Polestar 4 production kicks off in China
Polestar has started producing its latest electric car in China, where the Polestar 4 is rolling off the line at Geely’s plant in Hangzhou Bay. The dedicated electric SUV coupé is a China-first EV, yet scheduled to hit the global market in a few months. Read more…
Forge Nano to open battery cell plant in North Carolina
The US start-up Forge Nano, specialising in defense, aviation and special electric vehicles, supported by Volkswagen, plans to build a gigawatt-hour-scale battery factory in Morrisville North Carolina. The factory will manufacture battery cells coated with its Atomic Armor surface technology, for which the company is establishing a spin-off called Forge Battery. Read more…
Ireland invests in skills for electric vehicle industries
The government of Ireland has announced the development of a national centre for electric vehicle skills to ensure that Irish workers are fully equipped to handle the expanding skills requirements of electric vehicles. Read more…
Polestar 4 enters production, first cars to start shipping in 2023
The Polestar 4 is now in production and the first deliveries of the EV to Chinese buyers will begin before the end of the year. The car will enter other Polestar markets in early 2024 and is expected to begin shipping the same year. The first Polestar 4 to roll off the Hangzhou Bay production line is a Performance model finished in Snow with the signature Swedish gold details of the Performance Pack. The Hangzhou Bay factory is powered by renewable electricity both from hydro and solar power. It uses water-based paint to reduce volatile organic compound emissions, dry paper box… Read more…
BMW North America takes smart charging with renewables nationwide
The carmaker is expanding its ChargeForward service across the lower 48 states. With the launch of the first all-electric BMW 5 Series, the BMW i5, all drivers of BMW battery electric vehicles and PHEVs will be eligible to enrol in what used to be a mere pilot scheme. Read more…
Volkswagen dials down electric car production in Saxony
This week, Volkswagen has cancelled one shift on the line producing the VW ID.3 and Cupra Born at its plant in Zwickau, Germany, due to low demand. The same may happen at the second production line if the market does not change. Read more…
Xpeng posts Q3 revenue of $1.17 billion, up 68.5% from Q2
Electric car from Renault for under 20,000 euros in 2025
Renault’s new electric car division Ampere has announced a new city car as part of its capital market day. The city electric car, known as the “Legend”, will be launched on the market from 2025 at an entry-level price of less than 20,000 euros (before deduction of possible subsidies). Read more…
GEL ready to extract lithium with geothermal process in Cornwall
UK geothermal energy company Geothermal Engineering Limited (GEL) has announced plans to produce significant quantities of lithium. GEL aims to produce enough carbon-free lithium as a by-product of its geothermal projects to power around 250,000 electric car batteries annually. Read more…
BREAKING: Regulatory filing shows what Xiaomi’s 1st EV model looks like with core specs
This article is being updated, please refresh later for more content. Read more…
Volvo’s CEO says dropping Apple CarPlay is a mistake, rejects monetization inside cars
Volvo Cars CEO Jim Rowan’s shed some light on the company’s plans for the future and how it plans to adapt to the rapidly changing landscape. With a background in consumer electronics at companies like BlackBerry and Dyson, Rowan is up to speed with developments and commented on recent move by GM to remove popular features like Apple CarPlay. Volvo, under Rowan’s leadership, is poised for a significant transformation, with a pledge to become fully electric by the end of the decade. This ambition is underpinned by a broader industry shift towards electrification, autonomy, and… Read more…
Watt Electric Vehicle Company’s new van is made exclusively from recycled aluminum
UK startup Watt Electric Vehicle Company (WEVC) has announced an interesting new partnership today as it looks to reach production of its flagship commercial van, the eCV1. Together with the help of leading Norwegian industrial company Hydro, WEVC hopes to deliver an electric van built from recycled aluminum that can last decades and potentially enable closed-loop production. Read more…
Here’s how Tesla cleverly re-launched its Cyberquad for Kids by skirting ATV laws
Despite Tesla’s long-awaited Cyberquad electric ATV likely still having a long wait ahead of us, it’s actually been two years since the company rolled out a smaller version designed for young riders. But after a Consumer Product Safety Commission recall put the kibosh on the original version, Tesla has returned with an updated model that managed to avoid the same laws that quashed the original. Read more…
Solar supplement for hybrid truck
Scania has shown a prototype of an electric truck that uses solar panels to provide additional power for propulsion (writes Nick Flaherty).
The truck is a regular 100 kWh Scania plug-in hybrid connected to a trailer with 200 kWh of additional batteries as a power bank. These are connected to the solar panels.
“When we first began thinking about this, our starting point was the lithium-ion batteries used in battery-electric trucks,” said Eric Falkgrim, a technology leader at Scania’s Research and Innovation department and the project manager for the truck. “In the time that Scania has been working with that technology, we’ve seen the batteries become lighter, cheaper and more energy-dense.” Read more…
Zeekr reveals interior of Zeekr 007 electric sedan
The Zeekr 007 will be available for pre-sale on the first day of the Guangzhou auto show on November 17, where Zeekr will have a booth next to Nio. Read more…
Xiaomi’s 1st EV model to begin mass production in Dec and hit market in Feb 2024, report says
Xiaomi’s car factory in Beijing has been conducting small-volume trial production for some time now, with dozens of vehicles already produced, according to local media. Read more…
Quick Charge Podcast: November 14, 2023
Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from Electrek. Quick Charge is available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn and our RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players. Read more…
Nio starts recruiting dealer partners for its main brand and sub-brand
Nio has started recruiting dealership partners for its Nio brand and a sub-brand, following moves by its local peers, including Xpeng, in a move that appear aimed at reducing expenses and expanding sales network. Read more…
Kia offers $599/mo lease deal on the new 2024 EV9 electric SUV with over 300 miles range
The first three-row Kia electric SUV is expected to hit dealerships in the next month or so. The all-new Kia EV9 already has its first lease deal, and it may be better than you expected.. Read more…