BMW presents a slightly revised version of the 4 Series Gran Coupé and its electric version, the i4, at Auto China in Beijing. There are fresh design accents and an additional drive variant in the case of the i4. Read more…

Volkswagen has high hopes for the upcoming electric vehicle offensive in China from 2026, when the vehicles from the Xpeng cooperation and those based on the China Main Platform will debut. The German carmaker thus designed its own concept, the ID. Code, to introduce the new design language for EVs for China. Read more…

The solid-state battery developer Factorial Energy and LG Chem have announced that they are working together on new battery materials. Building on this, both sides also want to hold talks on the licensing of solid-state battery technologies and material supplies at a later date. The aim is to lead the way in the commercialisation of solid-state batteries. Read more…

Hyundai Mobis has started construction of a plant in Spain for the production of battery systems for the Volkswagen Group. The plant in Navarra is scheduled to go into operation in 2026 and will supply up to 360,000 battery systems per year for the Volkswagen Group’s future small electric cars, which will be manufactured at the factory in Pamplona, 14 kilometres away. Read more…

Tesla has unveiled the new Model 3 Performance. Since the switch to the revised ‘Highland’, there has been no Performance version of the Tesla Model 3 – until now. And the most powerful Model 3 now differs noticeably from the basic versions. Read more…

Tesla’s production had a rough start in 2024, caused by both internal and external factors. The annual report confirms that the company is under pressure due to crumbling sales and declining business figures, but Tesla aims to counter this by introducing new models ahead of schedule and improving production efficiency. Read more…

More than six years have passed since PepsiCo ordered 100 units of the Semi electric truck from Tesla at the end of 2017. However, according to an agency report, Tesla has only delivered 36 of them to PepsiCo so far. Other customers are apparently also still waiting for their ordered Tesla trucks. Read more…

The former StreetScooter successor B-ON and the Chinese vehicle manufacturer Chery announced a joint venture for electric commercial vehicles. The first joint product is the Pelkan electric van, which is to be delivered to customers in mainland Europe from mid-2024. Read more…

Munich-based startup Tozero, which specialises in the recycling of lithium-ion batteries, has started delivering recycled lithium to its first commercial customers. The material comes from the company’s own pilot plant in Karlsfeld. Read more…

Siemens Smart Infrastructure has introduced Depot360, a new portfolio that goes beyond the installation and maintenance of electric and charging infrastructure to cover the entire electrification of the fleet. Read more…

Ford is introducing a new variant of the E-Transit, which can go up to 402 kilometres on one charge thanks to a larger battery – and can also charge faster. The order books will open in 2024, and the first deliveries will follow in spring 2025. electrive recently took a look at the production of the electric van in Turkey. Read more…

Deepal, the new energy vehicle unit of Changan Automobile, has announced its connection to Nio’s charging network. The move provides Deepal drivers access to over 20,000 charging piles. Read more…

The Australian investment bank Macquarie announced plans to invest a total of 1.5 billion US dollars over a period of ten years in the development of electric vehicle fleets in India. Read more…

Volkswagen Group subsidiary Elli, flying wind turbine manufacturer EnerKite and the Technical University of Braunschweig presented their research at the Hannover Messe, which opened on Monday, which could make it possible to charge electric vehicles using kites. Read more…

Smart will present a preview of an electric mid-size SUV at Auto China in Beijing with the Concept #5. The brand itself calls it “Smart’s most spacious and versatile vehicle to date” – the series version will debut later this year. Read more…

British electric vehicle supplier and manufacturer Bedeo has presented a retrofit package for classic cars to convert them to electric drives. The first car converted was a classic Land Rover Defender, which is now powered by wheel hub motors. Read more…

Developers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have unveiled a promising new type of sodium-ion battery that charges in just a few seconds – and could be used in electric vehicles in the future. Read more…

In the recently published new edition of its “Global EV Outlook”, the International Energy Agency (IEA) expects global sales of electric cars to remain strong in 2024 and reach around 17 million by the end of the year – more than one in five cars sold worldwide would therefore be electric. Read more…

Honda Canada wants to build an electric vehicle battery plant and produce electric vehicles at its factory in Alliston, in the Canadian province of Ontario. According to local government officials, the deal could be worth double what Volkswagen announced last year. Read more…

The Chinese EV brand Neta from Hozon Auto presented a new SUV model, the Neta L, which will initially launch as an electric car with an additional combustion engine as a range extender. Pure BEV variants of the Neta L will follow at a later date. Read more…