for liquid hydrogen. At the heart of the fuelling solution is a new pump. However, the technology will not remain exclusive but will become a standard for hydrogen-powered trucks. Read more…

The German supplier ZF has announced that it will build automatic transmissions for electrified drives in cars and commercial vehicles at its US plant in the future. The Friedrichshafen-based company is investing 460 million euros in the plant in Gray Court, South Carolina. Read more…

Siemens is launching software on the market that will help manufacturers of electric vehicles and their suppliers predict the performance of electric motors, such as axial flux motors. Read more…

Nissan is presenting the new generation of its large Interstar van, which is being offered with a purely electric drive for the first time. The all-electric Nissan Interstar-e shares its technology with the Renault Master E-Tech. The range: up to 460 kilometres. Read more…

LG Chem has signed a supply contract with General Motors for cathode material worth 25 trillion won (just under 17.6 billion euros). The contract covers the period from 2026 to 2035 for the car manufacturer’s North American plans – and not exactly in small quantities. Read more…

Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) specialist Nuvve could launch the first V2G hub project in Taiwan in collaboration with Taiwanese energy solutions provider e-Formula. The project would be realised in the northwest of the country. Read more…

The new versions have more power, greater range, faster acceleration and shorter and more robust charging times. The revised versions of the Taycan are due to arrive at Porsche Centres in spring 2024. Read more…