German company Vacuumschmelze (VAC), which specialises in magnetic materials, and the South Korean company LS Eco Advanced Materials are planning a joint venture to produce neodymium for electric car motors. The joint venture will be founded this year, and production should kick off in 2027. Read more…

The US Stellantis subsidiary Chrysler has unveiled the Halcyon Concept, an all-electric sports coupé. The four-door vehicle is based on the Stellantis STLA Large platform and, according to Chrysler, has an 800-volt battery system with lithium-sulphur batteries. Read more…

France has cut its EV bonus for high-income households by 20 per cent and made other significant changes to its so-called “bonus écologique.” This comes after Paris scrapped another subsidy altogether. Read more…

BYD is looking into building an electric car plant in Mexico to serve the US market. As the head of the Chinese manufacturer in Mexico explains, BYD is currently negotiating the conditions with the local authorities, including the plant’s location. Read more…

US manufacturer Rivian now offers two new entry-level battery options for its R1T electric pickup truck and the R1S electric SUV. These will have a capacity of 106 and 121 kWh. Read more…

Over 300 chargers will be installed across the West of England region, including 187 in Bristol. The rollout will take until March 2026. Read more…

A number of major Chinese battery and car manufacturers are joining forces to drive forward the commercialisation of solid-state batteries. The initiator of the alliance is the Chinese government. Read more…

The initiators of the EU Flagships project and their partners have presented their first cargo ship converted to fuel cell propulsion. The 1.2 megawatt “H2 Barge 2” will travel on the Rhine between Rotterdam and Duisburg. Read more…

Israeli battery developer StoreDot has further developed its fast-charging XFC battery cells. StoreDot has achieved 1,100 cycles in a small form factor cell for the “100in4” technology, which will be able to recharge 100 miles in four minutes. The technology will be ready for series production in 2026. Read more…

China is preparing to conquer the world market with a constant stream of new electric cars – and the German automotive industry is lagging behind “open to technology”. This (not so unrealistic) image was conveyed by a float in the Rose Monday parade in Mainz. In the supporting role: a Stone Age BMW. Read more…

General Motors released updated pricing for the Chevrolet Equinox EV. The automaker confirmed that the Equinox EV 1LT, the base model of the crossover, will start at $34,995. Read more…

Sound Transit, the regional transport operator in the greater Seattle area in the US state of Washington, has ordered 33 fully electric double-decker buses from Alexander Dennis. Delivery of the Enviro500EV buses is scheduled for 2026. Read more…

Kia is working on an all-electric successor to the Stinger, which is set to go into production in 2026 as the Kia EV8. There is already speculation about the initial technical data for the electric saloon – the EV8 will no longer be based on the familiar E-GMP from Hyundai and Kia. Read more…

Stellantis will also be using Tesla’s fast-charging system in North America. That means that all of the “Big Three” in the US car industry will use NACS – and all partners of the operating company of the new Ionna fast-charging network are now also using the charging standard developed by Tesla. However, Stellantis will not be using Tesla’s Supercharger. Read more…

Stellantis will also manufacture electric drives at its Hungarian plant in Szentgotthárd. The Group will invest some 100 million euros in equipping the factory accordingly. The first Electric Drive Modules (EDMs) made in Hungary will roll off the production line at the end of 2026. Read more…

The Swiss Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) is making additional areas available on the country’s national roads for the construction of more fast-charging hubs. FEDRO is now launching a tender for five lots. Read more…

France’s government is stopping its state-subsidised EV leasing programme for people with low incomes, launched at the beginning of this year. The reason? The programme is too succesful. Read more…

Electra Battery Materials has received a $5 million grant from the Canadian government to build North America’s first cobalt sulphate refinery. Once fully operational, the plant in Temiskaming Shores in the Canadian province of Ontario is expected to produce enough cobalt annually for the batteries of up to 1.5 million electric cars. Read more…

The oil and gas giant is closing all its hydrogen refilling stations in California with immediate effect. Shell executives quote “supply complications and other external market factors” as a reason to seize operations. And this is not an isolated issue. Read more…

The US automotive supplier BorgWarner has started manufacturing electric motor rotors and stators for the Chinese manufacturer Xpeng. The HVH220 high-voltage hairpin electric motor is to be used in two models from China. Read more…