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…

General Motors is increasing the price of the Chevrolet Bolt and Bolt EUV by hundreds of dollars. The US carmaker told a Detroit publication that increased pressures on prices across the industry have made the price hikes necessary. The 2023 Bolt EV now has an increased starting price that has been raised by $900 to […] More…

The American electric car start-up Rivian built a total of 10,020 vehicles in its Illinois plant in the fourth quarter of 2022. In the same period, Rivian delivered 8,054 electric vehicles. Even though these production and delivery numbers represent significant increases over the third quarter of 2022, Rivian only just missed its full-year target of […] More…

ABB E-Mobility has announced a new AC charging solution for the home that will go on sale later this year. At the at CES in Las Vegas, the Swiss-Swedish company revealed a special feature: The new ABB Terra Home wallbox can automatically give preference to electricity from renewable sources. With the new renewable energy feature, […] More…

Piedmont Lithium has negotiated an amended supply contract with Tesla. Under the new contract, Piedmont Lithium will supply approximately 125,000 tonnes of spodumene concentrate (SC6) to Tesla between the second half of 2023 and the end of 2025 but not from its own mining operations as planned. The new contract replaces the agreement between the […] More…

At the CES in Las Vegas, VW has presented a preview of its upcoming all-electric luxury sedan in the form of a camouflaged near-production study, which now bears the designation ID.7. The premiere of the production model is scheduled just a few months away. Volkswagen will premiere the production version in the second quarter of […] More…

In China, Geely’s premium electric brand Zeekr is now offering its 001 with CATL’s Qilin battery for the first time in the new 2023 model year. This battery option with a capacity of 140 kWh increases the range of the Zeekr 001 to up to 1,032 kilometres according to Chinese standards. The 001 with the […] More…

In the Netherlands, the Dutch company Derks Uitvaartmobiliteit has converted the Tesla Model 3 into a hearse. The company calls the vehicle the Tesla Hearse 3, which is based on the Model 3 with rear-wheel drive and a standard Range Plus battery. The electric funeral car required considerable body modifications and a stretch on the […] More…