Zimbabwe has banned the export of raw lithium with immediate effect. The land-locked country has the largest lithium reservoir in Africa but finds that foreign companies and smugglers have extracted the valuable ore without paying their dues. The government of Zimbabwe, through the Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Hon Winston Chitando, now decreed the […] More…

Ram Truck, the US commercial vehicle subsidiary of Stellantis, has brought the Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept to CES. The all-electric pickup shall hit the US market in 2024 as the series Ram 1500 BEV but for now mostly stands out in the design. The company had announced bringing a battery-electric pickup truck about a […] More…

Tesla has again lowered the prices for all versions of the Model 3 and Model Y in China. The entry-level Model 3 now comes at a record low of 229,900 yuan (just under €31,900) after Tesla skimmed off 36,000 yuan. For the Model 3, the starting price means that Tesla is now offering the vehicle […] More…

Mercedes-Benz has come to CES in Las Vegas to make a far-reaching announcement. The German carmaker wants to build its own high-power charging network covering North America, Europe, China and other key markets. The North American strategy is the most concrete. Overall, Mercedes-Benz targets installing more than 10,000 ultra-rapid chargers worldwide by the end of […] More…

Winnipeg Transit, the public transport company in the capital of the Canadian province of Manitoba, has signed a framework agreement with New Flyer to deliver battery and fuel cell electric buses. The contract includes firm orders for eight battery and fuel cell buses each and options for up to 150 zero-emission buses over the next […] More…

New York City announces procuring around 900 new electric vehicles to replace ICE vehicles and installing new charging stations as part of its ongoing commitment to green municipal fleets. The US government supports the city’s effort with grants of $10.1 million. The most significant chunk of funding will go to the Department of Citywide Administrative […] More…

A limestone mine in China’s Shandong province will use 40 autonomous and fully electric tippers. Yutong Mining Equipment and Eacon, a technology company for autonomous driving, developed zero-emission vehicles and not just for a trial. The first of the autonomous e-tippers for the project were handed over at the end of December, with the rest […] More…

In India, Convergence Energy Services (CESL), a subsidiary of state-run Energy Efficiency Services (EESL), has launched the third round of tenders under the Grand Challenge Scheme. The aim is to fund thousands of electric buses in up to nine major cities across the sub-continent. CESL is India’s government agency procuring and deploying electric vehicles across […] More…

Canadian commercial EV manufacturer Vicinity Motor has secured $30 mn in credit commitments from two Canadian institutions to fund the production of the company’s class 3 electric truck. With orders having accumulated, Vicinity is in line to deliver. In October last year, distributor Pioneer placed an order for 1,000 electric trucks with Vicinity and expected deliveries […] More…

The technology group ZF presents an automated Level 4 shuttle at the CES. The new model, for which ZF has already found a partner, will be launched alongside the company’s established shuttle, only each vehicle serves a different purpose. ZF says it has enough room for 22 passengers, with 15 sitting for the new shuttle […] More…

German automotive supplier ZF is looking to save range where it can. The latest attempt sees the component manufacturer getting close to the driver with a heated seat belt that claims somewhat surprising range improvements. The ZF ‘Heat Belt’ for electric vehicles allows drivers to reduce the energy used to heat the car, especially in […] More…

Slovenia’s electric motor specialist Elaphe has agreed on a strategic partnership with McLaren Applied. They are developing a powertrain that combines Elaphe’s in-wheel motors and vehicle control with McLaren Applied’s inverter technology. Specifically, Elaphe will use McLaren’s 800 V silicon carbide (SiC) inverter IPG5. The partners claim their combined electric drive would offer automakers significant […] More…

Stellantis and the Californian flying taxi start-up Archer Aviation have announced a significant expansion of their partnership. They will now join forces to manufacture Archer’s Midnight, the electric VTOL the young company debuted a few months ago. Specifically, Stellantis will work with Archer to help them build its first factory to produce the eVTOL. Last […] More…

Holon, Benteler’s brand of autonomous shuttles announced in November 2022, has come to Las Vegas to show its first vehicle at the CES. The electric Holon Mover, designed by Pininfarina, can carry up to 15 passengers and does not need a driver, at least not all the time. The Holon debut is in line with […] More…

The Sony Honda Mobility (SHM) joint venture, which Sony and Honda founded last autumn, has come to the CES to put their shared EV brand Afeela in the spotlight. SHM also brought its first prototype electric car and announce a strategic partnership with Epic Games and Qualcomm. On serious notes, the prototype previews Afeela’s first […] More…

At the CES, BMW gave the first glimpses of its future electric cars of the New Class (‘Neue Klasse’). The i Vision Dee, a study of a futuristic mid-size sedan, in which the “Dee” stands for Digital Emotional Experience, sees BMW focusing on UX when switching between levels of augmented reality. Among other things, the […] More…

Together with the partners in the EV-Fleet project, the transmission system operator TransnetBW has completed a large field test on the provision of balancing power by e-mobility. A total of 155 electric vehicles took part in the field test between June 2021 and June 2022. The result showed that the provision and delivery of control […] More…

Mercedes-Benz has entered into a strategic partnership with Wolfspeed to supply silicon carbide power semiconductors. Wolfspeed’s SiC semiconductors will be integrated by Mercedes-Benz into drive systems of the future platforms for electric cars. Wolfspeed does not disclose the agreed supply volumes or financial scope of the strategic agreement in the statement. The advantages of silicon […] More…

In Croatia, the state railway HZPP has signed a contract with the Croatian rail vehicle manufacturer Koncar Electric Vehicles for the delivery of battery electric trains and six charging stations to be installed in Split, Osijeck, Varazdin, Bjelovar, Virovitica and Pula. The contract mainly covers battery trains that can run on non-electrified lines. However, there […] More…

The Japanese government is planning to relax the safety regulations for fast charging stations with more than 200 kW power in order to make their installation less cost-intensive. In the process, HPCs are to be put on an equal footing with DC charging stations with 50 to 200 kW. Japan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency, […] More…