SK On has launched a battery diagnosis service in South Korea based on the development of technology that allows drivers to check the battery status of their electric vehicles themselves. At the moment, however, it is only a pilot project. SK On relies on a self-developed artificial intelligence called BaaS AI (Battery as a Service […] More…

Stena Recycling has started construction of its new battery recycling plant in Halmstad, announced in July. The site is located between Gothenburg and Malmö. The Swedish company aims to have the plant up and running in the first quarter of 2023. The construction plans have been known since this summer. However, Stena has not yet […] More…

Volkswagen has hired two high-profile managers for its battery programme. One of them is said to be Apple’s head of battery development Soonho Ahn, while solid-state cell expert Jörg Hoffmann is also to join VW from BMW. Soonho Ahn had been working for Apple since 2019, before that the South Korean manager had worked for […] More…

Mercedes-Benz is considering not only offering the EQE, which will be released in 2022, as a sedan and SUV in China, but also launching a hybrid of these two body styles there. The EQE SUS (Sports Utility Sedan) could be sold from 2024. This is reported by the Handelsblatt with reference to company circles. Internally, the […] More…

The all-electric Renault Master Z.E. will get more battery capacity and thus a greater range from spring 2022. The battery capacity of the Master Z.E. will increase from 33 to 52 kWh, bringing the range in the WLTP city cycle to 244 kilometres. The Master Z.E. is available in three types – van, chassis and […] More…

Tesla is upgrading the production lines of its Shanghai factory for higher capacity starting in December. The conversion work in the areas of the continuing production of the Model 3 and Model Y is expected to last until April 2022. In addition, the first Model Y Performance were delivered in China. Tesla plans to invest […] More…

The Mercedes EQS can now also be ordered in Germany as a base model for under 100,000 euros. Following the EQS 450+ and EQS 580 4MATIC variants with the large 108 kWh battery, which have been available to order since August, now comes the EQS 350 with 90 kWh battery, which is available from 97,806.10 […] More…

Tesla is foregoing a possible government subsidy of billions of euros for the planned battery cell production in Grünheide. In September, it was still said that the Californian company could expect a subsidy of 1.135 billion euros. The Deutsche Presse-Agentur learned about the waiver of these state subsidies from the Federal Ministry of Economics. According […] More…

Porsche has filed a patent for a new sound simulator for electric cars. The component is not only designed like an exhaust system but is also intended to simulate combustion engine sounds. The external background noise caused by electric motors is “unemotional” and “dominated by the rolling noise of the tyres”, it says in justification. […] More…

Chinese electric car manufacturer Nio and petroleum company Shell have entered into a strategic partnership to collaborate on charging and battery swap facilities in both China and Europe. The agreement is for Nio and Shell to construct and operate battery charging and swapping facilities. Nio and Shell plan to jointly install 100 battery swap stations […] More…

BYD has won its first electric bus order from Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona (TMB), the public transport operator in the Barcelona metropolitan region. The order is part of a much larger tender. It includes 25 units of new-generation 12-metre electric buses to be delivered to Barcelona from 2022. The buses, which are assembled in Hungary, […] More…

The French municipal association Bordeaux Métropole has ordered 36 electric articulated buses of the recently launched Citea generation from VDL Bus & Coach for a new express bus route. VDL will also be responsible for all charging equipment at the terminals and depot. The estimated total order value reaches 40.3 million euros. The buses are […] More…

The German engine manufacturer MTU Aero Engines is committed to creating new standards, certification regulations and verification procedures for fuel cell systems in aviation. To this end, MTU is now working closely with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). To this end, both sides have entered into an innovation partnership. Together they are investigating […] More…

The US supplier Allison Transmission has completed a new production line for e-axles at its plant in Auburn Hills in the state of Michigan. The new 10,000 square metre facility will produce Allison Transmission’s eGen Power electric axles for commercial vehicles. These include the eGen Power 100D for heavy-duty 6×2 vehicles and the eGen Power […] More…

About two years after the start of construction, CATL plans to hire more employees for its battery cell factory near Erfurt in the next few weeks. The workforce is expected to increase from around 180 employees from Thuringia at present to about 225 by the end of the year. This was announced by CATL’s European […] More…

The newly-elected German federal coalition government has presented its coalition agreement. This is titled “Mehr Fortschritt Wagen” and can be translated to something like “dare to innovate” or “dare to make progress.” This, of course, has a number of ramifications for the transport industry. Contrary to expectation, the three coalition parties did not agree on […] More…

The Californian EV manufacturer Mullen Technologies announced that the reservation limit for its Mullen FIVE EV Crossover has been increased to 25,000 initial reservations. The first 25,000 reservations will also receive a custom ‘launch edition’ for vehicle trim package options. The Mullen FIVE EV crossover recently debuted at the LA Auto Show, and was planned […] More…

At the Seoul Mobility Show, Kia presented the new generation of the Niro, which will go on sale next year as a hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery-electric model. The focus of the presentation was on the completely new design. Kia has not yet revealed whether there will be any changes to the powertrains. The first […] More…

From the beginning of 2022, the electric versions of the Peugeot models 208 and 2008 are to receive a higher WLTP range – of up to 22 kilometres. This is made possible by changes to the software, but also to the hardware. The Peugeot e-208 will then offer a combined WLTP range of up to […] More…

The power struggle in Wolfsburg has apparently still not been resolved. According to a media report, the supervisory board has not yet decided whether or not to dismiss the criticised CEO Herbert Diess. However, Diess is not supposed to be involved in important discussions on future investments at the moment. Parallel to the Diess affair, […] More…