The Mercedes-Benz Group delivered around 51,000 electric cars in the second quarter. The passenger car division accounted for 45,800 battery-electric cars. The German carmaker’s EV sales also fell in the first half of the year as a whole. Read more…
Author: electrive.com
Lucid increases production and deliveries
US electric car manufacturer Lucid Motors produced 2,110 EVs in the second quarter and delivered 2,394, more than in the first quarter. However, Lucid still needs to make progress to reach its annual production target of 9,000 vehicles. Read more…
BMW delivers over 100,000 EVs in Q2/2024
The BMW Group sold 190,622 battery-electric cars in the first half of the year. The majority of these were delivered in the second quarter. The year-on-year growth was driven primarily by the core brand. Read more…
Hyundai sued by dealers in the USA
A group of Hyundai dealers has sued the South Korean car manufacturer in a US federal court in Chicago. Hyundai allegedly used tricks to exaggerate sales figures for EVs and penalised dealers who did not take part in the scam. Read more…
Zeekr reveals 7X as its Tesla Model Y rival
Zeekr has introduced an electric mid-size SUV as the sixth model in its product line-up – the 7X. The company plans to market the new EV as a competitor of the Tesla Model Y. Read more…
Volkswagen subsidiary PowerCo gets serious about solid-state batteries
PowerCo wants to industrialise solid-state batteries and use the technology of US specialist QuantumScape. The companies have agreed to “industrialise QuantumScape’s next-generation solid-state lithium-metal battery technology.” Read more…
Washington promotes conversion of US car plants
The US government is providing $1.7 billion in funding to convert eleven closed or troubled car production and assembly plants in eight US states to EV production. It will benefit US manufacturers and a German company. Read more…
Plummeting battery prices in China may normalise EVs globally
Battery prices in China are falling rapidly with no end in sight. Analysts view the trend as a catalyst in the mass-level decarbonisation of road transport worldwide. Read more…
Smart #3 Premium: A Mercedes without a star
Smart is the first western brand to switch completely from combustion engines to electric cars. However, Smart has moved far away from its roots, the small two-seater car, during the transition. The #3 is Smart’s second electric car on the market and impressed us in many respects – but not in all.
South Korea to have 1,000 hydrogen buses on the roads this month
South Korea expects to have 1,000 hydrogen buses on its roads this month. The country is taking a multi-energy approach towards achieving carbon neutrality in the transport sector and seeing a growing demand for these commercial vehicles. Read more…
VW allegedly sets up task force on Northvolt problems
Following the loss of a billion-euro order from BMW, battery cell manufacturer Northvolt is now also facing a problem with VW. The reason cited is the battery cell production being behind schedule. Read more…
bp pulse & Simon Property to build charging infrastructure across the US
BP charging subsidiary bp pulse & the Simon Property Group have announced a partnership to install HPC stations across the USA. The first of the planned 75 locations will open in early 2026. Read more…
VW to postpone ID. Golf launch until 2029
The launch of the VW ID. Golf will be postponed by 15 months to 2029. The background to this is that large parts of the SSP vehicle architecture are to be rolled out later than planned. Read more…
Toyota joins North American fast-charging alliance Ionna
First there were seven, now there are eight. Toyota is the latest carmaker to join the charging joint venture Ionna to set up fast-charging infrastructure in the US and Canada. Read more…
E.On and MAN to expand truck charging infrastructure in Germany
MAN and the energy supplier E.On have entered into a cooperation agreement to install fast chargers for electric trucks at 170 locations in Europe. The first site is due to go into operation this year, with 80 planned by the end of 2025. Read more…
Singapore announces stop sale date for diesel cars and taxis
Singapore will ban the sale of diesel cars and taxis in the country from 1 January 2025. The country says eco-friendly alternatives are now widely available. Read more…
VW considers cancelling Northvolt battery supply contract
Following the loss of a billion-euro order from BMW, battery cell manufacturer Northvolt is now also facing a problem with VW. The reason cited is the battery cell production being behind schedule. Read more…
Volkswagen’s BEV business in China outweighs European drop in sales
The Volkswagen Group sold a total of 180,800 electric cars worldwide in the second quarter of 2024, roughly the same number as in the same period last year. However, geographical sales are shifting: the Group is losing ground in Europe and the USA, while it is clearly growing in China. Read more…
India’s ChargeZone to invest $360 mn in EV charging network
ChargeZone, an Indian EV charging solutions startup, plans to invest $360 million (€333 million) over the next four years to expand its network. The company is installing ‘superchargers,’ which are essentially ultra-fast chargers, to cater to electric cars and heavy-duty electric vehicles like buses and trucks. Read more…
Renault Trucks is getting ready for electric long-distance freight transport
Renault Trucks wants to be at the forefront of the electrification of road haulage in Europe. In fact, the manufacturer has already delivered more than 1,000 electric vehicles to customers. So far, these have been used exclusively for regional distribution transport with a maximum range of 300 kilometres, but that could change in two years. We visited the head office in Lyon and the lorry plant in Bourg-en-Bresse in France to see for itself. Read more…
