The Swedish-Kenyan technology company Roam (formerly Opibus) has just launched an all-electric public transport bus called Roam Rapid specifically designed to meet the challenges of public transport in Africa. The manufacturer has also just signed an agreement to supply electric motorbikes with an African financing platform called M-Kopa. The Roam Rapid will initially be used […] More…

Factorial Energy, the US developer of solid-state battery cells for electric cars backed by Mercedes-Benz, Stellantis and Hyundai-Kia, has begun construction of a new development and production facility. The new facility is being built in Methuen, a suburb of Boston in Massachusetts. This was made possible through the support of the Massachusetts Office of Business […] More…

The Volkswagen Group is investing around two billion euros in the transformation of its Salzgitter site in Germany – from the lead engine plant to the lead cell plant. At the same time, the carmaking giant says it has launched a major qualification offensive. Over the next few years, employees from the engine plant are […] More…

Honda and LG Energy Solution have entered into an agreement to establish a joint venture for the production of batteries in the USA. The batteries will be used in Honda and Acura electric models in the North American market. Under the agreement, the Japanese carmaker and the South Korean battery supplier will invest a total […] More…

In the USA, Mercedes-Benz has announced several new EQ models for the model year 2023. With the addition of the new models, the German carmaker says it is following on from the EQS Sedan with even more all-electric options for US customers. The EQS Sedan expands its line-up with the addition of the EQS 450 […] More…

FAW-Toyota, a joint venture between Chinese manufacturer FAW and Japanese carmaker Toyota, plans to launch an all-electric sedan called bZ3 in China. The motors and the battery are to be supplied by BYD. The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has published the first pictures and details of the new Toyota electric car, […] More…

Lawrence Hamilton will become the new European head of Hyundai’s Genesis brand on 1 September. Hamilton takes over from Dominique Boesch, who is leaving the company to pursue new challenges. “With his long-time experience in the auto industry, Lawrence will be able to leverage the great potential of the Genesis brand and story as we […] More…

BYD and the Antelope Valley Schools Transportation Agency (AVSTA) plan to bring 20 battery-electric school buses to students in the Antelope Valley. This could help AVSTA to become the first school transport provider in California to operate a complete fleet of zero-emission school buses. BYD is well-established in the region through its bus factory in […] More…

Zeekr will be the first electric car manufacturer to use CATL’s mass-produced Qilin batteries. The Chinese battery manufacturer and the Geely brand signed a five-year strategic cooperation agreement. The Qilin batteries based on CATL’s third-generation of cell-to-pack (CTP) battery technology were presented in June this year. CATL says the new Qilin batteries set a new […] More…

China’s Ministry of Transport (MOT) wants to boost EV charging along the country’s highways, according to a construction outline seen by the Global Times. The Ministry assumes the new facilities must have the capacity to serve 20 million new energy vehicles by 2024. This is according to estimates in the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25). […] More…

Renault has announced a purely electric camping van study for the Düsseldorf Caravan Salon starting at the end of August. Called the Hippie Caviar Hotel, the prototype offers a preview of the first purely battery-powered Renault Trafic, which will make its market debut later this year. The Hippie Caviar Hotel has been built around Kangoo […] More…

Berlin’s public transport operator BVG has released information on the incoming new e-buses. The first of 89 Ebusco 2.2 electric buses will join the Berlin fleet this year. Once these arrive in the German capital, the BVG fleet will include 228 electric buses in active service. BVG plans to convert its city bus fleet of […] More…

Tesla supplier Panasonic is looking to build another battery cell factory in the USA. After the Japanese company confirmed a plant in Kansas in July, media reports suggest Panasonic is looking at a similar facility in Oklahoma. The Wallstreet Journal cites sources close to the matter, saying a deal remained open. The new Panasonic plant […] More…

Xiaomi appears in talks with BAIC to collaborate on producing electric vehicles and is exploring options to take a stake in a Hyundai plant, according to media reports. The technology company aims to make electric cars by 2024 but has hit regulatory hurdles. Bloomberg quotes people familiar with the matter, saying the plans may include […] More…

In the USA, a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) programme coordinated by Highland Electric Fleets with electric school buses in Beverly, Massachusetts, has provided energy back to the electricity grid for more than 80 hours this summer. Highland Electric Fleets – a provider of electrification-as-a-service for municipal and government fleets in North America – activated two electric school […] More…

Separator manufacturer Celgard has entered into a strategic cooperation agreement with American Battery Factory (ABF). Celgard will supply 100 per cent of ABF’s demand for separators for LFP battery cells in the US. Celgard and ABF have said they also plan to develop next-generation technologies and cells for LFP batteries. The two partners also plan […] More…

Kia has given some insights into the final test programme of the EV9 and announced its world premiere for the first quarter of 2023. Test drives with camouflaged prototypes are currently still taking place in South Korea. Kia announced the large SUV with a concept in November 2021. The EV9 is the brand’s second battery-electric […] More…

Audi will compete in Formula 1 from 2026. As the manufacturer has now officially announced, its own hybrid drive unit is being developed for this purpose at Audi Sport’s Motorsport Competence Centre in Neuburg an der Donau. Around half of the power is to come from the electric motor. The background to Audi’s entry into […] More…

The Chinese car company GAC has announced the foundation of a subsidiary for the industrialisation of its own battery business. The new company, named Lvqingg, will probably focus mainly on LFP batteries and build its own battery factory. The newly formed company Lvqingg will be 51 per cent, 40 per cent and 9 per cent […] More…

The current heat wave in China, which marks the worst heatwave since 1961, is now also hampering car production accross the country. After extreme heat and drought led to power outages, the Sichuan province ordered most factories there to close for six days. In the meantime, the shutdown has been extended by another five days. […] More…