Volvo Cars announced the resignation of Javier Varela, the manufacturer’s Chief Operating Officer and Deputy CEO. Varela “has decided to pursue a new opportunity outside the company,” Volvo writes. There is no direct successor yet. Read more…

The Auto China in Beijing was probably the most important event of the year. electrive Editor-in-Chief Peter Schwierz spent five days there – and came back with five learnings and a possible answer to how Europe’s car manufacturers can counter the flood of EVs from China. Read more…

Hyundai has agreed to invest almost one billion dollars in Motional, an all-electric robotaxi company. This investment will give the Korean car manufacturer a majority stake in the company. Read more…

According to Chinese media, the premium electric car brand HiPhi from Chinese manufacturer Human Horizons is about to resume production. HiPhi recently received a strategic investment from a Hong Kong-based organisation. Read more…

The Shyft Group announced an order for subsidiary Blue Arc with FedEx for an initial order of 150 Blue Arc EV Trucks to be integrated into the FedEx pickup and delivery fleet in the United States. Read more…

North American bus manufacturer Gillig announced that it will add the first model with a hydrogen fuel cell drive to its portfolio. It is developed with BAE Systems and Ballard Power Systems and will go into production in 2026. Read more…

California-based eVTOL start-up Joby Aviation has successfully completed its pre-production flight test program and is now launching the next phase of flight testing. Read more…

Hyundai delivered 30 of its fuel cell trucks to Northern California. The 30 Hyundai XCIENT Class 8 hydrogen fuel cell electric trucks will hit the road as part of the NorCAL ZERO Project to push for emission-free freight transportation. Read more…

In the ENTISE research project, a consortium of 15 companies and universities led by battery manufacturer Varta is working on developing an innovative cell chemistry for sodium-ion batteries. The aim is to transfer this into functional cell formats. Read more…

Researchers at Graz University of Technology have determined additional parameters that can be used to reliably assess the condition of discarded batteries from electric vehicles for subsequent use as stationary power storage units. So far, the assessment has only been based on two criteria – this is to be made more precise with additional factors. Read more…

Electrify America reports having experienced significant growth in 2023, with over 10 million customer charging sessions. That marks double the sessions engaged in 2022. Read more…

The electric car manufacturer Rivian received an incentive package totalling $827 million from the US state of Illinois to expand its plant in Normal. In addition to the R1S and R1T, it will also produce the new R2 there. In return, Rivian will put the construction of a new plant in Georgia on hold. Read more…

As part of its ongoing anti-dumping investigation, the EU Commission is accusing the three Chinese electric car manufacturers BYD, SAIC and Geely of not providing enough information – for example on subsidies, operations and supply chains. Read more…

Nissan has presented the up to seven-seater Evalia variant of its Townstar, which is also available with an all-electric drive. This is the passenger car version of the Townstar EV electric panel van, which is equipped for private customers. Read more…

Chinese electric car manufacturer Xpeng is now accepting orders for its third model in Europe. The electric SUV G6 is available in the Netherlands, Norway, Denmark and Sweden – and it is cheaper than a Tesla Model Y. Read more…

Following the slight facelift in spring 2023, Volkswagen has announced further model upgrades for the ID.3 – there is even talk of an “extensive upgrade.” The changes mainly affect the software and the interior – but also the drive in one variant. Read more…

UK vehicle recycler EMR Metals Recycling has acquired a significant stake in Australian-owned Renewable Metals, which has developed a highly differentiated recycling process which has fewer steps than existing recycling routes for lithium-ion batteries. Read more…

Hubject announces a strategic cooperation with the California-based charging platform EV Connect. The core objective of the partners is to automate the start of the charging process through vehicle-based authentication. Read more…

The Chinese battery manufacturer Farasis Energy has announced the global launch of its ‘Standard Electric Motorcycle Battery’. This is a pouch battery with NCM chemistry. Read more…

The entire petrol station network of the Jet brand in Germany and Austria is up for sale. According to its latest quarterly statement, parent company Phillips 66 plans to “monetise assets that no longer fit its long-term strategy”. Read more…