UK public transport operator Stagecoach has announced the company’s largest electric bus order to date. Stagecoach plans to invest up to £37.2 million (€42.3 million) to procure a new fleet of 170 electric buses for use in Stockport, Manchester. The order includes 150 electric double-decker buses and 20 solo buses, all of which are due […] More…

Mercedes-Benz was able to increase sales of its electric vehicles in the first quarter. Sales of battery-electric passenger cars almost doubled to 51,600 units (+89 per cent), while van sales rose by 22 per cent. In terms of passenger car sales, Mercedes reached a total across all drive types of 503,500 units sold (+3 per […] More…

Under new CEO Koji Sato, Toyota wants to focus more on electric cars in the future and is planning ten new BEV models by 2026. However, Sato is also still committed to hybrids and therefore wants to continue investing in the combustion engine. The 53-year-old Sato took over the CEO post from Akio Toyoda at […] More…

Ford has announced a 1.8 billion Canadian dollar (€1.2 billion) investment to transform the Oakville Assembly Complex in Ontario into a Canadian electric vehicle manufacturing centre. This EV centre is to include the assembly of vehicles and battery packs. In the course of this, the site will also be renamed from Oakville Assembly Complex to […] More…

Swiss energy storage specialist Leclanché has developed a new concept for the circular economy of battery life. The concept anticipates compliance with new EU regulations on batteries. The 6 “R’s” of Leclanché’s circular economy concept stand for Reliability, Repowering, Reuse, Recycling and Recycled Content, and Record, which spans the entire life cycle of its lithium-ion […] More…

VW has halted the sale of some ID.4 units because of fear the doors will fling open while in motion. The German manufacturer estimates that around 18,000 vehicles built at the factory in Chattanooga may be affected. In terms of customer deliveries of the affected vehicles, 16,207 customers in the US and 1,455 in Canada […] More…

According to data released by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM), sales of New Energy Vehicles (NEV) in China stood at 653,000 units last month. This represents a year-on-year increase of 34.8 per cent and a 24.4 per cent increase compared to February. Within these 653,000 New Energy Vehicles, the pendulum swung clearly in […] More…

The South Korean battery maker Samsung SDI has opened a new battery research and development centre in China to boost its technological competitiveness. The SDI China Research and Development Center (SDIRC) was opened on Saturday. According to Samsung SDI, the new research lab will focus on building partnerships with local universities and research institutes to […] More…

MAN Truck & Bus is strengthening its cooperation with surrounding scientific institutions at its Nuremberg site. Together they want to research “fossil-free, future-proof drives” and create synergies between science and industry. The cooperation with the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU) and the Nuremberg University of Applied Sciences Georg Simon Ohm (Ohm) will unfold both decentrally and […] More…

Allego and the French distribution network operator Enedis have opened 107 public fast-charging stations in France since the start of their cooperation. The duo announced the milestone on the anniversary of their roll-out that started exactly twelve months ago. The partners recently set up the 107th fast-charging station in Rambouillet in the Yvelines region. Allego […] More…

The Chinese battery manufacturer CALB has presented a new battery technology that is said to offer a significant increase in performance compared to conventional cylindrical cells. This not only involves improved cell chemistry but also a new type of construction. According to a CALB presentation at the China EV 100 Forum, the new battery type […] More…

Hubject wants to accelerate the introduction of Plug&Charge in Asian markets. For this purpose, the company is introducing an additional V2G Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) for the Asian market. Hubject’s Plug&Charge solutions enable interoperability between any electric vehicle and local charging stations, this enables user ease with secure vehicle and station authentication, and supports vehicle-to-grid […] More…

The Hyundai Motor Group has presented investment plans to become one of the world’s top three electric car manufacturers by 2030. To this end, the South Korean group wants to invest up to 24 trillion won (equivalent to around 16.6 billion euros) to increase production and exports. The group with the brands Hyundai Motor, Kia […] More…

Tesla published the complete Master Plan 3 a few days ago. It contains some new information about upcoming models. In addition, there was another price reduction in the USA and changes in top management. Tesla had already reported on the Master Plan 3 in excerpts at the ‘Investors Day’ at the beginning of March – […] More…

In Germany, battery industry players and university researchers are partnering on a joint project to improve the ecological footprint of lithium-ion batteries. The project, called SWELL, is led by battery electrolyte company Elyte Innovations, and joined by a team at the Technical University Dresden and the automotive lubricants company, Fuchs Smierstoffe. The SWELL joint project […] More…

Alfa Romeo reportedly wants to launch an electric car under the model name Brennero as a spin-off of the Jeep Avenger next year. While the Brennero will probably still be available with several types of drive, the successor generation of another Alfa model will only be purely electric. There were already reports of a new […] More…

British charging network InstaVolt says this March marks its most active month to date, with a record 80 rapid chargers activated throughout the UK during the month. The expansion comes amid the SMMT, revealing a record monthly high of 46,626 BEVs sold last month. The SMMT figures show an 18.5% increase in electric car registrations […] More…

Audi has opened a charging hub in Berlin. The Volkswagen brand’s third own fast-charging location after Nuremberg and Zurich offers four fast-charging points with up to 320 kW power that can be reserved in advance. In Berlin, Audi relies on a local partner company: the neighbouring Frischeparadies with its shopping market and bistro is a […] More…

Automation specialist Kuka has scored a new contract and is designing “CO2-neutral” assembly systems for Valmet Automotive in Finland. The supplier says the investment into sustainable battery production is “extensive” and expects the new Kuka system to set new standards. In addition to robots for process handling, Kuka is also installing friction stir welding systems […] More…

Fast-charging provider Atlante, a joint venture between Stellantis, NHOA Group and Free2move eSolutions, is partnering with France’s Groupe Duval to build 188 DC and HPC charging points at sites owned by the property company across France. The first of these fast chargers will come online before the end of 2023. The 188 chargers planned for […] More…