Chinese carmaker Zeekr published the first images of its third model, the Zeekr X. The SUV will first be shown at the Auto China in Shanghai in April and will probably be available in China before the end of the year. It will most likely also be sold in Europe, but at a later date. […] More…

In Europe, the materials technology and recycling group Umicore and the Finnish state mining company Terrafame have signed a long-term supply agreement for nickel sulphate. According to both companies, deliveries have already started and are to be increased further in the course of this year. The supply contract entails Terrafame providing a substantial part of […] More…

US electric car startup Rivian is apparently planning more job cuts. Rivian plans to lay off six per cent of its workforce to cut its ongoing costs, according to a leaked email from CEO R.J. Scaringe to employees. According to the statement, the company plans to lay off about 840 of its roughly 14,000 employees […] More…

In Los Angeles, USA, the electric commercial vehicle manufacturer Xos and cash handling company Loomis have signed a purchase order for 150 additional armoured electric vehicles. Loomis, which is a large provider of cash and high-value item transportation services, began using electric vehicles in 2019 when it added 20 Xos armoured electric vehicles to its […] More…

Berlin-based electric scooter sharer Emmy has acquired the German business of competitor Felyx. Emmy says this will make it the largest sharing provider for e-scooters in the German market. Felyx decided to sell its operations in Germany to focus more on growth in the Benelux region for the time being, according to the statement released […] More…

US battery startup Our Next Energy (ONE), backed by BMW, among others, has closed a $300 million funding round. The Series B funding round resulted in a company value of over $1 billion. The Series B round, led by Fifth Wall and Franklin Templeton, also saw participation from existing investors from the Series A round. […] More…

In Europe, the energy group TotalEnergies and the hydrogen gas manufacturer Air Liquide have decided to set up a joint venture to build hydrogen refuelling stations for heavy-duty vehicles in France, Benelux and Germany. The corresponding joint venture is to be established before the end of 2023. The partners plan to build more than 100 […] More…

The Oxford Bus Company, which is part of the Go-Ahead Group, has ordered 104 electric buses from Irish manufacturer Wrightbus. The order comprises five single and 99 all-electric double-decker buses. Eight double-decker will have an open top and can be used as sightseeing buses. All buses will hit the road by late 2023. They will […] More…

Citizens in the Swiss cities Zurich and Bern will receive their letters and parcels by electric vehicle. The Swiss Post fully electrified its delivery fleet in the two cities and announced that by the end of 2024, all delivery vehicles in Geneva and Basel, as well as some 50 other locations will also be 100 […] More…

Freudenberg e-Power Systems (FEPS) and LG Energy Solution (LGES) have signed a multi-year contract to supply lithium-ion battery modules. This is Freudenberg’s response to increasing demand from its truck and bus customers in North America and Europe. According to Freudenberg e-Power Systems – the Group Division that has been bundling Freudenberg’s battery and fuel cell […] More…

Volvo Cars is planning to turn its S60 and S90 sedan models into pure e-cars. According to the news agency Reuters, the two mid- and luxury-class sedans are part of a plan to launch at least six new electric models by 2026, citing two people familiar with the plans. The six new models include the […] More…

Honda has published its future strategy for hydrogen fuel cells, which primarily involves commercial and heavy-duty vehicles. The Japanese automaker envisages the further development of the FC system developed in collaboration with General Motors – targeting durability and radically reduced cost.  Hondo only refers to the collaboration with Gerneral Motors once in presenting its hydrogen […] More…

Trucks with combustion engines will still be able to be registered in the EU after 2035. A possible phase-out would take place in 2040 at the earliest, according to an internal Commission document on the revision of CO2 fleet limits for heavy-duty vehicles. This document was made available to Euractiv. The EU Commission’s proposals are […] More…

Chinese electric car manufacturer Nio has started deliveries of its EL7 SUV model in Europe. The first cars went to customers in the Netherlands. Deliveries of the EL7 in Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway will follow soon. The very first SUV was handed over on January 31st, Nio’s managing director for the Netherlands communicated over […] More…

Tesla plans to produce an average of 20,000 vehicles at its Shanghai factory in February and March. This is according to an internal planning memo available to the news agency Reuters. That would bring the production roughly back to the level of September 2022, when the factory turned out 82,088 Model 3 and Model Y. […] More…

Barcelona has banned e-scooters after a kick scooter burst into flame when charging on a train. Authorities say the ban will be in place for six months to give them time to work on regulations that will guarantee the safety of passengers. The move has been controversial to begin with, as commuters who do rely […] More…

Less than 2,000 passenger cars were newly registered in Norway in January, some 6,000 fewer than in the same month last year. This comes after Norway hit a new record in December, with 32,714 newly registered batter-electric passenger cars – by far the strongest month in 2022. The market share of zero-emission cars also took […] More…

The Chinese electric car manufacturer Xpeng has strengthened its team with an experienced automotive manager. Fengying Wang joined Xpeng as president on January 30, where she will be responsible for product planning and sales, which have been flagging recently. Fengying Wang will report directly to He Xiaopeng, the company’s chairman and CEO. Fengying Wang previously […] More…

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled the model update for the SUV GLE and the GLE Coupé. When the revised vehicles are launched in July 2023, there will only be electrified powertrains – the plug-in hybrid will also receive a minor technical update. Basically, the model generation launched in 2018 has been updated in terms of exterior, interior, […] More…

The US semiconductor manufacturer Wolfspeed has confirmed previously leaked plans to build a plant for SiC semiconductors in Saarland with local supplier ZF. The highly automated 200 mm wafer plant will be the company’s first “fab facility” in Europe and is expected to be the most modern of its kind. Wolfspeed and ZF made the […] More…