Mercedes-Benz and BMW are planning to set up and operate a joint fast-charging network in China. Mercedes-Benz Group China and BMW Brilliance Automotive want to establish a 50:50 joint venture for this purpose and start the rollout next year. Read more…

The Chinese battery cell manufacturer and BMW partner Eve Energy has started construction of its first European battery cell factory in Hungary. It is set to have an annual capacity of 28 gigawatt hours and will go into operation in 2026. Read more…

Hyundai and Kia have presented a new wheel drive system called the Universal Wheel Drive System (Uni Wheel for short), designed for taxis, shuttle buses and other special purpose vehicles of all sizes. The Uni Wheel creates extra space in electric vehicles by moving the reduction gear to the wheel hub. Read more…

GAC Aion, the electric car subsidiary of the Chinese GAC Group, has announced a plant in Thailand with an annual capacity of 50,000 vehicles. The production facility in the province of Rayong will be built in two phases. Read more…

Hyundai is preparing its plant in Asan, South Korea, for the production of a second electric model. The manufacturer announced that operations at the plant in Asan will be interrupted from December 31, 2023 to February 13, 2024 in order to convert it for the production of electric cars. Read more…

Honda is raising its sales target for electric two-wheelers by half a million units by the end of this decade. The new target is to be achieved with significantly cheaper models – also thanks to LFP cells. Read more…

Despite their climate pledges, the CO2 emissions of the world’s three largest car manufacturers – Toyota, Volkswagen and Hyundai-Kia – have risen significantly. Greenpeace attributes this to the increasing sales of SUVs. Read more…

The Spanish charging station manufacturer Circontrol has presented the new generation of its Raption series of high-power chargers. The Raption Compact 160 was launched at this year’s Power2Drive. Now, the Raption Compact 240 is to be followed by another fast-charging station. A third fast charger will be added to the series in early 2024. Read more…

The Japanese vehicle manufacturer Isuzu Motors is building a development and test center for electric vehicles at its plant in Fujisawa. In future, components such as electric motors, batteries and thermal management systems will be developed and tested here. Read more…

Iveco and BYD have emerged as the winners of an extensive electric bus tender by public transport operator ANM in Naples. However, the Chinese manufacturer will supply significantly more vehicles because it won three lots. Read more…

Nio and Geely have announced they will now be cooperating on battery standards, battery swapping technology, battery swapping network expansion and operation, swappable model development, and battery asset management. Both companies are committed to making their models compatible with each other’s systems. Read more…

ZeroAvia, specializing in hydrogen electric aircraft propulsion systems, has completed a 116 million US dollar financing round, counting Airbus among the investors. The zero-emission aircraft developer has also signed a deal with Ecojet, which aims to become the world’s first electric airline. Read more…

UK battery materials and recycling company Altilium Metals has secured over £700,000 in UK government innovation funding for two collaborative research projects focused on the recovery of copper and rare earth elements from mine waste. Read more…

The planned joint battery cell factory of the Chinese Volkswagen partner Gotion High-Tech and the Slovakian battery company InoBat in Central Europe will probably be built in Slovakia, specifically in Šurany in the south of the country. Read more…

The US government is considering granting car manufacturers a temporary exemption from new regulations for battery materials sourced from abroad. This would allow electric cars with such batteries to benefit from the full tax credit of USD 7,500 for longer than previously planned. Read more…

In order to free up further capital for investments in the transition to electric cars, Toyota and two subsidiaries are planning to sell shares in supplier Denso worth several billion dollars. Read more…

Mercedes-Benz is considering the relocation of production of its all-electric EQS SUV from the USA to Germany. According to a media report citing suppliers, the Stuttgart-based company’s largest electric SUV is to come from the Bremen plant in future. Read more…

In the struggle for a compromise solution between the EU and the UK on the so-called rules of origin for electric cars, three solution options are now being discussed among the EU states. An agreement must be reached by the end of the year, first within the EU and then with the UK. Read more…

Honda has withdrawn its Honda e electric model from the European market. The European headquarters of the Japanese car manufacturer confirmed to our editorial team that the Honda e can no longer be ordered in Europe. Read more…

Thanks to conversions with battery containers from Zero Emission Services (ZES), a completely emission-free inland waterway vessel in the Netherlands will go into operation from April 2024 onwards. The first electrically powered ship on this route will be followed by four that will traverse Dutch inland waterways between Den Bosch, Maasvlakte and Moerdijk. Read more…