Germany’s Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf has issued its long-awaited ruling on the deployment of charging infrastructure at motorway service areas. The court fully upheld Fastned’s application against Autobahn GmbH, the state-owned company responsible for the federal motorway network, concluding that the previous procurement practice was unlawful and that future construction of charging stations at service areas must be put out to tender. Read more…
Category: Electrive
VinFast to supply 20,000 electric cars to transport companies in Indonesia
VinFast has announced plans to supply a total of 20,000 electric cars to two Indonesian transport companies: PT Satu Kosong Tujuh and PT Sembilan Benua Abadi. The Vietnamese automaker recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with both companies covering the orders. Read more…
Ireland expands grants for electric trucks and buses
Ireland has expanded its Zero Emission Heavy Duty Vehicle (ZEHDV) grant scheme to accelerate the uptake of electric trucks and buses. Companies can now access up to €500,000 per year for vehicle purchases and up to €300,000 for charging infrastructure as the government aims to support fleet electrification. Read more…
NextStar Energy opens battery cell plant in Canada
The joint venture NextStar Energy, founded by Stellantis and LG Energy Solution (LGES), has inaugurated its cell factory in Windsor, Canada. However, for the time being, only cells for stationary battery storage systems are being manufactured there—and Stellantis has already withdrawn as a partner. Read more…
Steyr Automotive to assemble electric and diesel trucks for Sinotruk
Steyr Automotive has started contract manufacturing of trucks for the Chinese manufacturer Sinotruk in Austria. The company assembles ‘diesel-powered and fully electric models in various variants,’ as announced by Steyr Automotive. Sinotruk is considered China’s largest truck manufacturer. Read more…
Is Mercedes-Benz planning a new EV platform based on Geely technology?
China’s Geely Group has been one of the largest single shareholders in Mercedes-Benz for years, yet technological cooperation between the two companies has so far remained limited. Reports from China now suggest this could change, although the German manufacturer has denied the claims. Read more…
Tesla raises Cybertruck AWD price by $10,000 just days after launch
Tesla has increased the price of the Cybertruck AWD in the US to $69,990 only ten days after introducing the new entry-level version at $59,990. Delivery timelines have naturally extended as order volumes increased following the launch. Read more…
EU Council approves 2040 climate target with 90% GHG reduction
The EU has adopted a 2040 interim climate target, committing to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 90 per cent compared to 1990 levels. At the same time, the introduction of the second EU Emissions Trading System (ETS2) has been postponed by one year and is now scheduled to start in 2028. Read more…
BMW completes winter testing programme for upcoming i3
BMW has completed the final winter testing phase for the upcoming i3 ahead of its design premiere on 18 March. Prototypes of the second model in the Neue Klasse are currently undergoing extensive validation at BMW’s winter testing centre in Arjeplog, Sweden. Read more…
VW Commercial Vehicles Ramps Up Pre-Series Production of the Autonomous ID. Buzz AD
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ Hanover plant has now begun ramping up pre-series production of the fully autonomous ID. Buzz AD. Before the end of this year, the first 500 vehicles for projects in Europe and the USA are to be manufactured. Series production of the ID. Buzz AD is set to begin in 2027. Read more…
Islington Council secures £1m funding for EV charging
The London Borough of Islington has secured £932,500 of government funding to increase the number of EV charging points in the area. The council said this is being supported by ‘significant’ private investment. Read more…
Virgin Media O2 to deploy 101 Renault Master e-Tech vans
The vans will primarily be deployed by the British telecoms firm’s Network Engineer team for ‘essential maintenance’ work. Each van is expected to cover an average of 13,000 miles per year over a five-year operating cycle. Read more…
Li Auto takes a jab at VW over its first range extender
The Chinese joint venture SAIC-Volkswagen has started production of a range-extender system for the new China-SUV ID. Era 9X – making it the first VW model with a range extender. The Chinese competitor Li Auto responded with humour on social media, where the company congratulated Volkswagen on the production start of an outdated technology. Read more…
First drive in the Kia PV5: Kia enters the electric van segment
With the PV5, Kia is entering the electric light commercial vehicle segment as part of its new PBV strategy. Positioned as a cost-competitive alternative to established rivals such as the VW ID. Buzz, the model is aimed primarily at fleet operators. An initial test drive shows a coherent overall concept, albeit with typical compromises associated with commercial vehicles.
10–97% in nine minutes: BYD presents second generation of Blade Battery
The Chinese car and battery manufacturer BYD has unveiled the second generation of its Blade Battery in China, apparently designed for very high charging power. At the premiere, the company also presented matching ‘Flash Chargers’ and charged the battery almost completely in nine minutes. Read more…
Dachser achieves emission-free deliveries in 25 city centres
Dachser has now established designated inner-city areas in 25 major European cities and metropolitan regions across ten countries, where unrefrigerated general cargo shipments are delivered locally with zero emissions. To achieve this, 60 electric vehicles and 13 cargo bikes are deployed. Read more…
Stellantis offers BEV–diesel price parity for electric vans
Until the end of June, Stellantis is offering the battery-electric versions of its compact and mid-size vans in Europe at the same price as their diesel counterparts. The campaign is run by the group’s commercial vehicle division, Stellantis Pro One. Read more…
Volkswagen surpasses four million BEV deliveries worldwide
The Volkswagen Group has surpassed the milestone of four million all-electric vehicles delivered. Approximately half of these have been sold globally by the core VW brand. Alongside this significant figure, the Volkswagen Group shares additional insightful statistics on electromobility within the company. Read more…
Milence opens HGV charging hub at Belgian Volvo plant
The truck charging joint venture Milence has opened a new public charging hub at the Volvo plant in Ghent, its fourth in Belgium. Currently, only CCS charging points with up to 400 kW power are available there, but expansion to megawatt charging systems in a second phase is already planned. Read more…
UK EV market grows but share declines
Battery-electric vehicle registrations in the UK rose by 2.8% to 21,840 units in February, giving BEVs a 24.2% market share. However, the share declined year-on-year and remains well below the 33% required under the UK’s 2026 Zero Emission Vehicle mandate. Read more…
