The Volkswagen brands VW, Audi, Porsche, Skoda and Seat have published their sales figures for the past year. All of them were able to significantly increase sales of battery-electric cars and plug-in hybrids – while overall sales declined in some cases. The core VW brand delivered 263,000 fully electric vehicles and 106,000 plug-in hybrids last […] More…

The electric car brand Polestar has sold 29,000 vehicles worldwide in 2021, reaching its sales target. Compared to the previous year, sales increased by 185 per cent. In 2021, Polestar increased its global presence from ten to 19 markets, with a focus on Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. Just at the end of the year, […] More…

Maserati is the first Italian car brand to enter Formula E. The Stellantis brand will compete in the electric racing series from season 9 with the new Gen3 vehicle. After DS, Maserati becomes the second participant from the Stellantis Group. In a few weeks, Season 8 will commence, which will still officially be referred to […] More…

Mercedes must recall 1,788 plug-in hybrid cars, namely versions of the Mercedes C-Class, the S-Class, the GLC and the EQS electric model. This is because faulty charging cables could lead to electric shock or vehicle fire in the affected cars produced in 2020 and 2021. The German KBA will notify owners individually, and Mercedes will […] More…

Spin, the scooter-sharing service Ford acquired in 2018, is withdrawing from various markets due to unprofitability. This affects Germany, Portugal and Spain, and some US markets. Spin CEO Ben Bear shared the company’s reasoning in an email to staff. The news later broke on the Spin blog as well. Writes Bear: “Today, we shared the […] More…

Bolt Technology, easily tagged as Estonia’s answer to Uber, has completed its largest funding round to date. Investors poured 628 million euros into the company, which had received another €600Mn in financing only last year. Bolt’s e-scooter hire is but one part of the growing business. Since launching eight years ago, the company has progressed […] More…

In China, around 3.3 million New Energy Vehicles, meaning battery-electric cars and plug-in hybrids, were sold last year. December was also a new record month with 505,000 NEV cars. Of these 505,000 New Energy Vehicles, 423,000 were BEVs and 82,000 were PHEVs, according to figures released by the China Passenger Car Association (CPCA). In the […] More…

The US battery recycling start-up, supported by Jaguar Land Rover among others, is building a commercial recycling plant for lithium-ion batteries in Covington, Georgia. The plant is scheduled to go into operation as early as August 2022, according to the company. The facility, which will be set up in an existing hall, will have a […] More…

Tesla has concluded another supply contract for nickel. The company now agreed with Talon Metals Corp. to supply at least 75,000 tonnes of nickel concentrate from the US state of Minnesota over a period of six years. How much Tesla will pay for this amount of nickel concentrate is not clear from the Talon Metals […] More…

A project in Montpellier to procure over 50 hydrogen buses has been scrapped, with the French city now opting for battery-electric buses. French media look at the reasons behind the decision that involves a change of management but more so, the question of operating cost. A portal from La Tribune broke the news following an […] More…

The French waste management company Veolia has announced its first electric vehicle battery recycling plant in the UK. The factory in Minworth in the West Midlands is to have enough capacity to process 20% of the UK’s end of life electric vehicle batteries by 2024. Veolia UK did not go into more detail, possibly because […] More…

Chinese premium electric brand Zeekr, which belongs to the Geely Group, plans to offer its first model in the EU from the beginning of 2023. By 2025, the brand wants to expand its range to seven models and export a total of 100,000 vehicles. The brand has set itself a delivery target of 70,000 electric […] More…

VW will start series production of the ID.4 in the USA in September or October 2022, according to its North American unit head. There will probably be slight differences to the examples of the electric SUV built in Europe. VW had already started pre-series production of the ID.4 at its US plant in Chattanooga in […] More…

Porsche will have to dig deep into its pockets to withdraw from the VQ Group’s Artemis project. In order not to have to build the model at VW Commercial Vehicles in Hanover, the Stuttgart-based company is paying a “small three-digit million amount”, or at least 100 million euros, according to a media report. The contract […] More…

Hyundai Mobis presented two studies with its new wheeled technology at CES – a battery-electric two-seater for sharing services and a delivery vehicle with fuel cell propulsion. Meanwhile, parent company Hyundai Motor put the spotlight on its new Plug & Drive (PnD) platform. First, to the concepts from Hyundai Mobis: both represent use cases for […] More…

The Chinese battery manufacturer CALB (China Lithium Battery Technology) is planning its IPO in Hong Kong. In doing so, CALB wants to raise about one billion US dollars – currently about 880 million euros – to finance further growth. The company has already applied for an overseas initial public offering of shares on 29 December […] More…

The Californian company Udelv presented an electric self-driving van without a driver’s cab at the CES. The autonomous van is not only designed for urban deliveries but also motorway speeds. The electric delivery vehicle can carry up to 2,000 pounds (about 900 kilograms) of goods and, according to Udelv, can achieve ranges of between 160 […] More…

Vitesco Technologies has received a major order worth more than one billion euros from an unnamed American car manufacturer. In return, the German company will “supply millions of 800-volt inverters with silicon carbide technology for electric vehicles”. Together with the order from the USA, Vitesco is publicising the expansion of its production activities to North […] More…

High demand for the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning is leading some dealers in the US to charge customers thousands of dollars more than the list price for early delivery dates. In isolated cases, there is talk of a premium of up to $30,000. Ford is now threatening that dealers with such sales practices could go […] More…

Nova Scotia will receive $1.2 million in funding to install up to 250 electric vehicle chargers throughout the province. The money will be made available through Natural Resources Canada and go to the Clean Foundation that will select locations as per demand. The funding is part of Canada’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Infrastructure Program (ZEVIP), a $280 […] More…